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Rangers Sleeper, Breakout & Comeback

As we gear up for the 2020 MLB Season, Sports Illustrated’s Shawn Childs identifies a sleeper, breakout, and comeback player from the Rangers

Bill Enright

After finishing with a losing record in 2019, the players on the Rangers are being undervalued in fantasy baseball drafts. Three players specifically could provide a great return on investment according to Sports Illustrated’s fantasy baseball analyst Shawn Childs. In his recent article, Childs calls outfielder Willie Calhoun a breakout player, third baseman Nick Solak a sleeper, and expect second baseman Rougned Odor to have a comeback season in 2020. 

Find out what Inside The Rangers editor Chris Halicke and Childs say about their fantasy baseball outlook in 2020.

A sleeper could be Nick Solak. He was the team's rookie of the year.
A sleeper could be Nick Solak. He was the team's rookie of the year

Read the full transcript below: 

Corey Parson: Hey, what's up, it's Corey Parson, the fantasy executive here from SI.com. We're starting to hear rumors that the Majors could be coming back, and we definitely need fantasy baseball at this time. Joining me to talk some Texas Rangers is SI fantasy and gambling analyst Shawn Childs and Rangers Insider Chris Halicke. Chris, give me a sleeper and a breakout player on this team.

A breakout player could easily be Willie Calhoun who had 21 home runs in 83 games last year. 

Chris Halicke: A sleeper could be Nick Solak. He was the team's rookie of the year. He has a really, really good bat. He can play multiple positions. He's a little bit behind on the depth chart. Danny Santana looks like he's going to be in centerfield. Todd Frazier is going to play third base, and Rougned Odors is going to play second base. Yet, he could slot in a number of positions. The Rangers really, really like the upside of his bat. A breakout player could easily be Willie Calhoun. Listen, this guy hit 21 home runs in 83 games last year. That's nothing to sneeze at. When the Rangers originally acquired him from the Dodgers, when they sent Yu Darvish that way, they liked his bat there. He's worked on his defense. He is working his first step on reading the ball in the outfield. This is a guy who could break out. He's got a really clean stroke from the left side. This is a really good player and the Rangers are really high on him.

Corey Parson: All right, thanks a lot, Chris. Shawn, what about a comeback player on this roster?

Rougned Odor could be a comeback player come the 2020 season.
Rougned Odor could be a comeback player come the 2020 season :: Pat Sullivan/AP

Shawn Childs: I got Rougned Odor as a comeback player, and his ADP is like 225 in a high stakes market, which is really kind of disappointing, considering in the past, a player with that much power, offers a little bit of speed, scores runs and RBIs. He's given you four categories, but his batting average was 205 for the year, strikeout rates over 30%. People are just going to gravitate to that, yet the previous year, he did a much better job in that area so he could easily bounce back. Especially in a shortened season, he's a guy that could be a middle of the bat with more power. He's young enough where he could still offer more upside. I really like what he brings to the table. I just wish he'd control the strike zone a little bit better, and he did that early in his career. So he still has that skill set. Overall, I think he's discounted and I think he's going to come back and probably be a top five or six-round pick. If he can hit like 270 in a shortened season, it is definitely going to benefit him if he gets out of the gate well.

Corey Parson: All right, thanks a lot, Shawn and Chris. Major League Baseball, fantasy owners need you! For the latest from the majors, keep it locked right here at SI.com.

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Bill Enright
BILL ENRIGHT

Bill Enright is the Managing Editor of Sports Illustrated's Sports Betting and Fantasy division. He's an award winning fantasy football analyst and has a winning betting record on NFL Player Props since 2017. Follow Bill on Twitter: @BillEnright

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