Tag: fantasy baseball

Top 5 Fantasy Baseball sleeper pitchers

Previewing the fantasy baseball landscape and highlighting the top 5 sleeper pitchers for the 2020 MLB season.

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Fantasy baseball managers will need to act quickly in the shortened 2020 MLB season. The 60-game campaign will mean smaller sample sizes of both successes and struggles will carry more weight, and fantasy owners will need to be ready to pounce on the waiver wire and cut ties sooner than usual. Below, we’ll help you get a head start on the 2020 fantasy baseball season with a look at the top-five sleeper pitchers to target in drafts.

Fantasy baseball: Top 5 sleeper pitchers

Kenta Maeda, SP, Minnesota Twins

Average Draft Position (ADP): 171

Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, Maeda joins Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi at the front of the Twins’ rotation. Maeda went 10-8 over 37 games (26 starts) and 153 2/3 innings last year while pitching to a 4.04 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 169 strikeouts against just 51 walks.

Maeda will benefit greatly from the change of scenery. He’ll no longer need to pitch in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field and Chase Field, and will instead get to feast on the expected cellar-dwelling Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.

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Steven Matz, SP, New York Mets

ADP: 277

Matz went 11-10 in 32 games (30 starts) while throwing a career-high 160 1/3 innings in 2019. He posted a lackluster 4.21 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, but both those figures improved greatly in the second half of the season, as did his K-BB percentage. The Mets lineup should be much stronger this season and can help provide more win opportunities with improved run support.

Andrew Heaney, SP, Los Angeles Angels

ADP: 198

Heaney was limited to 18 starts and 95 1/3 innings in 2019. He averaged more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings for the second time in his career and walked fewer than three batters per nine for the second straight year. The 29-year-old has been named the Angels’ Opening Day starter and will front a new-look rotation.

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Kyle Hendricks, SP, Chicago Cubs

ADP: 144

Hendricks hasn’t been able to replicate his breakout 2016 campaign in which he pitched to a 2.13 ERA, while going 16-8, but a regression to a 3.44 ERA in 2018 and a 3.46 ERA in 2019 are being viewed too unfavorably. He won’t steal matchups with strikeout totals, but his reliability and consistency will pay off nicely in an otherwise unpredictable season.

Ken Giles, RP, Toronto Blue Jays

ADP: 128

Giles recorded just 23 saves over 53 games last season, but pitched to a sparkling 1.87 ERA with a career-best 14.09 strikeouts per nine innings. He may still struggle to get save opportunities while backing the middling Blue Jays, but should get into games more regularly with teams expected to limit the usage of their top starters in 2020.

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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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How ESPN and Yahoo will handle fantasy baseball in a shortened MLB season

It’s going to be different in 2020.

So you want to play fantasy baseball in 2020, with the extremely shortened season presenting a very different experience than what we’re all used to. The old adage about how baseball is a marathon, not a sprint is now completely the opposite, and that applies to fantasy.

We’ll get to that strategy change down the road, closer to the season.

For now, there are questions to answer about how this will all work, particularly in two of the most popular fantasy services — ESPN and Yahoo, and that’s what we’re here for. Let’s give you the answers to some of your burning questions about fantasy baseball in this short season:

Head-to-head leagues

Yahoo: They’re doing nine weeks of fantasy, seven of which are regular season and two weeks of playoffs with four teams making the postseason.

ESPN: They say they’re doing nine or 10 weeks “depending on the details of the final MLB schedule,” with seven or eight serving as the regular season and two for the playoffs, with commissioners able to change settings (although that sounds like the right way to do this kind of season, in my opinion).

Rotisserie/Points leagues

Yahoo: The most important thing with these kinds of leagues is innings/games limits, and pitchers have a 525 max innings limit.

ESPN: “The default games-started maximum for pitchers will go from 200 to 74 games. In season-long leagues with innings pitched minimums, those will be reduced proportionally as well, going from 1,000 down to 370.”

Again, those can be adjusted.

Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

What’s the deal with keeper leagues?

Yahoo says they’re “evaluating options” about how keeper leagues who don’t want to run this season will move forward, while ESPN doesn’t address them. My advice: start a separate, non-keepers standalone league for this season only.

How about increased Injured List spots?

Yahoo is going from two to four IL spots for its default and ESPN is going from one to three.

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Fantasy baseball expert answers 6 burning questions on how to approach 2020 season

Fantasy baseball analyst, Ray Murphy, from BaseballHQ.com, shares thoughts on how to approach the abbreviated 2020 fantasy baseball season.

The MLB season, albeit significantly abbreviated, is a go for the 2020 season. While MLB bettors are breaking down where they are going to place their MLB futures bets, fantasy baseball participants are also scratching their heads on how to best approach the new season.

