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Every fantasy manager wants to be the one to uncover that hidden gem that fell through the cracks of their draft. Look no further than Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams from fantasy football this past season. Considering the draft capital required to roster them -- or lack thereof-- they presented more value than just about anyone in 2023.
Fantasy baseball is no different. Think of names like Nolan Jones, Josh Lowe, and Lane Thomas from a year ago. In fact, it fantasy baseball will offer even more value options among undrafted players when you consider the larger rosters and just how many more fantasy-relevant players there are than that of football or basketball. We all want a piece of that action, but how do we get ahead of the pack before the value emerges from the shadows?
This year is especially interesting because so many high-profile names with proven resumes are going undrafted. Let's explore some household names who have been fantasy stars before and how they could spike for a top 50 season in 2024. Since prospects can attain top 50 numbers on limited sample sizes depending on when they're called up, let's stick to players who will be on Opening Day rosters to keep things simple.
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Andrew Benintendi - OF, Chicago White Sox
Yahoo Ranking: 289
Andrew Benintendi bagged the largest guaranteed contract in Chicago White Sox history courtesy of a five-year, $75 million contract last offseason, but his debut season on the South Side produced the worst numbers of his career. Excluding a truncated 2020, Benintendi's .262/.326/.356 triple-slash line over 621 plate appearances essentially yielded career lows across the board. To make matters worse, the contact-oriented outfielder now has just 10 home runs in his last 1,142 PAs since 2022. That's not going to cut it.
It was a difficult year all around for the ChiSox, and Benintendi more or less went down with the ship. But his bat-to-ball skills remained intact, and Benny's 10 stolen bases were his most since 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. The former No. 7 overall pick bounced around Chicago's lineup last year, spending far too much time out of place in the two-hole and slashing a paltry .239/.301/.342 with three homers, 21 RBI, and four steals across 78 starts from this spot.
In the leadoff position, however, Benintendi was far more comfortable with a solid .301/.366/.393 slash line, two bombs, 22 runs scored, and six swipes through 44 starts. Don't expect much pop, but Benintendi is set to lead off in 2024 with Tim Anderson out of the picture. The 2022 All-Star, Benintendi, is a decent bounce-back bet and should be a fine source of batting average, runs, and SBs with some strong power bats following him in the order.
Charlie Blackmon - OF, Colorado Rockies
Yahoo Ranking: 306
Baseball just wouldn't feel the same if we didn't get to see Charlie Blackmon walk up to The Outfield's Your Love at Coors Field, and after plenty of trade murmurs surrounded the veteran outfielder last year, Blackmon and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a one-year extension late last September. The move keeps Colorado's longtime leadoff man in a favorable setup for fantasy purposes, and Blackmon was still very productive in his age-37 campaign.
Albeit with a modest start to the year, Blackmon returned following a two-month absence with a fractured right hand on Aug. 14 to slash a robust .297/.386/.466 with 10 doubles, 23 runs scored, and four thefts covering the final quarter of the year.
Blackmon will turn 38 in July, and he'll remain at risk of an in-season trade due to an expiring deal. That could be a disastrous development for his fantasy value, considering he'd likely be shifting from leading off at the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the majors potentially to the bottom of a contending team's lineup. If Blackmon gets off to a hot start, the former Silver Slugger and batting champion would be a prime sell-high candidate in preempt of a possible trade. That's something to worry about in July.
With plenty of talent batting behind Blackmon in Colorado's lineup, Chuck Nazty has a good chance at a 15-HR, 15-SB season while racking up lots of hits, runs, and doubles.
Joc Pederson - OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yahoo Ranking: 302
This is the one I'm most excited about on this list. Joc Pederson sometimes gets a bad reputation for merely being a three-true-outcomes hitter and a platoon-specific righty masher, but he's arguably been one of the best sluggers in baseball for the past two years. Peep his page from 2023 for yourself, and his 2022 rankings are even better.
Pederson's presence at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants over this time has kept his counting stats in check. The NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks swooped in to secure Pederson's services on a one-year pact to add a big bat to clean up for their lineup in 2024, and while the landing spot may not be ideal, it's an upgrade, nonetheless.
Chase Field may not be the hitters' park since the humidor was installed in 2018, but it's certainly a more favorable environment for batters than Oracle Park's cavernous right-center field. San Fran's lineup was also bereft of star power, leaving Pederson with sporadic RBI opportunities.
How many homers Pederson piles up is a concern at this venue, but his Statcast profile over a two-year sample size represents nearly that of a superstar slugger. Pederson is always going to be better in points leagues, since he doesn't steal bases, draws a lot of walks, and his BA can fluctuate. His chances of being an elite source of power stats are pretty convincing, and considering Pederson's xBA sat in the top third of baseball in each of the last two seasons, the two-time All-Star could crush it as a poor man's Pete Alonso.
