New Everyday Players — Sep 19, 2023

We’re now less than two weeks away until the end of the regular season, so we’re closing in on the last chance to pad your counting stats! Perhaps one of these players could help.

Manuel Margot | TB OF

Margot missed just over a month of the season due to injury, and wasn’t exactly an everyday player when he was healthy. Of course, it’s tough to be a true everyday guy when you’re on the Rays. But with Jose Siri likely done for the season with an injury of his own, it appears that Margot will truly be playing every day, or at least getting fewer days off than before.

The 28-year-old has posted his highest maxEV since 2018, getting it to a mark you would typically expect from a power hitter. But Margot is no power hitter, as all that EV has done nothing for his output. He has posted just a 4% HR/FB rate and .108 ISO this year, both of which sit below his career averages. That’s surprising because you would expect at his age, he would enjoy a power spike one of these years, but it hasn’t happened. He just hasn’t learned to barrel the ball as often as necessary to push that HR/FB rate into double digits.

So the power clearly isn’t coming yet, but at least he does contribute with his speed. He has swiped eight bases so far this year, putting him on about a 16 steal pace over a full season. That’s not great, but enough to make him worthy of a roster spot in a deep league for steals-hungry owners. Also note that his walk rate sits at a career worst, so if he gets on base a bit more over the next week and a half, he’ll have some additional opportunities to swipe a base.

Wilyer Abreu | BOS OF

Abreu was actually recalled in mid/late August, but never appeared here because it didn’t appear he would become a regular. Sure enough, he now looks to be on the strong side of a platoon, starting 10 of the team’s last 11 games against right-handed starters.

He wasn’t exactly a top prospect heading into the season, ranking just 17th on the team. However, the 24-year-old sports 55/55 Raw Power and 55/55 Speed grades, which suggests a potential power/speed mix that we love to see.

At Triple-A this year, his power really took off. His HR/FB rate spiked above 20% for the first time, while his ISO jumped to a professional best .264. That power was backed by a nice 112.7 MPH maxEV. He also fully takes advantage of his power, as he has posted a FB% above 40% at every minor league stop since 2021. All that led to a 40+ homer pace over a full season back at Triple-A.

He has some speed too, though the gap between his power and stolen base prowess widened this year. He stole eight bases this season, compared to 31 last year, so he might be more cautious on the basepaths now that his power is blossoming. Of course, he was only caught once this year and three times last year, so he remains an exceptional basestealer, and vastly improved from 2021 when he succeeded just 10 times in 21 attempts.

Finally, I love his plate discipline, as he has walked at some absurd rates the past two years in Double-A and Triple, while keeping his SwStk% hovering around 11% and actually improving his strikeout rate this year to better than the league average.

Overall, he makes for an ideal pickup in most formats and his value gets a significant boost in OBP leagues. That won’t matter much over just a week and a half sample, but something to keep in mind for keeper league owners.

Ceddanne Rafaela | BOS OF

Rafaela is another part of the Red Sox new look outfield. The 23-year-old top prospect ranked third on the team and 31st overall, and was called up in late August. He played sparingly through the first week and a half of September, but has now started in eight of the team’s last nine games. Our RosterResource page still shows him as a bench bat, but is he really if he has been starting nearly every day for a week and a half now?

With 45/50 Raw Power and 60/60 Speed grades, Rafaela sounds like a speedier version of Abreu. Oh, and he also owns a splendid 70/80 Field grade, which could help keep him in the lineup in the future even if he’s not hitting.

The steals have been there throughout his career, as he had stolen 36 bases between Double-A and Triple-A this season, though not as efficiently as Abreu. This came after 28 steals last year and 23 the year prior.

While his power grades are slightly weaker than Abreu’s and unimpressive overall, he has performed better than I would have expected. He posted a professional best 25.9% HR/FB rate at Triple-A this season after just a 9.8% mark at Double-A earlier in the year. That Triple-A performance came with a .307 ISO. However, he posted just a 106.4 MPH maxEV at Triple-A, which is significantly lower than you would expect to see matched with that HR/FB rate. So I’m a bit more skeptical of his newfound home run power.

I’m also a bit cautious here given his low walk rates paired with high SwStk% marks that haven’t resulted in high strikeout rates. He looks to be that free-swinger type who because he swings so frequently, he rarely walks, but eventually puts the ball in play to avoid a strikeout. That kind of skill set can work, and it has for several solid hitters in the recent past. But, it’s not common and certainly higher risk.

He’s worth a pickup while starting, but I like Abreu’s offensive potential better.