Fantasy Profile: Steve Souza, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.

Fantasy Profile: Steve Souza, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

LWOS Ranking 47, Captain’s Value: $9.83

As this is being written, Souza has been cleared to play from a MRI following a forearm injury, but we will assume he is going to be healthy for the start of the season. Injury potential aside, many fantasy owners are knocking Souza because he was an older prospect while posting gaudy lines at AA & AAA, but I do not buy into that. Baseball is not a game where being two years older than someone in their 20’s, is an automatic road to greatness; if it was, there would be dozens of late bloomers hitting .350 with 18 HR & 26 SB in 96 games in AAA.

Souza has put up two absolutely amazing seasons over the past two years in the minors and had been a counting stat machine prior to that in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, it just took him a few years to learn how to hit consistently and provide the complete package. There is concern that his K% will hamper his Batting Average a bitAVG, but I feel Souza can provide an AVG .270-.275 range, which combined with his seemingly bankable 20/20 skills makes him a steal in drafts this year.

Currently being selected after pick 200 in drafts (ADP 207.1), there is virtually no downside to taking the plunge on Souza in Round 12-13 of 15-team formats – at that point if he struggles, you can find a suitable replacement which will not destroy your team framework. On the other hand, should he continue to rake as he has done in the minors, then a .275-75-20-85-25 is within reach, but even a fraction of those numbers would be incredibly valuable at his draft point.

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