Oscar Mercado (OF, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~85-100

CURRENT ADP: ~116 overall

ANALYSIS: Oscar Mercado flashed his dual-threat ability in his 2019 rookie campaign by slashing .269/.318/.443 with 15 HR, 54 RBI, 70 R, and 15 SB. He managed to do this in 438 at-bats after getting called up in the middle of May. What can he do with a full season under his belt? A look at his advanced power and speed metrics should give us a glimpse.

In 2019, Mercado's power metrics were not exactly stellar as he fell below league average in barrel rate (4.1%), exit velocity (86.5 mph), xSLG (.403), and hard-hit rate (33.9%). Nevertheless, there is reasoning to believe he can improve upon these in 2020, and surpass the 20 home run threshold. He had an above-average zone contact rate of 86.8% and below average chase rate of 27.5%. This tells us he is making wise decisions at the plate, and this was reinforced by his 17.4% strikeout rate, which is significant considering 2019 was Mercado's first year in the big leagues. We can also expect this to lower as he continues to grow accustomed to pitching at the highest level.

One area where Mercado can continue to provide plenty of value is on the basepaths. In 2019, Mercado stole 15 bases while only being caught four times. He has a sprint speed of 29.5 ft/sec, which ranked him in the 97th percentile and was good for 20th overall in baseball. He also showed the flair for stealing bases in the minors, as he nabbed 201 bases over 626 minor league games, which averages out to 54 stolen bases per 162 games. Given this information, we could see 20 home run power combined with 30-plus stolen base potential soon.

Mercado is projected to bat second in the Indians lineup. The team only ranked 16th in total runs scored in 2019, but have added the likes of Cesar Hernandez, and will also receive a full season of Franmil Reyes. By all accounts, this lineup should be much better than the 2019 lineup. Mercado should have plenty of opportunities to score and drive in runs as well as steal bases at a high clip. Due to his multi-category coverage, he provides sizable value at his current ADP.