Key Stats: Paul Konkero has averaged 33 HR's a year since 2004. His worst season in that span (2008) he appeared in only 122 games, and still produced 22 bombs. That was also the only time in that span his ISO has been below .200 (it was .199). He has appeared in 149 games each of the last two seasons, and has batted .300 in both of them. There has been no noticeable, consistent decline in any of Konerko's peripheral numbers to suggest anything other than another season of lots of HR's, RBI's and solid batting average. His walk rate has gone up each of the last three years, leading to some nice OBP numbers.
Skeptics Say: Decline has to start somewhere right? Being 36 when the '12 season starts Konerko isn't exactly in the prime of his career. While there aren't declining numbers to suggest that he is going to start struggling this year, his fly ball% has dropped each of the last three years (but his line drive rate has increased... not ground ball rat...
Original Story:
