Buyer beware: Avoid these fantasy baseball busts this season

Highlighting potential fantasy baseball busts you’ll need to avoid in your drafts for the 2020 MLB season.

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The 2020 fantasy baseball season will be one like never before and will require owners to have near-perfect drafts. Below, we call attention to the players most likely to be a bust in 2020 and who you should be avoiding in your fantasy baseball drafts.

There’ll be no time to wait on slow-starters and early-season slumps in the 60-game MLB season. This means it’ll be incredibly important to avoid a draft bust, particularly in the early rounds.

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2020 fantasy baseball busts to avoid

Mar 5, 2020; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. (Photo Credit: Matt Kartozian – USA TODAY Sports)

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians

Here is where the term “bust” comes under scrutiny every year. By all means, draft Ramirez. He’s a fantastic player, but he won’t be worth a mid-second-round pick in 2020.

He has slashed .272/.347/.469 in the first half of the season for his career, compared to a .288/.356/.504 line in the second half – that split was even worse in 2019. Part of the problem is likely due to the cold March and April weather in Cleveland, but it’s also a sign he usually starts the year behind pitchers. There’s no time for that in a 60-game season.

Mitch Garver, C, Minnesota Twins

Garver crushed 31 home runs in just 93 games and 359 plate appearances for the Twins last year. He did it with a .357 ISO and 29.0% home run to fly ball ratio compared to his .146 and 8.0% marks across 103 games in 2018.


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Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals

Perez’s start to the season is already in jeopardy after testing positive for COVID-19. Though he’s asymptomatic, he’s also recovering from a season lost to an elbow injury. Expect a serious power decline from his 27-home run seasons of 2017 and 2018.

Mallex Smith, OF, Seattle Mariners

Smith offers little fantasy value outside of his great contributions in the stolen bases category. He’s also another poor starter with a career .629 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in March and April.

Jon Berti, IF/OF, Miami Marlins

Berti is viewed by some as a sleeper this season after stealing 17 bases in 73 games last season. He struck out in 25.4% of his plate appearances, walked in just 8.4% and can’t get on base consistently enough to contribute at the same pace in the shortened campaign. He had a .273 batting average in 2019, but it was mainly the result of an inflated .360 BABIP (batting average on balls in play).


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Josh Hader, RP, Milwaukee Brewers

Hader is one example of the high-priced closers to fade this season, along with the saves category. There’ll be fewer opportunities in the unpredictable season as teams use less-defined pitcher roles. The mid-round pick isn’t worth leaving better and more predictable hitters on the board.

German Marquez, SP, Colorado Rockies

Two factors work against Marquez. He’ll play 30 of his 60 games in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, where he has a career 5.01 ERA compared to a 3.72 mark on the road, and he has also performed best in the second half of the season. Owners won’t be able to sit through those rough starts this season.

Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Gallen was viewed as a favorite sleeper target by many back in March. He pitched to a stellar 2.81 ERA, but 4.15 xFIP across 15 starts and 80 innings in 2019. He won’t have the necessary time to develop in his shortened sophomore season and can’t be expected to pick up right where he left off.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Top Fantasy Baseball rookies to bank on in 2020

Analyzing the best MLB rookies to target in your 2020 fantasy baseball draft.

Fantasy baseball season is quickly approaching and we at SportsbookWire have you covered. We have looked at top sleepers and some value pitchers to target. Below, we’ll look at five MLB rookies who are poised to make major impacts on the 60-game 2020 fantasy season.

Fantasy baseball rookies to target

Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox

Robert, 22, totaled 32 home runs and 36 stolen bases across three different levels of the minor leagues in 2019. He had been expected to start the 2020 season patrolling center field for a much-improved White Sox team even before the season was shortened and the minor-league season was canceled.

He slashed .297/.341/.634 over 47 games in Triple-A last season, but needs to cut down on strikeouts and draw more walks in order to have success at the majors. He’ll be given a long leash.


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Jesus Luzardo, SP, Oakland Athletics

Luzardo tossed 12 innings across six games last season and recorded two saves while striking out 16 batters with just three walks and two earned runs allowed. The former top prospect is currently slated as the No. 4 starter in the Athletics rotation.

Gavin Lux, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lux hit two homers and stole two bases while slashing .240/.305/.400 across 82 plate appearances in 23 MLB games last season. He’s expected to be the everyday second baseman in 2020, and though he’ll likely bat ninth in the order, he’ll be followed by OF Mookie Betts, 1B Max Muncy and 3B Justin Turner as the lineup turns over.


