Gregory Polanco went 1 for 5 with a run scored in his first big league game. He will be a toolsy fantasy player in the near future but the smart play here is to sell and sell high. Keep in mind my June 1st article- “Selling High- Taveras.” Oscar Taveras is hitting .194 at the moment with two extra base hits in ten games played. Taveras was the “it guy” on the wire much like Polanco is now.
Analysis: I like the future of Gregory Polanco a lot more than that of Taveras. Taveras may turn onto the Fernando Martinez exit if he isn’t handled properly. Taveras doesn’t have much speed and his power is good not great.
Then you have Gregory Polanco… a future fantasy stat stuffer. Polanco has Hanley Ramirez like tools. He hit second in the order in front of Andrew McCutchen in his debut but who knows for how long? Polanco needed more time in the minors for the sake of plate discipline, period. His BABIP numbers are inflated as well. He has a .399 BABIP in Triple-A this year and a .350 plus BABIP in the other stops where he hit over .300 in the minors. This is a concern.
Polanco can and should contribute this year but he isn’t a fantasy savior. It’s best to sell high and maximize value/return.