Logan Forsythe Is Finally Heating Up At The Plate

For quite a while, Logan Forsythe was receiving a lot of criticism from Rays fans, and rightfully so. On June 15th, he was hitting just .178/.223/.229 (.461 OPS), and the highest his batting average had been since April 2nd was just .206. Needless to say, Forysthe wasn’t looking like the good utility player the Rays were hoping for when they acquired him from the San Diego Padres last offseason, and he certainly wasn’t looking like someone that could potentially take over for Ben Zobrist at second base if he was traded or left via free agency. But now, Forsythe is finally heating up.

Starting with a game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 16th, Forsythe has been red hot. Spanning 12 games (11 starts), he is 20 for his last 41 at-bats, good for a .487 average. Not only is that true, but Forsythe is slugging an incredible .707 and getting on base at a .489 clip over that period. Forsythe has now raised his batting average on the season to a passable .248, which is impressive given how much he struggled early on. There hasn’t been a hitter for the Rays more on fire than Forsythe over that time. Forsythe has also passed the eye test, as his mechanics have been much more in sync, and he has been taking much better at-bats. The Rays have averaged 4.3 runs per game since June 16th after averaging just 3.6 runs per game prior to then, and they have Forsythe to owe for a good part of that increase.

Of course, Forsythe isn’t 100% fixed yet. 12 games is just that, 12 games, so he is going to have to prove he can sustain his performance over a long period of time. His overall line on the year still sits at a fairly unimpressive .248/.298/.333 (.636 OPS), and that is going to have to continue to get better moving forward. If Forsythe wants to find guaranteed roster security for future seasons, let alone a potential starting job, he still has work to do. But, he is finally playing like the Rays thought he could, and that has to be encouraging moving forward.

All-in-all, you have to be excited about what Logan Forsythe has done the past couple of weeks. After many people, including myself at points, have been clamoring for Forsythe to be sent down to Triple-A, the Rays are finally being rewarded for their patience. He still has plenty to prove at the big league level, but right now Forsythe is leading a Rays offense that has a head full of steam.