X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Hunter Renfroe

In This Article hide

Those who follow prospects in any way at all should be familiar with Hunter Renfroe. He is a former first-round pick and a top 100 overall prospect the last two years. He was also MVP of the Pacific Coast League last season, mashing to the tune of an .893 OPS with 30 HR and 105 RBI. It marked the third out of four minor league seasons in which he totaled at least 20 HR and 75 RBI.

This hardly seems like sleeper material, but the fact is that Renfroe's current ADP may be way too low. Rookies are hard to trust in fantasy drafts, but if you're looking for upside in the power categories, Renfroe may trump some bigger names that are being selected ahead of him.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

Bargain Hunter?

Minor league stats aside, Renfroe enjoyed his first cup of coffee in the majors toward the tail end of last season. Padres fans enjoyed it quite a bit too, as they saw the Futures All-Star light up big league pitching in his 11-game stint. Renfroe collected 13 hits in 35 at-bats (.370 AVG), while smashing four homers and driving in 14 runs.

He showed good discipline for a slugger as well, striking out just five times. That means his 11.1% HR% and 13.9% K% were almost identical. For perspective, Kris Bryant toted a 5.6% HR% and a 22.0% K% in his MVP 2016 season. Of course, Bryant played much more than 11 games, so it is misleading to make too much of these limited statistics for Renfroe.

Small sample sizes are often the death knell of many a fantasy team. Miguel Sano pulled this trick on us last year and he was an even higher-rated prospect than Renfroe. The difference is that Renfroe isn't swinging for the fences every time, but is more prone to contact. Sano was a .257 hitter in the minors, whereas Renfroe hit .281 over four minor league seasons, including averages of .333 and .306 in 2014 and 2015. Renfroe could stand to take more walks, so leagues that use OBP and/or points leagues that include walks may lower him just a bit in their rankings. This type of upside is hard to ignore, however, given his recent track record and clear path to playing time.

Early data from NFBC rankings indicate that Renfroe is the 55th outfielder taken on average, with an ADP of 236 overall. Players taken just ahead of him include Max Kepler, Randal Grichuk, Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson. Once you get past the first few tiers, there is risk involved with any pick. After a torrid stretch, Kepler fell hard and ended the season hitting .235. Grichuk didn't fare much better, with a .289 OBP and a temporary demotion to the minors at one point. With two full seasons under his belt, Pederson is a .224 hitter with 311 strikeouts.

Renfroe comes with a bit of uncertainty, but he projects for a much higher average than all those players with the potential to match or surpass their power numbers. Chances are that a prospect like Renfroe would be valued much higher if he were playing in a big market rather than San Diego. Renfroe shouldn't just be valued highly in keeper leagues. He has a legitimate chance to be a solid fourth outfielder in re-draft leagues for 2017.


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nico Collins

Ruled Out Late on Monday Night With Concussion
Nico Collins

Suffers Head Injury on Monday Night
Jahmyr Gibbs

Blows Up For 218 Total Yards, Two Touchdowns in Win
Mike Evans

to Miss Most of the Year With Broken Clavicle
Jalen Williams

Ruled Out for Season Opener
Brandon Woodruff

Expects to Be Ready for Opening Day
Mike Evans

Ruled Out Monday With Concussion, Shoulder Injury
Mike Evans

Making his Return in Primetime Against Detroit
Emeka Egbuka

Officially Active on Monday Night
Dereck Lively II

Mavericks Exercise Fourth-Year Option on Dereck Lively II
Patrik Laine

Remains Out Monday
Dyson Daniels

Agrees to Four-Year Rookie Contract Extension on Monday
Jared McCann

Out Against Flyers
Carson Soucy

Ready to Return Monday
Ja Morant

Expected to Suit Up Wednesday
Zach Bogosian

Unavailable Against Rangers
Marco Rossi

Misses Monday's Action
Shayne Gostisbehere

Sits Out Monday's Game
Christian Braun

Inks Contract Extension With Nuggets on Monday
Mark Stone

Out Week-to-Week
Michael Penix Jr.

Dealing With Bone Bruise in Foot, Considered Day-to-Day
Coby White

Ruled Out For First Two Weeks
Jayden Daniels

Avoids Long-Term Injury, Status Unknown for Week 8
Bilal Coulibaly

Ruled Out For Opener, Early Season Absence Expected
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Locked In As Starter For Rockets Opener
Jaylen Brown

Fully Cleared, Set To Lead Celtics In Season Opener
Tua Tagovailoa

Dolphins Sticking With Tua Tagovailoa as Their Starting QB
Josh Hart

Back Injury Puts Opening Night Status In Doubt
Daniel Gafford

Registers Limited Practice, Questionable for Opener
Brock Bowers

Expected Back After the Bye
Darren Waller

Week-to-Week Following MRI
Kendre Miller

Out for the Year After Suffering Torn ACL
Christian Braun

There's "Cautious Optimism" Around Christian Braun Signing Contract Extension
Bryce Young

