Nick Solak (2B/3B, TEX) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Eric Samulski profiles Rangers utility player Nick Solak as a waiver wire pickup and add in Week 1 of the 2020 MLB season.

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ANALYSIS: After being acquired from the Rays mid-season, Solak made a mark in his MLB debut with Texas, hitting .293/.393/.491 with 5 HR, 19 R, 17 RBI, and 2 SB in 33 games. The knock against the 25-year-old coming into the season was a lack of firm position, but with Willie Calhoun dealing with yet another injury, Nick Solak appears locked into the starting left field job for the Rangers at the start of the season. That means he should quickly have 2B/3B/OF eligibility in most leagues, which is incredibly valuable in this short season where you need versatility to get as many at-bats as possible.

Solak's .393 OBP is absurdly high, but his 11.1% BB% is indicative of his patience at the plate, and he's always put up high OBP numbers in the minors. When he does get on base, Solak has sneaky speed. He only stole seven bases last year as he shuffled between organizations and levels, but he has a28.7 ft/sec sprint speed, which is 89th percentile, and he stole 21 bases in 2018, so he can add value on the basepaths. Lastly, Solak registered solid power metrics last year with a 9.2% barrel rate, 88.3 mph exit velocity, and .433 xSLG, which suggests that 15-20 HR power (in a full season) is certainly there.

Basically, Solak is a solid player who can contribute in all categories while also soon being eligible at almost every position on your fantasy lineup. That's useful in almost every league.