BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 18% of Leagues
ANALYSIS: Let’s take a brief moment to give the player development staff of the Tampa Bay Rays a round of applause. The club features nine players with at least 106 at-bats churning out at an .807 OPS or better this season. Outfielder Jose Siri, previously perceived as a mere speedy defensive specialist, is one of them.
The 27-year-old may be hitting an ordinary .245, but he’s slugging an extraordinary .580 across 106 at-bats with 10 homers and 22 RBI this year. Siri also has five stolen bases, good enough to fortify third-round roto value in 12-team mixed fantasy leagues through the campaign’s one-third mark.
What Kind Of Fantasy Upside Does Jose Siri Possess?
The former Houston Astro hasn’t wielded a premium lineup spot when he’s in there. However, Siri’s breakout is certainly causing a case towards not only playing time in general, but also a rise in the batting order. The center fielder is part of a timeshare with fellow Dominican-born right-hander Manuel Margot, who has been less productive despite seeing more action. Margot is hitting a comparable .248 to Siri, but slugging a contrasting .341 with just two homers and 15 RBI in 129 at-bats.
Tampa Bay’s world-beating offense (first in team OBP, HR, and SLG) is capable of yielding fantasy-relevant numbers even for the ninth hitter in the lineup. Opposing hurlers are unlikely to pitch around this spot with the top of the order looming, featuring on-base machine Yandy Diaz (.990 OPS) plus AL MVP candidates Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena.
The big-armed Siri should occupy a somewhat regular spot in the Rays lineup going forward for his athletic defense. Any offensive output that Tampa Bay receives from the gold-glove-caliber fielder is likely taken as a bonus by the organization. The speedy Siri sports 98th-percentile wheels, so a 20-stolen-base campaign firmly lies within his scope if playing time cooperates.
Can Jose Siri Keep Up His Burgeoning Play?
Sometimes turning to the Statcast leaderboards may dump cold water on a player’s burst onto the scene, but Siri‘s blazing start doesn’t fit this criteria. Each of the righty’s xBA (.257) and BA (.245), xSLG (.577) and SLG (.580), plus wOBA (.366) and xwOBA (.372) are relatively on par with one another. Perhaps Siri is coming to light as a true diamond in the rough, brandishing a potent .340 ISO as well.
Siri has quite a way to go before commanding must-add status across all formats, but a few more surging weeks of play may register that ticket. Tampa Bay has few threatening outfield prospects in their farm system who are developed at this juncture, solidifying Siri’s role on the major-league roster. He should be added in most 12-team formats to see if he can maintain his newfound pop (seven HR in 301 at-bats in 2022) along with tangible speed and run-scoring potential.
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