Silva: Mondesi could 'lap the field' in steals
Drew Silva breaks down Kansas City Royals speedster Adalberto Mondesi and how his ability to steal bases at such a high rate make him a top-30 fantasy player.
Video Transcript
DREW SILVA: Adalberto Mondesi is not a perfect player. He has a career on base percentage of .284. And he struck out 70 times in 59 games last season.
But in this modern era of baseball, where speed is maybe a little underappreciated and the stolen base is becoming increasingly rare, the Royals fleet-footed shortstop stands out in a pretty significant way. Mondesi managed to rack up 24 steals during the abbreviated 2020 season. And the second player on that leaderboard, Jonathan Villar at 16 steals, is now in a bench-slash-utility role with the Mets.
Mondesi could legitimately lap the field in the stolen bases category as Major League Baseball looks to return to normalcy in 2021, giving him unique value in justifying his top 30 average draft position. And let's not forget that he was a league winner with his bat down the stretch last year, posting a .356, .408, .667 slash line with 6 home runs and 20 RBIs over 24 games in September. At age 25, and with a prominent everyday role and what could be a quietly dynamic Royals' lineup, there might be even more overall fantasy upside for Mondesi to tap into.
