Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Third Base

Third base prospects are when things get serious. It is the position where you find some of your big-power hitters. Of course, you’ll see your share of warts as no prospect is perfect. I know, I know; some will differ greatly on that topic. Essentially, power is excellent, but sometimes it has a cost to […]

Chris Archer - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

From stud to bust to, if you can believe it, sleeper. Chris Archer put together a below-average campaign in 2018 posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 9.83 K/9. His past few seasons have been disappointing at best as evidenced by his 4.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 11.15 K/9 in 2017. He’s left fantasy owners with […]

Christin Stewart - Are We Undervaluing This Powerful Prospect?

There’s an undeniable sense of pride that we get as fantasy managers from rostering that brand new stud or breakout star. Owning these tantalizing players makes up for those busts on your squad that you wish you had never even heard of before the season started. Drafting one of these letdowns is an ongoing headache […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Shortstop

Shortstops are generally the most athletic players on the field. It is also a very important position, defensively, but we don’t really concern ourselves with that in fantasy, aside from ensuring a player will be able to stay on the field. As usual, there is a vast collection of athletic players to choose from, and the […]

Scooter Gennett - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Sleepers typically have one or more of some certain characteristics that make them seem undesirable. That may include playing for a bad team, old age, lack of the “big name” or “big prospect,” or the “too good to be true” factor. Scooter Gennett is safely in his prime at age 28, but he plays for […]

Tyler Glasnow - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

The Rays acquired Tyler Glasnow at the end of July in the Chris Archer trade. Glasnow was only used out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh, racking up 56 innings before the trade. Despite his below average ERA of 4.34 pre-trade, he managed to strike out 11.6 batters per nine innings. Walks were the main issue, […]

Joey Lucchesi - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

In his rookie year, left-handed starter Joey Lucchesi made an instant impact. He allowed a total of four earned runs over the first four starts, posting a 25:4 K:BB ratio. It appeared that Lucchesi might be a legitimate candidate for NL Rookie of the Year. An injury sent him to the disabled list temporarily in mid-May […]

Maxing Out - Is 2019 Time for Max Kepler's Breakout?

The once prosperous Minnesota Twins have struggled to regain the dominance that they established at the beginning of this century. Penciled in as a division favorite every year, since the turn of this decade it’s been a much different narrative. With old faces in Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter long gone and enjoying […]

Mike Soroka - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

It’s an exciting time to be an Atlanta Braves fan. After a surprise division championship in 2018, the club also debuted 20-year-old phenom and Rookie of the Year winner Ronald Acuna Jr. However, there was another 20-year-old that debuted for the Braves last year, not in the batter's box, but on the pitching mound instead. […]

Francisco Mejia - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

The catching position in fantasy baseball is slowly becoming the kicker position in fantasy football. With a lack of depth in the player pool and teams keeping their player's legs fresh by platooning them, drafters are taking catchers in the last few rounds just because they have to fill out the position. With more data […]

ADP Champ or Chump - J.T. Realmuto and Wilson Ramos

This week I am turning my attention to the position that gives most fantasy owners the biggest concerns, the catcher position. Every year there is at least one catcher who rises to the top of the position and ends up being drafted clearly ahead of the others. This season that catcher is J.T. Realmuto, who is […]

Daniel Palka - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

With the increase in power production across the board in real/fantasy baseball, owners are finding it much easier to add a 20-plus homer option late in drafts. And yet, not all sluggers are created equal. Take for example the infamous Chris Carter, who even with 41 homers in 2016 has yet to find, or keep, […]

Keon Broxton - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

2018 was a bit of a roller coaster for Keon Broxton with multiple trips between Milwaukee and Colorado Springs, about as much of a culture shift as one can find in the country. One city has good beer, the other is Colorado Springs. Whatever the context, the one thing that baseball fans know about the […]

Franmil Reyes - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

To begin last season, San Diego Padres outfielder Franmil Reyes was coming off of a 2017 season where he had a .258/.322/.464 slash line in Double-A, hitting 25 home runs and knocking in 102 batters. In 2018, now in Triple-A, he bettered those numbers with a .324/.428/.614 slash line, hitting 16 home runs in just […]

Jimmy Nelson - What's Brewing After a Year-Long Absence?

