BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 185
CURRENT ADP: ~276
ANALYSIS: Tyler O'Neill didn't have a great 2023, slashing .231/.312/.403 with nine homers and five steals over 266 PAs. Injuries cost him some time, but the Cardinals also benched O'Neill regularly when healthy. It prevented him from getting into a rhythm and showing what he could do.
O'Neill always hit the ball hard and that didn't change last season with a max exit velocity of 111.4 mph, 94.3 mph of average airborne exit velocity, and a 12.3% rate of Brls/BBE. He also set career bests in a variety of plate discipline metrics: 28.5% chase rate, 11.2 SwStr%, 87.1 Z-Contact%, 10.5 BB%, and 25.2 K%.
Boston acquired O'Neill to play, so he should receive full-time PAs with the Red Sox. Fenway Park is also a great place for right-handed hitters looking to improve their average. From 2021-2023, Fenway has the fourth-highest Statcast park factor for RHB at 106. It's neutral for HRs, but no park holds O'Neill when he gets one.
Instead, Fenway inflates hits with a park factor of 109, singles with a 107, and doubles with a 119. All three figures beat Busch Stadium (102, 107, 101, respectively), so O'Neill should enjoy his new digs.
I don’t think Sox fans understand how electric Tyler O’Neill can be when healthy.
This is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder with a good arm, plus-plus speed and pop in the bat.
That doesn’t come around often, nor for the price we acquired him for.pic.twitter.com/PtZmbl6EbF
— G.G. (@ggeiss_mlb) February 17, 2024
Between his improved plate discipline and a more friendly home park, O'Neill's average is due for a dramatic increase. The higher OBP should result in more SB attempts, and nobody questions O'Neill's raw pop. For those interested in a power/speed combination without using a high selection, O'Neill could be your man given his 22-homer, 13-steal projection from ATC for the 2024 campaign
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