As much as I wrote about Jorge Soler leading up to his promotion and the day it actually came, I'm at risk of beating a dead horse here, but now that he has a couple 2-for-4 games under his belt, I feel the need to reiterate: You want him in Fantasy.
Maybe in shallower leagues where every team starts just three outfielders and half the owners checked out at the All-Star break, allowing you to build up incomparable depth at the position, OK, you can let him go, but the impact he could make for you this time of year is worth the risk of him sputtering like so many of the high-profile hitter prospects who came before him this year.
And aside from George Springer, I'm not sure any of those prospects was as prepared for his promotion as Soler. True, he ascended the ladder quickly, collecting just 175 at-bats above high Class A, but he was no average minor-leaguer, having played at the highest level of Cuba. Once it clicked for him after a two-year adjustment period, the minor leagues couldn't hold him back. In terms of batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, he was neck-and-neck with Kris Bryant at the time of his promotion.
And unlike Springer, Jon Singleton, Javier Baez, his success wasn't accompanied by a worrisome strikeout rate. He'll strike out his fair share, like any young slugger, but it won't be the impediment it's been for them.