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Nate Pearson, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect, Pearson will likely be the first name called upon in the event of an injury to another starter. He’ll probably open the season on the taxi squad, but will still have a direct path into the rotation and can still make an early impact. He pitched to a 2.59 ERA across 62 2/3 innings in Double-A last season.

Carter Kieboom, SS, Washington Nationals

Kieboom will open 2020 as the replacement to Anthony Rendon at third base for the Nationals. He trailed only OF Victor Robles in the Nats’ prospect rankings last season, as he slashed .303/.409/.493 with 16 homers over 109 games in Triple-A. He hit two homers, but struck out in 37.2% of his plate appearances over 11 MLB games after his call-up. He gained some experience ahead of what’s expected to be a full 60-game season at the hot corner.

Want action on any 2020 MLB futures? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Target these 5 Fantasy Baseball rookies

Previewing the fantasy baseball landscape and highlighting the top 5 rookies to draft for the 2020 MLB season.

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Every year, a few rookies step up and unexpectedly become difference-makers in the world of Fantasy Baseball. Here, we take a look at a few possibilities for 2020, beyond the most obvious breakout rookies, such as Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Gavin Lux and Chicago White Sox OF Luis Robert.

Also see:

Fantasy baseball: Top 5 sleeper rookies

Washington Nationals 3B Carter Kieboom

Kieboom struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, as he collected just five hits in 39 at-bats for a .128 batting average in 2019. He punished Class AAA pitching all season, posting a .303/.409/.493 line with 16 home runs across 494 plate appearances.

Kieboom, who has been a middle infielder for the vast majority of his minor league career, has been anointed the starting third baseman for the Nationals heading into the season. He doesn’t offer a ton of immediate upside but should fare much better this time around, providing a decent average and some pop in a strong Washington lineup.


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Chicago White Sox 2B Nick Madrigal

Madrigal had a solid year in 2019, as he put up a .311/.377/.414 line across three levels of the minors. Two things stand out in his profile: He brings plenty of speed to the table, as shown by the 35 bags he swiped a season ago, and he also puts the ball in play at an extremely high rate. He struck out in just 16 of his 532 plate appearances (3.0% K%).

It appears there is a strong chance Madrigal won’t start the season on the active roster. If he does, he may be behind Leury Garcia in the pecking order at second base, but it probably won’t be long before he becomes a regular, and while the power is lacking, he should help in the batting average and stolen base categories.


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St. Louis Cardinals OF Dylan Carlson

Carlson spent most of the 2019 season terrorizing Class AA pitching. When he finally got a chance in Class AAA, he hit the ground running, as he recorded an absurd .361/.418/.681 line in 79 plate appearances.

Carlson can’t be expected to produce at that level in the majors, and there’s a chance he doesn’t open the season on the active roster, so the team can gain an extra year of control. It won’t be long before he gets a shot, and he should put up respectable numbers across all categories.

Oakland Athletics C Sean Murphy

Murphy missed much of the 2019 season due to injuries, but he mashed whenever he was on the field. He hit .308 with 10 homers in 140 plate appearances at Class AAA. He made a splash once called up to the majors in September, hitting .245 with four home runs in 60 plate appearances.

Murphy is set to get the majority of playing time behind the plate for Oakland in 2020. Look for him to continue to provide plus power, along with a batting average that won’t kill you.

Los Angeles Dodgers SP Dustin May

May showed he was ready for the majors when he got an opportunity in 2019. In 14 appearances (four starts), he put up a 3.63 ERA across 34 2/3 innings, with 32 strikeouts against just five walks.

May’s role for 2020 is unclear at this point. The Dodgers still have rotation depth, despite the recent losses of David Price and Jimmy Nelson, and even if May does start, the outings may be short at the beginning of the season. Even so, the skills are strong, and the pitcher-friendly park and offense behind him help make May a pitcher worth targeting in the middle rounds.

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Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Top 5 Fantasy Baseball sleepers for 2020

Looking at the top 5 sleeper picks for the 2020 Fantasy Baseball season.

As the adjusted 60-game MLB season approaches, we take a closer look at some fantasy baseball sleeper picks. In a season that will involve more use of organizational depth and have a wider strength-of-schedule disparity than perhaps any other in the modern era, sleeper candidates figure to loom large in clocking points this season.

Let’s look at the top five players who fall into this category.

Top 5 Fantasy Baseball sleepers

Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Gavin Lux

Lux scuffled in his debut season, batting a whiff-heavy .240 in a 23-game stint. The Dodgers’ second sacker has a skill set to get to an OPS in the high 700s. The former first-round draft pick (Dodgers – 2016) has potential in all the fantasy scoring categories.


