San Diego Padres: What to make of Ty France’s Fangraphs projections

Fangraphs projects Ty France with regular playing time and tremendous production this year. Could the San Diego Padres find a place for him?

Good morning everyone. I hope you all had a nice weekend. I wanted to take an in-depth review of Ty France‘s Fangraphs’ projections and what they mean for the San Diego Padres this season.

With the 12th pick in the 34th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, the San Diego Padres select Ty France, San Diego State University. Those were the words, or something close to it, back in June 2015 at the MLB Draft headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey. France slashed a combined .337/.432/.473 with 47 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, and 130 RBI in three seasons on campus.

It’s fairly easy to understand how he slid that far in the draft. While the average and on-base percentage are attractive, he proved that he was never an extra-bases kind of player. And yet, Fangraphs projects him to become a regular player in 2020, posting eye-popping numbers. In 142 games, France is pegged for a .255/.330/.426 line with 19 home runs and 70 RBI (100 wRC+).

Last year, the 25-year-old split his time between El Paso and the big league roster. With the Padres, France posted a .234/.294/.402 line with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 69 games (wRC+ 83). Over the course of a full season, that roughly translates to 17 home runs and 57 RBI, somewhat similar to his projections.