OFs Kim, Parker could help in deep leagues

O's slugger can reach base often; Giant has intriguing power

May 31st, 2016

Looking for outfield help in a deep fantasy league? If so, two lesser-heralded players -- Hyun Soo Kim and Jarrett Parker -- could be of service. FanGraph's Rylan Edwards discussed both players in his latest piece:
Hyun Soo Kim, O's outfielder: Kim's comic-book plate discipline numbers in South Korea made him a favorite of mine entering the season. I wrote about him here before the season and in following my own advice drafted him in multiple leagues. Even when writing about Joey Rickard's hot start, I couldn't help but lament that it came at the expense of Kim's at-bats and that my endorsement of Rickard was contingent upon Kim's benching. Well, there's a lesson to be learned here: Bat .400 long enough, and you'll get your shot.

Kim entered Tuesday having started six straight games for the Orioles, batting second in four straight. His walk rate on the year is a shiny 12% and his strikeout rate is just marginally higher at 14%. Kim has certainly benefited from his share of good fortune over the 58 plate appearances he's amassed so far, but that's hardly the point here. Aside from the sample size, most of those 58 plate appearances came in piecemeal playing time, so it's quite difficult to take anything away from his stat line, especially batted balls.
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What we do know is that Kim's walking like we all knew he could and now appears to be playing as frequently as we all hoped he would. Orioles outfielders rank 12th in the AL in BB% and as a team, Baltimore is striking out 23% of the time. Kim's discipline makes him a potentially elite source of runs at the top of a lineup that, while ranked fourth in baseball in isolated slugging, is also desperate for baserunners.
Now, Rickard has seemingly turned a corner, walking in 12% of his plate appearances since the start of May, so it's entirely possible that Kim's regularity in the lineup may prove short-lived. But he certainly appears to have gained manager Buck Showalter's favor and is making the most of his opportunity. He's still available in a ton of leagues, so if you're looking for outfield help -- particularly in OBP formats -- look no further than the former Doosan Bear.
Jarrett Parker, Giants outfielder: Quite honestly, I'm surprised Angel Pagan made it this long before hitting the disabled list. That was all the Giants needed to summon Parker from Triple-A.

You may remember Parker of .500 BABIP fame, from his fleeting yet wildly productive 2015 MLB stint. In just over 20 games with the club, Parker hit homers with great frequency, posted a .408 ISO, and walked in over 9% of his plate appearances. Of course, he also struck out nearly two-fifths of the time but if you, like me, were chasing down power late in the season, Parker was everything we could have asked for and more.
This season in Triple-A, Parker continued to do this thing: hitting homers while walking just enough to make his strikeouts palatable. He's also one year removed from a 20-homer, 20-steal season. That said, it's improbable Parker will emerge as a stolen-base threat in San Francisco and it's a near certainty that his strikeouts will prove problematic. But the power is real and his MiLB line is downright impressive, even by Pacific Coast League standards. Those searching for power in very deep leagues should pick him up and wait for the long balls to come.
A version of this article also appeared at FanGraphs.com.