Jake Cronenworth

On the surface, Cronenworth followed up on his strong 2020 campaign with an equal effort across a full 2021 season, but a deeper look offers reason for pause. Though he topped 20 home runs and his ISO remained stable at .194, Cronenworth's xSLG dipped from .538 to .445 and his barrel rate fell to a near league-average 7.2 percent clip. After successfully swiping three of four stolen bases in 2020, Cronenworth was successful on only four of seven attempts in 2021. Meanwhile his .283 BABIP suggests his .266 batting average should rise, yet his infield-flyball rate rose from 4.8% to 10.4% and his flyball rate from 29.4% to 36.1%. Despite some of these negatives, Cronenworth hit between second and fourth in the Padres' lineup in 504 of his 643 plate appearances in 2021. If he can maintain that role in 2022, he should remain a solid fantasy contributor in all five categories, though a significant jump in production doesn't appear to be a probable outcome.

Viewed by many as a secondary piece in the Tommy Pham-Hunter Renfroe-Xavier Edwards trade, Cronenworth broke out in the short 2020 season to finish tied for second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. His mid-teens K% from the upper levels of the minors was copied-and-pasted over his first 192 PA in the majors (15.6%), and Cronenworth showed good gap power with 15 doubles (t-12th in MLB). Statcast suggests more of those would clear the fences in a more neutral setting; keep in mind the Padres played in a lot of spacious parks out west with the geographical scheduling of 2020. There is room for growth in the SB department as well as Cronenworth showed 92nd percentile sprint speed. His playing time at second base is now in question after the team signed Ha-seong Kim. That being said, Cronenworth can move around if necessary, like he did in 2020, gaining three-position eligibility in many leagues (2B, SS, 1B).

The Padres acquired Tommy Pham and a good prospect in an offseason trade that sent Hunter Renfroe and a great prospect (Xavier Edwards) to the Rays. That good prospect was Cronenworth, a big-league-ready infielder (shortstop by trade) who doubles as a right-handed reliever. He missed a third of the season with a hamstring injury, but led the International League with a .334 AVG and ranked fourth with a 0.79 BB/K. It was his age-25 season, but Cronenworth's plate skills seem legitimate, and he may end up with a 55-grade hit tool. Power probably won't be a big part of his game, but he could chip in 10-15 steals. He would need at least one injury to get starts on the left side of the infield and will be competing with newly-acquired Jurickson Profar and upwards of five other internal options for time at the keystone. His two-way ability could work as a tie breaker and give him the edge if Profar falters.