Drew Waters

Drew Waters

25-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Kansas City Royals AAA
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Known far more for his defense than his offense, Waters probably won't carry much fantasy value this year in standard mixed leagues. Even in AL-only formats, you might have to squint to find the appeal. He stole 16 bases in 98 games last season and also popped eight home runs, but the .228 batting average and .300 on-base percentage left a lot to be desired, especially for a player with above-average speed and excellent defensive range. Waters is a switch-hitter but tends to struggle against lefties and hasn't yet shown enough offensively to be trusted with an everyday major-league gig. A second-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of a high school in Georgia, the now 25-year-old projects to open the 2024 campaign as a glove-first fourth outfielder for the Royals. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#417
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Royals in February of 2024.
Optioned to Omaha
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
July 28, 2024
The Royals optioned Waters to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
The move is to make room on the 26-man roster for MJ Melendez (ankle), who was reinstated off the 10-day injured list. Waters made four appearances for the Royals after being recalled July 18, going 2-for-8 with one RBI, two runs scored and two walks. In Triple-A this season, Waters is slashing .277/.362/.502 with 10 home runs, 44 RBI and 11 stolen bases across 287 plate appearances.
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Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2020
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
4
1
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+15%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
-100%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+20%
OPS vs RHP
2022
 
 
+6%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .631 115 12 2 18 3 .210 .270 .362
Since 2022vs Right .726 349 44 11 33 13 .236 .318 .408
2024vs Left .000 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2024vs Right .600 18 2 0 1 0 .200 .333 .267
2023vs Left .591 86 7 0 10 3 .208 .279 .312
2023vs Right .707 251 33 8 22 13 .236 .307 .400
2022vs Left .769 28 5 2 8 0 .222 .250 .519
2022vs Right .814 80 9 3 10 0 .246 .350 .464
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+55%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
-100%
OPS at Home
2023
 
 
+66%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+31%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .856 233 37 6 30 7 .286 .373 .483
Since 2022Away .551 231 19 7 21 9 .175 .238 .313
2024Home .683 16 2 0 1 0 .231 .375 .308
2024Away .000 3 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2023Home .852 165 28 4 20 7 .290 .370 .483
2023Away .513 172 12 4 12 9 .172 .233 .280
2022Home .918 52 7 2 9 0 .289 .385 .533
2022Away .699 56 7 3 9 0 .196 .268 .431
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Stat Review
How does Drew Waters 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
0.33
 
