Fantasy Profile: Jake Lamb, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

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FANTASY PROFILE: JAKE LAMB, 3B, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

LWOS Ranking 36, Captains’ Value: -$4.84

Jake Lamb is currently fighting for a spot on the 25-man roster for the upcoming season. Yasmany Tomas has the advantage at 3B as the Diamondbacks opened up their wallets for him to the tune of $68.5 million over the next six years. Not only are the Diamondbacks going to give Tomas all the time in the world but also, if Tomas does win the starting job at 3B, they would actually prefer Lamb to start this year in AAA, so he can play every day. Even so, reports from Spring Training state that Tomas is struggling with his defense at 3B, so Lamb could very well see time in the majors earlier if Tomas is moved to the OF (most analysts agree Tomas’s profile is best suited for the OF anyway).

And there is some likable stuff about Lamb. The young man does have some pop as his Prospect grade card has his game power at 40/50+ and raw power at 60/60 (using the 20-80 scale). This was evident in his minor league numbers as he raked in both A+ (.558 SLG) and AA (.551 SLG). He only played 5 games in AAA before being called up because of how well he was progressing. His short stint in the Majors showed some promise as well, hitting 4 homers in 133 PA for a 1:33.25 HR/PA ratio. Draw that out to 600 PA and you have roughly 18 HR in a full season.

But the downside is Lamb carries a high K% because he tends to sell short on contact for power. The high K% can be traced back through the minors as well so there is little hope for better plate discipline in the future. His average was great in the minors because of a highly inflated BABIP, but seeing an AVG in the .250 range in the Majors would be reasonable. However, Lamb won’t have a chance unless the Diamondbacks make some room for him. Even with a spot open, Lamb is considered deep league or N.L. only until he can prove otherwise.

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