Lorenzo Cain

Cain was gearing up to bounce back from a tough 2019 season, but his 2020 campaign ended almost as soon as it began as he decided to opt out for family reasons after just five games. Cain had a tough time staying healthy in 2019 and will turn 35 early in April, but given the time off he should be fresh and ready to go for the 2021 campaign. He still has two years left on the five-year deal he signed in January of 2018, so the Brewers have little incentive to decrease his workload just yet. As such, expect him to start every day in center field. His spot in the batting order is a little less certain, as he did not lead off against the three righties he faced in 2020. He should still occupy the top spot in the order against southpaws at least. Even in his down year of 2019, Cain still recorded double digits in both homers and steals, and he's a good bet to repeat that in 2021.

Cain shined in 2018 after rejoining the same Milwaukee team that drafted him, setting career highs in BA, OBP and steals. However, he took a notable step back at the plate last season, finishing with his worst OPS since 2013 and in the bottom 10 of all MLB players in wRC+. He also stole just 18 bases after averaging 28 the previous two years. The main culprit for the drop in ratios and steals was a 3.5 percent point decline in his walk rate from 2018 to 2019, but he also had a career-low .301 BABIP and played through hand and leg injuries nearly the entire season. Cain will turn 34 in April and frequently gives up his body in the field, but if he is healthier and has better luck, there's reason to believe he can turn things around. Even if the injury and walk-rate issues persist, his stellar defense in center field -- which earned him his first career Gold Glove last year -- should earn him a spot in the lineup nearly every day.

After a seven-year stint with the Royals, Cain returned to the team that drafted him, signing with the Brewers in January. The move was announced mere minutes after the trade for Christian Yelich, which set up the Brewers' outfield for years to come. Yelich won the MVP, but Cain was almost equally as valuable, and he set career highs with a .308 batting average. .395 OBP, and 30 stolen bases while also scoring 90 runs, the second best mark of his career. Cain's role and approach limited his power numbers -- his 38 RBI were his fewest since 2012 -- but he was still plenty useful for fantasy players. Cain will turn 33 next April, but because he has relied more on getting on base than power, that concern is mitigated. Cain provides exceptional defense -- it's puzzling he didn't win a Gold Glove in 2018 -- and will be in the second year of a five-contract in 2019, so expect him to reprise his role as the Brewers' regular center fielder and leadoff hitter.

Cain spent his walk year in Kansas City proving he could finally do the one thing that he hadn't done to that point in his career -- stay healthy. 2017 was the first time Cain avoided the disabled list and yet the increased playing time did not lead to him setting any new career highs in the counting categories. One area where he game improved was in the contact department (15.5 strikeout percentage), which is notable given the trend league-wide to make less contact and hit with more power. Cain landed a lucrative five-year, $80 million deal with the Brewers in January and will be an everyday outfielder in the club's impressive lineup. The veteran outfielder should be a solid contributor of average, runs and steals, but it is tough to forecast success beyond that as Cain turns 32 at the start of the season and the aging curve for center fielders is not kind. In reset leagues, he should see a bump in value, but in keeper leagues, don't go the extra dollar.

Coming off a breakout 2015 campaign, much was expected from Cain. However, even prior to suffering a mid-August wrist injury which slowed down the outfielder before truncating his campaign in September, Cain was a fantasy disappointment. Will 2015 go down as his career year? Before the wrist woes, Cain lost time with a hamstring injury which isn't encouraging for a guy on the wrong side of 30 who's never played more than 140 games in a season. On the other hand, his plate skills were reasonably close to 2015 and should be stable; it was his homers and steals that were lacking. Cain is back to where he was before 2015 -- a highly skilled player with significant power and speed upside. The good news is prospective owners no longer need to pay extra for this. The bad news is he's a year older and it's hard to expect anything more than 130-140 games. Don't be afraid to invest but don't expect 2015 levels either.

Last season was the career year everyone had been waiting to get out of Cain, as he finally put together the power to go along with the speed game that he has always had. He is one of just six full-time players to hit over .300 each of the last two seasons, and a legit threat to be a 20-20 player in 2016. He is a low-risk player because he has cut his strikeouts down quite a bit and his speed buys him hits that slower players do not get. That said, he also turns 30 near the start of the season, which is hard to believe, considering he has only had three full seasons of major league play under his belt. The power production could eclipse the speed production in short order, but for now, he’s a safer option to own over someone like Adam Jones.

