Mallex Smith (OF, SEA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 75

CURRENT ADP: ~100 overall

ANALYSIS: After debuting back in 2016, Mallex Smith played his first full year in the majors and finally lived up to the hype revolving around his speed. Spending over half of his bats at the bottom of the order with the Tampa Bay Rays, Smith stole 40 bags last year. He accomplished it without sacrificing the AVG category as he swatted a .296 and he had pretty decent RBI and Run numbers (40 and 65 respectively). Smith carries tremendous value heading into 2019 and this might be the last year you’ll be able to draft him outside the top-100.

Not only does he offer speed, but a high batting average to go with it as well. Good plate discipline numbers helped a career .294 minor league average, including a high .347 in Double-A. Career minor league rates of 10.5% BB% and 0.60 BB/K aren’t typically this high of numbers seen by these types of stolen base threats. Caution must be taken with the lack of power, in which he severely lacks, only 16 total HR from 2012 to 2016. The good news is he’s accepted the fact that he’s not a power guy and drove the ball on the ground over 55% of the time, a smart mentality for a speedster.

The higher the spot in the order, the more opportunities for SB there will be. A 50-theft season is in all likelihood even with the sub-par success rate, and he has the potential to lead the MLB. Over the last few years, Billy Hamilton was getting selected in the 40-50 range because he carried a little bit better SB potential, but his AVG was a roster drain. This fact makes Smith’s 100.4 ADP look even more satisfying and will save you from searching for elite speed in the late rounds.