JakeBauers

ESPN Fantasy Projection: When Cleveland acquired Bauers from Tampa Bay prior to the 2019 season, the expectation was that the 26.8 K% he registered in his rookie campaign would drift closer to the mid-teens mark he had posted throughout his minor league career. Instead, the left-hander's strikeout rate actually increased to 27.2% last season. That's not good for a hitter who has displayed only moderate power (.163 career ISO) and who doesn't awe observers with any specific skill. Bauers does possess some speed -- he stole 20 bases in the minors in 2017 -- but he has thus far proved to be a detriment on the basepaths at the major league level, getting thrown out in half of his 18 theft attempts. His best offensive asset is his ability to draw a walk (career 12.2 BB%), but that's unlikely to earn him a full-time role unless he fixes his contact issues and better taps into his raw power.