RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 175
CURRENT ADP: ~195 overall
ANALYSIS: A 16th-round pick by the Houston Astros back in 2014, Ramon Laureano went largely overlooked as a prospect, rarely featuring in lists of notable farmhands. The Astros didn't bother to protect him on the 40-man roster after a disappointing 2017 season in the minors, and he was traded to the Athletics in November of that year. Promoted to the major leagues the morning of August 3, Laureano managed only one hit in five trips to the plate in that evening's game, but he made it count: The hit was a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning. All told, Laureano hit .288/.358/.474 with five home runs and seven stolen bases in just 176 plate appearances.
The usual caveats apply, of course. Laureano still needs to prove he can sustain that pace, or anything close to it, over a full season. There are also some potential red flags here. He hits the ball hard and runs well, which has helped him run high BABIPs regularly throughout his time as a professional. That said, you can't count on a repeat of last season's .388 mark in that category. Combined with a propensity for whiffs (11.6% swinging strike rate, 28.4 K% in MLB last year), it's unlikely that Laureano will be an asset to your team's batting average.
Steamer projects Laureano for 14 HR and 14 SB in 491 plate appearances, albeit with a .252 batting average and unremarkable run production. Give him a full season's worth of plate appearances, and a 20/20 season could well be in the cards. At his current price (195 ADP, 0F50), that kind of plausible upside is a bargain.
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