RADIO
Quad-A or Stud?
Quad-A. The one distinction no baseball player wants to ever see on their scouting report. It is typically designated for older prospects who mash in the minors but can never put it together on the big stage. Steven Souza, 25, is at the age when questions begin surfacing about a player's potential. Count me in the group who isn’t falling for this nonsense.
Souza can be described as late-bloomer, mainly due to his off the field problems which included a 50-game suspension for a banned stimulant in 2010. He contemplated quitting in 2011. Since that time, he has destroyed minor league pitching. He won the International League MVP in 2014 with a .345/.427/.577 line, 18 HR, 77 RBI, and 28 SB in 100 games. You may remember him as the guy who saved Jordan Zimmerman’s no-hitter to end the 2014 regular season.
Realizing their logjam in the outfield, Washington shipped Souza to Tampa in the Wil Myers deal. Many outsiders will look at the trade and say that Tampa got robbed. They replaced a former top prospect in Myers with somebody who barely appeared on the prospect radar.
When you factor in Souza’s ability to play all three outfield positions and Tampa’s control over him until 2020, you can see why they would make such a move. Pessimists may look at Souza’s poor showing in September for the Nationals (.130/.231/.391) as reason for caution. However, judging a player off 23 at bats is irrational. The poor showing could help to deflate his cost on draft day, making him a great sleeper candidate.
Given his first opportunity to crack an opening day lineup, I believe Souza is primed to start producing big fantasy numbers. A 20/20 season is not out of the question. Souza’s supporting cast is unquestionably weaker than in Washington. As the potential fifth hitter, Souza should receive plenty of run producing opportunities.
As a whole the Tampa offense is likely to get shunned by fantasy pundits this year, and it’s hard to blame folks. Behind Souza, the options include Kevin Kiermaier, Asdrubal Cabrera, Rene Rivera, and Nick Franklin. In other words, oof. That being said, I have faith in Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, and James Loney to set the table.
In Summary
Souza is finally getting his chance to play every day. When combined with his low ranking going into this season (59th outfielder), I see him as a fantastic sleeper candidate to break out in 2015. He represents a low-risk, high-reward option as a third or fourth outfielder on a mixed-league roster. If things go south, he can be replaced with somebody like Michael Saunders.
I would select Souza over the likes of Carlos Beltran, Coco Crisp, Michael Cuddyer, and Oswaldo Arcia, all of whom are ranked ahead of Souza. Take the low price tag and hope you strike gold.
