Hanley Ramirez (1B / OF, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 (overall draft pick) CURRENT ADP: ~119 (overall draft pick) ANALYSIS: Hanley Ramirez hit 10 home runs in April and finished the month with a .999 OPS, helping the Red Sox to a 12-10 record despite awful showings from the pitching staff. A few days into May, he suffered a shoulder injury that appeared […]

Tyler Clippard Set Up To Be DBacks' Setup Man

Tyler Clippard did not have a great 2015 campaign. His strikeout rate was down, and his flyball rate was up. In 2014 with the Nationals, Clippard had an impressive 10.5 K/9 ratio. However it fell to 8.8 in Oakland in 2015, and then after going to the Mets in the same season it fell to […]

Addison Reed Next In Line For Saves For NYM?

Addison Reed was bounced from Arizona after a nightmarish stretch as the team's closer. He would rebound and be an effective reliever, but never regained his closing job. After joining the Amazins, Reed posted an impressive 1.17 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 17/5 K/BB ratio over 15 1/3 innings. With Tyler Clippard gone, Reed is poised […]

Wilmer Flores A Deep League Stash in 2016

A true fan favorite, Wilmer Flores may not have a chance to give his fans some face time in 2016. When the Mets signed Asdrubal Cabrera, it basically relegated Flores to the bench and out of fantasy relevance. However Flores could platoon with Cabrera, and will be one of the first bats off the bench […]

Bartolo Colon Will Have Value Early in 2016

Bartolo Colon may be the most entertaining player on the Mets just by virtue of his size, and how he looks at the plate. Make no mistake though, the seasoned veteran still has a little something something to offer. His strikeout rate and ERA won't wow anyone, but his walk rate will. Colon makes hitters […]

Kevin Plawecki Makes For A Good Injury Replacement

Kevin Plawecki did not make the most of his opportunity last season, but that doesn't mean he can't be someone to watch in 2016. The narrative hasn't changed in the sense that Plawecki still needs an injury to Travis d'Arnaud in order to be relevant. That being said, catcher isn't the best source of counting […]

Rafael Montero Worth Monitoring In 2016

Rafael Montero doesn't have much fantasy value at the moment, as he's projected to be a bullpen option or spot starter. However, given the seemingly increased fragility of starting pitchers lately, Montero is worth keeping tabs on. Should one of the Mets' other starters go down, Montero would likely be the next man up. Also, […]

Freddy Galvis Should Build On His Surprising 2015 Campaign

26-year-old Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis put up some surprising numbers in his first real season as an MLB starter. In 559 at-bats, the four-year pro hit seven HR to go along with 63 runs scored and 50 RBI (both top-20 marks among SS). Galvis also flashed some speed potential as he registered 10 SB while only being caught […]

Trade to Cardinals Sinks Jedd Gyorko's Value

Going into the off-season, Jedd Gyorko's fantasy relevance was like his status as the Padres' starting second baseman: on thin ice. That ice gave way when he was acquired during the off-season by the Cardinals to be their new utility infielder. Even after rebounding slightly from a dreadful 2014 that saw Gyorko's batting average and […]

Jordan Walden On Schedule For Spring Training

Jordan Walden is on schedule to join his fellow pitchers for the start of Spring Training. A right shoulder strain last May prematurely brought his season to an end. Before that injury, Walden was sporting a pristine 0.87 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.45 K/9, along with eight holds, over 10.1 innings. He is expected to […]

Yadier Molina's Thumb Out Of Cast

The cast on Yadier Molina's surgically-repaired thumb has fully been removed. He and the Cardinals continue to be cautiously optimistic that he'll be ready for Opening Day. Molina says he knows where he needs to be in his recovery to be ready for the rigors of the regular season, and it is just a matter […]

Can Yasmany Tomas Step Up In 2016?

The Diamondbacks took a big leap of faith when they signed Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million contract. Unfortunately for them, and for Tomas' fantasy owners in 2015, Tomas did not perform up to the level a contract like that would merit. He was also a disaster at third base so the dual position […]

Max Scherzer’s Consistency Calls For More Brilliance

After signing a seven-year mega deal with the Washington Nationals, Max Scherzer did not disappoint in his first year, posting a strong 2.79 ERA to go with a subpar 14-12 record. The record shouldn’t tarnish his season, however, as he threw four complete games, three shutouts, and two no-hitters. His K/9 ratio was a strong […]

David Wright A Risky Pick On Draft Day?

David Wright is still a good baseball player, and chances are he can still be productive...when he plays. That is the major issue here; a prolonged DL stint will likely hang over Wright and his fantasy owners like the sword of Damocles in 2016. Spinal stenosis is a serious condition for athletes and one has […]

Welington Castillo A Top 15 Catcher in 2016?

