Blue Jays right fielder George Springer has been having a tough time at the plate this season and he is finally facing the consequences.
Springer has officially been dropped from the lead off position to 6th in the batting lineup for the first time since his rookie season. He currently has a .194 batting average with 3 home runs, 8 RBIs and a .561 OPS which is the lowest on the team yet he is the highest paid player on the team with a annual salary of $24.1 million.
According to analytics, Springer is not hitting power as he is in the 18th percentile for average exit velocity with 86.8 MPH, he is in the 28th percentile for hard-hit rate and 42nd percentile for bat speed.
All these numbers prove that Springer is slowing down at a rapid rate even though GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider has been saying that he is really working hard to find his game again.
Springer has been struggling with fastballs and sliders this season as the number prove it but his biggest drop off on contact has been with curveballs. Even though he has continued to struggle at the plate, his strikeout rate at the plate is at 16.8 % which is the lowest of his career so it is not all bad.
It's a positive that Springer is working hard on trying to turn things around but there is always the thought of it just being too late in his career for him to return to the great lead off batter he once was.
