Cory Spangenberg

At this point, Spangenberg is what he is: a lower-end utility player. He logged enough playing time in 2017 to rack up 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases, but he failed to beat out Carlos Asuaje last spring and began the year seeing only sporadic at-bats between second base, third and left field. That didn't last long -- he was demoted in late April after batting .196 with 20 strikeouts over his first 21 games. Spangenberg returned a couple weeks later, but the reset didn't help him much as he struck out in roughly one-third of his PA the rest of the way. He added to his hard-contact rate (35.6%, up from 29.2%), but sacrificed bat-to-ball consistency to get there and the tradeoff wasn't worth it. Spangenberg has some speed and stolen bases are at a premium, but it's hard to see him ever getting back to 400 PA. It's especially difficult to envision him getting that much playing time in 2019 after the Brewers brought back Mike Moustakas on a one-year deal.

When Ryan Schimpf faltered as the everyday third baseman over the first two months of last season, Spangenberg, who had been serving in a utility role in the infield and left field, seized control of the hot corner. After failing to impress over the prior three seasons when given an extended look by San Diego, Spangenberg held his own this time around, with his 13 homers and 11 steals in 486 plate appearances proving particularly useful. Spangenberg showed some aptitude as a base stealer in the minors, but his slugging contributions were less expected, considering he hadn't smacked more than four home runs in a season at any professional level. There's still reason to be skeptical of Spangenberg's power, as his barrel rate ranked in the 33rd percentile of players with at least 100 batted-ball events in 2017, while his 29.2 percent hard-hit rate wasn't special either. A 15-15 season could still be attainable for Spangenberg if he approaches 600 plate appearances, but don't count on much of a home-run spike beyond that.

A severe quadriceps injury limited Spangenberg to just 14 games for the Padres last season, which opened up a slew of at-bats at second base. The former first-round pick was progressing in his rehab during the offseason with the hope of being ready to compete for a starting job during spring training. During his absence, Ryan Schimpf emerged as a much-needed power bat as the team's regular option at second base, but Spangenberg will push Schimpf and Carlos Asuaje for playing time in 2017. Spangenberg has posted a career .269/.327/.402 line with seven homers and 14 steals over 142 games in three seasons with the Padres, and while there is still room for improvement with his hit tool, it's difficult to envision more power on the horizon. Spangenberg is an above-average runner, however, and he could become more aggressive on the basepaths in 2017 with run-heavy manager Andy Green calling the shots.

Spangenberg continues to succeed in San Diego by spraying line drives across the field. He hit just four home runs, but mashed 17 doubles and five triples en route to a .271/.333/.399 line, a very strong performance for a 24-year-old middle infielder in Petco Park. In just over a half-season’s worth of plate appearances, Spangenberg scored 38 times and stole nine bases. A versatile player, Spangenberg appeared at second base, third base, and all three outfield positions, and his versatility should keep him in the lineup this season. Despite his line-drive swing, Spangenberg probably strikes out too much to make a .300 season a possibility, as he struck out 21.7% of the time in 2015 and has posted similar numbers in the minor leagues. And his power is more of the gap-to-gap variety, and few fantasy formats care for hitters who specialize in doubles and triples.

Spangenberg sustained a concussion early on last year and required more than two months to receive full clearance for a return to the lineup at Double-A San Antonio. Upholding his reputation as a contact hitter and basestealing threat, he proceeded to contribute a .331/.365/.470 line and 14 swipes (in 23 attempts) across 281 at-bats at the affiliate, earning a promotion to the Padres upon roster expansion in September. The presence of Yangervis Solarte limited Spangenberg to 65 plate appearances during the season’s final month, but the infield prospect wasn’t intimidated in his first trial against major league pitching, posting a formidable .290/.313/.452 slash line, two home runs, nine RBI, seven runs scored and four steals (in six attempts). With Will Middlebrooks coming over from Boston in a trade in December, Spangenberg will face additional competition for the starting third base job as he enters his age-25 season.

At every step of his march through the minors, Spangenberg has tallied double-digit stolen bases while hitting better than .270. However, power has yet to emerge, as his final stop of 2013 at Double-A San Antonio included a .289/.331/.366 line with two homers and 19 steals in 287 at-bats. Spangenberg racked up 50 stolen base attempts over 130 minor league games last season, and has hit just 10 home runs in 300 career minor league games, so it is evident his future fantasy resource will be the stolen base.

The 10th overall pick of the Padres in 2011, Spangenberg's numbers in the California League last season are something of a disappointment, but he was not drafted as a player with an extremely high ceiling. A concussion in late June limited Spangenberg to 98 games, while the bulk of his future rotisserie value figures to come on the basepaths, where he converted 27 of his 36 stolen-base attempts last season. Spangenberg controls the strike zone well and is expected to be a steady contact hitter, but he will likely spend all of 2013 trying to take the next step forward offensively at Double-A San Antonio before the Padres consider him as an option for their infield in 2014.

Spangenberg was taken 10th overall in the 2011 draft by the Padres and immediately lived up to the hype when he debuted at Low-A ball and posted a .384/.545/.535 slash line over 20 games. He was advanced to High-A where he struggled with strikeouts a bit but still managed a .345 OBP. He is expected to hit for a high average although just how much power he will develop is yet to be seen. He'll likely begin the season back in High-A again in 2012, but should move fairly quickly through the system.