Juan Lagares

Lagares was off to a hot start last season before undergoing season-ending toe surgery in mid-May. In 64 plate appearances, he hit .339/.375/.390, numbers which represent career bests in all three categories. It's unwise to read too much into such a small sample, especially since it came with a .392 BABIP, but there are reasons to believe that at least some of the improvement was real. He cut his strikeout rate by 6.5 percentage points (down to 14.1%) after he reportedly made offseason swing changes. It will take more than a small improvement for Lagares to be a viable fantasy option, however, as his career line sits at .260/.300/.367 in 583 games. Playing time could be available with Yoenis Cespedes (heel) expected to miss at least the first half of the season, but Keon Broxton will probably get the first chance to win the center-field job. Expectations should remain low despite Lagares' small-sample success last year.

Lagares is going to have a major-league job in 2018 because he is an excellent defensive outfielder. That does not mean much for your fantasy teams because he is not an excellent hitter. He is not even a serviceable hitter as he lacks power and does not reach base enough to utilize the speed that he shows in closing the gaps in the outfield to take away extra base hits from opposing hitters. Lagares is currently projected as the starting center fielder for the Mets, which means he will get more opportunity to display his limited offensive skill set. He may end up stealing 10-plus bases with a full-time job, but there is no chance he lasts in the leadoff spot of this lineup. Lagares will end up back in a reserve role or down in the bottom third of the lineup soon enough.

Lagares was hampered by a thumb injury for much of the season, as he was limited to just 79 games and only started in 31 of those. Though he hit a career-worst .239 with an OPS of just .681, his worst month came directly after he returned from his first DL stint, when he hit just .160/.263/.300 in 50 at-bats in July, so it's fair to wonder if his swing was impacted by the thumb ailment. Either way, Lagares' struggles against right-handed pitching continued, as he hit just .217 with a .295 OBP against righties. Though he's been a bit better than that for his career, he was essentially viewed as a small-side platoon option coming into 2016 anyway, so his at-bats will likely be even more limited to just southpaws going forward. He is the only true center fielder on the Mets, but Curtis Granderson figures to masquerade in center field against righties in order to keep a potent offensive configuration in place.

Fears that Lagares might require Tommy John surgery were erased in November when it was revealed that he would not require a procedure to repair the partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow. Playing through the injury impacted him at the plate, and in the field, as his defense graded out below his typical elite levels. His bat also regressed after he showed signs of progress in 2014. Lagares' defense ability will keep him in the lineup as a near everyday player, but he will need to show improvement against right-handed pitching (.253/.271/.328) in order to take advantage of his playing time volume. It's entirely possible that the 2014 numbers are his peak as a hitter, but it would be foolish to completely rule out the possibility of hitting coach Kevin Long finding a way to get more mileage out of his bat, and Lagares can be utilized in deeper formats against left-handed pitching in his current state.

Even while being derailed by two stints on the disabled list and a sprained elbow that cost him time late in the year, Lagares established himself as a premier defensive center fielder for the Mets in 2014, earning Gold Glove honors. Now 26, there are still questions as to just how much he will hit big league pitching, but the results last season were better than in his first stint in the big leagues in 2013. Not surprisingly, Lagares runs very well, which enabled him to steal 13 bases in 17 attempts last year, and he piled up 46 runs scored while spending most of his at-bats outside of the leadoff spot. With a more discerning eye at the plate, it's not unreasonable to think that Lagares could receive regular nods atop the Mets' lineup, but his 4.6% career walk rate suggests that aspect of his game is still a work in progress. As long as he's able to avoid a setback with his elbow, Lagares is positioned for an everyday job again in 2015, while the potential for further growth at the plate and on the basepaths makes him an intriguing endgame target.

Lagares got off to a hot start in 2013, batting .346 with three homers and nine RBI through 78 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas, to earn a late-April promotion to the big leagues. He got off to a slow start, but started turning it around on June 5 and was on a tear until early August. Lagares really struggled in September, as his lack of plate discipline -– 20:96 BB:K in 421 plate appearances -- and fatigue caught up with him. Lagares showed he could hit in the upper minors from the time he broke out in 2011, and his plus defense should help him find a path to big league at-bats. The Mets' plans for him in 2014 are less clear now, however, after the addition of free agents Curtis Granderson and Chris Young.