Nick Solak (2B/3B/OF, TEX) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~260

CURRENT ADP: ~290 overall

ANALYSIS: Nick Solak played a total of 33 games with the Rangers last year, where he slashed .293/.393/.491 with five home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, and two stolen bases in just 116 at-bats. Currently, Rougned Odor is listed as the starter on the depth chart, but he could be unseated by Solak if his performance does not improve. Solak has also been getting a lot of work in centerfield this spring, which leads many to wonder if perhaps he could unseat Danny Santana and force him into a utility role.

In his first taste of the big leagues, Solak put up above-average power metrics in terms of barrel rate (9.2%), exit velocity (88.3 mph), and xSLG (.433). While these may not look overly impressive, they do fall in line with the type of player that he should be as he averaged 22 home runs per 162 games played in the Minors. He should also continue to add strength as he is currently just 25 years old.

Solak also put up a ridiculous .393 on-base percentage in 2019. While this will likely be difficult to sustain given his .354 BABIP, he does have a skill set here. His average over 435 Minor League games was .294, which fell right in line with what he did at the Major League level last season. He also put up a very respectable walk rate of 11.1%, which was practically identical to his Minor League walk rate. While his strikeout rate did come in at 21.5%, it was not far off from his Minor League rate of 19.2%, and we could easily see this tick down as he grows accustomed to big-league pitching. His on-base rate is also bolstered by his patience at the plate.

Overall, Solak could provide plenty of value to fantasy owners in 2020. The biggest concern with Solak heading into the season will be his playing time, however, it appears as though the Rangers are taking measures to ensure that he gets at-bats by using him in centerfield during Spring Training. Aside from that, he should also see time at second base and see more playing time over Willie Calhoun since the latter has mentioned that he;s still not comfortable in the batter's box after being hit in the face this spring. Look to grab Solak with your last pick, and take a wait-and-see approach to start the season.