Andres Gimenez

After Gimenez's showing in 2022, it seems safe to say the Guardians indeed found their long-term shortstop in the Francisco Lindor trade. Gimenez was 40% better than league average by wRC+ in 2022, racking up 17 homers and 20 steals on 23 attempts. Factoring in his exceptional defense, Gimenez ranked as a top-15 position player in all of baseball by fWAR. There are reasons to think he was playing over his head offensively last season, including a .353 BABIP, .257 xBA and 14.0% HR/FB. Expect some regression with the rate stats, but Gimenez should still be highly sought after in drafts thanks to his well-rounded skill set and everyday role. With his steals in particular, someone may jump the 24-year-old above ADP on draft day.

In leagues where speed is a premium commodity on draft day, Gimenez was rocketing up boards last March after a decent spring training that led to many expecting regular at-bats. He played pretty regularly in April, but after logging a .636 OPS in the first month, his playing time became more sporadic. By mid-May, he was demoted to Triple-A, where he stayed until early-August. He logged a .702 OPS over those final 39 games. Gimenez is a good defensive infielder and went 11-for-11 on stolen-base attempts while riding a .282 OBP across 68 games, so his speed ceiling is still very high if he were to get steady playing time while getting on base at the .320 clip he posted after rejoining the big club. Cleveland has several prized middle-infield prospects who should debut in 2023 and beyond, so this will likely be Gimenez's last chance to show he is more than a utility infielder. He makes for an affordable speed flier if you missed out on an earlier target.

A January trade saw Gimenez sent to Cleveland as arguably the headliner in the return for Francisco Lindor, although that statement may oversell Gimenez's true talent level. The move comes after a .263/.333/.398 showing for Gimenez as a rookie in 2020, with his biggest contribution in fantasy coming on the basepaths where he stole eight bases in nine attempts. Gimenez has not hit double-digit home runs in a pro season, but even so he's been at least league average by wRC+ at every stop thanks in large part to his bat-to-ball skills. His 21.2 K% from last season may not seem great, but he was 21/22 making the jump from Double-A. Gimenez should be expected to settle in to a mid-teens strikeout rate, with plus speed to complement the hit tool and defense up the middle. That's a nice player, and the playing time should be there, but adding Gimenez increases the burden for power from your other roster spots.

Gimenez's dynasty-league stock peaked at High-A in 2018 (124 wRC+, 24 steals in 85 games), but his offensive limitations have started to become glaringly apparent in the upper levels. He has a .257/.317/.380 slash line with nine home runs, a 124:33 K:BB and a 66.7% success rate on stolen-base attempts in 154 games at Double-A. It seems unlikely that he will ever walk much, and he doesn't have the high-end speed or instincts to realistically profile as more than a 15-to-20 steal guy in the majors. He hit .371/.413/.586 with two home runs and two steals in 18 games in a repeat trip to the Arizona Fall League. However, the large sample of middling performance at Double-A is a better gauge of his long-term upside. He is just 21 years old, but Gimenez's offensive skill set is starting to look similar to that of Orlando Arcia, and unlike Arcia, Gimenez's glove profiles best at second base.

Gimenez stole 38 bases and hit .281 across stops at High-A and Double-A, all before turning 20 in early September. His perceived speed and ascension to the upper levels at such a young age resulted in his dynasty-league stock soaring. Baseball America ranked Gimenez the No. 2 prospect in the 2015 July 2 international class, behind Vlad Guerrero Jr., so what amounted to a breakout campaign in 2018 was confirmation of what many had always expected to see from him. He uses the whole field and makes contact at a solid clip (18.3 K%), so he should be able to maintain fairly high batting averages as he moves up the ladder. However, his slight 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame does not lend itself to much power, he lacks patience (6.2 BB%) and while his stolen-base totals suggest he is a burner, he is actually only a 55-grade runner. He should stick up the middle, likely moving to second base in the big leagues, but is slightly overrated in dynasty leagues.

The third youngest hitter in the Sally League last year, Gimenez was not overmatched at the plate (107 wRC+) while showing plus speed and the defensive chops to stick at shortstop. He finally struck out more than he walked -- something he hadn’t done in rookie ball -- but his 15.3 percent strikeout rate was the 11th best rate in the league, so making contact remains a very strong skill. The overall package projects to be very similar to J.P. Crawford, as Gimenez will always be ranked higher on real life lists than fantasy lists, because so much of his value is tied to his defense and shortstop. He won’t offer much power and may not offer 20-steal speed by the time he reaches the majors. Still, a player who will remain on top-100 lists for the next several years while hitting for a high average and qualifying at shortstop has value in almost all dynasty leagues.

Gimenez is unlikely to ever be a top-five fantasy shortstop, but he is a good bet to someday be ranked as a top-10 real life prospect. Plus hitters with outstanding defense at shortstop typically tend to rate well in the prospect industry. Dansby Swanson and J.P. Crawford headline this year's batch -- surefire shortstops with plus hitting ability and unspectacular power/speed combinations. That could very well be Gimenez in three or four years. It is typically wise to gamble on tools when investing in rookie level hitters in deep dynasty leagues, but Gimenez is the rare prospect whose polish at a young age makes him exciting. That is not to say he will be a non-contributor in the power/speed departments. Like Swanson and Crawford, he has the potential to notch double-digit homers and steals in his peak seasons, likely falling short of 20. He could get a taste of the New York-Penn League before the end of his age-18 season, so this offseason may represent the last chance to acquire him without a top-100 prospect price tag attached.