Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
With all the attention in fantasy baseball dynasty leagues focusing on Tampa Bay Rays OF Wil Myers, St. Louis Cardinals OF Oscar Taveras has been somewhat discounted.
Taveras crushed 23 home runs with 94 RBIs last year in just 124 games. He had a ridiculous .380 batting average and the breakout season really put him on the map as far as star prospects. He has earned the title of the team’s number one offensive prospect and has become an extremely popular fantasy selection in dynasty leagues.
In the minors this year, Taveras is once again off to another sensational start. He may have a rather medocire .263 batting average through the first 15 games, but he has already scored nine runs to go along with six RBIs.
Taveras has also only struck out six times this year, which is always nice to see from an inexperienced outfielder. Most youngsters come into the majors as over-aggressive hitters, but Taveras already has the discipline of a veteran in the batter’s box.
The Dominican product was rumored to have a chance at making the team this spring, but the Cardinals were simply too loaded in the outfield to give him a roster spot. The organization has Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday locked up with monster contracts, while center fielder Jon Jay is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. Basically, Taveras doesn’t have a spot in the outfield just yet.
Taveras remains the ideal fantasy prospect in the outfield. He will always hit for average, but can add a nice mix of steals and home runs as he matures. He is one prospect to stash in dynasty leagues before he becomes a fixture at the All-Star game.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
