RADIO
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.
