With the Cardinals likely parting ways with Rick Ankiel, the glut of outfielders would appear to be alleviated. That means Colby Rasmus, thought of as a top prospect, will finally get regular at bats. Coming off a rookie campaign that saw him hit .251 with 16 HR, 52 RBI and 72 R in 474 AB, there’s certainly plenty to like.
Let’s take a look at what I am projecting for him for 2010:
.255 (134-525), 21 HR, 65 RBI, 80 R, 12 SB, .293 BABIP, .333 OBP, .436 SLG
Thoughts:
- He spent 296 AB in the #2 hole in 2009, and it’s likely, given the roster the team currently has, that he stays in that role in the early portion of 2010. While that should lead to runs scored, with Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols hitting behind him, his OBP may not be conducive to it.
- The problem isn’t his ability to draw a walk (11.54% minor league career walk rate), but his ability to hit for a higher average. He strikes out a good amount of the time (my projection has him at about 22.5%, right around his minor league career mark) and hits the ball in the air a lot (45.7% in 2009). Put those two things together and he’ll need to get pretty lucky to hit above .260. Read more