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Miami Marlins outfielder Garrett Cooper is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add in Week 16 of the MLB season. I break down why he can help and continue to help your team.
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 24% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Cooper enjoyed moderate success in his first full season in 2019 and was solid in the shortened 2020 season. Cooper was a popular sleeper in the later rounds of standard drafts, but a miserable April in which he hit just .197 with 25 strikeouts in 71 at bats had him dropped in most leagues and left some in the industry wondering if he would even have a job. Cooper enjoyed a .329 surge in May, but then spent nearly a month on the IL with a back issue. Since returning from the IL, Cooper is hitting .463 with four homers in 15 games.
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Cooper is a career .284 hitter, so his .291 average on the season isn't the outlier. His miserable April is. Cooper's 52.8 hard hit percentage is in the 94th percentile in all of baseball. His 114 max exit velocity is good for 58th in the majors this season. He's not just hitting the ball well, he's hitting it hard. Cooper's expected stats are above the board from his strong 2019 season, suggesting that he can top the 15 homers from that season.
The metrics over the full season don't do Cooper justice. For example, he has a 19% barrel rate since June 1. That's up there with guys like Yordan Alvarez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Jared Walsh in that span. Should we expect a power surge from Cooper that rivals those guys? Probably not considering he is several years older than all of them.
Still, if Cooper's back issues are behind him, there's reason to believe that he should hit 20 homers this season. In an age where a .300 average is a rarity since everyone is swinging for the fences, Cooper is a guy that can provide you with an average like that along with modest power. His plate discipline is among the best since the beginning of June, so he can provide more of a boost in leagues that count OBP or walks as well.
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