Delino DeShields Jr. Deserves Your Attention

Three weeks ago I offered three (or four) starting pitchers for your consideration. In it I highlighted three starters who did not exceed various thresholds of ownership in Yahoo! fantasy leagues. Ken Erdedy liked it, and while I can’t tell if his name is real, it seems his sentiment was.

I anticipated returning with three hitters in a similar vein. However, I couldn’t help but highlight a particular hitter owned in an absurdly low percentage of leagues. (Alas, I got distracted, as I am wont to do.)

I’ll retain the format of my original post for kicks, but I have decided to point the spotlight entirely on him.

Sub-20% Ownership: Second Base

Delino DeShields Jr. (17%)

He has only played three innings at second base all year, but he played enough of it in the Minors to begin the season already qualified at the position on almost, if not all, fantasy web sites. This is a particularly crucial development because second base is not loaded with prototypically speedy hitters.

If you are not familiar with the DeShieldses (aka if you are currently in college or younger, probably), Delino’s dad, Delino DeShields Sr., stole 463 bases across 13 Major League seasons (1,615 games). In other words, he stole about 42 bases every 600 plate appearances. Needless to say, he was a fast dude.

Junior is also a fast dude. He first caught my eye when he stole 101 bases across two separate Single-A levels in 2012. The pace slowed in subsequent years — 59 in 2013, 54 in 2014 — but I think it’s more a testament to DeShields no longer needing to prove anything on the base paths. At 22 years old, I doubt his youthful legs have forsaken him.

Through 74 games, DeShields has stolen 18 bases, good for a season-long pace of approximately 38. That’s about 10 short of Dee Gordon’s pace. Actually, a more favorable comp may be Jose Altuve, who hits for more power but steals no more often than DeShields.

But DeShields can rip one when he wants to; he hit 11 home runs last year in 507 Double-A plate appearances. He has already hit 14 doubles and seven triples, propelling him to a .114 isolated power (ISO) that actually nudges Altuve (and, alarmingly, Jedd Gyorko), even if only by the slightest margin.

DeShields also distinguishes himself from his aforementioned colleagues because of his walk rate (BB%), which stands at a very healthy 12.2 percent. For the mathematically disinclined, that’s more than two times larger than Altuve’s and four times larger than Gordon’s. His 18.6-percent chase rate (O-Swing%) ranks the best of all — yes, the absolute best of all — hitters who have recorded at least 250 plate appearances. Better than Sir Joey Votto.

More than two-thirds of DeShields’ plate appearances have come from the leadoff spot, where his speed and on-base skills have helped him accrue a whopping 49 runs in less than half a season. To reframe his achievements, his extrapolated numbers — 38 stolen bases, 102 runs — would certainly fetch a non-negligible price on draft day.

Moreover, with a fairly low 7.7-percent swinging strike rate (SwStr%) and 78.7-percent contact rate (Contact%), it’s reasonable to hope that DeShields’ 22.7-percent strikeout rate (K%) will improve by season’s end. He hits enough ground balls and drops his fair share of bunts to allow his speed to play up. He should always hit for a high batting average on balls in play (BABIP); limiting the K’s will only make him more appetizing.

Lastly, there’s no reason to think DeShields won’t play out the rest of the season at the top of the Rangers’ order. Leonys Martin is DeShields’ immediate threat in center field. Although Martin has proven his value in years’ past, he has struggled mightily this year and it seems as though the Rangers will allow him as much time as he needs in the minors to right his ship.

I hesitate to call DeShields a one-trick pony because his walk rate is actually a very valuable asset. He obviously doesn’t steal as often as Billy Hamilton, but at least he walks and hits the ball on the ground — things Hamilton fails to do that undermine his value. I’m sure his owners can testify to the difficulty of stomaching his Mendozian .221 batting average.

The only catch to my excitement is DeShields will most certainly not qualify at second base next year. That renders him a lot less valuable for keeper and dynasty considerations. Still, DeShields’ steals will probably rank among the league’s top 10 if he is bestowed a starting role next year.

Furthermore, Billy Burns is also an outfielder (oh!) who 1) steals no more often than, 2) walks less than half as often as, and 3) actually has fewer runs and RBI (as a ratio of playing time) than DeShields. Yet Burns is owned in 47 percent of Yahoo! leagues and I’m sure he’s on a lot of radars for draft day 2016. Food for thought.

I’d rather own DeShields than: Yangervis Solarte (19%), Asdrubal Cabrera (29%), Brock Holt (29%), Chase Utley (33%), Martin Prado (33%), Josh Hamilton (35%), Alex Rios (40%), Daniel Murphy (63%), Jorge Soler (74%), Ryan Zimmerman (75%) … in re-draft leagues.