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It’s human nature.
Everyone always wants the next big thing, the newest thing. I mean, look at Apple, who pumps out new iPhones like it’s nothing, and although users already have a perfectly fine one, they stress over grabbing the iPhone 7S squared. And no, that is not a real thing.
Not yet, at least.
Fantasy baseball is very similar. Owners are always looking for the next big thing, the next Mike Trout. Top prospects are everywhere, waiting for their turn to show what they can do at the highest level. And while many are very, very good, Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Gregory Polanco may be the cream of the crop.
He’s the iPhone 7S squared, folks.
When the Houston Astros called up outfielder George Springer, it got me thinking. Instead of rushing to the waiver wire in attempts of acquiring the burgeoning star, what if you were ahead of the pack? Polanco is still in the minors, but that could literally change any day now. Granted, the Pirates outfield is a bit crowded with reigning NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen manning Polanco’s natural position of center field, as well as guys like Starling Marte and Travis Snider playing well. But this is a once in a generation type of prospect, and I figure he’ll be in the majors sooner, rather than later. The guy is absolutely dominating in Triple-A, posting a slash line of .426/.471/.681 with six extra-base hits, two homers and a steal in his first 12 games with Indianapolis. A 6’4″ speedster, Polanco possesses five-tool ability, and while he isn’t known for his power all too much, he has potential, especially when you consider he has tremendous reach and bat speed. And despite being 6-foot, four inches, Polanco has above average speed that makes him a legitimate 20/30 threat in the majors, which is not only potentially fantasy relevant, but fantasy elite.
A guy with this upside on the basepaths better get on base a lot, and fortunately, Polanco is an incredibly smart and patient hitter. He doesn’t chase pitches outside of the strike zone, and while he only walked about 12 percent of the time last year, he didn’t strike out very much, either. He is currently owned in just 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but once word floats around that the Pirates are flirting with calling him up, he will become the most owned player in fantasy.
If you have the roster room, stash him now and reap the benefits when he joins the big leagues.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
