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

Pierre Camus' 10 Bold Predictions for 2019

Pierre Camus continues RotoBaller's 2019 Bold Predictions series with 10 outside-the-box calls for the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." If only that were the case in fantasy sports...

Other than tampering with the fabric of time-space, which is a bad idea (ask Marty McFly), we just don't know what the future really holds. We can predict whatever we want, but that doesn't mean it'll come even close to actualization. In fact, the bolder our predictions become, the closer we inch toward becoming easy money in our competitive leagues. Too many sleepers on one roster can prevent a team from ever waking up.

That said, this series is a chance to take our unfulfilled desires and hopeful predictions for the coming season and then take them to a place that nobody would expect. Some are afraid to go out on a limb, but personally I've always been one who likes to go as far as possible, jump up and down on said limb while screaming from a bullhorn, "Lewis Brinson IS YOUR SAVIOR!!!" Now that I've properly warmed you up, here is my 2019 edition of bold predictions for fantasy baseball.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Nomar Mazara breaks out to the tune of 36 HR

I'll start with the one I'm most confident in. This very well could have happened last year, if not for a thumb injury that not only shelved Mazara for four weeks but predictably sapped him of his power in the second half. Mazara was regularly among the hard-hit and exit velocity leaders in the first two months of last season. You may recall his tremendous run in early May when he ripped seven homers in the first nine days of the month. After his DL stint, he wasn't quite the same and ended the year without a single bomb in the final three weeks of the season.

Many predict the Rangers for a last-place finish, which doesn't really matter for our purposes here, but I can say that I believe their offense will be better than expected. Hitting behind Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus is going to be hit or miss at times but this is nothing close to the 2018 Baltimore Orioles. Mazara also hits in the ballpark that was fifth-highest in HR Factor for left-handed batters in 2018. Expect a power surge and a great return on investment for someone going outside the top 100 players on draft day.

 

Ronald Guzman earns an invitation to the Home Run Derby

Speaking of left-handed power in Texas, Ronald Guzman flashed some in his rookie season, stroking 16 HR and driving in 58 runs over 387 at-bats. The .235 average and 28.3% K% don't inspire much confidence but for a 24-year old getting his feet wet, there's certainly room to grow.

Guzman not only benefits from his home stadium, he's already got a hold on the first base job with little competition waiting in the wings. Guzman could be this year's Jesus Aguilar, or at least a slightly lesser version.

 

Sean Newcomb is this year's Blake Snell

Here's another I'm definitely personally invested in, as I currently own shares of Newcomb in at least seven leagues (and counting). Newcomb is a hard-throwing lefty who simply needs to keep the ball in the zone more and adjust his pitch mix to take advantage of his electric stuff. Sound familiar?

Snell lowered his walk rate from 12.7% as a rookie to 10.8% in 2017 and then 9.1% last year. That's still above league-average but it was good enough given his jump to a 31.6% K%. His biggest adjustment was doubling the rate at which he throws his curveball and keeping hitters off balance more often. An uptick in velocity helped too.

Newcomb offers four pitches, relying on a four-seamer 63.2% of the time last year. He also throws a changeup, curveball, and slider, just like Snell. Newcomb's K-rate dipped a bit last year, as he relied more on the change and less on the curve, even though it had been a more effective pitch the previous year. If he can find the right mix of offspeed stuff or fully develop his slider, which generated a 42.2% Whiff rate last year, Newcomb could be one adjustment away from a major breakthrough.

 

Yu Darvish recaptures his old form and is a top-20 SP

Let's just throw last year's stats out the window - it was a lost season for Darvish in his first trial with the Cubbies. He barely kept his ERA below five before being shut down in May, never to return. Darvish appears fully healthy this spring and is ready to fulfill last year's promise.

He admitted that he felt extra pressure to live up to his lofty $126 million contract in Chicago, which may explain why he was pressing, adding a little extra velocity to all his pitches. This calls for a mulligan, which means Darvish should return to an ERA in the low threes, a strikeout rate above 11% and 15+ wins.

 

David Robertson doesn't register double-digit saves and is the third-best RP in Philly

When the Phils signed Robertson, many automatically assumed it was to assume the closer role. I have a couple of issues with this. First, skipper Gabe Kapler is the antithesis of the old school baseball manager who feels he needs a set guy in that (or any) role. Nine different pitchers registered a save in Philadelphia last year, the leader being Seranthony Dominguez, who earned 16 saves.

This is the other problem - Robertson may not even be the best reliever available when it comes to clutch time. He's got the track record but Mr. Tony and his .157 BAA is still there, as is Hector Neris, whose ratios look ugly on the surface (5.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), may have the best stuff of all. He pitched to a 2.28 SIERA and had a 19.1% SwStr% which is almost six points higher than Robertson. Don't forget a fastball spin rate in the 92nd percentile and a strikeout rate in the 98th percentile.

