Franchy Cordero (OF, SDP) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

May 11, 2018

Kyle Ringstad profiles outfielder (OF) Franchy Cordero as a waiver wire pickup and add in Week 6 of the 2018 MLB season for his strong start to the season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 17% of leagues

ANALYSIS: It's not hard to see why people are excited about the potential that Padres OF Franchy Cordero has. He's only 23 years old, possesses the ultra-valuable speed/power skillset, and is now getting regular playing time with the big-league club. During five minor league seasons, Cordero displayed very consistent power and and speed numbers.  He averaged 32.6 XBH and 17.4 steals per season, while he just had his most productive season hitting bombs last year with 20 HR total (17 in minors, 3 in MLB).  Cordero's 2018 baseline stats are a mixed bag - .261 AVG and .333 OBP are awful, while his .489 SLG and .822 OPS are terrific. He has tallied six HR, 15 RBI, and six SB. What's promising is how quickly his power numbers have translated to the MLB - he seems to have adjusted very quickly as evidenced by an astronomical .228 ISO. Cordero ranks 51st among qualified hitters with 8.7 Barrels/PA, 17th in Average Exit Velocity at 93.5 MPH, and 23rd in Hard Hit % at 52.5%.  He also has the 10th highest recorded exit velocity in 2018, with his blast registering at a whopping 116.9 MPH. These are statistics where only the very best hitters excel, and Cordero is right there with all of them on the leaderboard.

Despite great advanced hitting metrics and a few peripheral stats that suggest the power is here to stay, rest-of-season projections are not too kind to Cordero. Most projection sites have him finishing with just 11-13 HR and around 10-11 SB. If you believe the underlying power numbers will continue, and there is plenty of reason to believe this, Franchy Cordero is waiting for your embrace in about 83% of leagues.