X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

Outfielders Who’ll Continue to Improve in 2018

While the other managers in your league are drafting redundant assets and fretting over which volatile closer they’re going to draft, you’ll be targeting up-and-coming outfielders with skyrocketing value. Winning the late rounds on draft day is the most you can do to put yourself in the best position to win a fantasy title.

All of these guys I listed below are players who will actually improve in 2018. You can count on that happening. I suggest drafting one of these guys if you want to win your league.

Here are some young outfielders to target in your fantasy baseball drafts for 2018.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association including Baseball Writer of the Year, Football Writers of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year and many more! Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!

 

Young Speedsters

Bradley Zimmer, Cleveland Indians

Would you believe me if I told you that Bradley Zimmer is faster than Dee Gordon? Well, as a matter of fact, he is faster than Gordon. Zimmer’s 29.9 Sprint Speed score (a Statcast foot speed metric) was higher than Gordon, Manuel Margot, and Trea Turner last year, among others. Zimmer ranked third in the league according to Baseball Savant.

That might not be surprising to you considering that Zimmer’s always been known to have plus speed. I bet you’re assuming Zimmer is like 5-foot-10 or, at most, 6-foot-1. You’re wrong. He’s 6-foot-5. You read that right.

He’s 6-foot-5 and he’s the third-fastest player in the bigs.

For context, I’m also 6-foot-5 and I’m probably the slowest guy under 30 that anyone will ever meet in their life. It's hard to be tall and fast. 6-foot-5 players with plus raw power aren’t supposed to out-sprint speedsters like Dee Gordon. It just doesn’t happen. But we live in a world where Zimmer is faster than every player in the league not named Byron Buxton or Billy Hamilton.

Zimmer’s speed absolutely matters for fantasy purposes. You’re supposed to see that level of athleticism, target it, acquire it, and ride it to fantasy glory.

He still can’t hit for average, though, but expect his contact rates to improve as he get more at-bats. He hit more line drives in the minors than he did in his rookie year, so expect more liners, fewer grounders, and boosted BA. Steamer and ZiPS foresee him hitting around .240 with 15 HR and about 25 SB. Who would be surprised if he swipes 30 bags this year? He’s rather low in our rankings, and his 200 NFBC ADP offers fantasy owners a great low-risk, high-reward decision to make in the waning rounds of drafts. Zimmer is an athletic giant with quicker wheels than Dee Gordon and Trea Turner. Buy! Buy! Buy!

 

Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins

What more needs to be said about Buxton’s career so far? He’s a true five-tool player who just happened to break out later than expected. Sometimes young studs end up breaking out later than everyone thinks they will.

Remember the Sprint Speed score from Statcast? Buxton ranked first in it last year. He also ranked first in Outs Above Average (OAA), a Statcast metric that measures all-around fielding skill. Statcast was designed to showcase the abilities of players like Buxton.

Fantasy gamers might see Buxton’s current ADP and think it’s a bit too high. That’s understandable. He’s streaky and fresh off some bust lists. But his face-melting Statcast numbers suggest that he’s has already developed into the player he was supposed to become. He’s already the fastest player in the league, he’s already a lockdown center fielder, and he’s clearly not underperforming his talent level anymore.

So what’s next for him? Improved contact skills, of course! Buxton had career-best O-Contact% and Z-Contact% last year while boosting his swing rate to 48.3%, a career high. Buxton was swinging more and making more contact, which is exactly what you want to see from a budding all-around superstar.

Pair improving batting skills with a league-best speed score and plus-plus fielding ability and you have the makings of a future second or third round pick in fantasy.  

 

Late Breakout Stud

Jose Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals

Martinez is the Cardinals’ latest voodoo magic breakout stud. After floating around the minors since 2006, Martinez received a true shot with the Cards and all he did was crank hits. He ranked 40th in Brls/PA (barrels per plate appearance), eighth in line drive rate (min. 300 PA), fifth in xwOBA (min. 250 PA), and first in xBA (min. 250 PA).

