Sam Hilliard

Hilliard's time in Colorado came to an unceremonious end when the team traded him to Atlanta in November in exchange for Dylan Spain. The writing was already on the wall after the Rockies optioned him down for good in late August. Hilliard shaved eight percentage points off his strikeout rate from 2021 (to 28.5%) while increasing his walk rate to a career-high 11.5%, but those improvements did not matter as he struggled to a .184/.280/.264 line. Things got especially ugly on the road, with Hilliard slugging a mere .188 in his 81 plate appearances without the Coors bump. His batted-ball numbers are somewhat confounding as he had a Statcast HardHit% close to 50% but just a .370 xwOBACON. Atlanta will not be looking to make Hilliard a starter, but he will get to make his case for the Opening Day roster as a lefty-swinging, speedy reserve outfielder. As he heads into his age-29 season, Hilliard is now out of minor-league options.

Although Hilliard spent just over two months in the minors during the 2021 campaign, he appeared in 81 games and hit a career-high 14 home runs. The outfielder had a career-low 33.1% hard-hit rate, and he also had trouble making contact, as his 67.4 Z-Contact% was the lowest mark of his career. Hilliard was unable to maintain a consistent role -- or roster spot -- for the struggling Rockies in 2021, and he has limited contact and power potential. Even while playing his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, he's a lackluster fantasy option outside of deeper leagues.

Hilliard had the chance to receive more consistent at-bats during the abbreviated 2020 season after Ian Desmond opted out, but he regressed as a full-time member of the Rockies. He flashed his power during a cup of coffee in 2019 with seven home runs over 27 games, but he only hit six over 36 contests in 2020. Hilliard had an elite .377 ISO in 2019, but the mark dropped to .229 last season. His strikeout numbers were way up (36.8%), and part of his struggles can be traced to his increased 17.1% swinging-strike rate. When he was able to put the ball in play, his results remained relatively steady from a year ago, as he posted a .281 BABIP. The shine has come all the way off, yet Hilliard still has a reasonable path to playing time in his age-27 season to go with power, speed and home games in Coors Field. He is a fine flier but shouldn't be targeted aggressively.

Hilliard's age (turns 26 in February) is misleading for a player who didn't reach the majors until late last season. A former pitcher, he didn't move to the outfield until 2015 at Wichita State, so he is relatively new to this. His age, 29.3 K% and the hitting environment of the Pacific Coast League led many to discount a 35-homer/22-steal campaign at Triple-A, but he was even better in his cup of coffee (138 wRC+, .377 ISO, 26.4 K%). His most impressive feat was a game-tying opposite-field home run off fellow southpaw Josh Hader. Per Statcast, he had the same sprint speed (29.1 ft/sec) as Scott Kingery, so he has the potential to steal double-digit bases in a full season. With the speed for center and the arm for right, Hilliard provides Colorado with defensive versatility and offensive upside. He may get jerked around early in the year but has a chance to settle in as a Rockies regular for years to come.

Hilliard has made quite an impression in his first two professional seasons with the Rockies. Drafted in the 15th round of the 2015 draft out of Wichita State, the left-handed outfielder possesses a powerful frame at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. In his one season of rookie ball, Hilliard slashed .306/.397/.532 in 262 plate appearances. He displayed good patience at the plate and finished his first season with a 13.7 percent walk rate. In his second minor league season, this time with Low-A Asheville, the 22-year-old hit .267/.348/.449, belted 17 home runs and stole 30 bases in 527 plate appearances. Those numbers should be slightly discounted, given the favorable hitting conditions at Asheville (.832 home OPS, .761 road OPS) and the fact that at 22 he was slightly older than league average. His combination of power and speed make him an intriguing prospect, but he's still got some kinks to work out in his game. Despite walking at a solid clip, he will need to cut down on his strikeouts as he posted a 28.5 percent strikeout rate at Asheville.