Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickup – Jorge Mateo

Heading into the 2022 Fantasy Baseball season, Jorge Mateo’s ADP per NFBC was 445.56 with a minimum pick of 193 and a max pick of 589. In 12 team leagues, he was going around round 37, and in 15 team leagues around round 30. He’s not going to contribute much in other categories but he could really help in steals and maybe runs scored depending on his lineup spot. 

Mateo is a former top-50 prospect back in 2016. He is 26 and now plays for the Baltimore Orioles. According to Roster Resource, he is projected to bat 8th and be the everyday shortstop. Why is he someone to target? Because he has elite speed. In eight minor league seasons, he stole a whopping 283 stolen bases! He had three minor league seasons where he stole 40 bases or more including a season where he stole 71 bases! He’s on a team that should not only let him play necessarily but should let him run wild on the bases. The Orioles are in the same division as the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees. At best, they are the 4th best team in their own division and they are currently rebuilding. He has an MLB career with 237 plate appearances and has 11 stolen bases in that limited sample. He is having a nice Spring Training hitting .381 with 2 home runs and one stolen base with an OPS of 1.315. It’s a small sample size, to say the least, but it’s still a strong start. 

Only two MLB players stole 40 or more bases last season, only six players stole at least 30 bases, and only 19 players stole 20 or more bases. If Mateo gets over 500 PA’s this season, he could steal between 20 to 30 bases. It’s probably going to come with a batting average of around .240 and possibly 10 to 12 home runs. A former prospect with his pedigree is finally getting a chance to show what he’s capable of in a full season. He’s worth a flyer, especially for fantasy teams who could use that extra possible 20+ SB’s upside. I have drafted him on multiple teams and I’m excited to see what Mateo can accomplish in 2022. If he’s still on your waiver wires, I’d absolutely take a shot on him.

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