Anderson Tejeda

Tejeda has been on the periphery of dynasty-league relevance for a couple years, as his propensity to swing and miss (career 26.6 K%) in the lower levels muted excitement surrounding his power/speed upside. However, as a 20-year-old at High-A, he not only improved across the board over his Low-A production, but he proved to evaluators that he should be able to stick at shortstop. He was the third-youngest hitter in the Carolina League and tied for fifth in the league with 19 homers. His 25.4 LD% also ranked sixth on the circuit. The lefty-hitting, righty-throwing shortstop proved that he can use the whole field (39.6 Pull%, 30.8 Oppo%), so if he can continue to whittle away at his K% (27.2% last year), he could produce neutral batting averages in the majors. The hope is that he continues to do enough with the bat to eventually earn everyday work at shortstop in a couple years, which could result in some 25-homer/15-steal seasons early in his career.

When rostering 18-year-olds in dynasty leagues, upside is the primary concern, and Tejeda has it for days. His eight home runs ranked fourth in the Northwest League (the league leader had 10), which is an amazing feat, considering he did not receive a promotion from rookie ball until early August, playing in just 30.6 percent of Spokane's games, and at 18 he was three years younger than league average. His plus bat speed generates consistent loud contact from the left side. He plays shortstop right now, but could conceivably move to second base down the road. The 5:33 BB:K he posted in 99 plate appearances against short-season pitching is the primary red flag, but bearing in mind his youth, level and the sample size, it should not scare off owners in leagues that roster over 100 prospects. Tejeda will need to add 10-20 pounds to his 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame to realize his potential as a 20-homer threat.