3. Justin Bour (MIA)
2016 stats: .264/.349/475, 15 home runs, 51 RBI’s in 90 games
Last season, Bour hit .264/.349/.475 with 15 home-runs and 51 RBIs in 90 games played. He also had a 99.5% fielding percentage with only three errors.
Justin Bour was drafted by the Cubs late in the 2009 draft. He did not find much success in the Cubs minor league system and was selected by the Marlins in the minor league phase of the rule 5 draft. In 2014, he made his debut for the Marlins and in 2015, he was their everyday first baseman.
2016 was an injury filled year for Bour where he missed almost half the season with ankle injuries. In 2017 he will look to return to the lineup healthy and fall back to his 2015 numbers. Where he hit .262/.321/.479 with 23 home-runs and 73 RBIs.
2017 will be Bour’s last season before hitting arbitration in 2018. He can expect a nice raise in 2018 if he can be healthy and productive. He will have many chances of doing so while hitting behind Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich.
Justin Bour is entering his age 29 season and the Marlins hope that he can even exceed the performance of 2015. A healthy and productive Bour will land him in the middle of the pack in the NL East.