Brandon Drury is better than you think

July 18th, 2022

Brandon Drury

.278 AVG .864 OPS

56 Runs 18 HR 52 RBI 2 SB

Brandon Drury is having a wonderful year at the plate in his first year in Cincinnati. As a former 13th round pick, Drury has found a way to keep himself in the league as a utility fielder. He's made appearances at every position in the field except catcher in the past 2 seasons. When a team needs to fill a hole, Drury is there. Whether it's a routine day off for a veteran or an injury, Drury has found himself useful in so many situations during his career.

His underrated balanced approach has allowed him to find success in bunches throughout his career but this year, his metrics have been outstanding. His xBA sits at .265 for the season and he has improved his walk rate up to 7.1% (6.0 career average). His launch angle sits at 13.1 for the year with a max exit velocity of 112.4. These two marks are in line with the 2016, 2017, and 2019 seasons where he hit over 13 home runs in each. Those counting stats don't jump off the page but they are substantial enough to keep him around as he moved from Arizona, to New York, to Toronto, and now Cincinnati. Reaching your career high in home runs before the all-star break deserves some credit, especially with offense down around the league this year.

This is Drury's 4th extended look at everyday playing time and he has taken full advantage of it. With Cincinnati being a very hitter-friendly ballpark and the roster construction allowing him to play as much as possible, this may look like a perfect fit. Speaking of home venues, Drury's home/away splits look extremely promising as well. 8 of his 18 home runs have come on the road this year.

With an everyday role set in stone for this season, Drury will look to keep pace with what he's done in the 1st half of the season. With a xBA in line with his results so far, he'll look to keep stride with his power numbers from the 1st half. Drury's barrel rate jumps off the page at 11.8%, his highest mark for his career as well as max exit velocity, both ranking in the top 20th percentile league-wide. Drury is having one of the most underrated seasons so far this year. Brandon Drury is better than you think!