Logan Morrison

After a 38-homer campaign with the Rays in 2017, Morrison moved on to Minnesota, where he was expected to serve as a platoon thumper in the middle of the lineup. Though he maintained the flyball-happy approach that paid dividends before and even lowered his strikeout rate, Morrison's results suffered greatly. He mustered a 76 wRC+ against right-handed pitching (career 111), with a .163 BABIP in those matchups contributing heavily to his demise. Despite the rough season, there's still reason to buy into Morrison's power bouncing back on some level. Morrison was one of 12 players to rank top 50 among Statcast-qualified hitters in barrel rate, average flyball distance and launch angle, yet he was the only member of the group to post a sub-.200 ISO. With a little better luck and a team willing to hand him 400-plus plate appearances -- far from a given for a 31-year-old with no defensive value -- 20-plus homers are well within reach.

The 30-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2017, finishing inside the top-10 in home runs and top-25 in barrel rate (min. 190 batted-ball events). Morrison lifted his walk rate to 13.5 percent, his highest mark since his rookie year, and while his 24.8 percent strikeout rate was also a career high, the walks and home runs went a long way toward making up for the whiffs. Unfortunately, there were other warts; Morrison hit .233/.342/.419 with six homers against lefties, and graded out as a fairly significant negative in the field. Those issues loom large with Morrison hitting free agency this winter, as he's at risk of falling into a strict platoon at DH with another American League club. While his batting average would benefit from reduced exposure to lefties, his power and counting totals would suffer. Invest at your own risk.

Morrison's season began in the most nightmarish fashion possible, with his average at .094 as late as May 1. He rebounded enough to actually surpass his sub-par 2015 Seattle numbers, slashing .238/.319/.414 before heading to the DL in mid-September and subsequently undergoing wrist surgery. He'd been in Tampa on a one-year deal and thus officially became a free agent on Nov. 3. The veteran rebounded sufficiently to tally 14 home runs, 43 RBI and 33 extra-base hits overall, while posting his second-best slugging percentage (.414) since 2011. However, he saw an alarming bump in strikeout rate to 22.4 percent and a drop in contact rate to a career-low 75 percent. He's certainly proven capable of offering solid returns in the areas of extra-base hits, homers, RBI and walks in past seasons, and he'll get another crack to prove his worth as the Rays' starting first baseman in 2017.

Morrison has to be among the streakiest of players. He started cold last season, batting .149 with a .391 OPS through April 28 (19 games into the season). In his next 43 games, he scorched the ball to the tune of a .307 average and .876 OPS. Then it was back in the freezer for 56 games, batting .160 with a .551 OPS. In his final 28 games, he hit .266 with an .842 OPS. Ultimately, the cold streaks were longer and more intense than the hot steaks, resulting in career lows in AVG, OBP and OPS. In fact, his .685 OPS was the lowest in the majors among first basemen. On the positive side, he stayed healthy and played a career-high 146 games, the first time in four years and just the second time in his career that he's played more than 100 contests. He was traded in November to the Rays, who could use his left-handed pop (his 17 HR were his most since 2011). He could see more time at DH than first base.

Morrison was in a new town last year after being traded to Seattle in the offseason, but his 2014 looked a lot like his final year in Miami. As in 2013, injuries continued to hamper Morrison, but when he was healthy, he proved that he can be a productive player. A hamstring injury in mid-April sidelined him until June, and then he struggled for the next month or so. But he found his stride toward the end of July and hit .313 with an .856 OPS in his last 54 games, taking over the everyday job at first base. His walk rate dropped to 6.6%, but he made good contact and did not strike out much either. Only 27, it would be nice to see what Morrison could do in a full season with good health. He'll get the chance this season to compete for the starting first-base job in spring training.

Injuries continued to hamper Morrison in 2013, but when he was healthy, he proved that he can be a productive, if slightly mediocre, major league hitter. Though he was unable to regain the 20-homer power that he showed back in 2011, Morrison chipped in 36 RBI and scored 32 runs in 85 games. His inability to catch up with left-handed pitching stands out as he posted a meager .186 average against southpaws with all six of his 2013 home runs coming against right-handed hurlers. Morrison took positive steps with both his walk rate (11.8%) and strikeout rate (16.8%) last season, notably posting the lowest strikeout rate of his career. With a full -- and healthy -- offseason to prepare for the 2014 campaign, Morrison faces a critical time in his career with a chance to re-assert himself as a middle-of-the-order bat. Minor improvements in his contact rate against lefties would go along way toward moving Morrison's overall totals back to respectability and, while he's not a superstar, Morrison could be primed for a bounce-back season. The Mariners acquired him for reliever Carter Capps in December, opening up the possibility of regular DH duty to ease the strain on his troublesome knees.

Morrison hit .310 in April before sputtering through the summer and eventually being forced to the DL with a knee injury that required September surgery. The balky knee is the same one that gave him trouble down the stretch in 2011, although the team is optimistic that he will be ready for spring training. Morrison's third season spanned just 93 games and generated a paltry .230/.308/.388 over 292 at-bats, but he managed to hit 11 homers in limited action, one season after popping 23 long balls in just 121 games. His plate discipline is trending in the wrong direction as his walk rate has dipped from 14.3 percent in 2010 to 10.3 and 9.3 percent the last two seasons. With health, and possibly a change of scenery, he still has some untapped potential.

Morrison got off to a hot start but things rapidly cooled down for him after some nagging foot and knee injuries, and he actually got demoted in August for what most observers assume were off-field conflicts with management (although the front office denied it at the time). The rift seems to be repaired now and Morrison had offseason knee surgery to try and alleviate the nagging injuries. Assuming all systems are go he'll enter 2012 as the only left-handed power source in an improving Marlins lineup. If he can regain his plate discipline while maintaining the pop he discovered last season, he'll be in line for some very nice fantasy numbers.

Called up to replace Chris Coghlan in left field when Coghlan got hurt, Morrison came reasonably close to replicating Coghlan's 2009 Rookie of the Year performance, getting on base at an amazing clip thanks to an elevated BABIP and solid walk rate. Morrison's sweet lefty swing gives him a good chance of maintaining that batting average, however, and he should see some of his doubles and triples clear the fences before long, although he'll probably never be a big home run threat. The big question in the short term is what position he will play. He's below average in left field and could be a plus defender at first base, but Gaby Sanchez is doing his best to convince the club that he's the Marlins' long-term solution at first. Wherever he plays though, Morrison will hit.

A broken hand cost Morrison some precious development time, but he still looked like a future star when he was in the lineup. His BB/K rate was ridiculous, doubly so for a 21-year-old at Double-A, and while his power numbers regressed, the hand injury is the most likely culprit there. He'll start the season off at Triple-A New Orleans, and if he shows a little bit of pop don't be surprised if he finishes the year as the Marlins' starting first baseman.

After a couple of unremarkable years in Rookie ball to begin his pro career Morrison began to take off in 2007, and his upward trajectory continued last season. A modest home run total is no embarrassment for a 20-year-old hitting at High-A Jupiter, and Morrison seems to be developing a very nice, well-rounded offensive arsenal. If he continues to progress at Double-A this season, Gaby Sanchez's window to establish himself as the Marlins' first baseman of the future will slam shut in a hurry.