Martinez’s .311 xBA was actually higher than his .309 BA. That’s how good he was last year. He hit .309 but should've hit even more. He was the only .300 hitter (min. 250 PA) with an xBA higher than his actual batting average. Totally bonkers.

Where does Martinez fit in on the Cardinals, though? How many at bats will he receive? Steamer projects 358 PA in 2018. There’s little-to-no bust potential here, so be sure scoop up Martinez and stash him on your bench.

 

Plate Discipline Savant

Robbie Grossman, Minnesota Twins

Are you in an AL-only league, OBP league, or super-deep mixed league? Want to find actual contributors to stash on your bench? Look no further than Robbie Grossman, baseball’s most patient hitter. Grossman combines average contact ability with a composed approach at the dish and it’s resulted in two straight years of stable production for the Twins.

Grossman swung at only 38% of pitches last year, swung and missed 6% of pitches, and carried a career high 14.7 BB% throughout the season. The good news is that Statcast favors him in 2018. Grossman’s .246 BA was lower than his .258 xBA, and his .333 wOBA was a tad lower than his .340 xwOBA. Grossman is obviously not viable in most fantasy circles, but for the few of you diehard fantasy addicts playing in deep leagues with god-knows-how-many roster spots and scoring categories, Grossman needs to be on your radar on draft day. Taking him in the last round will be the easiest pick you make in the draft.

 

More 2018 MLB Player Outlooks




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jorge López8 hours ago

Jorge Lopez Agrees To One-Year Deal With Mets
Diontae Johnson8 hours ago

Scores Again In Week 14 Loss
Ezekiel Elliott9 hours ago

Dominant While Earning 29 Touches
D'Onta Foreman9 hours ago

Practices In Full Again
Hunter Henry9 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Week 14
Bailey Zappe9 hours ago

Throws For Three Touchdowns In Week 14 Win
Harrison Bader10 hours ago

Giants, Padres Interested In Harrison Bader
Justin Jefferson10 hours ago

Gets In Another Full Practice
Ha-Seong Kim10 hours ago

Red Sox Interested In Ha-Seong Kim?
Pete Alonso11 hours ago

Mets, Pete Alonso Haven't Talked Extension
Kareem Hunt11 hours ago

Gets In Limited Practice Session
Juan Soto11 hours ago

Yankees Haven't Had Extension Talks With Juan Soto
Aaron Judge11 hours ago

Toe Injury "A Resolved Issue"
Jamal Murray11 hours ago

Considered Probable For Friday
LeBron James11 hours ago

To Play On Thursday
Malcolm Brogdon11 hours ago

Questionable For Friday's Game
Deandre Ayton11 hours ago

Unlikely To Suit Up Friday
Jalen Duren12 hours ago

Will Miss Next Two Weeks
Jordan Clarkson12 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Raheem Mostert12 hours ago

Sits Out On Thursday
Tyreek Hill12 hours ago

Picks Up DNP In First Practice
Geno Smith12 hours ago

Added To Injury Report With Groin Issue
Zach Charbonnet12 hours ago

Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet Limited Thursday
Tyler Higbee13 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Week 14
Puka Nacua13 hours ago

Practices Without Limitations Thursday
DeVante Parker13 hours ago

Ruled Out, JuJu Smith-Schuster Active Thursday
Najee Harris13 hours ago

Officially Active Thursday Night
Markelle Fultz13 hours ago

Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz Remain Out Friday
Mark Williams13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable Friday
Trae Young13 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday With Illness
Taysom Hill13 hours ago

Absent Again On Thursday
Jalen Duren13 hours ago

Out With Ankle Sprain Friday
Chris Olave13 hours ago

Rashid Shaheed Miss Thursday's Practice
Derek Carr13 hours ago

Practices Again Thursday
Tyler Herro13 hours ago

No Return For Tyler Herro Against Cavaliers
Lauri Markkanen14 hours ago

Back At Thursday's Practice
Kristaps Porzingis14 hours ago

Likely To Return Against Knicks
Bam Adebayo14 hours ago

Still Out With Bruised Hip
Dalton Schultz14 hours ago

Downgraded At Thursday's Practice
Bradley Beal14 hours ago

Grayson Allen Out Friday
Dallas Goedert14 hours ago

Another Full Practice For Dallas Goedert
Derrick Henry14 hours ago

Should Be Good To Go For Week 14
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

