As the 2021 season came to an end, things looked good for Ryan Mountcastle. His 2020 debut season, only 35 games, was impressive at the plate with an .878 OPS. And while that number dropped in 2021, he launched a team-leading 33 home runs. The only question seemed to be if he would hit well enough to make up for his defensive liability in the field.
Then 2022 arrived and things got weird. On defense, Mountcastle finally got to regularly play the position he was most suited for, first base. In 2021 he was shuffled between first base, left field, and designated hitter with no real home.