RADIO
John Flanigan's third base sleepers for the 2022 fantasy baseball season. He takes a closer look at five of his favorite under-the-radar picks in drafts.
Outside of the top five or six studs, there’s really not too much to write home about at the hot corner when it comes to fantasy baseball. If you’re not going to grab a rock-solid option early, you’re probably better off waiting on a mid-to-late round steal.
As we saw last season with Braves star third baseman Austin Riley, there’s always going to be talent lying around later on in drafts. Riley very quickly propelled himself to a top-tier option at the position.
You truly never know who’s going to pop off and give you that great value. Here are five of my favorite sleepers to keep an eye on at the hot corner this season.
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Alec Bohm - Philadelphia Phillies
Bohm shined for the Phillies in his first stint in the big leagues. He finished the shortened season second in Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .338 and posting a 137 OPS+ and .881 OPS.
Many expected him to carry that success over to the 2021 season; however, the youngster fell victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. He hit just seven home runs while striking out 111 times and posting a .647 OPS over 115 games.
One of the biggest problems Bohm faced was opposing pitchers' fastballs. He actually crushed breaking balls and off-speed pitches, but pitchers quickly realized you could beat him with the heat.
72 of his 11 strikeouts came against fastballs, and he posted a 25.2% whiff rate and a .264 slugging percentage against the heat. That was reportedly one of the things he and new hitting coach Kevin Long were working on prior to the lockout.
Long is the reason I believe Bohm will return to form this season. The veteran coach revamped Kyle Schwarber’s swing last offseason, and I think he’ll be able to do the same with Bohm.
Obviously Long doesn’t just have some magic potion that’s going to cure Bohm, but the youngster has the talent and potential to return to form this season.
Eugenio Suarez - Cincinnati Reds
The 2021 season was a big-time struggle for Suarez. He underwent offseason shoulder surgery and didn’t quite look like himself until the last month of the season.
On the year, he hit just .198 while striking out 171 times (third in NL) and posting a .286 OBP, 80 OPS+, and .713 OPS. Suarez wasn’t just striking out at a high clip, he also posted a career-low walk-rate.
Despite the struggles, he still reached the 30 home run plateau for the third time in his career and posted an elite barrel percentage and exit velocity.
He also made some adjustments and was able to finish the season on a high note. Suarez hit .325 with a .460 OBP, 1.268 OPS, eight doubles, and eight home runs over 25 September games. He also walked 11 times and posted his lowest strikeout rate of any month.
Did Suarez finally find the adjustments he needed to get back to his regular form? Was the shoulder finally back to fully healthy? Or was Suarez just on one of those red-hot stretches?
We truly won’t know until this season. However, he also posted the second-lowest BABIP of his career (.224) for the second straight year, indicating he again could’ve also hit into some bad luck over the course of the season.
Maybe I’m a gambling man, but I expect Suarez to jump back into form and bounce back for the Reds this season. After back-to-back terrible seasons, he could provide tremendous value if you are willing to take the chance.
Eduardo Escobar - New York Mets
Over the past couple of seasons, Escobar has been one of the more underrated infield fantasy options. Not including the pandemic season, he’s hit 20+ home runs in each of the past four seasons.
After struggling during the 2020 season, he bounced back last season with the Diamondbacks and Brewers. He hit a combined 28 home runs and 26 doubles while posting a 107 wRC+, 109 OPS+, and .786 OPS.
While he saw a slight increase in his strikeout rate (20.7%), he also posted a career-high walk rate (8%). Escobar went back to putting the ball in the air more, which led to an increase in his fly ball rate, barrel percentage, and hard-hit percentage.
Escobar signed with the Mets this offseason and figures to slot right in the middle of that loaded lineup. With his versatility, he’ll definitely be out there every day, whether it be at second, third, or DH.
There are some concerns about the move to the pitcher-friendly confines of Citi Field; however, Baseball Savant’s Expected Home Runs by Park feature says he would’ve hit 10 more home runs if he played all his games there last season.
While Escobar isn’t a star by any means and is on the older side, as he showed last season, he can still get it done with the bat. I expect him to have another big season in his first year in the big apple.
Josh Donaldson - Minnesota Twins
Even in his age-35 season, Donaldson continued to mash the baseball for the Twins. On the year, he hit 26 home runs and 26 doubles while posting a 127 OPS+ and .827 OPS. The advanced metrics were prettier than the counting stats.
As you can see, he finished above the 90th percentile in each of the following categories; exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, xWOBA, xSLG, and barrel rate. His 12.8% barrels/plate appearance finished third in baseball only behind Fernando Tatis Jr and Shohei Ohtani.
On top of his power, Donaldson continued to show he wasn’t just an all-or-nothing hitter. He finished in the 94th percentile with a 13.6% walk rate and posted his lowest strikeout rate since 2016.
The veteran also did a decent job of staying on the field, appearing in 135 games and totaling 457 at-bats. If Donaldson could do that again in his age 36-season, that’d be huge.
While he’s not nearly the MVP-caliber player he used to be, Donaldson is definitely still a solid fantasy option over at the hot corner. As we saw last season, he can still get it done with the bat and would be a great addition to any team.
Donaldson is currently on the trade block for the Twins and if he isn’t moved prior to the beginning of the season, he figures to be shipped off before the trading deadline. Donaldson is a great option either way, but his value would only go up if he’s traded to a contender.
J.D. Davis - New York Mets*
We’ll put an asterisk next to the Mets because Davis is certainly one of the biggest trade candidates out there. While that may be true, it’s also true that Davis could be one of the biggest beneficiaries from the National League adding the DH.
Defensively, it’s been a struggle, as Davis has long been a man without a position for the Mets. He struggled at third so they tried him in the outfield. He also struggled out there, so they moved him back to the hot corner last season, and then he ended up getting hurt.
Offensively, however, Davis has been a consistent and productive contributor for the Mets when healthy. Since arriving in New York, Davis has a .373 OBP, 128 OPS+, .845 OPS, 43 doubles, and 34 home runs over 269 games.
Last season, he was on fire coming out of the gate prior to his injury. Over the first two weeks, Davis was hitting .405 with a .490 OBP, 1.109 OPS, three doubles, and two home runs.
He was starting a bounce-back campaign; however, the injury bug had other plans. Davis had two different stints on the injured list with a hand injury and ended up having his season cut two weeks short with one last trip to the IL.
After his injury, Davis struggled and never really returned to form at the plate. Fast forward to this season, and he figures to be fully healthy and may have an opportunity for everyday playing time.
This Mets roster is definitely pretty crowded, so a trade may be best for him from both fantasy and real-life standpoints. Either way, if Davis were to receive that shot, he should be able to put together a nice season with the bat.
