New Everyday Players — Aug 22, 2023

Today’s edition is a fun one, I promise!

Carter Kieboom | WAS 3B

It might feel like ages ago, but only several years ago, Kieboom was the Nationals’ top ranked prospect and 26th best overall. Injuries and poor performance, including missing all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery has hampered his MLB career. Since debuting in 2019, he has recorded just 414 PAs, and those PAs haven’t gone very well, as he has posted just a .268 wOBA with absolutely no power (.087 ISO).

After spending the year in the minors, but being limited to fewer than 200 PAs thanks to missing time to another injury, Kieboom is getting another shot after posting a .356 wOBA at Triple-A. While he was recalled on Sunday and didn’t make the start, you have to believe he’ll be given every opportunity to play regularly at third base, relegating Ildemaro Vargas and his .277 wOBA to the bench.

Kieboom has always owned solid plate discipline, walking at a double digit clip and striking out at a better than average clip, at least in the minors. His MLB strikeout rate has increased, but he hasn’t really had issues swinging and missing. He has routinely posted single digit SwStk% marks in the minors, so I think he’s capable of a better than average MLB mark. An improved strikeout rate is essential, as he has posted a lowly .259 BABIP in the Majors, despite a decent batted ball distribution.

His HR/FB rate in the Majors has been meh, but his maxEV jumped to 110.4 MPH in the minors this year, so I think he’s capable of at least a low-to-mid teens mark. He’ll need to hit more fly balls though for that increase to matter.

Without any speed, the hope is the power develops and his minor league BABIP marks from before 2020 ultimately materialize. I don’t see a whole lot of upside here, but he gets a boost in OBP leagues and if he does play every day like he should, he’s certainly worth a play in deep leagues.

Noelvi Marte | CIN 3B

Boy oh boy, is there even an argument anymore as to which MLB team is the most exciting? Outside of Joey Votto, no one in their starting lineup is over the age of 28, and it’s filled with top prospects. In the team’s latest prospect update, Marte was ranked as their top prospect and 71st overall, with 60/65 Raw power being his big calling card.

However, that power hasn’t exactly translated to in-game results yet. He managed to post a 17.5% HR/FB rate back at Single-A in 2021, but has never exceeded that mark and posted just a 9.4% mark during his first taste of Triple-A action this year. Similarly, he has just once posted an ISO over .200, and it was just barely at .202, and came during his pro debut back in 2019 at the Rookie level.

Rather than feel like he hasn’t lived up to his potential, I’m actually encouraged. First, he’s just 21 years old, so I assume he has faced much older competition, making the power he has shown more impressive than it seems. Second, he posted a maxEV of 113.8 MPH at Triple-A this year, which is elite. It’s rare to see such a high maxEV paired with a single digit HR/FB rate and .175 ISO. So I think the home run power will come in due time.

I love that he’s already got the plate discipline metrics down at such a young age. He has almost always walked at a double digit clip and he’s posted strikeout rates around 20% and below. That’s quite impressive for his age and with that kind of power upside.

Finally, he steals bases too! He had swiped 18 bases during his time in the minors this year, 23 in 2022 and 24 in 2021. I salivate over those power/speed combos, especially when they aren’t expected to kill your batting average. He’s an obvious pickup in all leagues, even in shallower mixed if you need a position he’ll fill (he might qualify at SS/MI in your league).

Parker Meadows | DET OF

I might be jumping the gun here as Meadows hasn’t even been recalled as I type this. However, word is he’s expected to be recalled and while it’s not clear where he’d play, I would hope that he isn’t being recalled to serve as a bench bat. So let’s assume the team’s seventh best prospect will be found regular playing time, at least on the strong side of a platoon, as he’s left-handed.

Meadows is, of course, the younger brother of Austin Meadows, so it will be cool to see them both in the starting lineup when Austin returns. Parker has enjoyed a solid, albeit unspectacular, year during his first taste of Triple-A this season. He’s shown solid plate discipline with a double digit walk rate, carried over from Double-A last year. While his strikeout rate jumped, suggesting last year’s improvement to a sub-20% mark was a fluke, it was backed by the second lowest SwStk% mark of his career and at a level that’s of no concern.

Despite 50/60 Raw Power, his home run power has just been mediocre, but on the upswing. If you exclude his short time at High-A in 2022 where he posted a 26.7% HR/FB rate, his mark has actually increased at every minor league stop, as has his ISO, which jumped above .200 for the first time this season. He also posted a 110.8 MPH maxEV at Triple-A, so the mid-teen HR/FB rate looks legit. He is also a fly ball hitter, so he takes full advantage of his home run power to pad his total. Unfortunately, his fly ball tendency, combined with his pop-up rate, has led to some unimpressive BABIP marks. That’s similar to his brother!

Aside from his growing power, he’s been a decent basestealer as well. He swiped 19 bases at Triple-A this year after 17 at Double-A last year. He has also only been caught stealing four times over the past two years, so a strong success rate should ensure he continues to run in the Majors.

With a potentially low BABIP and mid-20% strikeout rate, he looks like a potential batting average killer. So, he does gain value in OBP leagues, though that’s not to say his OBP will add positive value. Instead, his OBP won’t hurt you as much as his batting average! That said, he does have enough power and speed potential to be worth a look in deep leagues if he does indeed become a starter against right-handers.