Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections are a good measure of what to expect from players in the upcoming baseball season. We'll take a look at the Rangers' projections on a position-by-position basis. Szymborski can be found on Twitter at @DSzymborski.
Today we'll look at the projections for the Rangers first baseman. Last year, it was a welcomed full season of success for Mitch Moreland, who was quite arguably the MVP of the team last season in its surprise run to the AL West crown.
Moreland: 412 plate appearances, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 16 home runs, 62 RBIs, .259 batting average, .314 on-base percentage, .447 slugging percentage
Considering what Moreland has done when he's enjoyed a healthy season, which hasn't been very often, these projections would be a pretty big disappointment. Moreland is coming off a career year in which he hit .278/.330/.482 with 23 homers and 85 RBIs to go along with 27 doubles.
It seems almost certain now that the Rangers will hold on to Moreland in his final arbitration year before he becomes a free agent after the 2016 season, and it's safe to say both the Rangers and Moreland hope he has his biggest year yet.