If you’re an advocate to abolish pitchers hitting in the National League, you might use Jimmy Nelson as a prime example. During a breakout season in 2017, Nelson slid into first base during his September 8 start, jamming his throwing shoulder. Diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain and partial anterior labrum tear, Nelson was put […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - First Basemen

Power. Nothing else defines the position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance, or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there will be […]

Trevor Williams - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

After being acquired by the Pirates from the Marlins in 2015, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams made his MLB debut in 2016 and then pitched 150 1/3 innings in 2017. While it was good that the Pirates got a viable pitcher for a minor leaguer that has yet to pitch an inning for the […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Tommy Pham and Avisail Garcia

My main mantra when it comes to fantasy baseball is "value, value, value." I will often try and set myself up in the first two or three rounds in such a way that I have the flexibility to take advantage of value later in the draft. One of the best ways I have found to […]

Jordan Hicks - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks was a fireballing rookie last season that dazzled with 70 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings; he also only had a 3.59 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. A starting pitcher in the minors, Hicks made 73 appearances out of the Cardinals pen last season, walking 45 batters as well. The 22-year-old […]

NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Danny Jansen - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen had a .275/.390/.473 slash line in 88 games with Triple-A Buffalo in 2018, enough for him to earn a call up to the bigs. In his 31 games with the Blue Jays, he slashed .247/.347/.432, walking nine times and striking out 17 in 95 plate appearances. This came after […]

Mike Zunino - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

There are three distinct tiers at the catcher position entering 2019. Gary Sanchez and J.T. Realmuto stand alone as one and two. Behind them in no particular order are, Salvador Perez, Wilson Ramos, Willson Contreras, Buster Posey, and Yasmani Grandal. However, by season's end Mike Zunino may find himself in that discussion as the 12th […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper - Jesus Luzardo

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo has yet to pitch a big league inning, yet the 21-year-old is being as hyped up as any rookie starter coming into 2019. While hype can easily lead to disappointment, the young Peruvian has allowed just 43 earned runs in 152 2/3 minor league innings. He has also struck out […]

Jake Cave - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Bouncing around from the Yankees to the Reds before he found a home in Minnesota, Twins outfielder Jake Cave made his MLB debut in 2018. After a 2017 season where he had a .305/.351/.542 slash line in the minors with the Yankees, Cave was sent to Triple-A with the Twins after he was acquired, posting […]

Freddy Peralta - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freedy Peralta only had a 6-4 record and 4.25 ERA after being called up from the minor leagues in 2018. In his 14 starts, he allowed at least three earned runs in seven of them and walked multiple batters in 11 starts. All of that being said, Peralta is lauded as […]

Jorge Soler - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

You’ve probably heard this one before, but for the umpteenth time, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Soler is officially on sleeper watch. The 26-year-old has been flirting with a breakthrough ever since he made the move to the American League in 2016. Amid their World Series run, the Cubs were happy to part ways with […]

Jung Ho Kang - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Is there a better feeling in fantasy sports than drafting or claiming a guy that no one else even sniffs, but he pans out to be a valuable contributor to your roster? Aside from winning your league, finding that stud sleeper is what makes your countless hours of research and prep time well worth it. […]

Ross Stripling - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

As fantasy baseball managers, we all love the sleeper. There’s always that gratifying feeling at season's end where you can go back and say “I told you so!” Every year there are endless amounts of articles and debates on who will emerge as a top-tier player from out of the shadows and into the limelight. […]

Ronald Guzman - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Texas Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman was regarded as another one of the powerful young lefty bats in Texas (see: Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara), even though he had never hit more than 16 home runs in the minors (2016 in Double-A/Triple-A). While the power was not there in the minors, Guzman did have a […]