Esmerlyn Valdez barely played when he was first promoted, then ended up getting demoted, but since being recalled a second time, he's batting .320/.407/.753 with 11 home runs. While Valdez has a major flaw (a 38 percent strikeout rate), those 11 homers have been a huge boost to some teams. Today I'm going to look at some power hitters who are getting limited opportunities right now but could help a team in the home run category with some additional playing time.
Most of these players have one of two major flaws. The first is that they struggle to make contact, with many struggling to post a batting average over .200.
The second one, which is often a consequence of the first, is the lack of playing time at the moment. Some of the guys are short-side platoon players or bench bats. Valdez had the same issue until he didn't, so watch the playing time on these sluggers.
To determine a batter's power, I took all batters' power stats since June 1 and gave them a percentile rank compared to the rest of the pool and ranked them by their average value. Here are the top 40 bats with at least 30 plate appearances and roster rate under 50 percent in the NFBC RotoWire Online Championship:
| Name | PA | HR | Barrel% | HardHit% | EV90 | BatSpd | Roster% | Barrel Perc | HardHit Perc | EV90 Perc | BatSpd Perc | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Chaparro | 52 | 4 | 19% | 58% | 106 | 74.8 | 0% | 98% | 99% | 84% | 85% | 92% |
| Sterlin Thompson | 46 | 2 |
Esmerlyn Valdez barely played when he was first promoted, then ended up getting demoted, but since being recalled a second time, he's batting .320/.407/.753 with 11 home runs. While Valdez has a major flaw (a 38 percent strikeout rate), those 11 homers have been a huge boost to some teams. Today I'm going to look at some power hitters who are getting limited opportunities right now but could help a team in the home run category with some additional playing time.
Most of these players have one of two major flaws. The first is that they struggle to make contact, with many struggling to post a batting average over .200.
The second one, which is often a consequence of the first, is the lack of playing time at the moment. Some of the guys are short-side platoon players or bench bats. Valdez had the same issue until he didn't, so watch the playing time on these sluggers.
To determine a batter's power, I took all batters' power stats since June 1 and gave them a percentile rank compared to the rest of the pool and ranked them by their average value. Here are the top 40 bats with at least 30 plate appearances and roster rate under 50 percent in the NFBC RotoWire Online Championship:
| Name | PA | HR | Barrel% | HardHit% | EV90 | BatSpd | Roster% | Barrel Perc | HardHit Perc | EV90 Perc | BatSpd Perc | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Chaparro | 52 | 4 | 19% | 58% | 106 | 74.8 | 0% | 98% | 99% | 84% | 85% | 92% |
| Sterlin Thompson | 46 | 2 | 12% | 50% | 106 | 75.3 | 0% | 80% | 87% | 84% | 90% | 85% |
| Ryan McMahon | 80 | 3 | 12% | 56% | 105 | 75.0 | 0% | 81% | 97% | 69% | 87% | 84% |
| Randal Grichuk | 77 | 5 | 11% | 47% | 107 | 74.1 | 0% | 77% | 82% | 86% | 79% | 81% |
| Taylor Trammell | 75 | 3 | 13% | 38% | 108 | 75.8 | 0% | 88% | 47% | 94% | 93% | 81% |
