Corey Dickerson Is Getting Hot At The Right Time

One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best trade chips is starting to heat up at the perfect time

During the first six or seven weeks of the season outfielder Corey Dickerson was one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best hitters. Dickerson then suffered through a month of struggles. He put together a string of 107 plate appearances that during which he slashed .277/.318/.356/.674 with a .296 wOBA, an 85 wRC+, and a measly .079 ISO.

To his credit, Dickerson has bounced back. The past two weeks he has looked more like the hitter he was during April and most of May. And now Dickerson finds himself heating up at the perfect time for the Pirates.

The July 31st non-waiver trade deadline is just 24 days away. As the Pirates prepare to be sellers at the deadline this season Dickerson will undoubtedly be one of the players the Bucs look to move. His offense and defense should both give him high value, as will the fact that he is under team control through the 2019 season. Mix in the fact that Austin Meadows, Gregory Polanco, and Starling Marte are all under team control through at least 2021 and shopping Dickerson is a no brainer.

The last two weeks Dickerson has slashed .458/.458/.667/1.125. He has also witnessed a return in power as his ISO during this stretch is .208 and this includes his first home run since May 4th.

While you still want to see Dickerson walk more, he owns just a 3.9% walk rate this season, his overall numbers this season are strong. For the season he is slashing .309/.343/.460/.803 to go with his .342 wOBA and 115 wRC+.

And while his power has dropped this season, he has also cut back on strikeouts and is getting on base more. So, sacrificing his power has not been completely fruitless.

As was mentioned above, Dickerson has also been a fine defensive player this season which will add to his trade value. Playing left field this season, and keep in mind that left field at PNC Park is arguably the toughest outfield position in all of baseball, Dickerson has been worth +10 defensive runs saved. Furthermore, his seven outfield assists are tied for second in the National League.

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Corey Dickerson is striking out less than ever, getting on base more than ever, and playing the best defense of his career this season. Combine these factors with him getting hot at the plate in recent weeks and it is the perfect storm for the Pirates to net a strong return for Dickerson before the trade deadline at the end of the month.