Fantasy Baseball Category Impact: Stolen Bases

Another year, another baseball season with me addressing various categories for your fantasy squad and helping lift your team in certain statistical categories. The Category Impact will do just that. I will recommend a few guys for a particular category that can give you an impact, whether it’s for a few weeks or a long-term solution. Each week, be sure to check out my Twitter (@colbyrconway) and vote on which category should be featured in the week’s Category Impact.

Based on the results of the Twitter poll from earlier in the week, we will be talking about stolen bases in this week’s edition of Category Impact, after speed just squeaked by saves/holds.

Without further ado….

Rosell Herrera , OF MIA

Herrera is just another guy that was a burner in the minors, but hasn’t displayed much success at the big league level to date. Last year, he was just 3-for-8 in stolen base attempts, but luckily for fantasy owners, he’s a more efficient 3-for-4 on the young season. In just 12 games, Herrera has attempted four steals, which is excellent, and with a 20+ stolen base season at the Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels, he has an opportunity to get there at the game’s highest level. Now, he will need to get on-base more than he currently is (.233 OBP), but that .192 BABIP isn’t doing him any favors. He’s not making a ton of hard contact to date, but his xBA of .239 indicates that he’s underperforming at this juncture of the season. He needs to display long-term efficiency on the bases, but his 28.8 ft/s sprint speed ranks in the top six percent of the league. His ownership is low, but if he gets hot, and on base more frequently, the steals should come in bunches.

Leury García , OF CWS

Don’t look now, but Garcia is amongst the league’s best, trailing only Dee Gordon , Tommy Pham and Mallex Smith in steals this season. He’s tied with four other guys with three swipes on the year, and it appears as if he’s fully tapping into the stolen base potential he displayed years ago in the minors. Nearly a decade ago, Garcia was posting a stolen base total above 30 in the lower ranks of the minors, and at just 28 years old, his speed shouldn’t have slipped much.

Terrance Gore , OF KC

Twenty career big league appearances. 28 career stolen bases. Yes, you did read that right. Gore has appeared in 67 big league games, logged 20 plate appearances, and is a crisp 24-for-28 on the bases. He got a start the other night and a day or two earlier, he not only recorded his first hit – tying a career-high in a season—but he, of course, stole a base. Gore hasn’t been thrown out since 2017 and with the Royals likely initiating a tank job, it’s not unfathomable to believe that the Royals will give him starts every now and again. If he’s not starting, he can still rack up the stolen bases in bunches as a pinch runner. For what it’s worth, all 28 of his stolen bases in his career have come with him as a pinch runner. Additionally, 20 of those stolen bases have come in “high leverage” situations, per Fangraphs. Fantasy owners of Gore need to keep in that he is a below average hitter, so while some starts may seem like a good thing, it’s a double-edged sword. At least when he pinch runs, he already starts on base, but when he starts in the outfield, he has to find a way on base (career .250 OBP).

Adam Engel , OF CWS

If memory serves correctly, which it typically does, Engel appeared in at least one Category Impact last season, especially when talking about speed demons. While he has yet to steal a base in 2019, the steals will come, do not worry. In a vacuum, Engel could be a 30+ stolen base guy with his elite speed, however, a career .258 on-base percentage certainly doesn’t do anyone any favors. In 2018, his sprint speed was elite, tied with Billy Hamilton and Trea Turner , and trailing only Byron Buxton , Magneuris Sierra and Roman Quinn . For the time being, Engel has a regular role in the team’s outfield, and he showed last year that he can approach 20 stolen bases with a sub-.280 on-base percentage. It’s not ideal, and he will hurt your offense aside from stolen bases, but this category is one that you just have to suck it up. He’s successful about two-thirds of the time when he runs and as long as he has a role with the big league club, Engel does have the potential to make his mark in the stolen base department.

Honorable Mention: Ketel Marte , Jason Heyward , Keon Broxton

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@colbyrconway) to get your vote in for next week’s edition!