Te’ tees off

Get fantasy boost from young OF

UPSIDE is, and always will be, the name of the game.

We’re always looking for young players whose potential has not yet been tapped, players who can offer us help today, as well as tomorrow and thereafter.

If you’re an owner who has struggling players such as Jay Bruce, Andrew McCutchen, Yoenis Cespedes (despite his 23 RBIs entering Friday, his season has been pretty terrible thus far), or you missed out on Ronald Acuna, you may need someone to fill a spot in the outfield.

That’s when a young player like Toronto’s Teoscar Hernandez should be on your radar. Over his f i rst 11 games, the 25-year-old was 14-for-45 (.311) with three homers, 10 RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base and a 1.037 OPS. He also walked six times, struck out 12 and had eight of his first 14 hits go for extra-bases, all while hitting out of the No. 2 hole for a surprising Blue Jays squad.

Here is what we do know about Hernandez: His power and speed are for real. Not only did he hit 93 homers over 703 games in the minors, he also stole 169 bases. His best season came in 2014, when he had 21 homers, 85 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. He also stole 33 bases in 2015 and 34 in 2016. He has also hit 15 homers and driven in 41 runs in 79 big league appearances. The steals will come.

Hernandez’s downfall , l i ke that of so many young players, is being too aggressive at the plate and whiff ing about as often as Kim Kardashian posts a Photoshopped picture to Instagram. In 2,724 minor league plate appearances, he struck out in 25.8 percent of his at-bats (703 times). In 258 career plate appearances in the majors, between time with the Astros (he was the mai n pi e ce Toronto re ce ive d f ro m Houston last season in the Francisco Liriano deal) and Blue Jays, he has struck out in 29.5 percent of his at-bats — including 23.5 percent this year. He also doesn’t walk much, earning a free pass in just 8.9 percent of his plate appearances in the majors and just 8.7 percent in the minors.

Sure, his .367 BABIP and . 311 average will drop as his strikeout total will continue to rise, but Hernandez is still a valuable commodity — and not just in dynasty league formats. He is one of those talents who combines speed with power, and he only should get better with more games under his belt while playing half his games in a hitter-friendly ballpark on a team that may be ranked near the bottom of the leag ue in average but, as of Friday, was ranked fourth in homers (32), sixth in RBIs (119) and fifth in runs scored (127). He has 20/20 potential, and that is something that cannot be overlooked — even if his average settles in the .250-range, as it has throughout his career (in the majors and minors).

Hernandez was the fourth-most added player in ESPN leagues this week, but the most added outfielder. He is still, however, available in 50 percent or more of ESPN and Yahoo leagues and is worth adding in all formats.

Here’s a look at a couple of other young outfielders to consider:

Washington’s Michael A. Taylor was hitting .160 on April 13, but went 11-for-35 (.314) with two homers, seven RBIs, 12 runs scored, f ive stolen bases and a 1.042 OPS over the ensuing 11 games before Friday. He is a solid source of power and speed, and still is available in many leagues.

Mac Williamson of the Giants has homered in three of his first 19 plate appearances this season, and 12 of the f irst 253 of his career. He is a strikeout machine with a subpar average, but in a game where power is king, he is worth keeping an eye on.