markj11 wrote:Pirates4Life wrote:He'll turn it around. He's got a track record that says he will, and in order for him to end up with the kind of numbers I still expect him to, he's going to go on quite a tear sometime this summer.
I not sure about the track record. He had one decent year by 1B standards. Its not like the Braves had someone that he was blocking at 1B.
Well, his track record is:
As a 24 year old, he batted .278 with 13 HRs in 324 ABs.
As a 25 year old, he batted .269 with 20 HRs in 411 ABs.
As a 26 year old, he batted .285 with 32 HRs in 492 ABs.
Not all good hitters just burst onto the scene and start raking right away. I don't expect him to be an all-star, but I do expect him to end up with numbers comparable to the last 2 years.
That's a pretty strong track record for a guy who's just now turning 27. I'm sure he's feeling a lot of pressure the way the Pittsburgh media (and even some of the players) treated him as some kind of savior to the offense, but he'll hit.