Jorge Soler

Soler's career has jumped around between good (48 homers in 2019) and downright bad (.503 OPS in 2018). His season started on the down side when he hit .186/.279/.320 over the first half. He began to turn it around in July when he hit seven homers and was traded to Atlanta, where he would go on to hoist the World Series MVP. The improvements came down to better plate discipline and more power. He lowered his strikeout rate from 28.0% in the first half to 18.8% in the second half. At the same time he raised his walk rate from 9.9% to 12.5%. His ISO jumped from .134 to .291 with his pull percentage dropping from 54.3% to 48.5%. The big question becomes, can he maintain the improvements in Miami? Possibly, since his 2021 nearly matches his 2019 production, though he will almost certainly come with that ever-present recency bias tax in fantasy leagues.

An oblique injury derailed Soler's 2020 season and cost him most of September. He left the Royals' Sept. 2 game with oblique discomfort; heading into that day's game, Soler was hitting .250/.349/.484 with eight home runs. He tried to play through it initially and tried to come back at the end of the month after a stint on the IL, but it was an ill-fated return as he ended up back on the injured list for the final weekend of the season. All in all, he went 2-for-19 with eight strikeouts after the injury cropped up to skew his overall numbers. He was striking out more before the injury surfaced -- 33.8 K% through Sept. 1 -- but he continued to walk and it is not enough of a jump to be concerned, especially given the sample size. Soler established himself as an elite power hitter in 2019 and health is the only obstacle. Check to see if he's outfield-eligible in your league (eight OF appearances in 2020).

Soler was limited to 96 games over his first two seasons with the Royals due to injury and ineffectiveness, but responded in 2019 by playing all 162 games and crushing 48 homers to lead the American League. He primarily served as the Royals' designated hitter (107 games) and finished with .265/.364/.569 slash line and 117 RBI, powered by a hard-hit rate in the 97th percentile and a 28.1% HR/FB rate. Soler's 26.2 K% could still use some improvement, but if he can stay at that mark rather than above 30% where he was earlier in his career, he should remain a big-time fantasy contributor. Soler's subpar defensive abilities will likely keep him working primarily as a DH for Kansas City in his age-28 season. With his immense power (.304 ISO) and improving plate skills, there is a lot to like, and you should not have to pay anything close to full price for the elite-level production of 2019.

Things appeared to be looking up for Soler before he suffered a toe fracture in mid-June, an injury which wound up costing him the rest of his season. He finished with a .265/.354/.466 line and his best wRC+ (123) since he notched a 148 mark in a tiny sample in 2014. Soler cut his strikeout rate from 32.7% to 26.8% while raising his ISO from .113 to .202 and keeping a high 10.9% walk rate. He at least rekindled the hope that he can be a productive MLB hitter, although defensively he may be best suited for DH. His career .249/.326/.424 slash line hardly turns heads, but it should be enough to earn consistent starts on a rebuilding Royals team. Despite a tough home park, he has enough raw power to eclipse 20 home runs in his age-27 season, and assuming he gets steady at-bats, there should be enough counting stats to justify a late-round pick in 15-team leagues.

Welcome to the latest lesson in Post-Hype Prospects 101. Soler now has 875 plate appearances at the big-league level and has an uninspiring .244/.318/.412 line to show for it. He has nearly 500 plate appearances in Triple-A where he has hit .266/.379/.558 while playing in the eastern division of the Pacific Coast League, including a .267/.388/.564 line last year in Peyton Manning's favorite city of Omaha. Oddly enough, he had 33 extra-base hits last year, of which 24 were home runs. He has power, and he also has youth as he turns 26 this winter. Soler is out of options this year so the Royals need him to make the club just one year after flipping Wade Davis to the Cubs to acquire him. Soler can at least DH for the club if not occupy left field. A buck spent in the endgame could become a double-digit profit if he plays to his potential in 2018.

Soler often found himself the odd man out in a crowded Cubs outfield, registering just 227 at-bats, down from 366 in 2015. He started to flash some more of the power that scouts fell in love with, raising his isolated power from .137 to .198 while improving his strikeout and walk rates. Injuries have plagued Soler the past couple seasons, as he followed up a pair of DL stints in 2015 with a two-month trip to the DL midseason and a multi-week September absence due to a side injury. However, Soler is still just 24 years old and has enormous power, and after being traded to the Royals for reliever Wade Davis, Soler now has a much clearer path to at-bats at the highest level.

Soler didn't quite bring the power in his first full season in Chicago - with just 10 home runs in 366 at-bats, his slugging percentage was a disappointing .399 - but part of that can be attributed to two stints on the DL. He hit three home runs in his first five games back in September after missing nearly a month with an oblique injury, so it looked like his power was finally returning when he got healthy. Still, there are the usual warning signs associated with an aggressive young hitter, namely a lack of consistent contact and modest walk rates. If he can't get his contact rate up, he may struggle to hit .240. Any talk of a breakout campaign can be put on hold for now, as the Cubs brought in Jason Heyward and re-signed Dexter Fowler, so Soler will be the odd man out more often than not. His upside makes him worth a bench spot in deeper leagues, but in shallower formats he simply won't get enough at-bats to justify a roster spot early on.

Of all the big-time prospects the Cubs called up in 2014, Soler took to the majors the best. He was called up on a Wednesday in August and hit three home runs and drove in seven before the weekend was out. He slowed down a bit down the stretch, but still finished with a .903 OPS in 97 plate appearances with the Cubs. His 6:24 BB:K ratio and .350 BABIP suggest he was a little lucky, but he'll be just 23 on Opening Day and has a lot of room to grow. He looks like a solid bet to be the starter in right for the Cubs in 2015 and beyond.

Soler missed the last three months of the season with a stress fracture in his leg, but he still remains one of the top prospects in a good system. Don't be fooled by his poor numbers in the AFL after the long layoff, as he was well on his way to a strong season with High-A Daytona before the injury. Still, he has just 344 at-bats in the minors, and none of them were at upper levels, so expect the 21-year-old outfielder to get a bit more seasoning this year. When he makes the majors, he could be a perennial 20-20 threat.

Signed to a nine-year, $30 million deal, the toolsy Cuban defector tore up Low-A in 80 at-bats with a .338/.398/.513 line with three homers, six walks and only six strikeouts. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, the 21-year-old has the frame to generate big power as he fills out, but he's still raw and likely at least another year away from making his major league debut. As a result, the Cubs held him out of the Arizona Fall League to work with the team's instructors at their complex in Mesa, a sign that 2013 will probably see him at High-A and Double-A.

Soler is a Cuban defector who some scouts say has five-tool potential. At age 19 with a 6-foot-3, 205-pound body, he's seen having significant power potential and speed. However, not much is known about him outside of him playing in some international compeitions and he'll likley be several seasons away from the majors wherever he signs.