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Boston Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo

The 24-year-old comes over to the Red Sox after batting .294 with 12 home runs for the Dodgers in 377 plate appearances last year. A lot of line drives and a lot of Fenway Park on the schedule is a combination that never hurt anyone, unless you pitch for a living. The Statcast analytics – improved launch angle, an uptick in exit velocity – and improved performance against southpaws were factors somewhat masked by late-season injury issues (oblique strain). Verdugo benefits from the delayed start to the season, and fantasy managers will, as well.

Also see:

Colorado Rockies RP Scott Oberg

Oberg logged a 2.25 ERA across 56 innings pitched a year ago, and he figures to have a very real opportunity to unseat RP Wade Davis as the incumbent closer in Denver. The 30-year-old right-hander is an extreme groundball pitcher, and that’s helped him post tremendous numbers at Coors Field the last couple seasons.


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Miami Marlins OF Jon Berti

Berti registered an impressive late-bloomer rookie season in 2019. Position-wise, the 30-year-old is a Swiss Army Knife, and a year ago he clocked a .348 on-base percentage and stole 17 bases. A thief of 270 bags in nine Minor League seasons, Berti’s straight-line sprint speed measured as 13th-fastest in the 2019 MLB season.

The .348 OBP would appear ripe for regression, but the 2020 season brings more roster flexibility and playing-time potential for down-roster types.

Oakland Athletics SP Frankie Montas

Can a 16-start, 2.63 ERA pitcher still be considered a sleeper the following season? In this case, yes. Montas returned from a PED suspension last year to strike out 9.66 batters per nine innings over 96 frames. An improved splitter last summer, improved velocity this summer, and a shortened season that mitigates some potential durability issues all point to good things for Montas.

He certainly wouldn’t be the first MLB pitcher to really get in high gear around the age of 27 (his current age). A schedule featuring 67% of games against the AL West doesn’t hurt. An early look at average draft positioning shows the Oakland hurler being undervalued.

Want action on any 2020 MLB futures? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 3 Prospects to Target on Draft Day

Analyzing three lesser-know MLB prospects entering the 2020 season as fantasy baseball sleepers who have the upside to help win your league.

Drafting prospects can be one of the most fun parts of fantasy baseball. It’s always exciting to get a share of MLB’s new wave of top, young talent, whether they’ll be starting the season in the majors or auditioning for an early season promotion. Here, we look at three sleeper prospects available toward the end of your fantasy baseball draft who’ll be able to make big contributions upon their MLB debut this season.

2020 Fantasy baseball sleepers: Prospects

Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies

Bohm comes into the 2020 season just 23 years old and without having played a game above Class AA. Hit hit 14 home runs across 63 games at the second-highest minor-league level last year. Additionally, he has shown promising plate discipline in the minors with a 10.4% walk rate and stomachable 14.1% strikeout rate last year in AA ball.

Also see: 2020 Fantasy Baseball Busts: 5 Players to Avoid on Draft Day

The Phillies have a crowded infield following the signing of SS Didi Gregorius this offseason. Scott Kingery is expected to handle third base duties to open the season, but he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations through his first two seasons. Kingery’s versatility and ability to play multiple positions defensively also makes him an easy injury replacement whether it by around the infield or in the outfield.

The Phillies are all in, and they’ll make room for Bohm if he can get off to a hot start at Class AAA. He’s a top option in keeper leagues or redraft leagues with Inactive slots.


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Nate Pearson, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays finally splurged in free agency this offseason, reeling in SP Hyun-Jin Ryu as one of the top starters on the open market. He’ll front the starting rotation this year, but he’s followed by an uninspiring corps of veterans with potential injury concerns in Tanner RoarkMatt Shoemaker and Chase Anderson.

Pearson has been dominant in spring training and could be forcing the Blue Jays’ hand. The team is in need of a top-level No. 2 starter behind Ryu, and it may be best for his development to be up in the majors and working with the veteran ace while facing MLB hitters rather than toiling away in the minors.

Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, Baltimore Orioles

Mountcastle is the top hope for an Orioles club in dire need of adding excitement and offensive talent. The 23-year-old hit 25 home runs across 127 games at Class AAA last season, and he has little left to prove.

He’s stuck behind highly paid, but struggling veteran Chris Davis at first base, but he could force the Orioles to admit the mistake of Davis’ lofty extension and make them swallow salary to clear room. If not, he’s likely to get his shot in left field, as the Orioles are in need of an upgrade at several positions.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire.

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