Leody Taveras

Leody Taveras

24-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Texas Rangers
Out
Injury Oblique
Est. Return 4/14/2023
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Taveras is in a tenuous situation in that his speed and defense are good skills, but the Rangers have plenty of players with that profile these days with both Eli White and Bubba Thompson possessing those same skills and at the same position as Taveras. Leody has the leg up, in a way, as he is out of options while the other two are not which all but guarantees Taveras breaks camp with a job whether it be with Texas or another club. His speed is elite, yet his stolen base track record is anything but as he was caught five times in 16 tries last season. The Triple-A numbers continue to offer some promise, but it would be nice if that success came east with him from Surprise, Arizona after spring training since he cannot go back to Round Rock without being exposed to waivers. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#446
ADP
$Signed a $2.1 million contract with the Rangers in July of 2015.
Could be out a couple weeks
OFTexas Rangers
Oblique
March 8, 2023
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Taveras (oblique) "is gonna take a little while, maybe a couple of weeks," Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Taveras had already basically been ruled out for Opening Day, so the rough timetable Bochy provided doesn't come as a surprise. The outfielder's left oblique strain is considered relatively minor, so the hope is that his absence isn't an extended one. Bubba Thompson is looking like the favorite to patrol center field for Texas while Taveras is on the shelf.
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Batting Stats
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2022
2021
2020
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
5
30
5
9
11
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
1
13
1
7
2
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+3%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+7%
OPS vs RHP
2021
 
 
+8%
OPS vs LHP
2020
 
 
+26%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020vs Left .639 201 24 3 14 5 .243 .299 .341
Since 2020vs Right .618 459 49 9 35 24 .218 .272 .346
2022vs Left .643 99 10 1 9 3 .264 .313 .330
2022vs Right .688 242 29 4 25 8 .260 .307 .381
2021vs Left .501 57 7 1 4 1 .182 .211 .291
2021vs Right .465 128 7 2 5 9 .151 .205 .261
2020vs Left .814 45 7 1 1 1 .282 .378 .436
2020vs Right .648 89 13 3 5 7 .200 .273 .375
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+16%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+12%
OPS at Home
2021
 
 
+10%
OPS at Home
2020
 
 
+24%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020Home .669 307 33 6 25 17 .241 .302 .367
Since 2020Away .576 338 37 5 21 10 .210 .261 .315
2022Home .714 174 21 3 18 7 .270 .318 .396
2022Away .635 167 18 2 16 4 .252 .299 .335
2021Home .502 80 4 2 6 7 .164 .228 .274
2021Away .458 105 10 1 3 3 .158 .190 .267
2020Home .772 53 8 1 1 3 .261 .358 .413
2020Away .622 66 9 2 2 3 .190 .277 .345
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Stat Review
How does Leody Taveras compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.24
 
