Before the 2013 season, I wrote off his power potential because I thought the power wouldn’t translate at Petco Park. However, the opposite happened. Gyorko had the quietest 23 home runs last year (in only 125 games!). It’s possible his numbers could have been better if it wasn’t for a groin strain that made him miss a month of the season (mid-June to early July). The table shows his stats before and after the injury.

Last year he had a higher slugging percentage and higher HR/FB rates at home compared to on the road, which means he’s either capable of hitting more home runs or hitting less depending on what you expect his true power potential to be. I believe the road power increases and the home power decreases, which creates a wash. The power is legitimate. These are his home run totals the last three seasons (including the minors): 25, 30 and 23. His fly ball rate was 41.9 percent last year. There were 28 players (with at least 400 plate appearances) who had a fly ball rate greater or equal to 42 percent. 16 of them had at least 20 home runs and those 28 players averaged 22 home runs.

The only question is at what his batting average will be because that’s the key to his fantasy viability. If he hits less than .240 he’s barely usable because he’ll provide no speed. Last year Petco suppressed his batting average, but that could have been due to the low .252 BABIP. The table below shows his home-road splits last year. The pre and post injury statistics cloud what his true talent is, but he’ll likely be a .250-.260 hitter because of his home ballpark and high strikeout rate. In general I want my second baseman to provide a lot of stolen bases, but if you already have a speed-first player in the outfield such as Michael Bourn, then Gyorko is the perfect compliment.

If you are looking for his statistical projections please go here and download my latest projections.