We sat down with fantasy baseball analyst Ray Murphy, co-GM of award-winning fantasy baseball service BaseballHQ.com, to pick his brain on some burning fantasy baseball questions entering the upcoming season. Because there are so many types of fantasy baseball leagues, we focused on standard 5×5, mixed-league scoring.

If there were ever a year we could all use some expert help, 2020 looks to be it and there is no better source than BaseballHQ, who has been in the fantasy baseball business for almost three decades.

SportsbookWire (SBW): What fantasy baseball strategy would you recommend to fantasy baseball participants to set themselves up best for a championship? 

Ray Murphy (RM): Everything depends on your league format, first and foremost. But generally speaking, the shortened season (and the abbreviated “summer camp” preceding it) is hurting pitcher values: fewer innings, fewer Wins (especially to start the season), more volatility in ratios.

You should compensate by pushing batters up your ranking lists. Focus on building a solid foundation on offense and then fill in your pitchers.

SBW: A shorter season means less time where you can sit on struggling players or evaluate trends in general. How do you plan to approach day-to-day, week-to-week roster management this season?

RM: Absolutely right.

“Our normal mantra in a full season is ‘practice excruciating patience’. That doesn’t apply this year.” — Ray Murphy, BaseballHQ.com

Every counting stat you can accumulate is critical. Every day a player sits on the bench while they are in your active lineup is a lost opportunity. You’ll need to have a very quick hook to make changes.

SBW: How do you see the shorter season impacting rookie players? 

RM: This is likely to vary widely team-by-team. Lots of top prospects are being added to the 60-man rosters, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to play… at least at the start. But once you get later in the season, expect to see teams (especially non-contenders) trying to create opportunities for those prospects to catch up on missed development time, as they turn eyes to 2021.

SBW: Who are some of your favorite fantasy baseball prospects that you’d still bank on?

(Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports)

RM: Mostly the same ones as we liked back in the offseason.

In the 2020 Baseball Forecaster, our top prospects for 2020 impact were Gavin Lux (LA), Nick Solak (TEX), Nick Madrigal and Luis Robert (CHW), Jo Adell (LAA). That said, the urgency of a short-season is a double-edged sword.

Take Robert for example: He has a ton of talent, but also some significant warts, namely a lot of swing-and-miss. If he starts out striking 50% of the time in the first couple of weeks of the season, the White Sox might well be less patient with him than they would have been in April.

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SBW: Which player(s) have fantasy baseball bust written all over them that you are avoiding at all costs?

RM: I don’t have too many absolutely avoid-at-all-costs guys… it’s all context/price dependent.

But I’ll give you a couple of categories of guys I’m avoiding:

1. You can’t take chances on injuries in a short season. Guys are going to get hurt (or sick), we’re all going to deal with that. I don’t need to start the season with guys who are already hurt. For instance, the news on Aaron Judge seems ominous: He’s been fighting a rib problem since the end of last year, and it sounds like he’s not at full strength yet. I’m out on him. And as guys inevitably get hurt during camp, I’m going to react the same way.

2. Young pitchers need to be evaluated closely: There may be pockets of value there as the year goes on, roles shift, some teams look to 2021. But for young pitchers who were hyped back in March (OAK’s Jesus Luzardo is a prime example), I’m devaluing them quite a bit, because I think their workload will still be heavily monitored, they could be used as relievers rather than starters, etc.

SBW: Lets flip that coin — Which fantasy baseball sleepers are among your favorites in 2020?

(Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan – USA TODAY Sports)

RM: There is a whole group of cheap/late-round power-hitting OFs that I liked a lot in the spring and still do: Randall Grichuk and Teoscar Hernandez in TOR, Domingo Santana in CLE, Jesse Winker in CIN.

A more recent entry is Yoenis Cespedes, the additional time to recover from injury and the addition of the DH in the NL, make him a really nice target as the Mets DH.

SBW: We can’t let you out of here without picking your brain on the World Series… if you were spending $200 on MLB futures bets, which team(s) would you place your bet(s) on to win?

RM: If I’m throwing some darts at some of the longer odds:

  • AL: I’ll spend $40 on Los Angeles Angels (+4000), $40 on Chicago White Sox (+2500), and $20 on Toronto Blue Jays (+10000)
  • NL: Give me $50 on Cincinnati Reds (+2500), $30 on San Diego Padres (+5000), and $20 on Philadelphia Phillies (+2500)

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Disclosure: BaseballHQ.com is owned by USA TODAY Sports Media Group, which also owns SportsbookWire.

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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6 bust hitters fantasy baseball owners should avoid in 2020 drafts

Some names to avoid at their current prices.

We’re right in the middle of spring training, and although there are a lot more games to play in Arizona and Florida, it’s officially fantasy baseball prep season.

After we’ve given you sleeper hitters and pitchers, it’s time to turn our attention to the possible busts we see ahead of the 2020 MLB season.

