In this article, we will be looking at trying to find This Year's Dylan Moore in the late rounds of your 2021 Fantasy Baseball draft with untapped potential.
Last year, Dylan Moore exploded into the fantasy baseball community with a big jump in his scoring output due to, well, steals. In fantasy baseball--especially in roto leagues--steals can be slept on and end up winning you your league. In this article, we will examine a few candidates that have "late" ADPs (ADP past 300), yet could help boost your team's amount of steals.
There are a few things to keep in mind when trying to predict a breakout steals candidate. Obviously, the most important trait, in this case, is speed. Players also need to be fairly aggressive on the base paths, able to get on base consistently, and earn fairly consistent playing time.
2021 Fantasy Baseball: This Year's Dylan Moore
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Myles Straw, OF, Houston Astros
Don't tell @myles_straw that #AstrosST is a marathon not a sprint. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/yw5eDjfyfB
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 26, 2020
Myles Straw will likely be the Astros starting center fielder for the majority of the 2021 season. This guy is one of the fastest players in baseball, too. According to Baseball Savant, Straw is in the 91th percentile for speed. He could be the next player to lead the league in steals as a Mallex Smith-type.
Straw has always been aggressive on the base paths, but this will be the first season he sees consistent playing time. Straw has also always been a decent contact hitter and could hit around .270. That should put him on base plenty, giving him a ton of opportunity for stolen bases. In his 2018 season in AA and AAA, Straw stole nearly 70 bags. Keep an eye on this speed demon for a potential steals breakout.
Raimel Tapia, OF Colorado Rockies
Inside-the-park homer for Raimel Tapia!
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/plNQKXlMBz
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) April 21, 2019
Raimel Tapia is frankly not a very good major league baseball player. However, the Rockies are an incredibly weak organization when it comes to talent. This opens up playing time for Tapia this season.
Tapia is incredibly fast. He ranks in the 82nd percentile for sprint speed according to Baseball Savant. Tapia also figures out a way to put the ball in play. He has good contact rates (despite his awful power profile), so he could get plenty of stolen base opportunities with playing time.
Jazz Chisholm, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Presenting Jazz Chisholm's
✅ First Major League triple
✅ First Major League extra-base hit
✅ First Major League RBI pic.twitter.com/ZbjMD5TBtw— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 10, 2020
Jazz Chisholm is a flat-out athlete. He has a good power profile and is a speed demon. Jazz's biggest issue is his swing-and-miss concerns. If he can make consistent contact, and his lows are not "too low," Jazz could find himself as one of the league leaders in steals.
Baseball Savant ranks Chisholm in the 81st percentile for sprint speed. He will likely be the Marlins starting second baseman this season; he could even get time at shortstop. Keep an eye on Jazz for a potential breakout. Remember: his lows will be very low while his highs very high, almost like a Walmart Mondesi type.
Sam Haggerty, 2B/OF, Seattle Mariners
Standing-room only. 🔥
Sam Haggerty | #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/YJWWNeiwXn
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) March 5, 2021
Sam Haggerty is the type of player I would want on my team if I was on a rebuilding team just a piece away from competing. He could definitely end up being this year's Dylan Moore and rack up a ton of steals if given the opportunity. Jerry Dipoto seems to agree. Haggerty is a dog with a great work ethic, which makes him a good clubhouse guy. He is one of the more underrated players on the Mariners. During his stint playing High-A ball in 2017, Haggerty stole 49 bags.
The only problem here? The Mariners have a ton of talent coming up the pipeline. While Haggerty is a good ballplayer, he could have questions regarding his playing time because of how stacked the Mariners could be in the near future. According to Baseball Savant, Haggerty ranks in the 92nd-percentile for speed. Keep an eye out for this guy to be a breakout in steals for 2021, especially if any injuries pop up.
Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran with a well-struck gap double, advancing to 3rd on the misplay. Blazing speed on display. #RedSox pic.twitter.com/9RH6JaWXtr
— Joe Drake (@JDrake349) March 3, 2021
Jarren Duran will likely be the Red Sox leadoff hitter and starting center fielder for the next few years. Duran is a very fast ballplayer. Due to his speed and contact ability, Duran could lead the league in steals at any point.
The biggest concern about Duran is that he may not be up in the big leagues until possibly late-May, but he has been killing it in Spring Training which could open up a roster spot for him. In 2019, Duran stole 46 bases between High-A and Double-A ball. Keep an eye out for this speed demon in 2021.
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