There is often something to be said for searching for players on bad teams. People typically try to avoid the worst teams because they usually don’t score a lot of runs, or they feel like the opportunities just won’t be there for that player to drive runs in, score, rack up home runs, etc. That isn’t necessarily untrue, but there is upside to those teams. As they are happy to play spoiler this time of year, they are willing to be more aggressive on the basepaths, which can help you get some stolen bases, and have those players turn some of their singles to doubles, or doubles into triples. Insert Seth Brown, a 30-year-old outfielder for the Athletics who has had just 370 plate appearances at the Major League level but has now hit 37 home runs over the last two seasons to go along with a dozen steals, and he is hitting third to boot! So, let us take a closer look at Brown to see if he could add value to your fantasy roster either this year or next year.

 

We will start with the most immediate question: is Brown worth adding to your roster today? In a 12-team league or smaller, the answer is probably no, unless you have deep rosters or injuries. But in deeper leagues? I would say the answer is yes. Over the last two weeks, Brown has the second-highest slugging percentage among outfielders at 0.750. Add to that he is walking 16 percent of the time and he has a batting average of .306. Those are numbers that can help any team, and to add a little bit of context to it, the only outfielder who has a better slugging percentage than Brown in this time span is future American League MVP, Aaron Judge. To answer the longer-term question of whether you should consider him next year, well that picture is a little murkier. Putting draft capital into 31-year-olds with less than five years of experience is typically not a winning proposition when you consider that there is often a reason why the player so long to earn a Major League spot, but there will be expectations to every rule. The Athletics are a team that has long since been known to making those exceptions which are part of what makes Brown interesting. What we have seen from Brown over the last two years is a player who should be able to hit for consistent power He has had a hard-hit rate closer to 40 percent over the last two seasons, a launch angle that is between 15 and 20 degrees, and an average exit velocity that is in the top half of the league, with a max exit velocity that is among the top 15 percent. If you look at this season, in particular, he has largely underperformed based on his advanced numbers. His batting average is 30 points below his expected average, and his slugging percentage is 20 points below expected.

As we start to think about next season, there are reasons to be optimistic about a player like Brown. Provided the Athletics don’t go out and start signing big free agents (and I doubt they will, it is the A’s we are talking about), then we should see another season from Brown where he is given the opportunity to hit in the middle of their order which will provide plenty of opportunities for him to show off his power (maybe ten steals too), and most importantly make a positive impact on your fantasy roster for what should be a very inexpensive price, as he should have an ADP outside the top 175 as we head into next season.

 

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!

Related MLB Links: