Adonis Garcia (3B, ATL) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~365

CURRENT ADP: 397

ANALYSIS: A relatively unknown Cuban defector, Adonis Garcia spent the majority of the past four seasons in the minor leagues. It wasn’t until late July of last year that the Braves called him up and he went on to remain with the club the rest of the way. In 58 games, Garcia hit 10 home runs and drove in 26 RBI, slashing .277/.293/.497. He showed his best stuff against left-handed pitchers, hitting .328 with five home runs and a .638 SLG% against them. His work was enough for manager Fredi Gonzalez to regularly bat him cleanup this spring.

If he goes on to bat cleanup during the season as well, Garcia would greatly benefit from hitting behind Freddie Freeman. While in the minors, he stole bases as well, although he’s yet to do so in the majors. One thing Garcia doesn’t do much of is walk, only doing so five times last season. This ultimately played a role in his .293 OBP. His 10 home runs in 58 games, however, might be an indicator that he could hit 20 in a full season. If he lets loose and steals a couple of bases like he did in the minors last year, he would become even more valuable. At this point, however, he’s not yet of enough value to be drafted, but he could make a jump rather quickly. How often does a cleanup hitter go undrafted? Garcia has some pop, and if his patience grows, his walks and OBP will, too. He’s not one to be drafted this year, but a solid start that has him avoid losing playing time could make him more attractive down the road.