Angel Pagan

Pagan had a sneaky-good fantasy year in 2016, hitting a career-high 12 homers and swiping 15 bases while slashing .277/.331/.418 in 543 at-bats. Usually known for his speed, the outfielder produced a surprising .141 isolated power rating, his best mark since 2012. Pagan's solid season was even more valuable to fantasy owners considering he went undrafted in many formats. Durability has always been the 35-year-old's Achilles heel, and it will likely suppress his price heading into the 2017 season, but Pagan has proven that he can still contribute with his bat and legs when he is healthy. At this stage of his career, it may be best for Pagan to be used as a fourth outfielder in an effort to limit the wear and tear on his body.

Pagan registered 551 plate appearances in 2015, the most he has seen since joining the Giants in 2012. Although he was on the field for most of the season, he was rarely 100 percent healthy. The veteran center fielder battled lingering back and knee injuries all season, and it caused his production to suffer. It wasn't until he finally hit the disabled list and had a surgical procedure on his knee that he got healthy. After returning from surgery in September, Pagan hit .274 with 17 runs, three homers and six steals. While it was too little, too late in terms of helping the Giants make the playoffs, Pagan's strong September showed fantasy owners that he can still contribute when healthy. However, he may face competition for the center field job from Denard Span, whom the Giants signed to a three-year deal in the offseason.

Pagan was plagued by injuries for the second straight season, as his 2014 campaign ended in back surgery. The ailment first surfaced in spring training, but he played through it to surprisingly useful results, hitting above .300 for the first time in his career while chipping in 16 steals in 22 attempts. Pagan typically provides moderate power for a speedy center fielder, but the back injury seemed to impact that facet of his game the most, as he finished with just three home runs in 413 plate appearances and an ISO (.089) nearly 50 points below his career mark (.135). With just 167 games played out of a possible 324 in the past two regular seasons, durability has become a major concern. The Giants expect Pagan to require three months to recover from his September back procedure, putting him on track to be healthy for the start of spring training in February.

Pagan missed the majority of the summer months in 2013 after injuring his hamstring on an inside-the-park home run in May. When he was on the field, he was a useful fantasy asset, putting up a .282/.334/.414 line with five homers and nine stolen bases in 305 plate appearances. The drop in steals was directly a result of the Giants not wanting to push Pagan coming off of a hamstring injury. He will enter the 2014 season healthy and should be a solid source of runs, batting average, and steals once again, perhaps at a discounted price after the missed time.

Pagan rebounded in 2012 with a 113 wRC+ (second best of career), while playing a much better center field in San Francisco. The 31-year-old saw a decline in his stolen-base numbers from 32 in 2011 to 29, but Pagan will still be a valuable commodity in 2013. He is likely to put together another 25-30 stolen base year along with a .280/.335/.420 type of line in part because of his ability to make consistent contact with 5.1 percent swinging-strike rate and 22.4 percent line drive rate. Defensively, he would make one of the better corner outfielders in baseball, but he is just average in center field, where he's likely to stay after re-signing with the Giants on a four-year, $40 million deal in December.

Pagan was a pleasant surprise in the absence of Carlos Beltran in 2010, hitting .290/.340/.425 while playing a solid center field in Flushing. It all went down the toilet in 2011, however, as Pagan dealt with injuries, limiting him to just 123 games, and posted a poor .262/.322/.372 line in 478 at-bats, partially explained by a 44-point drop in BABIP. With only one year of control remaining, the Mets traded him to San Francisco in December. The outfield was a major weak point for the Giants last year, so look for Pagan to compete for the starting job in center field and at worst provide some speed in San Francisco.

In the nightmare that was the Mets' season, one of the few positives might have been the play of Pagan. Even though he failed to open the year as the starting center fielder in Carlos Beltran's absence, Pagan quickly earned the role and never gave it back. Pagan built off the breakout year he had in 2009, showing better recognition of game situations with a decent power-speed combination, delivering 37 stolen bases in the process. After the return of Beltran, Pagan saw time at all three outfield positions, but should mostly play center and right as a fixture in the 2011 lineup.

Pagan entered spring training recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder the prior July, then needed arthroscopic surgery in mid-March to repair a bone spur in his right elbow that sidelined him two months. Upon being activated and promoted to the majors, Pagan had a solid two weeks, then strained his groin and landed on the DL for a month. Pagan returned with a bang, hitting for average and showing good speed filling in for Carlos Beltran, but his mental errors in the field and on the bases likely mean that he will enter 2010 as the team's fourth outfielder.

Pagan, who returned to the Mets in January 2008, parlayed a strong spring into a starting spot in left field while Moises Alou was out. Pagan had a solid first month, but was then injured in early May when he flipped over a retaining wall at Dodger Stadium while catching a foul ball. The Mets had hoped he would return after a rehab stint, but Pagan, a switch hitter, was unable to bat from the right side during his brief rehab stint. He will enter spring training with a chance to earn the fourth or fifth outfield spot in New York.

Pagan's seen some at-bats the last couple seasons due to his ability to play all three positions in the Cubs' unsettled outfield, but his skills make him a fourth or fifth outfielder at best. Pagan doesn't hit for average and doesn't walk enough to make up for it. He raised his slugging slightly in 2007, but a slight uptick in a 148-at-bat sample shouldn't be taken too seriously. He was traded to the Mets in the offseason and will compete for a reserve role.

Pagan saw some time in the outfield last season, platooning occasionally with Matt Murton. Oddly enough, Murton hit better against righties, his weaker split, than Pagan did, even though it’s by far his stronger one. And of course, Murton is strong against lefties and Pagan can't hit them at all. Pagan doesn't have much power, and his occasional walk-drawing is outweighed by his poor contact skills and consequent low batting average. There's some loose talk that Pagan could see at-bats in center field, if the Cubs trade Jacque Jones, but he looks like a fifth outfielder to us. It would be a shame if Lou Piniella allows him to get at-bats against righties at Murton's expense.

Pagan, who was drafted in the fourth round way back in 1999, forced his way into the team's plans with a fine 2004. But last year, all of his averages and his K/BB ratio and SB/CS fell. Part of it could be a sore throwing arm that bothered him during the first half. His speed is his main asset, but Pagan is behind fellow teammate Wayne Lydon in that department. With Carlos Beltran in center field and Lastings Milledge slated to handle one of the corner positions, Pagan may need a trade to get a shot at the majors.

Pagan, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 1999 draft, was not thought of as a major prospect entering the 2004 season. He forced himself into the team's future plans, however, and will start 2005 at Triple-A Norfolk. Speed is his main asset but he finds himself behind teammate Wayne Lydon in that department, which may force him to be dealt to another team to get a shot at the major leagues.