Cleveland Indians: 5 players who could regress in 2017

2. Tyler Naquin

During the spring training in 2016, the Indians were looking for outfield help. With Michael Brantley’s health up in the air, management was doing their best to find his replacement.

Tyler Naquin made their job much easier, hitting .397 in 22 games, and his production carried into the regular season. After moving up and down the organization during the first month of the year, Naquin solidified his spot on the roster.

In 116 games, Naquin hit .296, tacking on 14 home runs to go along with 18 doubles. Naquin finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, behind Gary Sanchez and winner, Michael Fulmer.

One statistic that stands out is the amount of strikeouts. Naquin struck out 112 times, almost averaging one per game. In order to prevent a regression, Naquin will need to cut down the strikeouts.

Additionally, after an incredible first half, Naquin hit only .233 over the final three months. The scouting report was out, and pitchers took full advantage of this, preventing the rookie from besting them.

All in all, Naquin repeating his 2016 campaign is not likely. His batting average is likely to find a median, but he most likely will cut down on the strikeouts. A complete sophomore slump isn’t imminent, but now that teams have a complete scouting report, expect Naquin’s numbers to regress in 2017.