Stephen Piscotty Should Help Ease the Sting of Heyward's Departure

Stephen Piscotty had a spectacular 2015 that saw him hit .305 with seven home runs and 39 RBI over 256 at-bats, earning him the 43rd spot in our outfield ranking.

Currently atop the right field depth chart, Piscotty hopes that he and Randal Grichuk can help prove that the Cardinals were smart in letting star outfielder Jason Heyward leave for the rival Cubs this off-season. Regardless of how that plays out, there's no questioning Piscotty's fantasy relevance. Questions remain, however, on just how well Piscotty will hit for his 2016 fantasy owners. Most troubling is the sudden increase in average fly ball distance in the majors versus in the minors. With St. Louis, his 301-foot average was nearly a 30-foot gain from his average in the minors. Secondly, his BABIP with the Cardinals was .372, sixty-six points over what his performance in the minors. Even though his power and average are likely to float closer to Piscotty's normal range than maintain these new highs, the floor is fairly high for the budding star.