Its baseball season and we are in full swing! It feels amazing to have games going every day and already being fully immersed in the grind that is the fantasy baseball season! If you’re new to the site or just forget how this article works since last week, let me offer a quick refresher.

Category Impact will offer up anywhere from four to six players that can help you out in a certain category, whether it is stolen bases, home runs, or strikeouts. Some weeks, there will be an added focus on a specific categories, while others will be just players that you will want to pick up, but there will be in-depth analysis detailing exactly what category, or categories, a certain player will be of added benefit.

This week’s featured category is……. SPEED!

Let’s get it.

Brian Goodwin , OF WSH

With Adam Eaton heading to the disabled list, the window for opportunity has opened for Goodwin. He has two stolen bases already on the year and has a paved way for regular playing time for at least the next two weeks. The 27-year-old hasn’t had much success (0-for-2) against left-handers, but he’s hitting a respectable .286 with a .385 OBP against righties in 21 at-bats this season. Goodwin isn’t exactly a burner by nature, stealing just six bases in 74 games last year with the team.  In fact, at the minor league level, his career-high was 19 bags in 122 games with the Harrisburg Senators.

Opportunity is key in fantasy, and that is something that Goodwin has the luxury of having at the moment with Eaton on the shelf. Sure, this could all be for naught if the Nationals decide to call up some of their young guns they have waiting in the wings. It appears as if Goodwin is going to get the first crack and even better, the 27-year-old outfielder could find his name near the top of the lineup for some games.

Franchy Cordero , OF SDP

It’s Franchy time in San Diego! With Manny Margot heading to the disabled list with a rib injury, San Diego called up Cordero, who has the chance of being a fantasy star down the road. Strikeouts will likely be a problem for him, and that was evident in 30 games with the team last year. He punched out 44 times in 92 at-bats. Yikes. However, for his minor league career, his 162 game averages result in 14 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

Cordero homered in his first game since being called up and being just 23 years old, he has plenty of time to develop into the perennial 20-20 player he will likely be at the height of his career. San Diego will let him be aggressive on the bases, as well as giving him every opportunity to stick with the team even after Margot returns from injury. Cordero is likely already owned in every dynasty format, but he has appeal in all formats, even 10-team formats. The outfielder has a ton of potential as a power-speed contributor at the big league level and we could see it as early as 2018.

Niko Goodrum , 2B DET

Goodrum is among the league’s best in terms of stolen bases right now, being a perfect 3-for-3 through the early parts of the 2018 campaign. His stolen prowess diminished as he progressed through the minor league ranks, going from 18 stolen bases in 61 Double-A games, to just 11 swiped bags in 127 games at Triple-A Rochester. Across all minor league levels, he had a success rate of 79 percent on the base paths.

His OBP currently resides below .300, with his OPS being just south of .700. He’s going to need to get on base more consistently if he’s going to be a reliable source of speed as the season progresses. The Tigers are going to give Goodrum every opportunity to play nearly every day for them at the keystone, so the opportunity is there for the 26-year-old middle infielder. He posted an OBP of .309 and .344 at Triple-A and Double-A respectively, so there is numerous reasons to believe that he can build upon his early season struggles. He’s a quality addition for those in deeper mixed  formats or AL-only setups.

Craig Gentry , OF BAL

Gentry stole a career-high 24 bases back in 2013. Since stealing 20 bases in 2014, he’s never approached anywhere near that mark. However, he’s off to a speedy start with the Orioles, already swiping three bags through the first two weeks of the season. He’s always been regarded as a speed guy but hasn’t been able to hold down a full-time gig in recent years. He’s a career .260 hitter with a .333 on-base percentage, but he’s played in more than 75 games just once since the end of 2014.

While he’s a part of a platoon, he’s going to be a tough addition in those outside of deep mixed or AL-only settings, but the 34-year-old does provide some speed in an offense that is rather devoid of those whom are fleet afoot.

Braxton Lee , OF MIA

More of a speculative add here, but he’s getting plenty of run in the outfield and Cameron Maybin isn’t a long-term answer in the Miami outfield. Conversely, Lee could be a guy roaming the spacious confines of the Miami outfield for years to come. While he projects to be a 20+ stolen base guy, he will need to improve upon some inefficiencies he displayed at the minor league level. For his minor league career, he stole 68 bases, but was caught 45 times, which equates to a below-average 60 percent success rate.

He’s yet to run with the Marlins, but that could merely be a product of not getting on base enough. Currently, his OBP is well below league average, and is hovering near a dreaded .220 mark. There are certainly going to be some growing pains with Lee, but that comes with the territory of having less than 10 big league games under his belt. His ownership is incredibly low at the moment, but for those in deeper formats and NL-only leagues, being ahead of the curve is the key to success. Lee will be a 20+ stolen base guy in the future, but the future could potentially come sooner than we all believe.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@colbyrconway) and look for a Twitter poll on Tuesday to cast your vote for next week’s featured category!