Adam Lind had a breakout sophomore season back in 2009 hitting .305-.370-.562 with 35 HRs, 114 RBIs and 93 runs scored. He was ranked very high going into 2010 fantasy drafts, but he disappointed fantasy owners by hitting just .237-.287-.425 with 23 HRs, 72 RBIs and 57 runs scored. The drop in his triple slash line across the board was a result of an increase in K rate from 19% in 2009 to 25% in 2010, with a corresponding drop in walk rate from 9% to 6%. He also experienced a huge increase in swing percentage outside the zone from 25% to 35% and a drop in contact rate from 71% to 66%.
Coming into 2011 fantasy drafts, owners were trying to figure out which of his two full seasons in the majors was the fluke season-2009 or 2010. Well, if Lind can hit like he did last night, fantasy owners will quickly forget about his 2010 season. On Tuesday night, Lind went 3-5 with 2 HRs, 3 runs scored and 5 RBIs.
For the season, Lind has started out of the gate slow, hitting .256-.296-.411 with 3 HRs and 17 RBIs. Fangraphs shows that he is still swinging at plenty of balls outside the zone, but he is making alot more contact this season. His O-Swing% is still at 35%, but he is making contact on 75% of these pitches. He has also cut down his K rate from 25% to 17% which is a step in the right direction for Lind.
Can Lind make fantasy owners forget about his 2010 season in 2011?