Sitting Out Against Kings
Malcolm Brogdon16 hours ago

Held Scoreless Before Departing
Jalen Duren17 hours ago

Reaches Double-Double Before Exiting
Zach LaVine17 hours ago

Gets PRP Injection Amid Recovery
Jordan Hicks17 hours ago

Being Eyed By Yankees
Evgeny Kuznetsov21 hours ago

Expected To Return To Lineup Thursday
DET21 hours ago

Patrick Kane Ready For Red Wings Debut On Thursday
Zach Hyman21 hours ago

Stays Hot With Second Hat Trick
Nick Senzel21 hours ago

Heads To Nationals
Evan Rodrigues21 hours ago

Matches Career High With Four Points
Jeimer Candelario21 hours ago

Reds Agree With Jeimer Candelario
Victor Hedman21 hours ago

Notches Two Assists Wednesday
John Klingberg21 hours ago

Out For Season
Luka Doncic22 hours ago

Rolls To 40-Point Triple-Double
Joel Embiid22 hours ago

Feasts Against The Wizards
San Diego Padres1 day ago

Jung Hoo Lee High On Padres' Wish List
Eduardo Rodriguez1 day ago

Agrees To Four-Year Deal With Diamondbacks
Kyle Higashioka1 day ago

Padres Acquire Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Others From Yankees
Trent Grisham1 day ago

Yankees Complete Trade To Acquire Juan Soto, Trent Grisham
Eduardo Rodriguez1 day ago

Diamondbacks Are Finalists To Land Eduardo Rodriguez
Dylan Cease1 day ago

White Sox "Pulling Back" On Dylan Cease Trade Talks?
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Could Be Regular Center Fielder
New York Yankees2 days ago

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Expected To Meet With Yankees Monday
Dylan Cease2 days ago

White Sox Have High Asking Price For Dylan Cease
Trent Grisham2 days ago

Expected To Be Shipped To Yankees
Bryce Harper2 days ago

Hoping To Discuss Another Long-Term Deal
Craig Kimbrel2 days ago

Orioles Agree To One-Year Deal
Nathan MacKinnon2 days ago

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Tomas Hertl2 days ago

Posts Sixth Career Hat Trick
Vladimir Tarasenko2 days ago

Shines In Win Over Rangers
J.T. Miller2 days ago

Grabs Three Points In Loss Versus New Jersey
Jack Hughes2 days ago

Continues Tear Versus Canucks
Matt Boldy2 days ago

Notches Three Points In Tuesday's Win
Connor Ingram3 days ago

Takes Winning Streak To Five Games With Second Shutout
Clayton Keller3 days ago

Records Hat Trick Of Assists
Travis Konecny3 days ago

Logs Two Assists In Monday's Win
Anthony Cirelli3 days ago

Nets Two Goals As Tampa Bay Ends Slide
Andrei Vasilevskiy3 days ago

Bounces Back In Style On Monday
Nikolaj Ehlers3 days ago

Takes Down Hurricanes
Beneil Dariush4 days ago

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss At UFC Austin
Beneil Dariush4 days ago

Arman Tsarukyan Knocks Out Beneil Dariush In 64 Seconds
Jalin Turner4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bobby Green4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out In The First Round
Punahele Soriano4 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Submits Punahele Soriano
Punahele Soriano4 days ago

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Nathan MacKinnon4 days ago

Pushes Point Streak To Eight Games
Quinton Byfield4 days ago

Pots Two Goals Against Colorado
Alex Tuch4 days ago

Exits With Injury
Clay Guida5 days ago

Falls To .500 In The UFC
Joaquim Silva5 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Austin
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Submitted In Welterweight Return
Sean Brady5 days ago

Returns To Win Column
Rob Font5 days ago

1-4 In Last Five Fights After Loss At UFC Austin
Deiveson Figueiredo5 days ago

Wins Bantamweight Debut

RANKINGS

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