I could see Pederson taking a page from former Giants All-Star teammate Brandon Belt, who was a great source of slugging for fantasy managers once his role became settled during the second half of 2023 in his lone year with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 85 games from May 4 on, Belt slashed a potent .274/.396/.538 with 18 blasts, 38 RBI, and 48 runs scored. For context, that's the kind of pace I'm expecting Pederson to put himself on in the desert.
Anthony Rendon - 3B, Los Angeles Angels
Yahoo Ranking: 352
We're going to choose to ignore Anthony Rendon's recent comments for this one.
Despite his apparent lack of enthusiasm, Rendon shook off a slow start in 2023 to assemble a .301 BA and .784 OPS with four doubles, 20 RBI, 19 walks, and two thefts across his first 30 games of the year. Pacing for a 100-RBI campaign despite just one round-tripper over this interval, Rendon went down with a strained left groin that would ultimately ruin his momentum. After returning on Jun. 6, Rendon went just 4-for-45 before a left shin contusion ended his year.
It's been the same story, different year for Rendon since the shortened 2020. Playing in 58 games or fewer in each of the past three years, the former Washington Nationals standout's last great season did occur in 2020 with the Halos before the injuries began to pile up. That said, it's fair to wonder if these injuries are beginning to take a toll. If we extrapolate his numbers over the last three years, Rendon has slashed an underwhelming .235/.338/.364 with 13 homers, 29 doubles, 80 RBI, and four pilfers encompassing 625 PAs.
While that all sounds like doom and gloom, luckily for us, we can get Rendon for free to start most 2024 fantasy leagues. Although he hasn't played enough to officially qualify in the Statcast rankings in any of the latest three years, Rendon's xwOBA was still a strong .357 in 2023, and his hard-hit rate (41.6%) was his highest mark since his RBI-leading 2019. The former All-Star and Silver Slugger's plate discipline remained superb across the board in terms of, strikeout, and walk rates.
Drafted in just two percent of Yahoo leagues, Rendon carries the track record to suggest he could spike for a top 50 fantasy season as Mike Trout's primary lineup protector in the aftermath of Shohei Ohtani's departure.
Andrew McCutchen - OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Yahoo Ranking: 481
This one is really for points league managers. I say that because much of Andrew McCutchen's fantasy appeal derives from his perennial ability to rack up free passes (15.9% walk rate in '23), but he still put together a workmanlike season during his second go-around with the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen's .256 BA and 11 swipes were his best figures since 2018, and his .378 OBP matched his highest since 2015 when he was still an annual MVP candidate. Cutch's 41.6% hard-hit rate also mirrored his strongest clip since '15.
McCutchen isn't getting any younger at 37 years old, but his 77th-percentile sprint speed is still good enough to yield a 20-SB year. Projected to clean up for the Pirates this season, McCutchen could feasibly smack 20 homers with plenty of talent batting ahead of him in 2024. The 2013 NL MVP was on pace for that amid the first half of 2023, slashing a potent .287/.399/.455 with 10 dingers and nine SBs over his first 296 PAs across 70 games before an 0-for-17 dry spell to start to July prompted an IL stint due to right elbow inflammation.
It may have been a struggle for McCutchen to close out the year before a partial tear to his left Achilles tendon, but if we get the first-half version of him in 2024, the former All-Star could be a formidable four-category fantasy asset.
LaMonte Wade Jr. - 1B/OF, San Francisco Giants
Yahoo Ranking: 569
This is another one tailored for points/OBP-league managers, but LaMonte Wade Jr. is staring at a massive opportunity for a potential career season in 2024. The offseason loss of the aforementioned Joc Pederson frees up a premium lineup spot for Wade, who is expected to hit third in an underrated San Fran lineup with an intriguing blend of youth at the top and bottom as well as established veterans in between. The addition of Jorge Soler should only boost Wade's prospects regarding run scoring.
Starting 97 contests as the leadoff batter in the Bay Area a season ago, Wade wasn't in the proper position to hit for power. In between a July and August tailspin, Wade bookended his year with a slash line of .278/.435/.513, seven homers, 18 runs scored, and 28 walks through his first 115 ABs (40 games) and a .292 BA with a .900 OPS, four taters, 10 RBI, and 11 runs scored in his final 80 PAs (22 outings).
There's a lot to like about the lefty-hitter's situation in 2024, and Wade's .454 xSLG implies there's more pop in his bat than we saw in 2023 (he cranked 18 long balls in just 109 games back in 2021). He's not going to steal many bases, so we'll need a total in the neighborhood of 25 homers and 90 RBI with a high average to consummate any type of top-50 year out of Wade.
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