Skills searching for roles, 2024

We're all itching to dissect this season's early returns—heck, we've been guilty of making snap judgments ourselves (hitterspitchers)—but it can be just as worthwhile to look at those who haven't been given an everyday shot but have the skills to make an impact.

After all, our age-old "Draft skills, not roles" mantra pertains to in-season pickups, too. Jumping on a few of these hitters before they snag an everyday gig can pay off handsomely over the season's next five months.

Filtering out injuries, here are the hitters with <40 plate appearances (roughly 50% playing time at this point) ranked by projected BPX (min. 80) through Sunday, April 21. Our pitcher calls are a bit more subjective, focusing mostly on potential rookie call-ups or sixth-starter types who haven't yet got their chance.

Players with commentaries are in bold but feel free to ask about others in the comments.

Hitters

 Projected Skills
HitterTeamPAxBAPXRSpdBPX
Vargas, IldemaroWSH40.2685650167
Nootbaar, LarsSTL38.2529998157
Matos,...

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