Ramon Laureano

Laureano appeared poised for a breakout after he posted a .288/.340/.521 slash line during his first full MLB season in 2019, but he struggled over the past few years and was DFA'd by Oakland in early August. He was quickly claimed by Cleveland and had a .724 OPS for his new team, which was a significant improvement on the .644 OPS he had for Oakland last season. In total he played in 105 games and had nine homers, 12 steals, 35 RBI and 46 runs while striking out at a 28.2 percent clip. Laureano's decent power and speed profile make him a potential 15-15 candidate, but he averaged 388 plate appearances over the past three seasons and is hardly guaranteed to eclipse that in 2024 given his inconsistent performance and durability concerns.

Laureano got a late start to the season as he finished up his PED suspension from 2021 and then had an early exit to the season when an upper leg injury shut him down mid-September. Laureano ended up receiving a PRP injection in his right hip in early October and has committed to doing more phystical training this winter to be more durable. That's a good thing considering he has yet to hit 500 plate appearances in his big league career over the course of any one full season and is likely going to be asked to hit high in a rather anemic Oakland lineup as things look now. You should pretend 2019 neer happened from a power perspective because that baseball does not exist any longer, but a 15/15 season is certainly well within reach for him given he nearly did that last year in limited play and a poor on base percentage. 20/20 is on the extreme fringes of possible outcomes, but it too could happen if everything breaks right for someone who has had little go right for him the pas three seasons. The risks that would come with this skills profile are outweighed by the fact his cheap team has him committed to a contract and has few options to replace him so the playing time is his as long as he is healthy.

Laureano's 2021 season abruptly ended when he was handed an 80-game suspension in early August after testing positive for Nandrolone. Prior to the ban, the outfielder was enjoying a bounceback campaign from a disappointing 60-game showing in 2020. He launched 14 homers, stole 12 bags and slashed .246/.317/.413 while posting a 40.2 HardHit%. His production going forward could be further bolstered by improving his plate discipline, as he's struck out over a quarter of the time and walked at just a 7.5% clip throughout his career. Once he's eligible to return from his suspension in late April, the 27-year-old figures to reclaim his everyday center fielder role and hit somewhere toward the top or middle of the order. While fantasy owners will have to forgive Laureano for letting them down last season, he is still a dynamic talent entering the prime of his career; His best offensive season could very well still be in front of him.

Laureano had an OPS north of .900 through the first two weeks of the 2020 season, but he got in his own way when he decided to charge Astros pitching coach Alex Cintron after a shouting match Aug. 9. That led to a four-game suspension and Laureano slashed just .186/.302/.314 with three homers and one steal in his final 35 regular-season games after serving the ban. Laureano did have a two-homer game in the A's postseason finale, but it was too little, too late for a player who set the bar high for himself with a .288/.340/.521 line across 481 PA in 2019. He was hit by 12 pitches in his 54 games, second most in baseball, and his average exit velocity took a tumble, falling by two miles per hour to 87.7 mph. He played Gold Glove-caliber defense, and with the state of stolen bases in rotisserie ball being what it is, managers should be happy to forgive and forget and get back in at a discount in 2021.

Laureano began the 2019 season in a starting role in center field, but a leg injury kept him out for the entire month of July and limited his playing time down the stretch. He showed improved power at the dish, finishing the year with a .288/.340/.521 slash line, 24 long balls, 67 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 123 games. His 25.6 K% and 5.9 BB% are mildly concerning -- the latter being down from 9.1% in 2018 -- though he made the most of his contact, with his xBA and xSLG ranking in the 70th percentile or above. Keep in mind too that it was his first full season in the major leagues. The 25-year-old runs extremely well and has an elite throwing arm in the outfield. Laureano is on track to begin spring training at full strength and will once again slot in as an everyday player in 2020. He has the tools to make up for shaky plate discipline and could become a big difference maker in rotisserie baseball.

Laureano burst onto the scene in August, turning heads with his bat and cannon of an arm. The 24-year-old quickly turned into Oakland's everyday center fielder and finished the season with a 129 wRC+ -- a mark that would have tied for fourth with Tommy Pham among qualified MLB center fielders. Granted, he had a 28.4% strikeout rate and .388 BABIP, which suggest he was playing a little over his head. Even when factoring in regression, Laureano still looks the part of an everyday player, especially given his defensive value. He hits the ball to all fields and did not show significant lefty/righty splits at Triple-A or in the majors, so he should hit at least .250 with double-digit home runs. A plus runner, Laureano was caught just three times on 21 stolen-base attempts last season, so he should push for 15-to-20 steals if he stays relatively healthy. Given his strong debut, he won't be available in the end game, but is a reasonable OF4 in 15-team leagues.

One of the top pop-up prospects of 2016, Laureano capped his breakout campaign by wowing scouts with consistent loud contact in the Arizona Fall League. This brief yet impressive showing helped alleviate concerns about batting averages over .400 on balls in play at stops at High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. Laureano's combined .319/.428/.528 slash line will not be sustainable as he moves to more neutral hitting environments and his BABIP normalizes. The general consensus, however, says he has at least an average hit tool, which, coupled with plus speed and a good eye at the plate, might be enough for him to make it as an everyday player. He stole 43 bases at a 75.4 percent success rate last year, but his speed projects more comfortably in the 20-steal range over a full season against big league batteries. That speed could be complemented by average raw power. He also walked 70 times in 116 games last year and might profile atop a mediocre lineup.