Terrance Gore

Gore's progression through the Royals' system brought him to Triple-A by the end of the 2017 season, a level he first reached for a brief stretch in 2014 when the Omaha Royals added him to the mix en route to their Pacific Coast League title. Once again, Gore's speed brought him to the roster in Kansas City in September, where he was used mostly as a pinch-running specialist. Over the last four seasons, he's appeared in 49 games for the Royals, stepping up to the plate just 14 times, but going 21-for-25 as a basestealer. As a 26-year-old last season, Gore hit .247/.321/.319 at Triple-A. He hasn't shown enough with the bat to justify a regular opportunity in the big leagues thus far, and he'll likely begin 2018 back in Omaha after signing a minor-league deal to return to the Royals in December. In deep leagues, his top-of-the-scale speed could make him a useful addition in September even if he's used in the same specialist role off the bench.

Gore's progression through the Royals' system brought him to Triple-A by the end of the 2017 season, a level he first reached for a brief stretch in 2014 when the Omaha Royals added him to the mix en route to their Pacific Coast League title. Once again, Gore's speed brought him to the roster in Kansas City in September, where he was used mostly as a pinch-running specialist. Over the last four seasons, he's appeared in 49 games for the Royals, stepping up to the plate just 14 times, but going 21-for-25 as a basestealer. As a 26-year-old last season, Gore hit .247/.321/.319 at Triple-A. He hasn't shown enough with the bat to justify a regular opportunity in the big leagues thus far, and he'll likely begin 2018 back in Omaha after signing a minor-league deal to return to the Royals in December. In deep leagues, his top-of-the-scale speed could make him a useful addition in September even if he's used in the same specialist role off the bench.

Gore is one of the fastest players in baseball at any level -- a skill that has earned him late-season callups to serve as a pinch runner the past three seasons. He has just nine major league plate appearances over that stretch but has collected 19 steals. His offensive game has thus far been completely one dimensional, as he has never hit a home run as a professional and hit just .233 for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Still, with 44 steals after reaching base just 83 times, Gore is a huge threat on the basepaths every time he gets on. While his speed also makes him a defensive asset, it would be a mistake to compare him to another speedster, Billy Hamilton, whose .351 minor league OBP allowed him to amass a 155-steal season in 2012. The Royals will likely keep Gore in the minors to start 2017, but he has just one minor league option remaining, so a time may soon come when some tough decisions need to be made.

Gore was back and forth between the majors and the minors a few times in 2015. He only appeared in nine games with the Royals and had just three at-bats. He spent most of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas until he was one of Kansas City's September call-ups. Gore is excellent at getting on base and is one of the fastest players in professional baseball. This year, Gore could be in line for slightly more playing time, but he still profiles as a pinch-runner/defensive replacement long term.

Speed is the name of the game when it comes to Gore. The 23-year-old logged just two major league plate appearances during the 2014 season, but stole five bases while working primarily as a pinch-runner, and added another three steals during postseason play. The youngster displayed a proven baserunning track record in the minors in order to earn this role, swiping a total of 47 bags on 54 attempts between High-A Wilmington and Triple-A Omaha in 2014. If he proves worthy of a roster spot on the big league club during spring training, Gore will likely serve in a similar role. Though not a candidate to see many outfield starts, he may end up having a similar season to Jarrod Dyson's 2013, being used frequently as a pinch-runner and late-game defensive replacement. If that ends up being the case, he'll likely have some fantasy value in deeper formats due to his ability to help out with stolen bases, though a .237 career minor-league batting average suggests that little can be expected elsewhere.