Nick Senzel

Nick Senzel

27-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Cincinnati Reds
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Senzel missed time with injuries last season and disappointed when healthy. His 110 games played represent a career high, but he still hit the injured list three times and suffered other minor injuries. In between, he hit 231/.296/.306 with five homers and eight steals. A .249 xBA suggests he got a bit unlucky, but his batted-ball numbers were generally unimpressive. An 18.1 K% did mean he made an above-average amount of contact, but that came with a 3.2% barrel rate (not too far from his 4.9% career mark), so it's no surprise he failed to do much damage. In theory, there's still enough here to separate him from other late lottery tickets, but that's becoming increasingly untrue. Yes, he's still the same person who was drafted second overall in 2016, and he still has a path to playing time in a very hitter-friendly park. But he's also heading into his age-28 and owns a .663 career OPS in 1,036 plate appearances, to say nothing of his health concerns. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#570
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Reds in January of 2023.
Returns to lineup
OFCincinnati Reds
May 31, 2023
Senzel (knee) is hitting seventh and playing left field versus the Red Sox on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
Senzel was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup due to soreness in his right knee, but he'll rejoin the starting nine just a day later. Senzel has multiple hits in three of his last seven games and has a .775 OPS during that stretch.
Read More News
Batting Stats
Loading Batting Stats...
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2023 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Batting Game Log...
2022 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Batting Game Log...
2021 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Batting Game Log...
2020 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Batting Game Log...
2019 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Batting Game Log...
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Batting Game Log...
Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
10
6
6
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
3
5
6
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+26%
OPS vs LHP
2023
 
 
+104%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+2%
OPS vs RHP
2021
 
 
+20%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021vs Left .754 187 22 3 20 6 .306 .349 .405
Since 2021vs Right .600 515 63 7 39 8 .220 .298 .303
2023vs Left 1.174 46 7 2 9 2 .465 .500 .674
2023vs Right .576 121 15 2 17 2 .190 .281 .295
2022vs Left .595 121 14 1 10 3 .241 .292 .304
2022vs Right .604 290 31 4 15 5 .226 .298 .307
2021vs Left .739 20 1 0 1 1 .333 .350 .389
2021vs Right .618 104 17 1 7 1 .237 .317 .301
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+8%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
+63%
OPS on Road
2022
 
 
+9%
OPS at Home
2021
 
 
+2%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021Home .617 364 50 5 28 8 .232 .300 .317
Since 2021Away .669 338 35 5 31 6 .257 .323 .345
2023Home .578 89 12 1 12 3 .222 .270 .309
2023Away .945 78 10 3 14 1 .328 .423 .522
2022Home .626 216 26 3 13 5 .242 .302 .323
2022Away .574 195 19 2 12 3 .217 .289 .286
2021Home .645 59 12 1 3 0 .204 .339 .306
2021Away .630 65 6 0 5 2 .290 .308 .323
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Nick Senzel compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.47
 
