Despite hitting just .199 this year and being benched often in the last week, Alex Rios is still a viable option for all fantasy squads.
Analysis: Yes, 2010 was a career year for Rios and to expect a repeat of his 2010 campaign this year was not expected. However, his career average over 162 games is a .277 BA with 17 home runs and 24 steals. He may only have four bombs and four swipes thus far this year but it does not warrant dropping the guy from your fantasy squad. Fantasy baseball is as much about patience as anything else. Rios is getting ready to explode and his numbers indicate that. His strikeouts are actually down from last year and his career average, his walk rate is at his career average, it’s just that his BABIP is just .205 while his career BABIP is .310. Rios is being dropped in many fantasy leagues across the country because of a lack of patience and when he explodes in the near future there will be many regrets. Rios may not reach a 20/20 season this year because it’s already June and he’s been unlucky but he’s a five category stud who should not be dropped from any fantasy squad.
Projection: Expect 12 homers, 14 stolen bases and a .275 batting average from Rios in his remaining ninety plus games.