The MLB and fantasy baseball season will be upon soon, and now is the time to hone in on targets to bolster your fantasy baseball lineup. Stolen bases have dropped by nearly 20% since 2014, and 20-steal producers have become more rare … and more of a commodity. Below, we investigate some hidden stolen-base gems, players who can produce in the category but at the right price point or at a value slot in a fantasy baseball draft.
Fantasy baseball sleepers
Jon Berti, SS-OF-3B, Miami Marlins
Berti logged an impressive late-bloomer rookie season in 2019. The now-30-year-old can play all over the diamond, and that led to 256 at-bats a year ago. Berti clocked a .348 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases, and he was up with the big club from July 31 to the end of the season.
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 a 26th roster spots for MLB clubs and that much more opportunity for a diverse talent.
Garrett Hampson, 2B-OF, Colorado Rockies
Hampson was a negative-WAR, .247 batter in his age-25 rookie season in 2019. What’s intriguing is his elite speed and the numbers he cobbled together in the second half last season. Hampson logged a .284/.348/.462 (batting/on-base/slugging) slash line in 188 second-half plate appearances.
The opportunities led to 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Only three players posted faster StatCast times than Hampson’s 30.1 feet per second. The upside here is upwards of 25 steals.
Cesar Hernandez, 2B, Cleveland Indians
Hernandez comes over from Philadelphia as a free agent. A durable sort with previous OBP norms near .360, the 29-year-old scuffled his way to a .333 OBP (and nine SB) in 2019.
A return to a double-digit walk rate (which Hernandez had each season from 2016-18) would be a boon to fantasy baseball drafters looking for more thefts. The speedy second sacker logged a 7% walk rate in 2019. A different philosophy in Cleveland is likely, and so is a potential doubling of last year’s stolen base figure.
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Nick Madrigal, 2B, Chicago White Sox
Madrigal will likely record his first steals of 2020 with the Charlotte Knights. The crazy-fast Pale Hose prospect swiped 35 bases in 120 MiLB games last year. (In those 120 games, Madrigal walked 44 times while striking out just 16 times.)
The 23-year-old might not be a prospect we see until after Derby Day, but he profiles as a very interesting fantasy baseball asset. He could arrive in May and still end up 20-plus steals this season.
Also see:
- Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 3 Prospects to Target on Draft Day
- Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 4 Late-Round Closer Targets
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 5 Players to Help Win Your League
Trent Grisham, OF, San Diego Padres
Another 23-year-old prospect, Grisham registered a .328 OBP (and one stolen base) in 51 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019. After being traded for, he’s the heir apparent for the Padres’ center field job this season.
Grisham’s skills have upside across the board, and for a highly athletic player whose StatCast speed numbers put him in very good company, stolen base numbers can certainly be in the mix. He had 25 steals in 55 games as an 18-year-old in 2015, and stole 38 in 133 games in advanced A-ball two years later. Grisham is having a big spring for the Padres. He may well be worth having in a few categories, one of them being stolen bases.
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