Norichika Aoki’s batting average has dipped 100 points over the past two weeks but he remains a solid fantasy outfielder.
Analysis: Aoki is batting .250 this year but considering his BABIP is sitting in the .250 range it isn’t that bad. His walk rate is up from last year, his strikeouts are down and he’s swinging at fewer pitches outside of the strike zone this year(16.8%). His strikeout rate of 7.5% does really stand out, it ranks sixth in baseball among qualified batters. This is a recipe for success and Aoki’s batting average will reap the benefits eventually.
We cannot ignore that Aoki has 3 home runs, 4 stolen bases and 14 runs scored in the month of April. He continues to lead off in front of Jean Segura and Ryan Braun… so things could be worse for a guy who has been a bit unlucky over the last few weeks in regards to his BABIP. As it stands now Aoki has been dropped in 10-15% of leagues across the country but patience in this case is required. He’s not struggling at the plate and he’s still producing… so why is he being dropped?
This is where fantasy baseball is these days- Aoki is being dropped while guys like Endy Chavez and David DeJesus are being picked up.