Robertson is a fine addition for deeper leagues and a must-own in leagues counting SV+HLD but he shouldn't be counted on for 30+ saves.

 

The Astros don't have a single hitter finish top-five at his position

I'm not writing off the 'Stros as a contender or saying any of their players is going to be a bust. I simply think a few of their studs will provide a lesser return on value for various reasons. Alex Bregman is no longer a future superstar, he is already one of the best young infielders in the league. But offseason surgery on his right elbow could lead to a slow start and decreased plate appearances.

Jose Altuve also had offseason knee surgery and may be hard-pressed to return to his 20-steal ways; his power also took a dive last year, which we can't necessarily blame on the knee. Carlos Correa has only reached 500 plate appearances once in four years and has been inconsistent throughout his MLB tenure.

All told, this is a very talented lineup with the potential for stardom but circumstances may conspire against them putting up elite numbers in 2019.

 

Yasiel Puig is a top-10 fantasy outfielder

It seems like we've been following Puig forever but he enters the 2019 season at just 28 years of age. With another year of maturity, away from the distractions of L.A., Puig could be in line for not only his finest campaign but one that could reward fantasy owners handsomely.

Puig no longer has to compete for playing time and should manage to top 500 AB for just the second time in his career. He moves to GABP, which was the very best in terms of HR Factor (120) for right-handed hitters. He managed a career-high 15 steals the last two seasons but that number should also go up with more playing time.

The Reds, on average, run more often than the Dodgers too. Puig could put it all together for a line of .290/30/95/90/20 that would make him damn-near a first-round value.

 

Wil Myers is wearing a different uniform by September

My man Nick Mariano has a similar notion on Myers but I'm going a slightly different route. On paper, the Padres should be markedly better than last season. They suddenly have too many good players on offense! Where will they put top prospects like Francisco Mejia, Luis Urias, and Fernando Tatis Jr.? How do they fit in all those talented outfielders? Where does Wil Myers stick with Manny Machado holding down third base and Eric Hosmer and first?

He will start the season in left field and hit cleanup behind Machado, which sounds pretty cush. Truth is, he's had trouble staying healthy, doesn't seem to love his manager, and has been bounced around diamond because his defense is a liability.

For a team suddenly looking to win now, if Myers continues to have the same issues and posts another declining BB/K rate (his has gone down four straight seasons), he could find himself on the market in exchange for pitching help that the team still desperately needs if they fancy themselves real contenders.

 

Byron Buxton goes 25-25

I originally had 20-20, which is a nice even benchmark, but this is supposed to be bold predictions after all. Hey, if Wil Myers can do it, why not uber-prospect Buxton?

Buxton is absolutely raking this spring, hitting .423 with four homers and 13 RBI in 26 at-bats as of this writing. Of course, this means absolutely nothing to those who drafted him last year and watched their batting average tank for nearly two months before he was sent down for good. For the record, I was one of those who kept him stashed until damn near August in hopes that he would come back in full force to be a second-half savior. Those were desperate times.

The talent has never been in question. Buxton just needs to find some semblance of plate discipline and move up to a more favorable lineup spot in order to resemble the #1 prospect in baseball. For those still hating, remind them that this isn't just a pipe dream. Point to his second-half stats from 2017 then quietly go find yourself a nice voodoo doll wearing a Twins uniform to imbue with special magic. Not that he'll need it. Now this next one, maybe...

 

Lewis Brinson breaks out! (for real this time)

If you caught my bold predictions last season, you know I'm all about doubling down. I guess you could consider this tripling down. Also, this is for you Kyle...

Needless to say, Brinson didn't exactly match Christian Yelich last year in fantasy value, Then again, pretty much nobody did in the second half of the year. Of course, Brinson was a special kind of bad in his rookie year, slashing .199/.240/338 with a strikeout rate of nearly 30% and a below-average 4.2% BB%. The projection systems aren't overly generous, predicting an average in the .240s and fewer than 20 HR for Brinson in his second campaign.

So far, Brinson is off to a good start, with a Grapefruit League-leading five HR and .343 average. While I won't go crazy, I can say that if he reaches 550 plate appearances, Brinson could easily pop 20 homers and combine for 140 R+RBI. As far as average, remember this is a top prospect who hit .382 and .331 in his last two stints at Triple-A in the Milwaukee farm system. I won't say he'll get close to .300 but... aw what the hell, let's go for it! Brinson hits .292 with 27 HR and stays in fantasy lineups all year. Hey, a Marlins fan has to hold out hope for something good, doesn't he?

More Fantasy Baseball Predictions




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

Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Garrett Wilson

Lands Historic Deal
Colston Loveland

Shoulder "Good" After Surgery
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF