On paper, expecting some kind of production from Jake Bauers in 2019 shouldn’t be a big problem. He’s been known for his hit tool coming through the minors, and displayed flashes of brilliance in 2018 before the league adjusted to him. The Rays organization raved about him.The big issue with Bauers is how prone to pulling the ball in 2018. To an incredible amount even. At 51.1 percent, his pull rate on batted balls ranked fourth in all of baseball among those with at least 350 plate appearances.
This means he’s all but sacrificing half the field, probably in favor of power.