A highly touted prospect during his time in the Red Sox farm system, Dalbec is now 30 years old and at a crossroads in his baseball career. Dalbec burst onto the scene with a .959 OPS and eight home runs through his first 92 plate appearances in the majors in 2020, and in his first full MLB season, the slugger hit .240/.298/.494 with 25 home runs over 453 PA with the Sox in 2021. Beyond that lopsided slash line, Dalbec struck out in 156 of his 453 PA.
The swing-and-miss ultimately completely overwhelmed Dalbec’s production, as he hit just .199/.272/.328 over 520 PA with the Red Sox and White Sox from 2022 to 2025, with a 37.5% strikeout rate from then on. Boston parted ways with Dalbec after the 2024 season, and after a minor league deal with Chicago led to just seven MLB games in 2025, Dalbec opted for free agency after being designated for assignment in May. Subsequent minor league contracts with the Brewers and Royals did not result in more major league playing time, and Dalbec became a minor league free agent at the end of the season.
Dalbec hasn’t been able to cut it against MLB pitching, but he has a career .263/.351/.520 slash line and 89 home runs over 1534 PA at the Triple-A level. Even with a 33.57% strikeout rate at these numbers, Dalbec’s ability to produce Triple-A ball bodes well for his chances of transferring his power to NPB. It’s easy to see why the Giants think Dalbec can bring a lot of power to their lineup, and if Dalbec can cut down on his strikeouts, he might put himself back on the radar for future big league teams.
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