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Tyler O'Neill 2019 Outlook: All The Ability But No Opportunity
6 years agoTyler O'Neill’s raw power is simply absurd, and at 5’10 210lbs, he looks like he should be on the gridiron, not fielding fly balls in the outfield. Over his 273 plate appearances in AAA last year, the Canadian had a .693 slugging, an OPS of 1.078 and a ludicrous .382 ISO. To put it in perspective, Mike Trout led the majors in 2018, with an ISO of .316. His elite production rate earned him a call-up to the majors last year to cover for the injured Tommy Pham. Over 130 ABs, he hit nine homers but had a 40.1 K%. That’s a wildly high strikeout rate, but it would be unfair to judge O'Neill’s major league production over such a small sample size, especially considering he was likely pressing at the plate to impress the big-league squad. Affectionately nicknamed “Popeye,” O'Neill has the potential to be one of the most electric players in the league; unfortunately, fans might have to wait beyond this season to see it. The slugger is essentially only draftable in 15-team or larger leagues as he is stuck behind numerous overpaid outfielders, all of whom were fantasy busts last year. However, if the power hitter finds his way to regular major-league ABs, he would be an immediate asset in all power categories, so keep an eye out.