BB Rate
9.6%
 
K Rate
20.4%
 
BABIP
.321
 
ISO
.135
 
AVG
.270
 
OBP
.341
 
SLG
.405
 
OPS
.747
 
wOBA
.331
 
Exit Velocity
88.1 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
25.0%
 
Barrels/PA
3.0%
 
Expected BA
.270
 
Expected SLG
.383
 
Sprint Speed
24.0 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
36.2%
 
Line Drive %
23.3%
 
Fly Ball %
40.5%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
Loading Advanced Batting Stats...
Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
Loading Games Played by Position...
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Batted Ball Stats
Loading Batted Ball Stats...
Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Nick Senzel See More
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, May 31
Yesterday
Chris Morgan checks out Wednesday's slate as Hunter Brown and the Astros host the Twins.
Lineup Lowdown: National League
16 days ago
Ryan Boyer delivers Lineup Lowdown, this week with a look at the National League's lineup trends that include Kyle Schwarber returning to the top of the Phillies' batting order.
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Sunday, May 14
18 days ago
Chris Morgan is stacking a few Pirates bats in Baltimore.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
25 days ago
In this week's edition, Jan Levine profiles a couple NL pitchers who are in line for more playing time.
MLB FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
28 days ago
Jason Shebilske digs deep for these FAAB picks, starting with former Dodger top prospect Miguel Vargas' recent hot streak putting him on the fantasy radar.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Senzel's 2021 season started in ominous fashion as he left the Reds' Opening Day game in the fourth inning after a diving attempt in center field. The shoulder injury suffered that day turned out to be relatively minor, but Senzel battled heel and knee issues shortly thereafter and was under the knife for left knee surgery by the end of May. The Reds optioned Senzel to Triple-A Louisville upon his activation from the 60-day injured list in mid-August since he was still noticeably favoring his left knee while on the field. A late-season return to the majors was quietly taken off the table in early September. With his progress up in the air during the lockout, Senzel is left as an even bigger question mark than he's always been between the injuries and lack of a defensive home. Cincinnati deserves criticism for how its handled Senzel, but at the same time, the former top prospect has done little when healthy.
Injuries and illness ruined another season for Senzel in 2020, as he played in only 23 games. The second overall pick in 2016, Senzel hasn't yet managed to make it through a full season as a professional since 2017, playing in less than half of the allotted season in two of the last three years. Illness, mostly in the form of a trip to the COVID-19 reserve list, was the primary culprit, but he also missed time with a sprained left ring finger and a groin injury. It's pretty easy to dismiss Senzel's 2020 hitting stats, given how much time he missed and how he was in-and-out of the lineup even after returning. Suffice to say, he did not take the next step, hitting .186/.247/.357 in 77 plate appearances. Manager David Bell aggressively platooned, both with his starting lineup and with in-game changes, often costing Senzel plate appearances too, which in turn places a drag on his value in mixed league formats.
Your assessment of Senzel's 2019 season depends on your expectations. The 2016 second overall pick was sent down before Opening Day and subsequently injured his ankle in spring training, delaying his major-league debut until May. Upon his arrival, Senzel didn't exactly dominate, turning in a .256/.315/.427 season with a 24.7 K% and 14 stolen bases. That's not a bad season for an average rookie, but insufficient considering his 198 ADP in the NFBC Main Event. A red flag was his 87.7 mph average exit velocity, which ranked well below league average. One thing to watch for is to see if he starts pulling the ball more -- in the minors he consistently pulled the ball over 40% of the time, but last year that dropped to 34%. Senzel also still hasn't had a full healthy season. Between the ankle injury and a season-ending torn shoulder labrum that required surgery, he played only 104 games in 2019.
Senzel has hit at least .305, notched an ISO of at least .171 and a wRC+ of at least 147 in every full-season league he's played in while never striking out more than 20.2% of the time. He exhibits five-category potential, stealing eight bases on 10 attempts in 44 games last year and grading out as an above-average runner. Unfortunately, vertigo was an issue for the second straight season -- he missed the final week of 2017 with the condition and it cost him most of May last year. He also missed the final two months of 2018 with a broken right index finger. There is little precedent for the vertigo issue, and it adds a small layer of risk to what would otherwise seem like a risk-free profile. Defensively, Senzel can play second base and third base, but worked in left field during instructs and may eventually debut in center field, given the Reds' offseason moves. He could retain multi-position eligibility in a handful of his early big-league seasons.
A five-tool third baseman, Senzel has separated himself from the rest of the hitting prospects who went in the first round of the 2016 draft. His above-average speed makes him unique among corner-infield prospects, and in the second half of last year he started to tap into his plus raw power. Senzel hit 11 professional home runs in 130 pro games before being promoted to the Southern League, where he hit 10 long balls in just 57 games and led the league with a 184 wRC+, despite playing his home games in the pitcher-friendly ballpark in Pensacola. His season came to an odd conclusion when he was shut down in late August with symptoms of vertigo -- a condition worth tracking as spring training begins. Assuming everything checks out OK on the health front, he should begin the year at Triple-A Louisville and enter the big-league lineup as soon as the Reds find a way to make room for him at third base, which may prove difficult, given how well their infielders performed in 2017.
Cincinnati continued the trend of teams taking advanced college hitters early in the draft over top arms, selecting Senzel with the second overall pick in June. He quickly established himself as the class of the farm system, posting a .982 OPS with Low-A Dayton. His excellent approach and plate skills were on full display, with Senzel managing a 12.9 percent walk rate and a sub-20 percent strikeout rate while hitting for notable power in a spacious home park. In fact, Senzel finished third on the team in home runs despite playing only 58 games. He also runs well for his size, and could offer 10-20 steals annually in his first couple years in the big leagues. With a well-rounded skill set, Senzel could rise quickly through the Reds' system, perhaps reaching the upper levels before the end of 2017. He's already a top-30 prospect for fantasy purposes and may be in the top-10 discussion by season's end.
More Fantasy News
Good chance to play Wednesday
OFCincinnati Reds
Knee
May 30, 2023
Reds manager David Bell told reporters after Tuesday's win over the Red Sox that Senzel (knee) should return to the lineup against Boston on Wednesday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Scratched with sore knee
OFCincinnati Reds
Knee
May 30, 2023
Senzel was scratched from the lineup Tuesday due to right knee soreness, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Reaches four times in win
OFCincinnati Reds
May 29, 2023
Senzel went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Cubs.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Swats go-ahead homer
OFCincinnati Reds
May 16, 2023
Senzel went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Rockies.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Out of lineup
OFCincinnati Reds
May 13, 2023
Senzel will sit Saturday against Miami.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.