Jeter Downs

24-Year-Old Second Baseman2B
Washington Nationals AAA
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Downs made his major-league debut in 2022 but played in only 14 games and went 6-for-39 with 21 strikeouts. The departure of Xander Bogaerts in free agency should move Trevor Story to shortstop, leaving the Red Sox without a clear long-term answer at the keystone. However, Christian Arroyo was solid in a utility role last year and should be the Opening Day starter at second base. Downs spent his second straight season with Triple-A Worcester and had an uninspired .197/.316/.412 slash line in 81 games. He had a strong 11.8 percent walk rate and poor 29.6 percent strikeout rate, which was actually an improvement upon his 2021 figure. Downs simply has too much swing-and-miss at the highest level of the minors, and that flaw was quite apparent during his brief time in the big leagues. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in December after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox, and he's likely to receive another look in the big leagues at some point in 2023. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#601
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Nationals in March of 2023.
Heads back to Rochester
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
May 3, 2023
The Nationals optioned Downs to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
Utility man Ildemaro Vargas (shoulder) was activated from the 10-day injured list in the corresponding transaction. Though he had been up with the big club since April 11, Downs appeared in just one game during his time with the Nationals and logged two plate appearances. He'll get a chance to play regularly again once he's back with Rochester.
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Batting Stats
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2023
2022
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2022 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+34%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
-100%
OPS vs RHP
2022
 
 
+31%
OPS vs RHP
2021
No Stats
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021vs Left .354 15 1 0 2 0 .154 .200 .154
Since 2021vs Right .475 28 3 1 2 0 .148 .179 .296
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right .500 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .500 .000
2022vs Left .354 15 1 0 2 0 .154 .200 .154
2022vs Right .462 26 3 1 2 0 .154 .154 .308
2021vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+197%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
-100%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+244%
OPS on Road
2021
No Stats
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021Home .226 23 2 0 2 0 .095 .130 .095
Since 2021Away .671 20 2 1 2 0 .211 .250 .421
2023Home .500 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .500 .000
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Home .195 21 2 0 2 0 .100 .095 .100
2022Away .671 20 2 1 2 0 .211 .250 .421
2021Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Stat Review
How does Jeter Downs compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
1.00
 
BB Rate
50.0%
 
K Rate
50.0%
 
BABIP
.000
 
ISO
.000
 
AVG
.000
 
OBP
.500
 
SLG
.000
 
OPS
.500
 
wOBA
.345
 
Hard Hit Rate
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jeter Downs See More
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
308 days ago
Erik Siegrist looks over the slim pickings on AL waiver wires and thinks it might be a good time to stash a spec saves option like A.J. Puk.
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
322 days ago
Erik Siegrist checks out the waiver options in the American League as the Angels' Reid Detmers hopes his third time in the majors is the charm.
Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers
April 5, 2022
Jesse Siegel projects where a few prospects will end up, including four pitchers trending in the right direction.
MLB: Hitting Prospect Tiers 2.0
February 11, 2022
James Anderson releases version 2.0 of his rookie hitter tiers for 2022, in which Rays outfielder Josh Lowe looks like a nice value at ADP.
Hitting Prospect Tiers for 2022
November 4, 2021
James Anderson puts 103 hitting prospects into tiers for 2022 value only, with Royals phenom Bobby Witt alone at the top.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
Downs' fantasy stock saw a slight bump when he was shipped from a crowded Dodgers roster to a Red Sox roster with no clear second baseman of the future in the infamous Mookie Betts trade. Downs doesn't have a true standout tool, but he is pretty good at everything. While he doesn't have crazy raw power, he is strongly built and has a very quick bat with a knack for elevating the ball, which translates to at least above-average game power. Similarly, he is not a burner, but makes good reads on the bases, allowing him to project for 15 steals per season. While he only has 12 games at Double-A under his belt, his time at the alternate site amounts to him completing Double-A from a developmental standpoint. Players like Christian Arroyo and Michael Chavis are hanging around, but they won't stand in Downs' way when the Red Sox think he is ready to take on the everyday duties at the keystone sometime this season.
The Reds made a win-now trade last offseason to acquire a package headlined by one year of Yasiel Puig, and while it looked questionable at the time, it looks awful now. Downs, a toolsy middle infielder who headlined the Dodgers' return, developed into a top-50 prospect after the trade. He made adjustments early against Cal League pitching and hit .313/.398/.594 with 24 home runs, 19 steals, an 11.9 BB% and 18.1 K% over his final 101 games, including a 12-game stint at Double-A to close the year. His 36.8 Hard% was particularly impressive for an up-the-middle defender in his age-20/21 season. Downs is not a true burner, but he has a 75% success rate on stolen-base attempts in pro ball, so that should remain a part of his game. Defense may not be his calling card, but he should be able to handle several infield positions adequately. This offseason's trade to the Red Sox makes his path to everyday playing time much clearer, as he should slot in as their everyday second baseman when he is ready.
A middle infielder who makes the most of his 55-grade speed thanks to his high baseball IQ, Downs has a pretty high floor and counting stat upside that should excite dynasty-league owners in this speed-starved environment. He notched a 118 wRC+ in the Midwest League -- the best mark in the league among middle infielders under 20 years old. Downs has a good handle of the strike zone (103:52 K:BB in 524 PA) and developing power. Some evaluators believe he will develop a plus hit tool, but the jury is still out on that aspect of his game. He is a career .260 hitter and slashed just .242/.328/.392 in 355 at-bats against right-handed pitching last year. If he mashes lefties but is mediocre against same-handed pitching, it will be difficult for him to hit much better than .250 or .260, but there is still time for him to improve that aspect of his game. Evaluators seem split on his ability to stick at shortstop, but he will definitely be able to handle second base.
The Reds selected Downs with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2017 draft, giving him a slightly under-slot $1.8225 million bonus. He doesn't have as much upside as their 2016 compensatory pick, Taylor Trammell, but he is still somewhat interesting in dynasty leagues. He ranked first among teenagers in the Pioneer League with a 0.84 BB/K (next closest was 0.71), so his command of the strike zone appears to be very advanced. His power is mostly to the pull side, and he appeared to be trying a little too hard to get to it last year. If he takes what pitchers give him, he should be able to hit for a high average, but it will of course come at the expense of some power. He stole eight bases on 13 tries, and will likely be capped in the 10-to-15 steal range by the time he reaches the majors. The Reds will keep him at shortstop for now, but he is probably a better long-term fit at second base.
More Fantasy News
Recalled from Triple-A
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
April 11, 2023
Downs was recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Rochester.
ANALYSIS
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Optioned to Triple-A
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
March 25, 2023
Downs was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
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To come off bench Friday
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
March 24, 2023
Downs (hand) is expected to come off the bench in the Nationals' Grapefruit League game Friday night against the Cardinals, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Held out with hand contusion
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
Hand
March 23, 2023
Downs was held out of the Nationals' Grapefruit League lineup Thursday due to a contusion on his left hand, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Intriguing start to camp
2BWashington Nationals  AAA
March 1, 2023
Downs went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
ANALYSIS
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