Five-tool players like Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen are rare gems in fantasy baseball today because they can help your team out in every single offensive category. The common belief is that in order to snag a five-tool player, you will have to use your first round pick on one rather than a power-hitting specialist like Miguel Cabrera.
Luckily for you, you decided to click on this article. Here are five players (with projections) you can take in later rounds that are poised to help you out in every offensive statistical category.
SS Starlin Castro - Chicago Cubs (.272 average, 12 HR, 58 RBI, 16 SB, 65 R)
Castro may deter some fantasy owners because of his .245 batting average last season and only nine stolen bases, but there are many reasons to believe that his 2013 was a fluke and that he will be back this year.
In each of his first three MLB seasons (2010-2012), Castro hit above .280, and for the past three seasons he has hit double digits in home runs. He also stole over twenty bases in 2011 and 2012.
If he plays at full strength in 2014, his power numbers should increase, his average should stabilize his average and he should give you a good amount of stolen bases.
Although he is battling a hamstring injury that he suffered at the beginning of Spring Training, he should not miss a significant amount of time this season.
Expect Castro to be taken in the seventh or eighth round of your draft.
OF Matt Kemp - Los Angeles Dodgers (.288 average, 23 HR, 86 RBI, 20 SB, 75 R)
Kemp's injury problems in the last few years may raise a red flag, but the fact that he is being taken in the seventh and eighth rounds should give you an opportunity to swipe him up before anyone else does.
He has not played a full season since 2011, when he nearly won the National League Triple Crown, but his 162-game averages over the past two injury-riddled seasons have still been solid.
If Kemp can stay healthy this year, he may very well put up numbers worthy of a second- or third-round pick.
OF Will Venable - San Diego Padres (.263 average, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 24 SB, 63 R)
Venable had somewhat of a breakout year in 2013, becoming a member of the 20-20 club for the first time in his career. He has always been a given to steal twenty-plus bases, but last year showed a power spike that drastically improved his fantasy value if he can keep it up.
His .268 average was the best in his career so far, and it has been climbing for four consecutive years now. One of his issues has been striking out often while walking rarely, but if he can fix his discipline and raise his average, he could become an extremely valuable fantasy players.
Venable will likely be taken in the tenth, eleventh or twelfth round of your draft.
OF Shane Victorino - Boston Red Sox (.279 average, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 22 SB, 72 R)
Rumor has it that Victorino could switch to hitting solely right-handed this year, which could benefit his numbers greatly, as he has always been better from the right side of the plate.
While his power has never really been much to marvel at, the move to Fenway Park last year seemed to show an improvement in his numbers as he slugged fifteen homers. That number could definitely rise if he feels more comfortable hitting right-handed.
As far as steals go, Victorino normally gets more than twenty and occasionally in the high thirties.
Victorino is being taken in ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds of drafts.
2B/SS/OF Ben Zobrist - Tampa Bay Rays (.270 average, 14 HR, 69 RBI, 12 SB, 88 R)
Zobrist is valuable because of his versatility, but his power and speed can be a big boost for your team as well. His home run total has been in double digits for the past six seasons, and he surpassed the twenty-homer plateau in three of those six years. His stolen base total has also been in double didits for the past five years, including a career-high of 24 in 2010.
While his .263 career batting average is nothing too exciting, it is still much better than many shortstops. It is also skewed because of growing pains from back when he was first trying to crack the Major League roster.
Grab Zobrist fairly early, as he will likely be taken in the sixth or seventh round of the draft.