Ryan Mountcastle (1B/OF, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups Week 8

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Mountcastle is one of the more recent prospects to be called up and he’s already smacked three homers in his first 13 games. What’s more, he has stacked up five multi-hit games during that time. Mountcastle’s .244 ISO is higher than his work in the minors, but his power has always been considered his best offensive trait, so his success so far isn’t a surprise.

Mountcastle assembled a 117 wRC+ at AAA last year when he slugged 25 HR in 127 games with a .312 average. He doesn’t project as a high-average player, but his power is real and he’s hitting .347 so far. While it’s a small sample, Mountcastle’s 11.4% barrel rate lends credence to the pop he’s shown, though his 4.3 launch angle and his exit velocity of 82.8 MPH give some cause for concern. However, the latter two numbers are farther from stabilizing than his barrel rate, and Mountcastle doesn’t need to maintain his current .432 wOBA in order to be valuable.

Mountcastle is probably a better fantasy asset than a real-life player, which is part of why there wasn’t more hype on him coming into the season. His defensive limitations mean that if he doesn’t hit, he won’t play, but so far, he’s hit. The right-handed outfielder should be eligible at one other position in most leagues, though it will depend on the platform whether it is shortstop, third base, or first base. That dual eligibility will help owners squeeze the most value out of him. If he simply hits his Steamer projection of a .194 ISO with a .270 average, he’s a useful piece in most formats.