SPECULATOR: Skills searching for roles, 2019

One year ago today, this was Jesús Aguilar's season-to-date stat line:

AB   AVG  R  RBI  HR  SB
==  ====  =  ===  ==  ==
38  .421  8   7    1   0

Aguilar made the Opening Day roster, but was mostly a platoon bat off the bench at this point. Then Eric Thames tore a ligament in his thumb, and as detailed in an April 26, 2018 PT Today column, Aguilar was given the everyday role. He took the job and ran with a .274-35-108 breakout performance that didn't really get started until May. The skills were there—we tagged Aguilar with an "UP: 30 HR" in the 2018 Baseball Forecaster—he just needed a chance.

Moral of the story? It's still really early. While we're all itching to dissect the April returns—we've been guilty of making snap judgments...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

How much can we trust certain pitchers entering uncharted workload territory in the second half?
Jul 15 2026 3:07am
Aroldis Chapman is likely on the move, but instead of speculating on where he might go, we'll dive into potential fill-ins.
Jul 8 2026 3:07am
A retrospective look at first-half all-stars taken late in drafts, including CHW duo Miguel Vargas and Sam Antonacci.
Jul 1 2026 3:06am
They didn't do much for us in the first half, but we're speculating on some big things the rest of the way.
Jun 24 2026 3:07am
The world-renowned (kind of) #BloomBoards make their way to the Speculator. Three of them to sift through!
Jun 17 2026 3:07am

Tools