BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~450
CURRENT ADP: ~589 overall
ANALYSIS: O’Hearn struggled to hit last season with a meager .195 batting average, but the 26-year-old clubbed 14 home runs in 105 games. Over his 149-game Major League career, O’Hearn has proven himself to be a legitimate power threat with a 90.8 mph average exit velocity, 10.1% barrel rate, and 43.9% hard-hit rate. Importantly, contact hasn’t been much of a detractor to O’Hearn’s performance, as he owns a solid 74.3% contact rate and a 26.7% strikeout rate.
O’Hearn’s power numbers suggest that a home run rate above 4% is likely in 2020. If he can play a full season this year, that home run rate makes 20-25 home runs a reasonable expectation. Ryan McBroom is challenging O’Hearn for the starting first base job with the Royals this spring, but O’Hearn, who owns the larger side of the platoon as a left-handed hitter, is the favorite to win the job and should be on the radar of fantasy owners in need of home runs late in drafts. Especially at his current draft cost, you can always throw him back onto the waiver wire if he doesn't keep the job and not have given up any useful draft capital.
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