Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
When the 2014 season started, the third base position for the New York Yankees was in question. The team turned to rookie Yangervis Solarte as the starter and would not regret it. Now the starting third baseman for the San Diego Padres, Solarte is worth adding to your team.
Solarte began his rookie season very nicely. In his first 49 games, he hit six home runs with 26 RBI and a .299 average. With all the injuries the Yankees were facing at the beginning of the season, Solarte was one of the few bright spots on this aging lineup.
However, he quickly cooled off and lost a little bit of that shine. From June until he was traded, Solarte hit zero home runs with five RBI and a .154 average.
Luckily for Solarte, the Yankees traded the youngster to the Padres. As a result, he became the everyday third baseman. In his first 11 games with the Padres, Solarte has a .318/.396/.500 slash line with two home runs, 10 runs scores and nine RBI. The constant playing time will only help Solarte develop as a hitter and will get better over time.
Fantasy owners are liking the move of Solarte to San Diego. He is currently owned in 59.6 percent of ESPN.com leagues. There has been an increase of 39.5 percent. He would fit in nicely as a corner infielder or utility player in a standard league.
The Padres lineup isn’t as strong as some of the other lineups in the league, but Solarte is a young player that San Diego will rely on for years to come.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.