Welington Castillo played on three teams last year, but the third one was the charm. In his first 45 games with the Diamondbacks, "Beef Welington" (yes I really want this nickname to stick) went yard 13 times. That pace was obviously unsustainable, but it was impressive nonetheless. That run he had has him poised to […]

Asdrubal Cabrera Looks To Build On Strong Second Half

Let's be real for a second. Asdrubal Cabrera is not a sexy pick at shortstop by any means. The reality is though that shortstop is basically the top 10 options, and then 50 feet of crap. So say you're fishing at the bottom of the barrel, Cabrera isn't a bad guy to take a flier […]

Neil Walker A Safe 2016 2B Option

Much like with Asdrubal Cabrera, Neil Walker is hardly a sexy name to draft for your middle-infielder position. Unlike with Cabrera though, Walker is a bit of a known commodity and his production is more valuable. Even though he won't light the world on fire, you know what you're going to get out of Neil […]

Zack Wheeler An Injury Stash Draft Pick In 2016

I personally have never liked drafting guys who were going to miss approximately half the season. If you're in a deep league and want to stash a pitcher though, Zack Wheeler is a good candidate. The Mets are loaded with pitching so it's easy to overlook Wheeler and be jaded towards his potential. The facts […]

Robbie Ray Poised For 2016 Breakout

Robbie Ray did well for Arizona once the Diamondbacks started giving him regular starts in 2015. His win/loss record won't tell the whole story, much like with his new teammate Shelby Miller. However, Ray posted a respectable 8.4 K/9 ratio, and a 3.52 ERA in 127.2 IP. The one red flag was his 1.33 WHIP, […]

Bryce Harper Poised For Another MVP Season

In 2014, Bryce Harper had the worst season of his infant career. Dealing with a thumb injury that cost him a good portion of the season, he finished with career lows in runs, hits, home runs, and slugging percentage among other things. With the rise of fellow youngster Mike Trout over in the American League, […]

Anthony Gose Provides Bottom-Of-The-Order Speed

Anthony Gose will split time with Cameron Maybin manning center field in Detroit this season, and will likely bat ninth when he is in the lineup. Gose hit primarily in the lead-off slot last season, but appeared in the ninth slot 36 times, especially after manager Brad Ausmus began inserting Ian Kinsler into the lead-off […]

Other Teams Are Watching Rob Refsnyder

Rob Refsnyder was recently named the ninth best second base prospect in the MLB. Refsnyder tasted a bit of the bigs last season, batting .302 with two homers in 43 at-bats; his first taking place at the hostile Fenway Park. It appeared the Yankees were molding together their future, starting him at second for their […]

Joakim Soria Rejoins Kansas City To Be Strong Holds Option In 2016

Soria was lights out in 2014, so it was pretty sensible that the regression police were gunning for him last year. He still did well, striking out nearly a batter per inning (64 Ks in 67.2 IP) and posting a 2.53 ERA/1.09 WHIP alongside a 3.26 SIERA. He had his best swinging strike rate since […]

Kyle Zimmer Out To Establish Himself For KC In 2016

Zimmer has been very impressive in the minor leagues since his pro debut in 2012. Blessed with electric strikeout stuff (thank you mid-to-high 90s fastball and sweet looping curveball), he’s always done better than a strikeout per inning in every pro year. Zimmer’s momentum has been slowed by various arm/side issues along the way, with […]

Kris Medlen's 2016 Prospects: What To Expect?

Kris Medlen has put together some decent stretches in his career, but he has also undergone two Tommy John surgeries and been forced to cut seasons short. Being able to have a constant routine is important, having a set role can lead to increased productivity and an easier mindset. Having the interruptions that Medlen has […]

Danny Duffy: Back-end AL Only Rotation Option For 2016

Danny Duffy’s K-rate was about the only thing that was sustainable about his gorgeous 2014 campaign. His SIERA (4.31) was nearly two full runs higher than his ERA (2.53). His 2015 was much more in line with his underlying peripherals, as his SIERA was an awful 4.63, he had a 4.43 FIP, and his ERA […]

The Royals Hope Bubba Starling Can Blossom In 2016

Starling has been a touted prospect for a few years now, as he has yet to really kick it into a major-league ready gear in his four years in the system. He’s a big guy, standing at 6’4” and 210 lbs, and is a really strong outfielder, but he’s struggled putting together a healthy swing. […]

Raul Mondesi: Much More Than That Young Guy Who Played In The World Series

Mondesi was put on the public grid by virtue of getting his first major-league AB in the World Series, and naturally there’s a reason for that. Mondesi will turn 21 in July, so he’s still quite the youngin’ out there, but his speed is very real. It makes for an asset that Kansas City values […]

Omar Infante: Middling Middle Infield Option In 2016

Infante is the “black hole” of the Royals lineup. In 455 plate appearances he could only muster two homers, two steals, and a .220 batting average. Even Omar Infante probably isn’t bad enough to post consecutive seasons of back-to-back sub-.240 BABIP seasons (it was .238 last year, yuck). He’ll be 34 years old this year […]

Jordan Guerrero: Another Promising Pitching Prospect For The White Sox

Guerrero has excellent strikeout stuff, posting K/9’s that hover around a batter per inning and a raw K% around 25%. That is a fantastic starting block for a very young pitcher to start developing with amongst a professional organization and coaching. He throws strikes while keeping the ball down, as we all know what happens […]