In 2015, Jake Smolinski had a pretty normal year for a guy hovering between Triple-A and MLB. That is, the path he took and the numbers he posted on the way all made logical sense.
When the Oakland A’s picked up Smolinski last year he was annihilating Triple-A, hitting over .400 with airtight plate discipline and absurd power. He more or less kept it up in Nashville, and his hot streak quickly earned him a trip to the bigs. Of course, no one expects a player to replicate his minor league numbers against major league pitching, so it was no surprise when his average plummeted, when he walked slightly less and struck out slightly more, and when his power returned to that of a mere mortal.