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2015 Fantasy Baseball Super Sleeper: SS Alcides Escobar

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By @adammcgill83twitter.com

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The shortstop position isn’t exactly filled with superstars these days, which makes reaching for one in fantasy baseball drafts rather unwise. It is better to wait until the middle rounds to address the position, because there are plenty of mid-level sleepers. One of these underrated shortstops to target in deeper leagues is Kansas City Royals SS Alcides Escobar.

The veteran has played in at least 155 games in four straight seasons, including every single game in 2014. The stopgap finished the regular season with a respectable .285 batting average and a .317 On Base Percentage.

In the postseason, though, he fueled the team’s World Series run. In 15 postseason games, Escobar posted a .292 batting average. He hit five doubles, one home run and scored eight runs. He hit primarily atop the lineup and was a constant nescience on the base path.

The veteran will never be a home run threat. He hit only three homers last year and has a meager 21 dingers through 825 career contests. However, Escobar can sit around a .280 batting average and will be a reliable option in deeper roto-formats.

His true value comes from his prowess on the bases. Escobar stole 31 bags last season and has now registered over 20 steals in four consecutive seasons. He also scored a career-high 74 runs last season. He is basically a cheap-man’s Jose Reyes.

Escobar won’t be a reliable starter in leagues with fewer than 10 owners and he may not be drafted in leagues with under eight owners. In 14-man leagues, though, the veteran speedster can be a low-end starter throughout the 2015 fantasy season.

 

Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.

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