Let’s talk speed, ladies and gents! This category is often times weak in terms of available producers in free agency, and more often than not, if there is someone, they are far from a game changer in this particular category. This week features a handful of players that are likely available in your leagues and are, at the very least, worth a speculative add in deeper formats for what they could do for your fantasy team.
Without further ado….
JaCoby Jones , OF DET – Jones is a speedy outfielder whom swiped 13 bags in 129 games for Detroit last season. He has already swiped five bags through 41 games this season, putting his projected stat line at the end of the season up to 16 stolen bases. He’s making hard contact, but a low BABIP has suppressed his batting average. His on-base percentage is below .300, which certainly provides some skepticism on his long-term value in the stolen base department. However, at the big league level, Jones has been rather successful on the base paths, posting a quality 77 percent success rate. Detroit and its below average offense needs to find ways to manufacture runs, and Jones reaching base and attempting to swipe some bags is one way to do this. With a sprint speed in the 81st percentile, Jones is widely available in all leagues, and won’t cost much of your FAAB if you’re looking for a much needed boost in this sparse department.
Carlos Gómez , OF NYM – Gomez is still chasing the dream, even starting the year in the minors as a 33-year-old two-time All Star. He used to be a prime source of stolen bases in his prime, but since his batting average has dissipated in recent seasons, the stolen base numbers have plummeted. Well, there are other reasons for that, too. His sprint speed has stayed rather fleet afoot, and increased walk rate in his cup of coffee sample size has promoted his stolen base numbers over the last week or so for Gomez. Despite hitting under .230, his on-base percentage is north of .350 and is 66.7 percent successful on the base paths. While he’s getting regular playing time, he’s a threat to steal some bases. Believe it or not, he’s swiped double digit bags in every season since he entered the league, with the Mets, back in 2007. That’s a crazy statistic. Gomez, a guy who has hit over .250 just twice in the past four seasons, has reached double-digit steals, playing in under 120 games seven times. Absolutely crazy.
Victor Reyes , OF DET – In 100 games with the big league club last season, Reyes hit a measly .222 with a .239 on-base percentage and a worrisome .526 OPS. Yikes. However, he was 9-for-10 on stolen base attempts that season. Solid. Not bad. We’ll take it. Reyes was just recently recalled to the big league club, but his minor league numbers encourage some optimism. The batting average and hit tool is still a problem, but the stolen base potential is real with Reyes. In 39 games at Triple-A this season, he’s 4-for-6 in stolen base attempts. With Detroit clearly not going anywhere in 2019, it would behoove them to play some of their younger talent and see what they have in house. This isn’t the most exciting move, but it is surely a speculation add in hopes of garnering a few stolen bases while Josh Harrison is shelved.
Danny Santana , IF/OF TEX – At the Triple-A level this season, Santana stole just one base in nine games, but he did hit .343 with a .425 on-base percentage. With the Rangers, he’s been a multi-category stud! Through his first 115 at-bats, Santana has homered four times, posted a .296 batting average, a .339 on-base percentage, and he’s 6-for-7 on stolen base attempts. Per Baseball Savant, his sprint speed ranks in the 80th percentile, and his 87th percentile hard-hit rate is encouraging as well. It would be excellent if he could take a few more walks and not chase as often. However, we must give credit where credit is due, and his current 12.6 SwStr% would be the lowest of his career since 2016.
The xwOBA is crashing a bit of late, but that upwards trajectory for the majority of 2019 is encouraging, because as long as he’s getting on base, he will stay in the Texas lineup and will continue to steal bases. Hopefully, he will run more moving forward, as he’s stolen just one base in the month of May.
Luis Arraez, 2B MIN – Arraez is far from a household name, but a strong start in the minors forced the Twins to give him a call up. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Arraez hit .344 with three stolen bases (3 CS) in 41 games. He’s not a burner by any means, and there are some unfortunate concerns with his stolen base potential at the big league level, but he has swiped one bag thus far. His sprint speed is slightly below average, and while he’s hitting well for the Twins, he has a chance to swipe a bag or two every handful of games. He’s not the most attractive addition to your fantasy team if you’re desperate for steals, but he does provide a little to batting average and runs scored when he isn’t attempting to swipe bags.