Heading into the 2020 campaign, plenty of ink was spilled on the pessimistic projections for Oscar Mercado. Despite his sparking a slumbering Cleveland Indians lineup during last year’s rookie debut, FanGraphs, Steamer and ZiPS each predicted significant drop-off in nearly every statistic this season.
Essentially, nobody was convinced Mercado could avoid a dreaded sophomore slump.
To date, the second-year outfielder has logged 43 plate appearances this season. It’s hardly a large enough sample size to make any definitive judgement, especially when it comes to his ability to duplicate last season’s success.
That said, if the goal was to prove his doubters wrong this year, Mercado is off to a rough start.
Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook