Drew Waters

25-Year-Old OutfielderOF

Kansas City Royals

2024 Stats

AVG

.188

RBI

Rest-of-Season Projections

AVG

RBI

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

Known far more for his defense than his offense, Waters probably won't carry much fantasy value this year in standard mixed leagues. Even in AL-only formats, you might have to squint to find the appeal. He stole 16 bases in 98 games last season and also popped eight home runs, but the .228 batting average and .300 on-base percentage left a lot to be desired, especially for a player with above-average speed and excellent defensive range. Waters is a switch-hitter but tends to struggle against lefties and hasn't yet shown enough offensively to be trusted with an everyday major-league gig. A second-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of a high school in Georgia, the now 25-year-old projects to open the 2024 campaign as a glove-first fourth outfielder for the Royals. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

Rest of Season

Overall Projection

From Preseason

#417

ADP

League Majors

Bats B

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'2"

Weight 185

DOB 12/30/1998

Born Atlanta, GA

College None

Drafted 2nd Rd 2017 ATL

Recalled from Omaha

OFKansas City Royals

July 18, 2024

The Royals recalled Waters from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

ANALYSIS
With MJ Melendez (ankle) landing on the injured list Tuesday, Waters will return to Kansas City to give the Royals additional outfield depth coming out of the All-Star break. The 25-year-old went 1-for-8 during his first MLB stint in June, and he's slashed .277/.362/.502 with 44 RBI across 287 plate appearances with Omaha.

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Batting Stats

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2024

2023

2022

2020

2024 MLB Game Log

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Scoring

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2022

+15%

OPS vs RHP

2024

-100%

OPS vs RHP

2023

+20%

OPS vs RHP

2022

+6%

OPS vs RHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022vs Left	.631	115	12	2	18	3	.210	.270	.362
Since 2022vs Right	.726	349	44	11	33	13	.236	.318	.408
2024vs Left	.000	1	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
2024vs Right	.600	18	2	0	1	0	.200	.333	.267
2023vs Left	.591	86	7	0	10	3	.208	.279	.312
2023vs Right	.707	251	33	8	22	13	.236	.307	.400
2022vs Left	.769	28	5	2	8	0	.222	.250	.519
2022vs Right	.814	80	9	3	10	0	.246	.350	.464
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2022

+55%

OPS at Home

2024

-100%

OPS at Home

2023

+66%

OPS at Home

2022

+31%

OPS at Home

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022Home	.856	233	37	6	30	7	.286	.373	.483
Since 2022Away	.551	231	19	7	21	9	.175	.238	.313
2024Home	.683	16	2	0	1	0	.231	.375	.308
2024Away	.000	3	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
2023Home	.852	165	28	4	20	7	.290	.370	.483
2023Away	.513	172	12	4	12	9	.172	.233	.280
2022Home	.918	52	7	2	9	0	.289	.385	.533
2022Away	.699	56	7	3	9	0	.196	.268	.431
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Stat Review

How does Drew Waters compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.33

