Rowdy Tellez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4" / 255 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 3/16/1995 (26)
- Experience
- 2
- College
- None
Rowdy Tellez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Rowdy Tellez News
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Rowdy Tellez is not in the lineup on Sunday, as Joe Panik will get his first start of the year in the finale with the Yankees. Tellez's spring struggles have continued over into the start of the regular season, as he is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in his first two games. Panik really isn't much of a fantasy option outside of deeper OBP formats, as he boasts a career .334 OBP and posted a career-best 14.2 percent walk rate in 2020.
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Rowdy Tellez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday during a 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees. The 26-year-old is now off to an 0-for-8 start this season after a disappointing spring that saw him hit .196 with a BB-K of 2-16 in 51 at-bats. The club will obviously give him some time to work out his issues but the eventual return of George Spring (oblique), which is expected to come during the club's home series against the Los Angeles Angels starting on April 8, could cut into the DH's playing time. Tellez had a strong showing at the MLB level in 2020 when he hit eight home runs in 35 games and posted a 133 wRC+.
Despite a modest spring performance, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Rowdy Tellez will see time at first base and designated hitter. However, he may not play regularly. He hit the ball hard during the spring but had very little to show for his efforts. He was 10-for-51 (.196) with four extra-base hits. Tellez had a very aggressive approach which led to a disappointing BB-K of 2-16. Tellez produced a 133 wRC+ with eight home runs and a BB-K of 11-20 in 35 MLB games in 2020. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing first base regularly, Tellez will only see sporadic playing time at the position. With four outfielders capable of playing regularly when healthy, Tellez could also be challenged for playing time at DH when George Springer (oblique) returns from injury.
Batting Order
| 1 | Marcus Semien |
| 2 | Bo Bichette |
| 3 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
| 4 | Randal Grichuk |
| 5 | Rowdy Tellez |
| 6 | Santiago Espinal |
| 7 | Jonathan Davis |
| 8 | Danny Jansen |
| 9 | Josh Palacios |
Rowdy Tellez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Marcus Semien |
| 2 | Bo Bichette |
| 3 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
| 4 | Randal Grichuk |
| 5 | Rowdy Tellez |
| 6 | Santiago Espinal |
| 7 | Jonathan Davis |
| 8 | Danny Jansen |
| 9 | Josh Palacios |
There was little doubt about how much pop was in Rowdy Tellez's bat. He was billed as a typical slugging first baseman, and he lived up to that billing in the shortened 2020 season. While his barrel rate that was elite in 2019 did regress some, down to 8.4%, he still did hit the ball plenty hard, as he set a new career-best in that department at 45.3%, and in the 81st percentile of all hitters last season. What held Tellez back previously was that he didn't do much else besides hit the ball hard. Up until 2020, Tellez's high strikeout rate was really holding him back. After strikeout rates approaching 30% in 2018 and 2019, Tellez did do much better, nearly halving that rate to just 15.7%. Tellez never had much of a strikeout issue in the minor leagues, so this improvement could just be due to him seeing more pitches in the Majors and getting better acclimated to them. Tellez still did chase a bit more than league-average, but the real improvement came in whiffs. His whiff rate in 2019 was among the worst in the game, but in 2020, he cut this rate down by eight percent down to 23.2%, a rate that is actually better than average. This allows Tellez to put more of his high-quality contact in play, and overall, get better results. The fly in the ointment for Tellez in 2021 is his playing time situation. The Blue Jays bulked up their lineup with the additions of George Springer and Marcus Semien this offseason. This makes Tellez only fit in the DH role, and prone to a bench spot in the event his bat goes cold for any period of time.