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Shaun Evans' MLB Best Ball picks for RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball contests for the 2024 season. See who he is liking to target in drafts and why.
Happy Tuesday RotoBallers, and welcome to our new series covering RIVAL Fantasy Best Ball for the MLB Season! We will be covering some of our favorite value players and sleepers that can help you win your league
MLB Best Ball is similar to your everyday normal fantasy baseball leagues except you draft your team and don't have to worry about setting lineups. No need to stress over free-agent pickups or trying to make a trade with one of your league-mates. You just draft your team, kick back, and enjoy the season.
RIVAL Fantasy does take a 10% rake but each draft type is snake and your timer is 45 seconds. There's no reason to have to wait 7 hours and 22 minutes for Billy to finally take his first pitcher. Quick and easy draft to get through which ultimately means more drafts to do. Check here for the updated rules and scoring.
RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball Value Players
Andres Gimenez, 2B - Cleveland Guardians
Andre Gimenez is someone to target in your Best Ball Drafts. Using the amazing Fantasy Baseball tools at Rotoballer, Gimenez should be a priority. Gimenez's ADP rank is 137.7 but his RotoBaller Rank is 99. Nick Mariano and Ariel Cohen have him 33.7 spots lower and could be a nice steal in your draft. While his 2023 campaign wasn't what people expected, he is projected for a good season coming up. He had 616 plate appearances in 2023 with 140 hits, 76 runs, and 15 home runs. Gimenez is projected for slightly higher numbers this year in those categories. While he had 30 stolen bases in 2023, he is projected around 28 this season. Up and down seasons do happen for players. Andres Gimenez will most likely make this his bounce-back year.
Jarren Duran, CF - Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran is having a solid Spring training so far and continues to move up the draft boards. Duran's current Roto rank is 124 while his ADP sits at 202.3. He is sitting 6-for-21 so far in the Grapefruit League, batting .286. Last season, he recorded eight home runs, 46 runs, and 40 RBI in 102 games. This will be his second full season and being at Fenway Park, he'll most likely continue his success. Nick Mariano has him projected for 572 plate appearances with 80 runs, 56 RBI, and 18 home runs. You shouldn't always reach for players but Jarren Duran screams for that to happen in your drafts.
Trevor Story, SS - Boston Red Sox
There are a couple of Boston Red Sox players we can get at a nice price in Best Ball drafts and Trevor Story is another one. With what looks to be a solid (and full) season for Trevor Story, Boston has him placed where they want to succeed. Story will be batting cleanup and that should be beneficial to his style. Per Rick Lucks, Trevor Story posted a 28.8 ft./sec Statcast Sprint speed and eight Outs Above Average last season and that was even with a late start. Now projected for 83 runs, 83 RBI, and 25 home runs, we have a second Boston Red Sox player to eye in the draft.
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RIVAL Fantasy MLB Best Ball Sleepers
Parker Meadows, CF - Detroit Tigers
This is straight from Nick Mariano's 'Sleepers List' article that came out Monday. Many will tell you that Parker Meadows could be one of the major draft values of the season. He finished strong last season when he had a little over a month of major-league action. Meadows recorded a.331 on-base percentage in 145 plate appearances. His ATC projection is 511 plate appearances with 61 runs, 49 RBI, and 13 home runs. Parker Meadows does hold an ADP of 359 but his RotoBaller Rank is 254. Depending on the draft room on RIVAL Fantasy, Meadows could fall deep and be a huge steal for you.
Michael Busch, 1B - Chicago Cubs
Michael Busch could be another nice sleeper pick in your drafts as he settles in at 1st base for his new team, the Chicago Cubs. Bush's RotoBaller Rank is 285 while his ADP sits at 362.7. He only had 72 plate appearances in 27 games last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 12-for-72 (.167) with two home runs, seven RBI, and 27 strikeouts. He averaged one strikeout per game. While he should get a full season in with Chicago, he does bring some risk. Nick Mariano does have him projected for a .244 batting average with 57 RBI, 56 runs, and 16 home runs this upcoming season. The young player can be a great bench addition if he can get his bat to connect quickly and early on in the season.
Henry Davis, C - Pittsburgh Pirates
Henry Davis could be a huge steal if people stick with his ADP of 302.3 as the Rotoballer team has him ranked 196. Davis has had a red-hot start to Spring training this year. In 21 bats, he is hitting .333 with four home runs and nine RBI already. The Pirates are already dealing with injuries as Endy Rodriguez is out for the season which helps boost Henry Davis's playing time. He will continue the trend of playing catcher and being in the outfield. However, the momentum from Spring training could help Davis crush all expectations this season. He is projected to be near a batting average of .249 with 59 runs, 62 RBI, 17 home runs, and 10 stolen bases. Another sleeper pick that can help you reach the top.
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