Adam Engel

Engel had a 18 home runs and a .601 OPS in 329 games over his first three seasons in the league, but he's slashing .270/.335/.488 in the past two years. The major caveat is that success comes from only 75 games due to the shortened 2020 campaign and injury issues last year. He's cut his strikeout rate from 30.0 percent to 21.5 percent, though his walk rate remains low at 6.0 percent. The 30-year-old appeared poised to split playing time in right field with Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets, but the acquisition of AJ Pollock late in spring training gives the White Sox their clear starter. Engel should serve as Chicago's fourth outfielder but could see an uptick in playing time when Pollock inevitably misses some time.

For some, Engel is the walking personification of the thin times throughout the most recent White Sox rebuild. He peaked at 463 PA in 2018 -- the numbers show he had no business playing that much. Now that the team is ready to push for a World Series, Engel is in danger of being phased out. His defense may keep him around on a second-division team.

Engel's opportunities dried up in 2019, as he spent much of the first half in the minors and received just 248 major-league plate appearances after receiving 463 the season prior. His offense actually improved, as his .242/.304/.383 slash line was better than his .235/.279/.336 line in 2018. His 2019 performance was still quite poor, good enough only for an elite defensive center fielder, which Engel doesn't appear to be. The one area where he provided fantasy owners with respectable value in 2018, his 16 stolen bases, evaporated last year, as he swiped just three bags. Engel now has 1,047 major-league plate appearances under his belt as he heads into his age-28 season. With a career .215/.271/.330 slash line and a 30.9% strikeout rate, he shouldn't even be considered a lock for a bench role and isn't likely to be a fantasy asset even if he ends up with unexpected playing time.

Engel more or less lived up to expectations in 2018. He swiped just 16 bags, but in today's low-speed era, that's not nothing, as it tied him for 32nd in the league. He provided very little value elsewhere, hitting just .235/.279/.336 with six homers in 463 plate appearances. Despite his speed, his defense graded out as within a run of average by both UZR and DRS. It's questionable whether he'll have value even in deep leagues moving forward, as he could fall by the wayside as the White Sox start to trend toward competitiveness. A bat as light as Engel's is clearly best suited for a bench role.

If you are looking for cheap speed in deep AL-only leagues, Engel is someone you should target. He is an 80-grade speedster that can fly once he is on the bases. The problem with Engel is that he has struggled to reach base since leaving Double-A ball. He has a .306 OBP at Triple-A in just over 350 plate appearances and had an abysmal .235 OBP in nearly the same amount of major-league plate appearances last year. He stole 65 bases in High-A ball in 2015 and was up to 31 in half a season of Double-A ball as recently as 2016. Triple-A and the majors have exposed him to strikeouts at levels typically associated with sluggers rather than his slash-and-dash skills. If he can change his swing to get shorter to the ball and rely upon his speed, there may be something there. As it were, he is a defensive specialist and a pinch runner who could steal 10-15 bases in limited playing time.

Engel spent all of 2015 at High-A Winston-Salem. He developed a keen sense of the strike zone during his time there, and despite striking out 132 times in 608 plate appearances, he posted on-base percentages above .380 in July and August. He kept the momentum going in the Arizona Fall League, where he won the league MVP award and was among the league leaders in batting average and OPS. His speed and athleticism are his key tools, and he could emerge as more than a fourth outfielder type if he continues to get on base at a strong clip. He should spend most, if not all, of 2016 at Double-A.