BB Rate

10.5%

K Rate

31.6%

BABIP

.300

ISO

.063

AVG

.188

OBP

.316

SLG

.250

OPS

.566

wOBA

.271

Exit Velocity

77.9 mph

Hard Hit Rate

20.0%

Barrels/PA

0.0%

Expected BA

.107

Expected SLG

.145

Sprint Speed

25.1 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

50.0%

Line Drive %

10.0%

Fly Ball %

40.0%

Prospect Rankings History

View Complete Drew Waters Prospect Ranking History

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

Games By Position

Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Royals Depth Chart

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2021

2020

2019

2018

Atlanta dealt Waters to Kansas City for the 35th-overall pick in the 2022 draft and two low-probability prospects. At the time of the mid-July trade, Waters' stock had slipped so much that many prospectors thought the Royals overpaid. Prior to the trade, the 23-year-old switch hitter had an 83 wRC+ in 49 games at Triple-A after registering a 94 wRC+ in 103 games at that level in 2021. Something clicked after the change of scenery, as Waters hit .295/.399/.541 with seven home runs and 13 steals in 31 games for the Royals' Triple-A affiliate while almost doubling his walk rate (14.0 BB%, up from 7.6%). He got a well-deserved promotion to the majors in late-August and hit .240/.324/.479 with five home runs, an 11.0 BB% and a 36.7 K% in 109 plate appearances while playing all three outfield spots. There is no projection or expected statistic that supports that level of play for Waters heading into 2023, but the Royals' depth chart portends that he will get plenty of work. His combination of power, speed and opportunity makes him a worthwhile consideration in deeper formats.

Still blessed with plus speed, above-average power and exit velocities that suggest he could eventually develop plus power, Waters has exciting fantasy-relevant tools and just turned 22 in December. He finished 2019 with a 36.1 K% over 26 games in his first exposure to Triple-A pitching as a 20-year-old and also had 14 strikeouts in 28 at-bats during big-league spring training in 2020, so it's been a while since he had sustained success in official games. Waters excelled at Double-A in 2019 (144 wRC+) despite playing half his games in a very pitcher-friendly park (Mississippi). The switch hitter reportedly focused on his right-handed swing (.664 OPS vs. LHP in 2019) along with improving his plate discipline while at the alternate training site. Waters projects as a plus defender in an outfield corner and should make his MLB debut this summer whenever a spot opens up.

An athletic switch hitter who laces line drives to all fields and utilizes plus speed on the bases, Waters established himself as a top-10 prospect in his age-20 season. The ballpark at Double-A Mississippi is extremely pitcher-friendly, so while he hit just five home runs, his 35 doubles and nine triples in 108 games tell a more complete story. He was the youngest qualified Southern League hitter yet ranked third on the circuit with a 144 wRC+. It was a mixed bag after his late-season promotion to Triple-A (good: walks, line drives; bad: strikeouts, lack of power) but he was also the youngest hitter in the International League. It was impressive that he made it there at all. The Braves don't need him in Atlanta early on, so his 2020 could mirror Austin Riley's 2019. If he makes the necessary adjustments, he will get the call and has the tools (20-20 upside) to be a difference maker once he is up.

It was known before the 2017 draft and heading into last season that Waters had the potential to be a plus runner with plus raw power, but his ability to hit for a high average was a complete unknown. That aspect of his game is still a bit of an unknown, as he has not yet faced upper-level pitching, but after hitting .293 with a manageable 21.1 K% across stops at Low-A and High-A, he looks much more likely to be a five-category contributor in time. A switch hitter, Waters was much more effective against righties last season (.883 OPS as LHB, .657 OPS as RHB), although those splits flipped in a tiny sample in 2017. He walked just 29 times in 498 PA (5.8 BB%), operating with an aggressive approach early in the count. While he can survive with his current approach, increased selectivity would up his ceiling, especially as he faces more advanced pitching. Waters can handle all three outfield spots, has 20/20 potential and could reach the majors in 2020.

A switch-hitter who should remain so as he moves up the ladder, Waters is a toolshed who is one of the top-15 prep position players from the 2017 draft class. The Braves were able to keep the Georgia product in state with a $1.5 million signing bonus after selecting him with the 41st overall pick. He does damage from both sides of the plate, thanks to plus bat speed that should allow him to eventually tap into 25-plus homer power as he grows into his 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame. Waters is a plus runner, but it remains to be seen how long he holds that speed. After dominating in a brief run in the Gulf Coast League (189 wRC+, .224 ISO), Waters received a promotion to the Appalachian League, where pitchers were able to routinely exploit him with breaking balls (35.5 percent strikeout rate). Improving his pitch recognition will be crucial in order for him to hit for a high enough average to profile as an everyday player.

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Heads back to minors

OFKansas City Royals

June 18, 2024

The Royals optioned Waters to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.