He made just 359 plate appearances last year, but he did hit .264/.338/.438 with 13 home runs. While Travis Snider will not be the type of player he was once hoped to be, he does have the potential to be useful to you and your fantasy squad.

Currently, Snider is hitting third in the Orioles lineup against right-handed pitching which is a pretty prime place for any hitter to be. Batting directly in front of Adam Jones is a positive from a fantasy perspective. He will score a lot of runs hitting in front of Jones and may drive in a good amount hitting right behind Steve Pearce.

Speaking of Pearce, the Orioles have a history of taking Snider-type guys and turning them into fantasy all stars. They have done so with both Pearce and Chris Davis. At just 27-years-old, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that Snider goes on a tear and comes close to fulfilling the potential many thought he had as he crushed minor league pitching.

ZiPS and Steamer do not love Snider, but they think he should be reasonable. In daily leagues that you can plug Snider in as an outfield or utility option, you could do a lot worse. He is more valuable in OBP leagues, if last season is any indicator, but he should provide enough power, runs, and RBI to be suitable as a platoon option against right-handed pitching.

A positive so far is that Snider is not sitting against lefties. The Orioles have dropped him to seventh in the lineup against lefties, but that is much better than being on the bench altogether. The Pirates limited him immensely against lefties, but he did manage a 200 wRC+ in the 47 plate appearances he had against southpaws. It is far from likely that Snider is the type of bat who can crush same handed pitching, but it is possible that he can hit enough against lefties to justify a 550 plate appearance year. With that many plate appearances in the type of ballparks the Orioles play in, 20 home runs is not out of the question.

Snider has looked impressive in the first few games for the Orioles and post-hype guys like him are always interesting plays. You can always add him for free and if it does not pan out drop him with ease. But you could also end up having last year’s Steve Pearce on your roster before he goes full Steve Pearce and you miss out on a lot of the quality.