Jeren

Kendall

Kendall was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft and never wound up reaching the majors. The 26-year-old outfielder hit just .162/.278/.295 with six homers and 26 steals last year for Double-A Tulsa.

He began the game on the bench but made the most of his two chances late in the game. He doubled in his first at-bat and then ripped a solo dong off reliever Lucas Luetge in the ninth inning. Kendall was the Dodgers’ first-round pick in the 2017 Draft. He struggled at the high Single-A level last year, batting just .215/.300/.356 with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 494 plate appearances. He did steal 37 bases though and could develop into a dynamic all-around fantasy performer over the next few years.

An outfielder out of Vanderbilt, Kendall was seen a legit candidate to be the first pick of this year’s draft, but concerns about the swing-and-miss in his game saw his stock slide. It’s a great risk for the Dodgers, as this is a double-plus defender who can make a difference with his glove and wheels. He also has some power in his bat, so he’s not useless with the bat. This is a high floor player who could be an absolute steal if he can make enough contact.

Kendall saw his draft stock slide a bit after a relatively disappointing junior season at Vandy, but he was seen as a steal at the No. 23 overall pick. He’s a high-floor player.

It’s the second homer of the season for Kendall, and the first since his promotion from Ogden to Great Lakes. The Dodgers selected the former Vanderbilt outfielder with their first pick, and he was a steal. He has plus-plus speed, and while he strikes out too often, he should draw enough walks with just enough pop to compensate. Because of his speed and defensive ability, he could move quickly through the L.A. system.

The homers are numbers eight and nine for the outfielder, respectively. He’s also shown off his wheels with 25 steals in the Cal League, and he’s drawn his fair share of walks with 34 over 70 games. Unfortunately, he’s struck out a whopping 97 times in that same time frame, and he’s hitting just .223. There’s lots of reasons to be excited about Kendall, but there’s a lot of work to be done as well. He’s as volatile of a fantasy prospect as there is.

The four steals give Kendall 10 on the season. The first-round pick from 2017 has struggled to hit for average (.224), but he does have a .360 on-base percentage on the season, and once on base, you can see that his double-plus speed makes him a stolen base threat. He’s also shown above-average power from the left side, but it’s a bit concerning he has no homers on the year, especially playing in the Cal League. The sample is still relatively small, and Kendall still has a great chance of being a 20-homer, 30-steal player at the highest level.