Although Hart's 2008 campaign -- including his comments about plate discipline and the fans, as well as his September performance -- are lightning rods for Brewers fans, it is apparent that the right fielder was also simply down on his luck in 2008. Not only did he put more balls-in-play -- not always a good thing, a lower percentage of balls in play dropped for hits. As his BIP% expanded, his BABIP shrank, leaving a player without the ability to walk, with lower strike outs, and with fewer HBP simply left without a way of getting on base.

You can argue that discipline has a lot to do with forming hitting luck, and you might be correct; Hart's swing-at-everything approach certainly doesn't help him walk, and that will keep him from becoming a high impact hitter. As he is, he is a free swinging slugger, taking the most extreme traits of a player such as Ryan Braun or Alfonso Soriano and amplifying them.

In constructing his 2009 projection, I kept his discipline in mind, which means that I see his BIP% continue to rise, but this time with a correction to what should be approximately league average defensive efficiency. I see Hart's home runs decline as he puts more balls in play, and I don't see his walks doing any better. I do see his HBP rebounding, and I'm not sure about strike outs --- we'll see about those.

Corey Hart:  627 PA, 458 BIP, 139 HBIP (hits on balls in play); .730 BIP%, .303 BABIP; 592 AB, 162 H, 42 2B, 10 3B, 16 HR, 110 K/26 BB, 9 HBP; 22/29 SB; 272 TB; .274/.314/.459

In short, I see Hart rebounding in 2009, increasing his OBP by approximately 1.5%, and his SLG remaining basically the same. I do not expect him to become something he is not as a hitter; that would be unfair and unrealistic. But I also recognize that even though he is an undisciplined free-swinger, his luck was hard in 2008, and a simple correction will help his game along.