Manuel Margot (OF, TB) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

April 23, 2021

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Manuel Margot is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add heading into Week 5 of the MLB season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 24% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Through the early going this year, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Manuel Margot has been making hard contact like we've never seen from him before. He has a 52.5% hard-hit rate, up from 33.9% last year, and a 7.5% barrel rate, a major increase from last year's 4.1% clip.

Margot is of course best known for his speed. He stole 20 bases in his last year with the San Diego Padres in 2019, then stole 12 bases over 47 games in his first year with the Rays in 2020. However, he's always shown a glimpse of power through his five-plus years in the Majors. He hit 13 home runs over 126 games in 2017, then another 20 home runs over the next two years combined. Yet he'd never made consistent hard contact during those years with the Padres. In 2017, he had a 2.6% barrel rate and a 29.3% hard-hit rate.

So far, through 17 games this year, Margot is slashing .245/.317/.434 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple, 11 RBI and nine runs. He's also stolen two bases. Margot has been primarily hitting in the heart of the Rays' lineup this year, which gives him a lot of RBI opportunities. In addition to his substantial stolen base production, he has a chance to give fantasy managers around 15-or-more home runs with 70-to-80 RBI to boot. Margot is a must-roster player in all head-to-head categories leagues and rotisserie leagues with his stolen base prowess. He should also be rostered in all points leagues of 12 teams or deeper.

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