Colorado Rockies: Grading and Analyzing the 2016 Outfielders

DAVID DAHL: 2016 GRADE B+ (fWAR 1.2)

There is something to be said for meeting high expectations. David Dahl should know, he’s been doing it his whole life. As the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Dahl had a high bar to meet. Playing across three different levels in 2016, Dahl made the bigs at the tender age of 22. Known as one of the top five-tool prospects in baseball, Dahl impressed in a short service.

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Appearing in 63 games with Colorado, Dahl slashed a .315/.359/.500 line. Additionally, Dahl mashed seven home runs and was successful on all five of his steal attempts. Looking underneath all the stats, there are two extremely impressive things Dahl accomplished in 2016. Firstly, Dahl accomplished a BABIP (Batting Average of Balls In Play) of .404. Not only is .404 really high, it suggests some luck but mainly it means when Dahl hits the ball, he hits it HARD. Also, note that he sustained that BABIP over 230+ plate appearances.

The second really impressive feat Dahl accomplished started his first day on the job. Dahl’s accomplishment came to fruition in his 17th game of service. Dahl tied a 75-year-old Major League record by hitting safely in 17 straight games to begin a career. Experiencing such a successful start to his career, Dahl must be heading into Spring Training with sky-high confidence. Expect Dahl to make a lot of noise in 2017 in all facets of the game.