Jorge Soler's Tricky Potential

Jorge Soler, the 23-year-old Cuban right fielder, will be playing his third season with the Cubs in 2016. Last year, in his first full season, he was only able to play 101 games, having suffered an ankle injury midway through the season. As of now, Soler would have a difficult time cracking the top five in the lineup, likely settling in the sixth spot where he spent most of last year. With the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant potentially hitting in front of him, the RBI chances will be there. If he maintains his health this year, there’s a good chance he becomes a late-round steal. As of now, our guys are split on him, with Nick ranking him 101st overall, Kyle ranking him 120th, and Brad ranking him 146th. This perfectly exemplifies just how tricky Soler may be for fantasy baseball owners. He comes with high risk and the definite potential for high reward. One positive when considering him is that he won’t be playing with much pressure, being the sixth bat. In many situations, his role will be to keep the line moving, as this Cubs lineup features a string of powerful bats. Soler is a flexible hitter, having hit in every position of the lineup last year, which may also benefit him. Just 23 years old, as previously mentioned, Soler enters this season with the chance to set career highs in all categories, the most important one being games started. If he can play over 130 games, you’re looking at a late-round gem.