Rays Young Outfielder Helping Elevate Lineup to New Heights

The young outfielder has been on fire over the last 21 games, producing a .425/.424/.475 slash line with 34 hits in 80 at-bats with four doubles. His on-base percentage being lower than his batting average occurred because he has five sacrifices, two bunts and three sac flies.

Chandler is getting incredibly efficient at stealing bases too. Over that 21-game stretch, he has stolen 11 bases without being caught a single time. While he isn’t providing much power, his speed can turn singles into extra-base hits to create chaos on the basepaths.

It is his way to make an impact without hitting the ball as hard as his teammates such as Caminero and Yandy Diaz. Immense pressure is put on opposing defenses because Chandler consistently puts the ball in play.

He has elite whiff and strikeout rates at 10.6% and 8.8%, respectively. Walks aren’t part of his game: his 4.5% walk rate is in the 6th percentile, and his Batting Run Value is -10, in the 8th percentile.

On the season, he now has a .305 batting average, which is the seventh-best in the MLB. On top of the offensive impact, Chandler has transformed himself into an everyday player because he is elite in the field.

Kevin Kiermaier put in a ton of work with Chandler in spring training to help him acclimate to the outfield. He looks to have found a permanent home in left field, with an Outs Above Average of +7, which is in the 95th percentile.

His sprint speed and reaction time help him make up for the inefficient routes that he will sometimes take to the ball, but that will improve with repetition.

Chandler has found his niche to succeed at the Major League level and is producing regardless of where he is penciled into the lineup on a given day, logging at least one game at every spot in the order except cleanup and No. 9.