| Ryan Vilade | 78 | 5 | 9% | 43% | 110 | 76.2 | 0% | 64% | 66% | 97% | 95% | 80% |
| Konnor Griffin | 39 | 1 | 7% | 44% | 110 | 76.0 | 0% | 51% | 71% | 98% | 94% | 79% |
| MJ Melendez | 53 | 1 | 8% | 56% | 106 | 73.9 | 0% | 57% | 97% | 82% | 76% | 78% |
| Patrick Wisdom | 31 | 1 | 27% | 33% | 106 | 76.1 | 0% | 100% | 29% | 79% | 94% | 75% |
| Junior Perez | 35 | 2 | 10% | 50% | 104 | 75.1 | 0% | 70% | 87% | 57% | 88% | 75% |
| Yohendrick Pinango | 72 | 2 | 6% | 50% | 106 | 75.7 | 0% | 42% | 87% | 76% | 92% | 74% |
| Jose Tena | 79 | 2 | 6% | 47% | 108 | 74.1 | 0% | 41% | 82% | 94% | 78% | 74% |
| Hunter Feduccia | 68 | 1 | 14% | 48% | 105 | 71.8 | 19% | 89% | 83% | 70% | 49% | 73% |
| Gabriel Rincones Jr. | 79 | 2 | 9% | 36% | 107 | 76.2 | 0% | 66% | 40% | 85% | 95% | 72% |
| Spencer Jones | 59 | 2 | 3% | 52% | 106 | 78.1 | 0% | 19% | 92% | 75% | 99% | 71% |
| Victor Bericoto | 54 | 4 | 15% | 45% | 103 | 74.1 | 0% | 93% | 74% | 34% | 79% | 70% |
| Starling Marte | 69 | 1 | 13% | 41% | 105 | 72.4 | 5% | 87% | 62% | 64% | 58% | 68% |
| Sean Keys | 37 | 1 | 4% | 61% | 104 | 74.9 | 0% | 27% | 100% | 53% | 86% | 66% |
| Jose Siri | 85 | 4 | 11% | 36% | 106 | 73.3 | 0% | 75% | 39% | 81% | 70% | 66% |
| Colby Thomas | 64 | 3 | 10% | 37% | 104 | 75.3 | 0% | 68% | 42% | 59% | 91% | 65% |
| Joey Bart | 43 | 2 | 11% | 29% | 105 | 75.9 | 0% | 75% | 16% | 73% | 93% | 64% |
| Amed Rosario | 70 | 3 | 9% | 35% | 105 | 74.0 | 0% | 64% | 35% | 73% | 77% | 62% |
| Patrick Bailey | 92 | 2 | 8% | 44% | 104 | 73.3 | 0% | 57% | 69% | 49% | 70% | 61% |
| James Outman | 85 | 3 | 12% | 40% | 103 | 72.4 | 3% | 81% | 59% | 44% | 60% | 61% |
| Jorge Mateo | 51 | 0 | 7% | 47% | 103 | 73.7 | 0% | 45% | 81% | 41% | 74% | 60% |
| Braxton Fulford | 45 | 0 | 15% | 35% | 104 | 71.9 | 18% | 93% | 36% | 60% | 49% | 60% |
| Ryan Kreidler | 108 | 2 | 6% | 37% | 105 | 74.3 | 0% | 41% | 44% | 69% | 81% | 59% |
| Brandon Valenzuela | 78 | 4 | 11% | 36% | 104 | 72.9 | 1% | 75% | 41% | 52% | 65% | 58% |
| Mitch Garver | 47 | 2 | 12% | 40% | 103 | 71.7 | 26% | 81% | 57% | 46% | 46% | 58% |
| Nate Eaton | 39 | 1 | 10% | 35% | 103 | 73.4 | 0% | 70% | 36% | 41% | 71% | 55% |
| Michael Conforto | 79 | 5 | 9% | 39% | 103 | 72.2 | 8% | 60% | 52% | 46% | 55% | 53% |
| Tommy Troy | 112 | 4 | 12% | 32% | 104 | 72.3 | 6% | 81% | 25% | 50% | 57% | 53% |
| Edmundo Sosa | 78 | 2 | 5% | 41% | 104 | 72.4 | 5% | 32% | 60% | 60% | 59% | 53% |
| Leo Jimenez | 80 | 2 | 4% | 48% | 104 | 71.9 | 16% | 21% | 84% | 53% | 50% | 52% |
| Blaze Jordan | 98 | 1 | 6% | 44% | 102 | 72.8 | 2% | 42% | 70% | 26% | 64% | 50% |
| Jahmai Jones | 34 | 1 | 6% | 29% | 105 | 73.7 | 0% | 39% | 19% | 69% | 73% | 50% |
| Eric Haase | 51 | 1 | 13% | 29% | 103 | 71.8 | 21% | 84% | 18% | 46% | 47% | 49% |
| Connor Wong | 70 | 1 | 5% | 33% | 105 | 73.0 | 1% | 29% | 27% | 70% | 66% | 48% |
| Jacob Gonzalez | 111 | 4 | 4% | 42% | 104 | 71.6 | 44% | 23% | 65% | 60% | 43% | 48% |
| Pedro Ramirez | 69 | 1 | 4% | 40% | 103 | 72.5 | 3% | 22% | 55% | 46% | 61% | 46% |
Here are my thoughts on some of the players:
Andres Chaparro: Chaparro has always hit for power (career nine home runs in 284 plate appearances) but is a short-side platoon bat. For his career, he has a .752 OPS against lefties and a .559 OPS against righties.
