Ben Revere

Revere has a skill set from another era, and continues to be a player who provides more value in fantasy than in real life. His lack of walks and poor defense left him as a replacement-level player according to fWAR, but AL-only owners were happy with 21 stolen bases (tied for 24th in the league) from a part-time player, as well as his respectable .275 batting average. Revere's value going forward depends on his ability to latch on with a team that's willing to give him significant playing time. He stole a base once every 14.7 plate appearances last season, not far off from the rate of one steal per 12.8 plate appearances he posted in 2014, when he swiped 49 bags. If given the opportunity, Revere has the chance to provide top-10 stolen base numbers, but teams are becoming increasingly unwilling to give playing time to a defensive liability with an empty batting average.

Last year marked as sharp a downturn for Revere as anyone could have expected. The speedster, coming off three consecutive seasons hitting .305 or .306, petered out at the plate and on the basepaths for Washington. This led to the Nationals leaving him off of their NLDS roster and non-tendering him in early December. He still made contact at an elite rate last season, striking out just 9.1 percent of the time, though he doesn't walk much and his batting average on balls in play dropped from .340 to .236. Revere is just 28 years old, so it might be premature to write him off as over the hill. The Angels took a chance on him and may install him in an odd reverse-split platoon with righty bat Cameron Maybin. There is also the fact that Maybin has played over 100 games in the majors just once in the past four seasons, and if he ends up on the shelf, Revere could be looking at everyday playing time. Owners looking for late-round boosts in batting average and stolen bases can give him a shot, just don't expect him to play much right away.

Only Rajai Davis, Jose Altuve, and Dee Gordon have more stolen bases in the past four years than Revere's 142, 31 of which came in a 2015 season split between Philadelphia and Toronto. Revere also set a career high with 84 runs scored. He particularly enjoyed the benefits of hitting atop Toronto's league-best lineup, as he scored 35 times in just 56 games. His two home runs in 2015 tied a career high set in 2014, giving him all of four career major league long balls. But his fantastic glove is enough to keep him on the field, and his excellent contact abilities (9.4% career strikeout rate) allow him to hit for a great average and get on base enough to use his wheels. Here's consistency: Revere has hit either .305 or .306 in each of the past three seasons. Now with Washington following a January trade, Revere figures to serve as the primary option in center field and see regular time atop the order under manager Dusty Baker.

Revere does two things well: he makes contact at a high clip and he runs fast. While Revere does not walk much, he really has no choice as pitchers are not afraid to challenge him with fastballs due to his lack of pop. He had not hit a home run in the majors before finally notching the first two of his career last season. Revere is also a poor defender in center despite his speed. He has one of the weaker arms in the game and the routes he takes to balls are adventurous at times. For a player with a limited skill set, the defensive shortcomings are a concern as they led to Revere getting benched at times last season. However, Revere offers plenty of value in fantasy leagues as long as he is in the lineup and going well at the plate. His 49 steals last season ranked fourth in the majors. It is a number he should be capable of coming close to again this season provided his defensive play does not cost him at-bats.

Revere got off to a terrible start last season, hitting just .200 in April. He was being pushed into a platoon role before his bat started to heat up in May. Things really took off for him in June and part of July, but things came to a halt when he broke his foot in the middle of July and went on to miss the remainder of the 2013 season. Despite his early-season struggles at the plate, Revere was still swiping bags when he got on base. He finished the year with 22 stolen bases, which put him roughly on pace for a second 40-steal season. He will be fully healthy when spring training begins and should play nearly every day. His speed still gives him a lot of value in fantasy leagues, and he may come at a bit of a discount due to his shortened 2013 season.

Revere established himself as a major league regular last season after hitting .293 with 40 stolen bases while displaying great range in the outfield. Despite a decent rookie campaign in 2011, Revere began last year in the minors. However, he took over the right-field job in May and stayed hot at the plate. His weak throwing arm in right field was offset by his outstanding range and he was one of the best outfielders in baseball by advanced metrics (MLB fourth-best 16.4 UZR). His weak arm should not be as much of an issue in 2013 as he will start in center field for the Phillies after being traded in December. Most of his value comes from steals (40-for-49 last season) and he rarely strikes out, which results in a strong contract rate that has given him a high batting average throughout his career. His defense and contact skills should lead to another productive campaign, even with the change of scenery.

Revere enters spring training as Minnesota's leading candidate to start in left field after getting significant playing time as a rookie last year after Denard Span missed most of the season with a concussion. Revere hit .303 (but just a .702 OPS) at Triple-A before he was called up for good in June. He took over center field with Span hurt and showed spectacular range with many highlight reel plays. Revere stole 34 bases last season and was a fantasy baseball asset, but he had just a .619 OPS as he didn't draw walks and displayed no power. Despite great defense, he'll need to get on base more next season to keep a starting job.

Revere displayed strong on-base skills, speed and good defense last season, but failed to show much power while hitting .305/.371/.363 at Double-A before a September callup with Minnesota. He was also snake-bitten with several odd injuries that included getting hit by a ball in the knee while sliding into second base and breaking a bone near his eye after getting hit by a pitch. He also experienced knee issues for a second consecutive year. Revere could win a reserve role with the Twins this spring but more likely will begin the season at Triple-A Rochester. His speed will boost his fantasy value, and his high minor league batting averages make him intriguing, but it's not clear if he has enough power to hold an everyday job in the majors.

Revere was named Minnesota's Minor League Player of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2009 after hitting .311 with a .372 OBA with High-A Fort Myers. Revere puts the ball in play at a very high rate, has great speed on the base paths (45 steals) and draws walks at a good clip. However, there is some concern whether he'll have enough power to thrive in the majors since he had just a .369 SLG last season. He'll likely start the season at Double-A and could be a candidate for a major league job in 2011.

The 28th overall pick in the 2007 draft led the minor leagues in hitting last season. He hit over .400 for most of the season between rookie ball and Low-A, but "slowed" to hit just .317 in his last 10 games before his season was cut short in late August to remove particles in his left knee. If healthy, he'll likely start the season at High-A Fort Myers and could rise quickly as perhaps Minnesota's top prospect and his speed on the basepaths makes him an excellent keeper target.

Most analysts said Minnesota reached when taking Revere as the 28th overall pick in the 2007 draft. While a good athlete with a solid bat with fine speed and defensive potential, many saw him as a third-round pick since he's undersized at just 5-9. So far it looks like the Twins were right and the doubters were wrong after Revere hit .325/.388/.461 with 21 steals and 10 triples in 50 games in the Gulf Coast rookie league. We still need to see if he will develop any home run power, but the speed and contact hitting stand out. He may be the top hitting prospect in the Twins organization as a result.