Jarrod Dyson

Justin Smoak, Kurt Suzuki, Robinson Chirinos, Brandon Lowe, Brian Dozier. Each of those players hit at least 17 home runs in 2019, and each of them earned less fantasy value than Dyson. Everyone hit for power in 2019, but even fewer players ran, which is why Dyson's .230 average, bad power and worse RBI production still had positive value in mixed-league formats. As long as his legs are healthy, he is money for 25-plus steals a season, especially now that his playing time is secure after signing with the Pirates. You just have to build your roster appropriately around him because he is an absolute drag in three of the five hitting categories. Depending on where he bats in the order, his stolen-base opportunities could increase as he has not shown many signs of slowing down at age 35. The speed and defense are worth him playing most days, even if he's hitting eighth or ninth.

A 34-year-old part-time outfielder coming off his worst season is already bad enough. Factor in Dyson is completely reliant on his legs and is returning from sports hernia surgery for the second straight year, things get even more bleak. However, in today's fantasy landscape, anyone capable of swiping bags in bunches is relevant. Before having his season end prematurely in early July, Dyson was barely hitting his weight, though he did have 16 bags. And, to be fair, Dyson's plate skills and batted-ball profile lined up with career levels so his .216 BABIP was artificially low and a candidate to regress toward his career .298 mark. Dyson's glove and speed should keep him on the field enough to be a factor in NL-only formats and mixed leagues with daily moves. Otherwise, draft speed elsewhere and only look to pick Dyson up in the event of an injury to one of your top stolen-base contributors.

Most of Dyson's second half was lost to injury and he ultimately underwent sports hernia surgery in September. He was basically the exact same player in Seattle that he was in Kansas City, posting an 85 wRC+ and .296 wOBA in 111 games (86 wRC+, .299 wOBA for career). He makes contact at a good clip (14.1 percent strikeout rate last season), but Dyson hasn't had a walk rate over 8.0 percent since 2013, and there is very little pop in his bat. Dyson was able to once again make an impact on the basepaths, going 28-for-35 on stolen-base attempts, but he was such a drag elsewhere that those contributions were largely offset in fantasy. Dyson landed with Arizona in free agency and figures to serve as the fourth outfielder, with limited exposure to lefties -- he's a .215/.293/.259 career hitter against left-handed pitching. It's not a lock that the 33-year-old will ever get to 400 plate appearances in a season.

Despite setting a career high in plate appearances and on-base percentage, Dyson's stolen base total didn't increase proportionately. Sometimes we forget steals are as much about opportunity and game situation as they are about raw speed. To wit, Dyson ran only 41 percent of the time as compared to 57 percent combined from 2013-2015. In addition, his still impressive 81 percent success rate nonetheless dropped from the 86 percent mark displayed the previous four campaigns. The bottom line is Dyson has been an elite contributor in the category, albeit in a limited role which isn't guaranteed to grow exponentially following a January trade to Seattle. As such, with extremely detrimental totals in homers and RBI, Dyson is best suited in formats with daily or twice-weekly moves to maximize his speed impact in favorable scenarios or as dictated by your team's needs.

Dyson has spent the last couple years as the fourth outfielder and primary pinch-runner for the Royals. It was no different in 2015, as he only played in 90 games but still posted 26 steals in 29 attempts. His batting average decreased a bit from .269 in 2014 to .250, but he struck out less as well (17.9% strikeout rate in 2014, 16.4% in 2015). With a new opening in the outfield thanks to Alex Rios leaving, Dyson could move his way into a larger role with the Royals in 2016, but he will get a late start to the season after suffering a Grade 2 oblique strain in spring training. Paul Orlando will serve as the Royals' primary right fielder in the meantime.

Dyson appeared in 120 games for Kansas City in 2014, collecting 30 stolen bases for the third straight season after posting a career-best total of 36. He's not known for doing much with the bat, but Dyson posted the best batting average (.269) out of any of his major league seasons. He was more likely to finish games then to start them, as his speed gave manager Ned Yost a valuable pinch runner to use in late-game situations, and Yost often left him in the game in center field due to his range on defense. If he sees more consistent time in the starting lineup in his age-30 season, Dyson could turn into a sneaky fantasy asset in deeper formats, as his contribution in the steals category can't be denied. Owners will need to find power elsewhere, however, as Dyson has just four career home runs in 353 games at the major league level.

Even after a decent, though unspectacular, first full tour in the majors in 2012, Dyson opened the 2013 year back in Triple-A with the promise of maybe receiving an eventual callup as a fourth outfielder. Thanks to the combination of Jeff Francoeur's ineptitude and Lorenzo Cain's inability to stay healthy, Dyson was brought up and spent most of his time playing both center and right field. Dyson's walk and strikeout rates declined a bit, but not to the point where there should be any concern about future performance. He displayed a touch more pop, kept his OBP between .325 and .330 most of the time, and over the course of 239 plate appearances, swiped 34 bases. He was caught just six times all year, which helped him maintain that 85 percent success rate from the year before. With Norichika Aoki now in tow, it looks like Dyson will be a fourth outfielder again. If he can simply boost his plate discipline just a touch and push his on-base percentage consistently over the .330 mark, he could push Aoki for the leadoff spot, which would help increase his value. At worst though, he'll end up platooning but still remain a solid option for cheap steals in the outfield.

After six years of working through the Royals' minor league system, Dyson received his first full-time opportunity in the show after starting center fielder Lorenzo Cain landed on the disabled list and incumbent fourth outfielder, Jason Bourgeois, failed to impress. Though he struggled initially and failed to post a strong on-base percentage, his defense kept the Royals from dismissing him back to the minors and he was able to work through his issues at the plate, improving both his walk and strikeout rates, while posting an OBP above .333 for three of the season's six months. Unfortunately, a strained lat muscle cut his season short and he was reduced to just pinch running duties for most of the final month, but still finished the season with a .260 average, 30 stolen bases and 52 runs scored. In all likelihood, further growth and development at his age seems unlikely, which means that Dyson will probably spend this spring competing for a bench role as the team's fourth outfielder.

Dyson spent the bulk of the 2011 season at Triple-A Omaha, where he hit .279/.356/.357 and stole 38 bases. The speed that he provides was also on display when he stole 11 bases in just 26 games at the major league level. Given that he has trouble making contact and getting on-base, it's unlikely that Dyson will find his way into many games in the 2012 season, baring an injury. He's more suited to be a pinch-runner than an everyday outfielder. Don't be surprised if he spends another season at Triple-A stealing more bases, while his time in Kansas City will likely be served as a fifth outfielder.

Dyson batted .272 and stole 13 bases in 46 games at the Triple-A level last season before struggling in 18 September games with the Royals. Obviously, that's a miniscule sample size, but Dyson has never shown himself to be an extraordinary hitter. He doesn't have any power as indicated by his career .343 slugging percentage in the minors, but he did steal nine bases in 10 attempts in his short stint with KC. He'll be given a shot to win the center-field job out of spring training, but he's one of at least three candidates.