The Rays, who have some of the strongest organizational depth in baseball, decided to trade some blocking position players for impact relievers, which resulted in the trade of Solak to Texas in July for hard-throwing righty Peter Fairbanks.
He doesn’t have a standout tool, but he’s a solid hitter with above-average power, speed, and plate skills.
After the deal, Solak went on a run (145 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League) and was promoted to the big leagues in August.
Last winter, Solak generated some hype as a positionless guy with a decent bat. At every point along the way, including his 33-game MLB debut in 2019, he was an above-average hitter.
Those who believed the hype were let down, as he only hit two home runs while slashing .268/.326/.344. With a decent seven steals, he salvaged some fantasy worth, but he gave very little reason to be enthusiastic about him moving ahead.
Although there are limitations of small samples, Solak’s.264 xBA indicates that his troubles were not attributable to bad luck.
If Solak returns to form, there’s still some sleeper value here, but given his awful defense, he’ll have to rebound quite a bit to be worth regular at-bats.
He may not be able to meet the offensive requirements to be a DH, but the rebuilding Rangers may give him another chance to work over his defensive issues this season.
He was unfazed by MLB pitching, registering a 126 wRC+, 11.1 BB%, and 21.5 K%.
While he is not a strong defender, he can move around he has played second and third base and can play left as well he will enter the year as a UTIL-only player in most fantasy leagues because he started more games at DH (17) than any other position.
He should be given at least third base eligibility this season and an opportunity to play every day right away.