Bzzt!
Zone swing %
'12 63.2% 212 out of 347
'13 64.5% 147 out of 356
'14 58.2% 320 out of 349
O swing %
'12 28.7% 198 out of 347
'13 30.5% 160 out of 356
'14 27.7% 240 out of 349
The only problem I'm noticing is that his contact rate in those three years was 20-25th percentile each year. It wasn't that he was swinging too much, just not making enough contact when he did swing.
My least favorite parts:
1. Houck as SP3
2. Ward as OF4
3. 32M plus Bello for a 34 year old DH that hasn't OPS'd over 800 the last 2 seasons (declining HR totals in a HR park are cause for concern)
Only 15 guys hit 60 HR from '25 - '26. Of them, I believe only Lowe and Suarez are FA. Suarez isn't a good bet going forward. Lowe isn't a good bet to stay healthy or hit 30 HR at Fenway.
His k rate is nothing compared to how guys k now though. He'd was just a decade ahead of his time. His zone contact % wasn't great, but it was better than Napoli and Salty's in '13. The problem is that he had the swing and miss, but his power fell off a cliff and he stopped being able to hit velocity.
You're forgetting that Darsow was Krusher Kruschev in JCP (Contreras with the Cubbies). I think the Demolition turn was when Contreras switched to 1B. Repo Man will be when Contreras will have to be a DH ('28 and beyond).
That's always been his approach going back to MiLB.
Other guys with similar approaches: James Wood, Adley Rutschman, Elly De La Cruz, Curtis Mead, Masa.