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 (hitters | pitchers)—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
Hitter	Team	PA	xBA	PX	RSpd	BPX
Vargas, Ildemaro	WSH	40	.268	56	50	167
Nootbaar, Lars	STL	38	.252	99	98	157
Matos,...

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