Cain had a career-year in 2014 for the Royals, driving in 53 runs and stealing 28 bases, to go along with a .301/.339/.412 slash line. Although he started the season near the bottom of the batting order, manager Ned Yost moved him up to the three-hole in mid-September and never looked back, keeping him there for most of their playoff run. The outfielder saw his walk rate dip a bit (4.8%) and his strikeout rate increase (21.5%), but a .380 BABIP helped him hit above the .300 mark for the first time in his major league career. Cain may not bring much to the table from a power standpoint (just five home runs), but his ability to hit for average and prowess on the basepaths make him a solid fantasy outfielder. If he maintains that position in the batting order, he should be able to drive in more runs, as well as score more often this time around.

It was another year of disappointment for Cain and his owners, as injuries continually disrupted his campaign He did not get off to a fast start and hit just .259 with four home runs and 10 stolen bases over 286 at-bats in the first half. Before he even had a chance to turn things around, an oblique injury landed him on the disabled list for part of July and most of August; and when he did finally return, he failed to earn his job back and fell into a platoon with Jarrod Dyson and David Lough. Cain should open the 2014 season as the Royals' starting center fielder and still has that 15-15 potential, but until he can stay healthy for a full season and hit for more power, he remains a mid- to low-end fantasy option.

Expectations ran high for Cain in 2012 after he won the starting center field job with a torrid spring, but an early-season groin injury followed immediately by a strained hip flexor completely derailed his season and limited him to just five games in the first half. He batted .275 with seven home runs and 10 stolen bases when he returned after the All-Star break, but had his season cut short in mid-September by yet another leg injury, this time a strained hamstring. Cain has legitimate 15-15 potential, but will need to work on his plate discipline to achieve that level. It is not that he is up at the plate hacking away at pitches outside the zone, but his contact rates are slightly below average and he swings through a lot of pitches, as evidenced by his increasing swinging-strike rate, which rose for the third straight season and topped out at 11.1 percent. Once again, he will be the favorite to earn the starting center field job in 2013 and, if he can stay healthy, just might live up to that potential the Royals saw when they acquired him in the Zack Greinke deal after the 2010 season.

When Cain came over from Milwaukee to Kansas City as part of the Zack Greinke deal, many thought he would immediately jump into the team's center field role and run with it. Instead, he spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Omaha where he hit .312/.380/.497 with 16 home runs and steals. He was blocked at the major league level by Melky Cabrera, who turned in a career year, so the move was understandable at the time. With Cabrera getting traded to San Francisco, the door has opened for Cain to step in and finally claim the center field position. The fact that Ned Yost likes his players to stay active on the basepaths plays right into Cain's skill set as he can hit for average and has shown good speed in the past (33 stolen bases in 2010 between Double-A, Triple-A and the majors with Milwaukee). That combination alone should have fantasy owners excited about what 2012 holds for Cain.

Cain rebounded from a lost 2009 season to make his way to the majors and put himself in a position to be Milwaukee's starting center fielder in 2011. Cain hit .306/.348/.415 in 43 games with seven stolen bases for the Brewers after a late season callup and played above average defense. His .373 BABIP average should give fantasy owners a reason to pause before selecting him. Traded to the Royals as part of the Zack Greinke deal in December, Cain should have every opportunity to secure the starting job this spring as the rebuilding efforts in Kansas City continue.

Cain was on track to get a shot at a starting center-field job in 2010, but then missed half of last season with a partially torn MCL and played poorly after he returned. When healthy, he's shown an improving ability to get on base and a moderate amount of power. Combining that with the ability to play center field leads to a capable major league player. The Brewers' trade for Carlos Gomez indicates that they don't feel Cain is ready for prime-time duty just yet. He'll likely play next season at Triple-A Nashville where a good season can put him back on track for a roster spot in Milwaukee.

Cain finally came through on the potential tag that has been hanging on him for the past few years with a solid 2008 season. Prompted to Double-A Huntsville halfway through the season, he hit .277/.363/.486 in 40 games. He followed that up with a 1.017 OPS in 18 Arizona Fall League games. Cain's ability to play center and a 25 of 31 success rate on stolen bases last season only enhances his chances of moving quickly through the Milwaukee system. The Brewers will likely start him off at Double-A in 2009, but don't be shocked if he finds himself in Milwaukee before the season is out.

Cain is an intriguing sleeper prospect for the Brewers. In 2006 he hit .307/.384/.425 with 34 SB for Low-A West Virginia as a 20 year old. Right now he doesn't hit for much power, but most scouts think he'll fill out as he gets older and the power will develop. If that power stroke does come around, Cain will be one of the brighter prospects in the Milwaukee system.