KC Royals: Lorenzo Cain Did Not Regress In 2015

Heading into the 2015 season, not many people expected KC Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain to be the dominant hitter and outfielder that he was during the 2014 season. Many were calling for a regression, but Cain didn’t regress one bit.

It was yet another nice season for Lorenzo Cain in 2015. After batting .301 in 2014 and hitting five home runs along with 53 RBI, Cain was due for some type of regression in 2015. He started 133 games in 2014 and before that season, had struggled with staying healthy.

When the Kansas City Royals’ Opening Day for 2015 drew closer, it was a big discussion on whether Cain could keep up his impressive plate appearances from the season prior.

Cain went on to have an even more impressive 2015 campaign. He started in 140 games, the most of his major league career and ended the regular season with a .307 batting average. Cain also batted in six triples, 34 doubles, 72 RBI, and hit 16 home runs. All four of those were career highs for Cain.

He also tied his stolen base total with 28, but he was caught stealing one more time than he was the year prior.

While once being a “sure thing” to regress in 2015, Cain showed his 2014 performance was no fluke, and that he truly is one of the KC Royals’ best players.

Defensively, while Cain didn’t necessarily have the “WOW” catches like he did during the 2014 postseason, he was still a huge asset in the outfield.

According to FanGraphs, he had less defensive runs saved with 18 (he had 24 in 2014), but again… It was going to be hard for him to top that magical defensive season he had in 2014. Plus, 18 defensive runs saved is still pretty good.

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The most impressive part about Cain’s 2015 season, however, was the amount of home runs that he blasted.

Considering this was a guy who hadn’t hit more than seven homers in a season, it was a nice addition to what Cain was already capable of. In fact, in his five major league seasons before 2015, Cain had only hit a combined 17 home runs. He hit one less than that in just one season.

Baseball-Reference has Cain regressing again in 2016, but not by much. They have him slamming 11 home runs, knocking in 62 RBI, and stealing 22 bases. He’s projected to finish the year with a batting average of .287, which isn’t too shabby.

The main thing to take away here is to never doubt Lorenzo Cain’s abilities. While once being a “sure thing” to regress in 2015, Cain showed his 2014 performance was no fluke, and that he truly is one of the KC Royals’ best players.

Next: All-Time Leaders in Home Runs for the Royals

What do you predict for Lorenzo Cain’s 2016 campaign? Will he regress or will he prove the doubters wrong once again?

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