X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Jorge Soler: 2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Sleeper

 

For Owners In Need of HR and RBI, Soler Might be a Perfect Sleeper Candidate

Expectations are sky-high in the Windy City. First Baseman Anthony Rizzo has guaranteed an NL Central Division Title. In order to fulfill that promise, the Cubs will need their nucleus of young talent to contribute in a big way. Kris Bryant is a projected superstar waiting in the wings and fans are buzzing about Javier Baez's power. Then there's Addison Russell, who won't start the year with the Cubs, but is being heralded as one of the best shortstop prospects in all of baseball. One name that has nearly been lost in the anticipatory shuffle is Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler.

Soler got his first taste of the big leagues last fall and wasted no time introducing himself. He crushed a 2-1 offering from Mat Latos over the fence for a 423-foot home run in his first Major League AB. It’s a sight that Cub fans and fantasy owners may see quite a few times in 2015.

At 6’4”, 215 pounds, Soler is an impressive physical specimen. He has shown five-tool talent throughout his time in the minors. In 2014, Soler played 62 combined games between AA, AAA, and Rookie Ball. He hit .340 with 23 2B, 2 3B, 15 HR and 57 RBI. Soler has shown a knack for hitting the ball out of the park at each level: he hit 6 HR in just 65 at-bats in AA as well as 8 HR in 110 at-bats in AAA. The Cubs saw all they needed to see and summoned Soler to the big club. He played in 24 games and hit .292 with 5 HR and 20 RBI in 89 at-bats. Altogether, Soler posted 20 HR in 289 total at-bats between the majors and minors in 2014.

Like most young power hitters, Soler tends to be over-aggressive at times. He struck out 24 times in his 24 big league games while walking just six times. Soler has the skills to adjust to big league pitching, but it remains to be seen how long that process will take. The potential for a .290/.333/.550 slash line is there, but a more realistic projection for Soler in 2015 would be .265/.325/.470. I see him posting around 25 HR and 75 RBI this season, but that total could fluctuate depending on where he hits in the order. Soler could hit as high as fourth early on, as the Cubs may elect to leave uber prospect Kris Bryant in the minors in order to retain another year of his contract. The most likely scenario will see Soler slotted into the 5 or 6 spot in the lineup for most of the season.

One drawback that Soler faces is that the Cubs have quite a few outfielders that will be vying for playing time this year. Soler will be the primary right fielder, flanked by Dexter Fowler and Chris Coghlan. The Cubs acquired Chris Denorfia in the offseason and fellow prospects Arismendy Alcantara and Junior Lake could also see time in the outfield. If Soler plays well, he will be in the lineup most days. Though if he does struggle, the Cubs aren’t likely to let him play through it for too long.

 

In Summary

Soler has plenty of upside but there isn’t much track record to fall back on. He runs well but isn’t a threat to steal many bases. Most of his fantasy value will come in the form of home runs and runs batted in. He is a top 40 fantasy outfielder but shouldn’t be drafted much higher than that. Soler is a solid choice for the third or fourth outfielder spot in standard fantasy baseball formats, but has the opportunity to return OF2 value.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eduardo Rodriguez8 mins ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler14 mins ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel23 mins ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley31 mins ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Dejounte Murray41 mins ago

Available Versus Boston
Xavier Tillman42 mins ago

Sr. Cleared For Thursday Night
Al Horford50 mins ago

Won't Face The Hawks
Jrue Holiday55 mins ago

Available On Thursday
Tarik Skubal1 hour ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes2 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis2 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer3 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw3 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler4 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager4 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz4 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Alex Caruso4 hours ago

Ayo Dosunmu Probable Friday
Darius Garland4 hours ago

Probable Against 76ers
Donovan Mitchell4 hours ago

Upgraded To Questionable
Duncan Robinson6 hours ago

Heat Rule Out Duncan Robinson Friday
Bryan Reynolds6 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jimmy Butler6 hours ago

Probable Against Portland
Onyeka Okongwu6 hours ago

Remains Out Thursday
Dejounte Murray7 hours ago

Questionable With Back Soreness
Jordan Romano7 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Gerrit Cole7 hours ago

Yankees Put Gerrit Cole On 60-Day Injured List
Elly De La Cruz7 hours ago

Batting In Six-Hole On Opening Day
Anthony Rendon8 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff On Opening Day
Wander Franco8 hours ago

Placed On Administrative Leave
Aaron Ekblad8 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov8 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto9 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin9 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard9 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins9 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist9 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear9 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Keita Bates-Diop9 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season
Dyson Daniels9 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday But Nearing Return
LaMelo Ball10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Rest Of 2023-24
Jose Alvarado10 hours ago

Questionable To Face Milwaukee
Jaden Springer10 hours ago

Considered Questionable
Xavier Tillman10 hours ago

Sr. Questionable Thursday
Gabe Vincent10 hours ago

Expected To Return To Action On Sunday
Al Horford21 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Derrick White21 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
TJ Friedl22 hours ago

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Aaron Gordon22 hours ago

Cleared To Face Phoenix
Jackson Chourio23 hours ago

Will Start In Right Field Friday
Eduardo Rodriguez24 hours ago

Starts Throwing Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers1 day ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers1 day ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark1 day ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers1 day ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels1 day ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby1 day ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds1 day ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim1 day ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA1 day ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry1 day ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak1 day ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan1 day ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg1 day ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn1 day ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord1 day ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala1 day ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark1 day ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler1 day ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder1 day ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen2 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb2 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift2 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson2 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell2 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott2 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley2 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs2 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad2 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson2 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan3 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson3 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla3 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo3 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron3 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher3 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo4 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal4 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott4 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa4 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala4 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF