It’s baseball season! Well, almost.. maybe? Possibly? We’re not sure at this point in time. Games have been canceled, everyone wants a new commissioner, and nobody actually knows when the players and owners will come to an agreement. That’s why we’re breaking down the KBO! 

Kidding, we’re breaking down the outfield in this series! This week, the inaugural week, let’s look at some value outfield options we should be drafting. We’ll be looking outside of top-200 draft picks!

 

 

(ADP - 222.35)

It took 64 games in 2021 for Jesús Sánchez’s power to burst off the page like Clark Kent ripping off his shirt and turning into Superman. I mean, let’s be real, it didn’t take 64 games, but in 64 games, he blasted 14 home runs, had a .231 ISO, and .489 SLG%.

What helps Sanchez tremendously is that universal DH because Miami does have a fairly talented outfield that he’d be likely platooning with if the DH wasn’t introduced.

 

 

Above is the prospects report on Fangraphs for Sanchez. Highlighted is the power, which is what I’ve highlighted already, but we need to focus on. He’s not going to hit .300 and he’s going to strike out a lot, but this is a guy that is being drafted outside the top-200 right now and has 30+ HR upside if he’s given 500 or more at-bats.

 

 

(ADP - 229.41)

I’ve spent this entire offseason, in every article I’ve written, touting Josh Rojas so why stop now when his ADP is still in the 200s? Take advantage of it now!

Below is Arizona’s projected starting lineup per Roster Resource on Fangraphs:

 

 

The first thing we see is Rojas projected to lead off. He reached base at a very solid .341 clip last year thanks to an elite 10.5% BB rate. With that walk rate and robust on-base percentage, it’s possible we’ll see Rojas swipe more bags as well. He’s had double-digit steal in four separate minor league seasons, which makes us want more than the nine we got last season. 

Rojas has 15 home run, 15 stolen base-upside at the top of this Arizona lineup. If he had a better lineup behind him, maybe he’d approach 85 runs too. We’ll see how it plays out, but I really like the value Rojas provides us this season.

 

(ADP - 234.04)

So depending on how long the season is delayed depends on my interest in Ramón Laureano. As of today, the first two weeks of the season are canceled. Laureano is also going to be suspended for the first 28 games of the year when it does in fact restart. If the season is delayed any more than it already is, I’m not sure Laureano is much of a value at all considering how many games he’d miss. That being said, this is a guy with two double-digit steal seasons and belted 24 home runs back in 2019 as well.

It’s not often you find a guy with a career .800 OPS, under 30 years old and is a threat to hit for power and steal bags this deep in a draft class, but the suspension is scaring everyone off. Despite the fact that Laureano is barely projected to play 100 games, everywhere you look to find projections he’s expected to approach 20 home runs and swipe 10 stolen bases.


 

 

(ADP - 275.67)

It wasn’t the best year for Anthony Santander in 2021 for 2022 is a new season! The two seasons prior he was great, especially in the power departments. He hit 20 homers in 93 games back in ‘19, 11 homers in 37 games in ‘20.

What do we like about Santander that makes us believe he can get back to his ‘19-’20 numbers? All of his Statcast numbers from last year suggest he was a bit unlucky.

He had career highs in Exit Velocity (90.7) and HardHit (43.2%). It was his second-highest in barrel% too. His .445 xSLG was similar to his 2019 marks and was comparable to guys like Cedric Mullins, Trevor Story, Mookie Betts, and many other elite hitters.

Obviously, the park changes in Baltimore will impact Santander a bit, at least that’s what we think we just haven’t seen any games played just yet. Nevertheless, the ballparks in his division benefit him tremendously. He plays a majority of his games in the AL East for crying out loud! Offense galore!


 

 

(ADP - 324.57)

 

Sure we’ve heard about multiple outfielders ending up in Colorado, most recently being Michael Conforto, but Connor Joe’s play last year seemingly solidified his role this year and on.

 

 

Look at what Joe was able to do in just 63 games last year. He did a GREAT job reaching base, notching a .379 OBP. He was very patient at the plate drawing walks over 12% of the time, had a sneaky .184 ISO and .409 SLG% for a guy that isn’t profiled as someone who has a lot of power.

Now we tie all that together with the fact that he plays in Coors Field. 

 

 

This is a three year rolling list courtesy of Baseball Savant in best hitting environment. Factor in that Baltimore changed around it’s dimensions and we have to assume Coors takes their spot on this list moving forward. The opportunity for Joe to be in the lineup will always be there because he can play so many different positions AND the universal DH is being brought to the NL.

 

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