BB Rate
10.5%
 
K Rate
31.6%
 
BABIP
.300
 
ISO
.063
 
AVG
.188
 
OBP
.316
 
SLG
.250
 
OPS
.566
 
wOBA
.271
 
Exit Velocity
77.9 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
20.0%
 
Barrels/PA
0.0%
 
Expected BA
.099
 
Expected SLG
.138
 
Sprint Speed
25.1 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
50.0%
 
Line Drive %
10.0%
 
Fly Ball %
40.0%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
Atlanta dealt Waters to Kansas City for the 35th-overall pick in the 2022 draft and two low-probability prospects. At the time of the mid-July trade, Waters' stock had slipped so much that many prospectors thought the Royals overpaid. Prior to the trade, the 23-year-old switch hitter had an 83 wRC+ in 49 games at Triple-A after registering a 94 wRC+ in 103 games at that level in 2021. Something clicked after the change of scenery, as Waters hit .295/.399/.541 with seven home runs and 13 steals in 31 games for the Royals' Triple-A affiliate while almost doubling his walk rate (14.0 BB%, up from 7.6%). He got a well-deserved promotion to the majors in late-August and hit .240/.324/.479 with five home runs, an 11.0 BB% and a 36.7 K% in 109 plate appearances while playing all three outfield spots. There is no projection or expected statistic that supports that level of play for Waters heading into 2023, but the Royals' depth chart portends that he will get plenty of work. His combination of power, speed and opportunity makes him a worthwhile consideration in deeper formats.
Still blessed with plus speed, above-average power and exit velocities that suggest he could eventually develop plus power, Waters has exciting fantasy-relevant tools and just turned 22 in December. He finished 2019 with a 36.1 K% over 26 games in his first exposure to Triple-A pitching as a 20-year-old and also had 14 strikeouts in 28 at-bats during big-league spring training in 2020, so it's been a while since he had sustained success in official games. Waters excelled at Double-A in 2019 (144 wRC+) despite playing half his games in a very pitcher-friendly park (Mississippi). The switch hitter reportedly focused on his right-handed swing (.664 OPS vs. LHP in 2019) along with improving his plate discipline while at the alternate training site. Waters projects as a plus defender in an outfield corner and should make his MLB debut this summer whenever a spot opens up.
An athletic switch hitter who laces line drives to all fields and utilizes plus speed on the bases, Waters established himself as a top-10 prospect in his age-20 season. The ballpark at Double-A Mississippi is extremely pitcher-friendly, so while he hit just five home runs, his 35 doubles and nine triples in 108 games tell a more complete story. He was the youngest qualified Southern League hitter yet ranked third on the circuit with a 144 wRC+. It was a mixed bag after his late-season promotion to Triple-A (good: walks, line drives; bad: strikeouts, lack of power) but he was also the youngest hitter in the International League. It was impressive that he made it there at all. The Braves don't need him in Atlanta early on, so his 2020 could mirror Austin Riley's 2019. If he makes the necessary adjustments, he will get the call and has the tools (20-20 upside) to be a difference maker once he is up.
It was known before the 2017 draft and heading into last season that Waters had the potential to be a plus runner with plus raw power, but his ability to hit for a high average was a complete unknown. That aspect of his game is still a bit of an unknown, as he has not yet faced upper-level pitching, but after hitting .293 with a manageable 21.1 K% across stops at Low-A and High-A, he looks much more likely to be a five-category contributor in time. A switch hitter, Waters was much more effective against righties last season (.883 OPS as LHB, .657 OPS as RHB), although those splits flipped in a tiny sample in 2017. He walked just 29 times in 498 PA (5.8 BB%), operating with an aggressive approach early in the count. While he can survive with his current approach, increased selectivity would up his ceiling, especially as he faces more advanced pitching. Waters can handle all three outfield spots, has 20/20 potential and could reach the majors in 2020.
A switch-hitter who should remain so as he moves up the ladder, Waters is a toolshed who is one of the top-15 prep position players from the 2017 draft class. The Braves were able to keep the Georgia product in state with a $1.5 million signing bonus after selecting him with the 41st overall pick. He does damage from both sides of the plate, thanks to plus bat speed that should allow him to eventually tap into 25-plus homer power as he grows into his 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame. Waters is a plus runner, but it remains to be seen how long he holds that speed. After dominating in a brief run in the Gulf Coast League (189 wRC+, .224 ISO), Waters received a promotion to the Appalachian League, where pitchers were able to routinely exploit him with breaking balls (35.5 percent strikeout rate). Improving his pitch recognition will be crucial in order for him to hit for a high enough average to profile as an everyday player.
More Fantasy News
Recalled from Omaha
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
July 18, 2024
The Royals recalled Waters from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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Heads back to minors
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
June 18, 2024
The Royals optioned Waters to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Called up from Triple-A
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
June 11, 2024
Kansas City recalled Waters from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Doesn't make Opening Day roster
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
March 22, 2024
The Royals optioned Waters to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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No lock to make big-league roster
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
March 2, 2024
Waters could be assigned to Triple-A Omaha if he doesn't win a starting job in spring training, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Debut coming?
OFKansas City Royals  AAA
July 28, 2022
With Andrew Benintendi traded, Waters may make his big-league debut sooner rather than later.
ANALYSIS
Waters was recently acquired by the Royals from Atlanta in exchange for the 35th overall pick in the 2022 first-year player draft. The 23-year-old was a consensus top-100 prospect from 2019 to 2021 but fell off those lists before this season after producing a .240/.329/.381 line with 11 homers in 103 games for Triple-A Gwinnett last season. Since being traded, he's been on fire at the plate, posting a .326/.420/.535 line with two homers and seven stolen bases in 50 plate appearances. Kansas City has received little production from Ryan O'Hearn and Kyle Isbel in the corner outfield positions, and Whit Merrifield is likely to be suiting up for another team after the trade deadline. With Waters having over 800 plate appearances at the Triple-A level and the Royals out of contention, it would seem a promotion is likely coming soon.
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