Fantasy Baseball 2020: Breaking Down Oscar Mercado, Top Outfield Sleepers

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado will be one of a few young players to watch as fantasy baseball drafts hit the later rounds. 

The 25-year-old turned in an impressive rookie campaign in the American League, but now he needs to prove he can be a consistent force in the Cleveland lineup.

Houston's Kyle Tucker is another emerging option to consider as an outfield sleeper, but his major league resume does not have much on it yet. 

He has played parts of the last two seasons with Houston but is yet to showcase the power he displayed in the minor leagues. 

The alternative to the young options is going after veteran outfielders to round out depth. Milwaukee's Avisail Garcia fits that category as someone who can provide power from a deeper draft spot. 

Top Outfield Sleepers

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland

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Mercado inserted himself into the Cleveland lineup in May and made a decent fantasy impact with 15 home runs, 54 RBI and a .269 batting average. 

However, he lacked consistent power at the plate outside of a three-game home run streak from September 20-22.

Mercado still carries value in the middle-to-late rounds because he displayed an ability to get on base throughout his rookie season. He produced 10 games with three or more hits and finished with 118 base knocks from 482 plate appearances over 115 contests. 

He should also benefit from having power hitters strewn across the top of Cleveland's order. 

Opposing pitchers could be more willing to test Mercado in certain situations instead of risking it against Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

With power beneath him in the order, Mercado's runs total could increase from 70. 

Since he does not have overwhelming power, he won't be a high pick, but he can provide depth in most stat categories.

Kyle Tucker, Houston 

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Tucker entered the majors with some hype, but he hasn't cracked a consistent spot in Houston's lineup yet. 

The 23-year-old hit four home runs and earned 11 RBI over 22 contests last season.

He should experience an uptick in appearances, but he still has to compete with George Springer, Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick for playing time. 

If Tucker flashes signs of increased power at the start of the season, he could mix in at designated hitter with Yordan Alvarez as well. 

He is worth a late-round flier because of the home run totals he produced in the minor leagues. He had 34 at Triple-A Round Rock in 2019. If he conveys that form into 2020, he could be a terrific asset for the Astros to use in some capacity.

Since there are still too many unknowns about his major league play, Tucker should still be viewed as a low-risk, high-reward pick in the final few rounds. 

Avisail Garcia, Milwaukee

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Garcia is more of a known quantity, as he increased his home run total in each of the last three seasons. 

After hitting 20 long balls for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, he will be a part of the Milwaukee Brewers lineup in 2020.

Hitting behind Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura should come with its advantages. If Milwaukee's power hitters reach base, there should be plenty of RBI opportunities for Garcia further down the order. 

In two of the last three seasons, the 28-year-old recorded his career-high and second-best RBI totals. 

If Garcia remains consistent with those numbers or continues an upward trajectory in the power categories, he could be a solid fourth or fifth outfielder. 

In the absolute best-case scenario, Garcia could be a fringe third outfielder in your squad, but he will likely be a depth option who could provide more power than others. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.