The first half of 2018 saw Stuart Fairchild hit quite well in Dayton, but his second half in Daytona was a bit of a struggle. He hit just .250/.306/.350 with the Tortugas in the second half over 63 games.
When the 2019 season began, the Cincinnati Reds sent Stuart Fairchild back to Advanced-A Daytona. He began the year going 0-7 in the first two games, but then ran off a 4-game hitting streak from the 13th through the 16th. That’s when things went south, and quickly, though. Over the final two weeks the outfielder went 2-31 (.065). In 15 games during April there was a massive struggle for the 23-year-old as he posted a .130/.203/.167 line in 59 plate appearances with 18 strikeouts.
When the calendar flipped to May, Stuart Fairchild turned his season around. The first game of the month saw the former Wake Forest product go 3-4 with two doubles and he just kept it going from there. Through the first three weeks of the month, Fairchild went 20-51 (.392) with 10 extra-base hits. Things did slow down in the final week, but he rebounded well from April and posted a .321/.407/.564 line in 91 plate appearances with nine walks and just 14 strikeouts.
June saw Stuart Fairchild get back to swinging a hot bat. In the first half of the month he hit .308, leading into the Florida State League All-Star break. After five days off, he returned to the field and hit .333 over the next week, earning a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga. In the final week of the month, and his first week with the Lookouts, the outfielder went 6-14 (.429) with three extra-base hits. During the 22 games played in June he posted a .338/.414/.571 line between his two stops.
The promotion to Double-A was a short one, and when July began, Stuart Fairchild was back in Daytona. Things didn’t go smoothly in the first four games back as he went 1-13. But things picked up over the next few days, going 8-22 (.364) in the following five games. Fairchild would go back into a bit of a slump over the next week, going 3-18 (.167) with two home runs. On July 18th he’d move back to Chattanooga, this time for good. Unlike the previous start to a promotion, he struggled – going 6-36 in the first 10 games. He closed out the month with two strong games for the Lookouts, going 4-8 with a walk and two doubles. It was a down month after two outstanding ones, seeing Fairchild hit .229/.303/.385.
The first eight games of August continued much of the struggles of July, seeing the center fielder go 6-31 (.194) with two home runs. But starting on August 10th he’d run off a strong close to the season, racking up hits in 15 of the final 17 games of the year while hitting .308 with 11 walks and just five strikeouts. In the last 25 games of 2019 he hit .271/.386/.448 with more walks and strikeouts.
For all 2019 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Stuart Fairchild Scouting Report
Position: OF | B/T: R/R
Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 190 lb | Drafted: 2nd Round, 2017
Born: March 17, 1996
Hitting | He’s got an average hit tool.
Power | He’s got average game power, mostly to the pull side. But there’s slightly above-average raw power in there.
Running | He’s an above-average runner and uses his speed well in the field.
Defense | He’s a strong defender who is capable of playing center field without issue. He’s also able to handle either corner outfield spot.
Arm | His arm is above-average and plays well in the outfield.
Nothing really jumps off of the page at you when you watch Stuart Fairchild play. But he’s good across the board. He’s capable of hitting a little bit, there’s the chance for 20-25 home runs, he can run, and he can play defense at a premium position. It’s a well rounded package that gives him a chance to be an every day starting center fielder.
In 2019 he made some changes to his swing and was able to cut down on his strikeouts. You really saw that come to fruition in Double-A where his strikeout rate was just 12.8% after being over 20% for the previous year-and-a-half. If he’s able to maintain that kind of strikeout rate and some power he could really get interesting at the plate.
The floor seems to be that of a backup outfielder who can bring defense and speed off of the bench. But the ceiling is that of an every day center fielder who can provide value in all areas. That combination makes him a bit of a safe prospect, but one with some upside that is also close to the Major Leagues.
Longest Home Run of the Year
412 Feet on August 14th.
Interesting Stat on Stuart Fairchild
After being called up to Double-A on July 18th, Stuart Fairchild reached base via walk or hit by pitch more times, 23, than he struck out, 19.
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