For some inexplicable reason, I’ve always been a Colby Rasmus fan. Actually, I can explain it – Tony La Russa hates Colby Rasmus, so I must love him. Traded for pennies on the dollar to Toronto, Rasmus (the former #3 prospect in baseball) has had a very up-and-down career so far. He’s now a free agent, and one the Cubs will no doubt look into.
Offense
Rasmus has put up some very interesting lines in his career, none moreso than his .225/.287/.448 mark in 2014. It was an abysmal year for Rasmus as far as getting on base (and staying healthy – for the 2nd consecutive year, he played under 120 games), but he hit 18 HR in just 376 PA and doubled 21 more times. On the whole, he was league-average last year with the bat, and significantly better than that in 2013 (when he hit .276/.338/.501).
Rasmus, however, has a very clear weakness. He’s worse at hitting breaking balls than even Alfonso Soriano was. He is TERRIBLE at them; he swings at a near-MLB high at breaking balls outside, and whiffs at the actual-MLB high at it (49%). Rasmus, in fact, reminds me a lot of Soriano from the other side of the plate; he feasts on the fastball, and get around on it anywhere in the zone. When he hits it, it goes a really long way. However, he’s so aggressive that he takes himself out of so many at bats. I’m not sure the Cubs need another low-BB%/high-K% guy in the lineup.
Defense
Rasmus is a legitimate asset in centerfield. He doesn’t have great range, but he has a nice arm and solid-average instincts.
Do the Cubs need a centerfielder, with Alcantara patrolling there next year? I would posit yes, as I’m not sold on Arismendy as a long-term piece on this team and there is no reason Alcantara couldn’t just play LF anyway. An outfield of AA/Rasmus/Soler is pretty great defensively, even if the Cubs are built to induce more than their fair share of grounders.
I’m much happier with forcing a “true” centerfielder (if Alcantara even is one) into a corner than I am just hoping that a guy with no CF experience can figure the position out. Remember Soriano’s escapades there?
Intangibles
There are rumblings and grumblings that Rasmus isn’t a great clubhouse presence, and that his father has an inordinate amount of control over his decision-making process. I couldn’t speak to the veracity of those claims, but it is something to watch for.
Steamer has Rasmus projected a .233/.300/.417 line for Rasmus, alongside a 1.7 WAR over 572 PA. Steamer doesn’t like his defense next season, which takes him from league-average to a shade below. Rasmus will be 29 next year, and in Heyman’s very good article, he could receive a deal as low as 1/$9 or as high as 4/$50. I think a 3/$33 deal is pretty reasonable, though I wouldn’t want offer it. I don’t think Rasmus is all that great, and he provides value in the ways we already have it (power) while being seriously deficient in the one thing we need (plate discipline). I’d rather have a player like Melky Cabrera, who gets on base more even if he doesn’t have Rasmus’ prodigious power stroke.