Whenever the Nationals face a lefty several lefties in a row, he should be added, but he can be ignored otherwise.
Jacob Gonzalez: I'm closely watching Gonzalez's playing time. Since being traded to the Pirates, he started in just three of nine games. In 114 plate appearances in the majors, the 24-year-old has four homers and a .252 average. In 239 plate apperances in Triple-A, it was 19 homers, eight steals and a .320 average. That will play.
Out of everyone featured, he's the sleeping giant if the playing time materializes.
Tommy Troy: Before going on the injured with a shoulder injury, Troy posted some decent power numbers (four homers in 134 plate appearances), especially against lefties (1.104 OPS vs. LHP, .546 OPS vs. RHP).
Troy is one of the multi-category contributors on the list, with six steals in Triple-A this year and 24 steals in the minors in 2025. While his major-league .223 average (.238 xAVG) is disappointing, he had a .307 AVG in Triple-A this year and a .289 average in the minors last year.
Ryan Kreidler: He starts at both shortstop and center field, but after being in the lineup for nine straight games, he's started in just five of the last 10. So far this season, he has five homers in 161 plate appearances. In four previous major-league stints, he posted a .138 average (and a 32 percent strikeout rate) with two homers and seven steals in 211 plate appearances.
The newfound power has come from the 28-year-old's bat speed taking a major jump forward, going from 68.5 mph to 71.0 mph to 74.3 mph.
Konnor Griffin: With Griffin's return timetable (60-day IL, early September return), he's a drop in all formats except keeper leagues.
Victor Bericoto: In 24 major-league games, the 24-year-old outfielder/first baseman hit .293/.305/.552 with four homers. He posted similar numbers in Triple-A (.299/.355/.449, six homers in 186 plate apperances) this season.
The issue is that Bericoto is on the IL with an oblique injury and isn't particularly close to a return. In the last 15 games before going on the IL, he started 11 times. For teams needing power, he should be considered if/once he's off the IL and back in the majors.
James Outman: While Outman can provide help in power and speed, he's a huge batting average sink (.155 average, 43 percent strikeout rate, 60 percent contact rate). After Outman's 23 homers and .248 average in 2023, the 29-year-old has been unplayable (40 percent strikeout rate, .146 average, 13 homers in 457 plate apperances).
Jorge Mateo: Mateo is another sleeper for a major-league team that gives him a chance. On the season, he has four homers, nine steals and a .244 average in 135 plate appearances. The problem is that he hasn't started in any of the last eight games.
He added a ton of power with his average exit velocity up five mph, his bat speed up two mph, and a near tripling of his barrel rate from four percent to 11 percent. An immediate add if the playing time materializes.
Gabriel Rincones Jr.: Mr. Sunglasses is a hitter I've been eyeballing since his time in Triple-A because his power and contact skills compare to some good (and bad) major-league hitters. I can dream on the good:
The problem with Rincones is that he struggles to post a decent batting average even with a strikeout rate under 30 percent. He's lost all patience in the majors. After a 17 percent walk rate in Triple-A, he has just a three percent walk rate in the majors, with his swing rate jumping from 41 percent to 58 percent.
Besides some raw power, he can steal bases, with 21 steals in 2025 and 23 in 2024.
Patrick Bailey: Since leaving Yellowstone Park in San Francisco, Bailey doubled his HR/FB rate from five percent to 10 percent while increasing his barrel rate from five percent to eight percent. Additionally, he raised his attack angle from five degrees to eight while increasing his average launch angle from 11 degrees to 13.
While the power isn't a huge outlier, he does play more than other catchers, so he can be a volume play with non-zero power.
Jose Siri and Ryan Vilade: The pair have posted solid seasons with their OPS approaching .800. The problem with both hitters is that they are solidly on the weak side of a platoon and will need more at-bats to be relevant.
