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Teoscar Hernandez 2019 Outlook: Potential Late-Round Value
6 years agoEarly in 2018, Teoscar Hernandez became somewhat of a Statcast darling after slugging .677 in April with the metrics to back it up. When the season was over, he still ended up with the 10th-best barrel rate (9.4%) and sixth-best exit velocity (97.7 mph) on flies and liners, so there is obvious power in the bat. Nonetheless, Hernandez only ended up slashing .239/.302/.468 with 22 HR and 57 RBI. Hernandez still needs to cut down on the swing-and-miss—he whiffed 17.8% of the time in 2018, compared to a league average of 10.7%, producing a strikeout rate of 31.2%—to become a truly feared threat at the plate. Then there’s the matter of steals: despite 169 in the minors, he only grabbed five bags 2018. He didn’t even attempt a steal in July and August before going 2-for-3 in September to offer a glimmer of hope for his future in that category. Hernandez’s ability to crush the baseball when he does connect, as well as SB potential, certainly make him a higher-ceiling player among those available outside the top 200, but his floor is AAAA. In standard leagues, consider him a final-round sleeper. With an ADP of 299, he should be available. In deeper or OPS leagues, his value increases slightly.
