Top Fantasy Keepers: A Pair of Padres

Whew, the All-Star break is thankfully over.

While the Seattle Mariners are probably wishing there was never a break – or at least not have the Houston Astros on their schedule to turn a 14-game winning streak into a two-game losing streak – I know I’m thrilled to be able to watch baseball every day.

With that said, welcome back for another edition of Top Fantasy Keepers. This week I’m taking a look at two San Diego rookies – C.J. Abrams and Esteury Ruiz. These are two players that are pretty much available for anyone to add to their teams right now.

Abrams is a highly touted prospect, entering the season ranked as the ninth best prospect by Baseball America and MLB and 11th by Baseball Prospectus. Ruiz, meanwhile, wasn’t ranked in the top 100 by BA, MLB or BP.

But when it comes to fantasy players, they are ignoring the rankings. Abrams is currently rostered by only 10% of teams in Yahoo and 3.1% of teams in ESPN. Meanwhile, Ruiz is rostered in 38% of Yahoo leagues and 8.2% of ESPN leagues.

Do fantasy players know more than the “experts?” Let’s discuss.

C.J. Abrams

Abrams was one of the top ranked players entering the 2019 draft after an outstanding high school career at Blessed Trinity Catholic High in Georgia. He was Georgia’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year and was selected sixth overall by the Padres.

The athletic shortstop immediately showed off his skills by winning the Rookie Arizona League MVP. In 23 games, he hit .401 with 23 extra base hits and 14 steals. By the time he was 20, he was playing in Double-A and slashed .296/.363/.420 with two homers, 23 RBI and 13 steals in 42 games before suffering a broken left tibia and sprained left MCL, ending his season early.

A Slow Start

With Fernando Tatis Jr. suffering a fractured left wrist this offseason, the Padres were down their All-Star shortstop. With a possible job in the majors on the line, Abrams turned in a great spring and broke camp with the club.

The rookie, however, soon learned there is a big difference between spring training and the regular season. He struggled in April, slashing .146/.255/.244. While he showed an uptick in improvement in early May, he was sent to Triple-A by the Padres. But Abrams quickly showed he was too talented for that level, slashing .314/.364/.507 with seven home runs, 28 RBI and 10 steals.

Back In The Show

The time in the minors may have been just what the doctor ordered for Abrams. While still not hitting for power yet and not using his speed on the bases, Abrams slashed .250/.270/.306 in June and is currently slashing .300/.313/.433 this month. A switch-hitter, Abrams has also shown he can drive the ball from the left side of the plate.

More importantly, Abrams has cut down on his strikeouts since his return from the minors. In April he had a 20.4% strikeout rate that spiked to 25% in May. Since re-joining the Padres, it dropped to 16.2% in June and is at 15.6% this month. Abrams is also showing off his athleticism by playing games at second base and right field as well, giving the club options of where to play Abrams with Tatis returns to the lineup.

Esteury Ruiz

You have to admire the Padres, they aren’t afraid to turn to rookies. With Abrams already seeing significant playing time, the Padres recalled Ruiz to prop up the outfield. Already 23, it was time to see what Ruiz can do in the majors anyway.

And he is in the majors thanks to some significant changes he made on the minor league level this season.

Too Many Strikeouts, Not Enough Walks

Ruiz signed with the Kansas City Royals back in 2015 before being traded to the Padres in 2017 in the midst of a great season in the Arizona Rookie League where he combined to slash .350/.395/.602 with 20 doubles, 10 triples, four homers and 26 steals in 52 games. But he never duplicated those numbers again until this year at Double-A and then Triple-A.

He bottomed out last season as he slashed .249/.328/.411 for Double-A San Antonio. Holding him back was a strikeout rate of 22.7% in the minors and only an 8.5% walk rate as he chased too many pitches out of the strike zone, leading to strikeouts or weak ground balls.

Making The Adjustment

Returning to Double-A this season, Ruiz worked on limiting his chase rate and the results were fantastic. In 49 games at San Antonio, Ruiz slashed .344/.474/.611. That line can be greatly contributed to a strikeout rate of only 17.2% and a walk rate of 13.8%. The Padres promoted him to Triple-A El Paso and he slashed .315/.457/.478 in 28 games. His strikeout rate remained solid at 17.6% and his walk rate remained great at 14.1%.

Thanks to being on base more, Ruiz was a menace to minor league catchers, stealing 60 bases in 77 games. Entering Saturday he had only one stolen base for the Padres, but if he can get on base, he will certainly use his speed to his advantage.