Derek Dietrich & Eury Perez: Deep League Wire

I haven’t forgotten about you National League only owners! Because I play in the American League Tout Wars, it’s far easier for me to come up with deep league names in that league. But it’s time to give you NLers some love.

Derek Dietrich | 2B MIA | CBS 6% Owned

Martin Prado’s shoulder injury opened up the door for Dietrich to take over at third base for the Fish. It surprised me to see that he is still just 25 years old, as my perception was that he was an older non-prospect who’s future will always be a revolving door, heading up and down from the minors. Since he’s not the age I assumed he was, it means he actually might have some upside in his bat. Dietrich’s calling card is his power. It was on display on Sunday when he launched two homers. He owns a career minor league ISO of .213 and the rest of season ZiPS projection would put him on a pace of around 18 homers over a full season.

Though his Spd score and triples totals does suggest some speed, that hasn’t actually translated into much in the way of stolen bases. He has swiped just 13 bases over his minor league career and just two in the Majors. Given his career .227 batting average, you might assume that he strikes out too much. While he does strike out at a slightly above average clip, his poor batting average is primarily driven by a suppressed .261 BABIP. His minor league BABIP of .327 suggests some upside, as does a batted ball profile that hints at league average rates at the very least. Perhaps he’s been a bit too pull happy, which is a surefire way to post a low BABIP.

Since deep league pickups are typically short term adds, this is a perfect opportunity to remind you that you want counting stats. Speed, power or both. Over just a couple of weeks, a hitter’s batting average could bounce all over the place. So don’t concern yourself with the potential for a .220 average. Just consider his power at a middle infield slot with eligibility soon to be gained at third.

Eury Perez | OF ATL | 1% Owned

During spring training, Perez was actually in the running for a starting outfield job. It just goes to show what the state of the Braves roster was like at the time. But now with Cameron Maybin in tow, there are fewer openings. But fewer doesn’t mean none. Injuries and poor play have opened up left field and Perez was recalled last Thursday to presumably show us what he’s got. Since his promotion, he has started every game out there. The 25-year-old has all off 37 plate appearances spread out across four seasons, including this one. With little power and a career minor league walk rate of just 4.7%, it’s understandable that he hasn’t received many opportunities.

But there are some positives, of course, especially for prospective fantasy owners. He has posted a career BABIP of .350 in the minors, which means there’s a good chance he’s capable of posting an inflated mark in the Majors, though unlikely to that degree. Where Perez really makes his money is with his speed. Remember what I said above about hunting for those counting stats? Perez is your man. He has stolen 253 bases in the minors, including as many as 64 back in 2010. And he has already stolen 28 bases at Triple-A before his promotion to the Braves.

With a respectable BABIP and contact rate, ZiPS is projecting a perfectly acceptable .272 batting average. Since he could be more than just a short-term acquisition, batting average is a little more of a concern. Since he won’t kill you there, he could earn some real value with his stolen base prowess.