Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini will break-out in 2019

Baltimore Orioles first baseman / outfielder Trey Mancini’s 2018 season was a tale of two halves. Here’s why his 2019 season will look more like the second half of 2018 than the first

You’d be right to say that Baltimore Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini was a little banged up during the first half of the 2018 season. It resulted in him getting off to a poor start last year after his wonderful rookie campaign in 2017.

Comparing his numbers from the first and second halves of 2018, you can see they improve almost across the board, minus the home-runs; Mancini had the same amount of homers (12) before the All-Star break and after.

In 91 games before the All-Star break, Mancini batted .219, had an on-base percentage of .292, and had just 26 RBI. His 32 first-half walks were more than double his second half total of 12, though he played in 26 fewer games after the break.

His second-half numbers improved dramatically and I think it’s fair to assume that’s because he was finally healthy. After the All-Star break, Mancini batted .276 and drove in 32 runs, plus his on-base percentage went up to .307, which is great.

I keep mentioning Mancini’s health being an issue early on in 2018; you might remember him banging his knee underneath the padding back in April, trying to get a foul ball. That injury kept him out for a couple games, and I’m sure it lingered throughout the first half of the season.

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Considering that Trey Mancini will be 100% healthy coming into the 2019 season under new Manager Brandon Hyde, expect a breakout year from him. The four-year starter is going to do damage all season long, assuming that he doesn’t suffer another freak injury next year.

Mancini hit 24 home-runs in both 2017 and 2018; I’m expect him to exceed that total by at least 10 next year. Right now, Baseball reference is projecting Trey Mancini to hit 22 home runs with 64 RBI and a .318 on-base percentage.

Assuming that he’s 100% healthy, Trey Mancini will absolutely hit more than 22 home-runs in 2019. He’s a stud and is only going to get better. Mancini should be plugged into the Baltimore Orioles lineup in the three or four hole and ideally, that’ll help improve his numbers.

We are only a few months away from the start of the 2019 baseball season and the excitement is already building. Do you agree that Trey Mancini is going to break out this season and become the face of the franchise?