Expected to Miss Week 8
Nikola Topić

Nikola Topic Has Third-Year Option Picked Up
Cason Wallace

Thunder Pick Up Fourth-Year Option for Cason Wallace
Brooklyn Nets

Nets Waive Kobe Bufkin
Justin Fields

to Lose Starting Job After Week 7 Benching?
Haywood Highsmith

Suffers Setback While Rehabbing Knee
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder Suffers His First UFC Loss
Brendan Allen

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kevin Holland

Drops Decision
Mike Malott

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Jordan Addison

Leads Minnesota With 128 Receiving Yards in Loss
Marlon Vera

Loses Third Consecutive Fight
Aiemann Zahabi

Gets A Razor-Thin Split Decision Win
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Manon Fiorot

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ryan Donato

Leads Blackhawks to Victory Sunday
Tom Wilson

Registers Two Assists, Seven Hits Sunday
Conor Garland

Sends Out Two Assists Sunday
David Pastrnak

Pots Two Goals in Losing Effort
Davey Grant

Suffers Submission Loss
Emmitt Finnie

Notches Three Points Against Oilers
Dylan Larkin

Totals Four Points in Sunday's Win
Charles Jourdain

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Frevola

Gets Dominated At UFC Vancouver
Matt Frevola

Kyle Nelson Dominates Matt Frevola
Josh Jacobs

Saves Fantasy Performance With Two Touchdowns Against Cardinals
Javonte Williams

Records Second 100-Yard Rushing Game in Week 7
Darren Waller

Suffers Pectoral Strain, Will Undergo MRI
Jake Ferguson

Scores Two TDs Despite Return of Top Dallas Receiver
Rashee Rice

Heavily Involved in Debut, Scores Two Touchdowns Against Raiders
Toumani Camara

Gets Four-Year Contract Extension from Portland
Shaedon Sharpe

Blazers Agree on a Contract Extension
Kevin Durant

Lands Two-Year Contract Extension with Houston
George Springer

Returns to Lineup for Game 6 of ALCS
Domantas Sabonis

to Miss at Least a Few Games, Will be Re-Evaluated in One Week
Spencer Knight

Takes on Ducks Sunday
Shakir Mukhamadullin

Sharks Place Shakir Mukhamadullin on Injured Reserve
Kasperi Kapanen

Exits With Injury Sunday
Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Suffers Injury Sunday
Filip Chytil

Injured on Sunday
Teddy Blueger

Hurt in Sunday's WIn
Jason Dickinson

Remains Out Sunday
CFB

Colorado State Fires Head Coach Jay Norvell After Four Seasons
CFB

Florida Fires Head Coach Billy Napier After Four Years
Nils Lundkvist

Expected to Miss Time
Chase Elliott

Can Chase Elliott Deliver Another Clutch Win to Make Championship 4?
William Byron

Seeks First Win at Talladega to Overcome Las Vegas Crash
Chase Briscoe

Likely to Finish Worse Than he Starts
Kyle Larson

Despite No Wins on Drafting Tracks, Kyle Larson is Improving
Tyler Reddick

Despite Winning at Talladega, Tyler Reddick's Drafting Record Is Not So Hot
Ross Chastain

Poor Qualifying Makes him a Strong DFS Option at Talladega
Chris Buescher

Excellent Crash Avoidance Could Reap Dividends at Talladega
Ty Gibbs

If Ty Gibbs' Team Executes a Better Strategy, he Could Win at Talladega
Daniel Suarez

Hopes for Clutch Talladega Win to Remain in the NASCAR Cup Series
Josh Berry

Might Contend at Talladega
Austin Dillon

Doesn't Lead Enough at Talladega to Contend for Wins
Rob Dillingham

Timberwolves Exercise Team Option on Rob Dillingham
Brendan Donovan

Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
George Springer

Exits Game 5 Early After HBP on his Knee
Jackson Chourio

Back in Game 4 Lineup Against Dodgers
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Has Bone Spurs Removed From his Elbow
Brendan Allen

Set For UFC Vancouver Main Event
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder A Favorite At UFC Vancouver
Mike Malott

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kevin Holland

Set For UFC Vancouver Co-Main Event
Aiemann Zahabi

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
Marlon Vera

Returns At UFC Vancouver
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Manon Fiorot

Looks To Bounce Back
Aoriqileng

Aori Aoriqileng Looks To Rebound
CFB

Curt Cignetti Signs Eight-Year, $11.6 Million Extension With Indiana
Carlos Rodón

Carlos Rodon Unlikely to Be Ready for Opening Day After Elbow Surgery
Anthony Santander

Removed From ALCS Roster With Back Injury
Jackson Chourio

Aggravates Hamstring, Pulled Early in Game 3 of NLCS
Aaron Judge

Will Not Need Elbow Surgery
Anthony Volpe

Won't be Ready for Start of Next Season
Gerrit Cole

Won't be Ready for Opening Day Next Year
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee
CFB

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt Probable For Saturday
Anthony Volpe

Undergoes Left-Shoulder Surgery
CFB

Jayden Gibson No Longer with Oklahoma Program

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP