Andrew Stevenson

Stevenson's .367/.486/.467 slash line in 37 plate appearances in 2019 was clearly a small-sample blip fueled by his .579 BABIP, so it's no surprise he began 2020 very low on the depth chart, appearing in just three games before mid-September. He got his chance late in the year when Adam Eaton went down with a broken finger, however, and went on to produce an even better line, hitting .366/.447/.732 in 47 plate appearances. A clearly unsustainable .464 BABIP again drove those numbers, though he was indeed making good contact. His 92.2 mph exit velocity was within 0.1 mph of the likes of Matt Olson and Juan Soto, and Statcast gave him a .293 xBA and .466 xSLG. Expecting a player who looked like a bench bat as a prospect to hit like those two over the course of a full season is outrageously optimistic, but he at least moves into lottery-ticket territory if he opens the year with a clear starting role.

After hitting only .244 in two previous Triple-A campaigns, Stevenson notched a tidy .334 average in the PCL last season and complemented that with a .367/.486/.467 slash line in 37 plate appearances with the Nationals. While some of the big-league success can be tied to an absurd .579 BABIP, the former second-round pick deserves credit for playing to his greatest strength: his plus-plus speed. Over 72% of his batted balls were either line drives or grounders, and he sprayed the ball to all parts of the field with nearly-equal distribution. Stevenson has also shown a willingness to take free passes throughout his career, improving his chances of developing into a legitimate stolen base threat. Unfortunately, Stevenson's path to regular playing time may be blocked by his almost complete lack of power (he's averaged four homers per season thus far), making him more of a fourth-outfielder type for now.

The Nationals' top pick in the 2015 draft, Stevenson lasted until the end of the second round due to concerns about his unorthodox swing, but there's still a lot to like about his overall profile. The 21-year-old out of LSU has great wheels and an excellent glove in center field, although he lacks plus arm strength, and he's able to translate his speed into success on the basepaths. His left-handed swing is designed to make contact but offers no power potential at all, though, which limits his offensive upside and role in the batting order considering he doesn't draw many walks either. At worst, he should make it to the majors as a fourth outfielder and pinch-runner, but if the Nats' coaching can put a little more loft in his swing and at least get him to sting the ball into the gaps once in a while to supplement a solid batting average, his defense is good enough to give him big-league starting potential.