Nelson Velazquez

Velazquez smacked 14 home runs in just 40 games with the Royals in 2023 and began the 2024 campaign as their Opening Day designated hitter. He never really got going last season, though, save from a 13-game stretch toward the end of May when he clubbed six long balls. Velazquez was sent down to Triple-A Omaha less than a month after that stretch and remained there for the rest of the season. Strikeouts have always been a problem for the 26-year-old, but Velazquez made up for it in 2023 with oodles of hard contact. That wasn't the case in 2024, however, as he saw his hard-hit rate drop from 49.1 percent to 38.1 percent and barrel rate dip from a ridiculous 21.4 percent all the way down to 8.8 percent. Kansas City's outfield and DH rotation isn't a difficult one to crack, so Velazquez can't be totally dismissed as a deep-league power option. That said, Velazquez's strikeouts and poor defense leave him with a slim margin for error. Read Past Outlooks