Joey Rickard

Rickard spent time as a starter, bench player and minor leaguer in 2018, finishing the year with a .244/.300/.413 line, eight homers and four steals in 230 plate appearances. That's a performance which probably merits a big-league roster spot but which certainly doesn't excite. Rickard has a low ceiling and will turn 28 years old in May, so it would hardly be surprising to see the rebuilding Orioles elect to give at-bats to younger, more promising outfielders, even if Rickard's basic competence makes him currently one of his team's better options. A friendly home park helps prop up his numbers and makes him a palatable deep-league option when given a run of starts, but don't expect noteworthy contributions in any category. In 789 career plate appearances, the 2015 Rule 5 draft pick has hit .252/.389/.376 with 17 homers and 16 steals.

This is a fourth-outfielder profile all the way. Rickard took a step back from his 2016 campaign, with his walk rate falling to just 3.2 percent (half of his 2016 mark) while his strikeout rate ticked up to 22.7 percent. Meanwhile, his power fell back slightly from an already-low level. Rickard hit lefties better, but even against southpaws, he was a below-average hitter (81 wRC+, .309 wOBA). The 26-year-old does have a splash of speed -- he was caught just once on the base paths last year -- but it hardly matters as the Orioles run less than any team in the majors. Baltimore attempted just 45 stolen bases as a club last year and a big uptick is unlikely with Buck Showalter still at the helm. With Seth Smith out of the picture, Rickard could step into a more prominent role to begin 2018, but if that were to happen, he would just be keeping the seat warm for Austin Hays.

Based on his performance as a rookie last season, Rickard makes sense on the small side of a platoon -- he hit .313/.367/.494 against southpaws in 2016 (by comparison, he hit just .247/.296/.322 against righties). Much like Hyun Soo Kim, Rickard offered very little in terms of homers (five) or steals (four) last season, but the duo might generate a steady number of runs scored if manager Buck Showalter uses the duo in a table-setting role. Unless he begins to show an aptitude for stealing bases against big league batteries, Rickard is most likely limited to AL-only formats that require the use of five outfielders. It should be noted, however, that he went 23-for-29 across three minor league levels on the basepaths in 2015, so a surge in thefts isn't out of the question if injuries in the O's outfield clear a path to a larger supply of playing time than expected.

A Rule 5 pick in December, Rickard parlayed a strong showing in Grapefruit League play into an opportunity to start in left field for the Orioles on Opening Day. With the struggles of Hyun-soo Kim this spring, Rickard may have a chance to secure the job all season, and his ability to draw walks in the minors suggests that he has the baseline skills necessary to emerge as a leadoff option if he can sustain that eye against big league pitching. Splitting time at three levels in 2015, Rickard swiped 23 bases in 27 attempts in the Rays' organization over 117 games (with a combined .321/.427/.447 line), but as a ninth-round pick out of Arizona in 2012, he fell short of earning a 40-man roster spot during the offseason.