BB Rate
6.2%
 
K Rate
25.8%
 
BABIP
.344
 
ISO
.105
 
AVG
.261
 
OBP
.309
 
SLG
.366
 
OPS
.675
 
wOBA
.299
 
Exit Velocity
89.3 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
30.4%
 
Barrels/PA
2.9%
 
Expected BA
.230
 
Expected SLG
.322
 
Sprint Speed
25.6 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
42.3%
 
Line Drive %
21.6%
 
Fly Ball %
36.0%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
The primary value of Leody Taveras involves stolen bases with seven home runs, 18 stolen bases, and a .188 batting average in 319 plate appearances throughout his MLB career. Taveras went 18 of 19 in stolen bases (94.7%), and the Rangers showed the willingness to run with 106 (No. 4) stolen bases in 135 attempts. With the groundball-heavy profile (46.7%), the switch-hitting outfielder showed a league-average barrel rate of 6.3%. Unfortunately, what Taveras lacks in contact quality isn't made up in plate discipline, given below league average contact rates evidenced by a career 78.4% Z-Contact% and 73.6% Contact%. The Rangers outfield looks crowded with Kole Calhoun, Adolis García, Nick Solak, and Willie Calhoun, although the latter should DH. Taveras could steal bases if playing time opens up but hurt in other categories. That said, Taveras isn't worth drafting outside of deep draft and hold formats.
Taveras was below league average (94 wRC+) at Double-A in 2019 and has no experience at Triple-A, yet he didn't embarrass himself in his MLB debut. His 32.1 K% was understandably over 10 points higher than at any level of the minors, but his .168 ISO was a career high and he walked at a 10.4 percent clip. Perhaps most importantly for fantasy, Taveras' sprint speed was in the 96th percentile and he is one of just 14 hitters projected by Steamer to hit double-digit homers while stealing 20-plus bases in 2021. Nobody should expect him to hit over .250 in his age-22 season, but he should be the Rangers' everyday center fielder as long as he is not completely overwhelmed. As a clear long-term fixture in Texas, Taveras doesn't have the playing time floor that Danny Santana had entering 2020, making him a reasonable target in the middle rounds for fantasy managers who missed out on earlier speed targets.
Taveras didn't light the world on fire in his age-20 season, but he did what he needed to do to remain a relevant prospect after being a below-league-average hitter at every stop above rookie ball from 2016-2018. He logged a 117 wRC+ in a return trip to the Carolina League, and was 21-for-26 on stolen-base attempts after going just 19-for-30 on the bases at High-A in 2018. Success in his return to High-A was expected. His real test came after a midseason promotion to Double-A, where he returned to being a mediocre producer across the board. All told, he logged a 17.5 Hard% between the two stops, which is a very poor mark, and negates the fact that he uses the whole field and lifts the ball at acceptable rates. At this point, a good outcome for Taveras would be an everyday center fielder who hits around .265 and steals 20 bases annually while hitting in the bottom third of a big-league lineup.
Just looking at the slash line, you might think that there were no real positives to take away from Taveras' 2018 season. However, Taveras showed a strong handle on the strike zone for a 19-year-old, posting a 16.6 K% and 8.8 BB% against High-A competition. He had a 21.7% line-drive rate, which was right around league average and a significant improvement on his mark at Low-A. The center fielder's batted-ball distribution was also more favorable, as Taveras trimmed his pull rate slightly, adding more balls to center field. Taveras has 60-grade speed but needs to improve his reads and instincts as a base stealer -- he was caught 11 times in 30 attempts. The speed should keep him in center field for another decade or so, easing pressure on his bat. Taveras may head back to High-A to begin 2019, but should end up spending most of the year at the Double-A level as one of the youngest hitters in the Texas League.
Taveras' season may have provided one of the best offseason buying opportunities on the dynasty landscape. He was a slightly below average hitter (96 wRC+) in the Sally League and showed very little power (.111 ISO). There's nothing about his season that will lead his owner to declare him untouchable. However, an 18-year-old who is a lock to stay in center field, should hold plus speed into his late 20s and posted a 92:47 K:BB in 577 plate appearances against full-season pitching is a player worth cherishing in dynasty leagues. An extremely projectable 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Taveras shows athletic, fluid motions and should grow into double-digit homer power. A realistic floor for Taveras is Ender Inciarte, while a realistic ceiling is the good version of Starling Marte. His value in the marketplace is reminiscent of Amed Rosario after the 2015 season. He won't come dirt cheap, but Taveras could finish 2018 as a top-10 prospect. This might be the last chance to get in at an affordable price.
The Rangers inked Taveras to a $2.1 million bonus as one of the top international free agents in 2015. At the time, he was joining one of the top farm systems in the game. Several mammoth trades and a couple high-profile graduations later, and Taveras sits atop that system entering his age-18 season. A surefire top-100 prospect in his own right, Taveras is deserving of the honor. The cousin of retired outfielder Willy Taveras, Leody is bursting with tools. His hit tool and speed both earn plus grades, and he has the body (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) and bat speed to eventually grow into average or better power. All told, this is a potential up-the-middle star who could get MVP votes someday. He has not yet played in a full-season league and posted a 59 wRC+ in a 29-game run with short-season Spokane, but the fact that he was even playing in the Northwest League as a 17-year-old speaks volumes about how advanced Taveras is. He could finish 2017 as a top-10 prospect in the game.
More Fantasy News
Has low-grade oblique strain
OFTexas Rangers
Oblique
March 6, 2023
Taveras has been diagnosed with a low-grade left oblique strain, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Scratched with left side tightness
OFTexas Rangers
Undisclosed
March 5, 2023
Taveras was scratched from Sunday's Cactus League contest due to left side tightness, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Productive in twin bill
OFTexas Rangers
October 5, 2022
Taveras went 3-for-7 with a two-run home run and a stolen base across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Remains out of lineup
OFTexas Rangers
October 3, 2022
Taveras isn't starting Monday against the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Out of Sunday's lineup
OFTexas Rangers
October 2, 2022
Taveras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
ANALYSIS
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