It’s worth noting that we’re not saying to completely avoid these players. Instead, it’s all about the return based on their average draft position. If one of them drops a long way, go for it. Otherwise, look elsewhere during your drafts (All ADPs courtesy of FantasyPros).

1. LF/RF Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees

ADP: 70

I think he could return to hitting baseballs long distances frequently and driving in runs. But when you’re early in drafts, you want to minimize risk. And there’s sooooo much risk with Stanton after an injury-plagued 2019 and a calf problem in Spring Training.

2. 3B/LF/RF Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

ADP: 46

Despite .280 and 31 dingers last season, I don’t see him getting back to elite numbers like he had in 2016. For what could be around a fourth-rounder, you can do better.

3. LF/CF Tommy Pham, San Diego Padres

ADP: 82

Love the player, concerned about a power outage in San Diego. Yes, he hit 21 homers last season, his third straight 20-tater year and a second 20-20 season with his speed. But if he goes down to the teens in home runs, his value drops by a lot. Also: he just turned 32.

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

4. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

ADP: 58

Speaking of 32: that’s how old Goldschmidt is, too, and his average dropped a whole 30 points between 2018 and 2019. The steals are long gone, and although the power is still there, is all of this a sign of his skills declining? I’m not drafting him that high to find out.

5. C J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies

ADP: 53

It’s not the player I object to. It’s the idea of taking a catcher so high. Yes, he’s really good in all the categories you want him to be really good in. But Willson Contreras hit 24 home runs last year and his ADP is 114. Wilson Ramos knocked in 73 RBI and has batted .260 or higher in each of his last three seasons. Get the point?

6. RF/DH Jorge Soler, Kansas City Royals

ADP: 87

He played his first full season ever and swatted 48 home runs, 36 more than his previous high. Are you buying into a breakout that was long overdue? Or one that won’t be repeated? There are other names I like in this range (Max Muncy, Matt Chapman and Luis Robert), so I’ll pass on the risk.

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The 12 best fantasy baseball team names (that we could print) for 2020

Some good names for your 2020 fantasy team.

Another year, another season of fantasy baseball, which is on its way fast in 2020 with Opening Day just weeks away.

Aside from worrying about sleepers and busts for your draft board, you’re probably also concerned about that perfect name for your team.

Seriously! A good team name gives you that little boost you need going into the season, and every little thing helps you win a title, right?

Ok, it’s not so serious. It’s just fun, and we like fun here.

So as we’ve done in years past, here are some of the best names (that we could print) we found around the web:

1. Madison Bumgarner’s Secret Rodeos

Very timely!

2. Ooh Ooh That Snell

For all you Lynyrd Skynyrd fans.

3. Press Your Lux

4. Advanced Gleybermetrics

5. Trash Can Men

Here come the Astros names.

6. Jose Altuve’s Tat Hiding T-shirt

7. The Big Bang Theory

8. Bang the Can Slowly

9. Stroman Troopers

For Star Wars fans.

10. Cutch Me If You Can

11. 10,000 Manaeacs

12. Rizzo – Good As Hell

(Thanks to all the sites we linked to for the names!)

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Fantasy baseball sleepers: Target these hidden stolen base gems

Analyzing five fantasy baseball sleepers who can help you win your 2020 fantasy baseball league’s stolen-base category.

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:

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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9 sleeper pitchers fantasy baseball owners should target in 2020 drafts

Some arms to look at late.

We’re right in the middle of spring training, and although there are a lot more games to play in Arizona and Florida, it’s officially fantasy baseball prep season.

Let’s start with some sleepers you can get at a discount in your draft, specifically among pitchers (we already gave you some names of sleeper hitters).

It appears that quality starting pitching has become a premium in fantasy. Between innings limits on young arms, increased use of bullpens and some teams using “openers” to pitch, you’ll see some big names in the first two rounds of drafts … and that might not be the worst strategy.

That said, there are still values to be had in the later part of your draft. Here are a few (all ADPs courtesy of FantasyPros)

1. SP Adrian Houser, Milwaukee Brewers

ADP: 265

The key stat you should look for late is strikeouts, and Houser had 116 in 111 innings last year while putting up a respectable 3.72 ERA.

2. SP Josh James, Houston Astros

ADP: 317

Remember what I just said? Dude whiffed 100 batters in just 61.1 innings last year. The hope is the ERA and WHIP will drop, and at this price, that’s not too risky.

3. SP Brendan McKay, Tampa Bay Rays

ADP: 305

One of the top prospects in baseball wasn’t great in his debut last year. But that just means you should draft him late in the hopes he’ll start living up to the hype.

4. SP Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates

ADP: 266

Another former big-name prospect who had a really rough debut (7.13 ERA in 2019).

AP Photo/Ben Margot

5. SP Mike Fiers, Oakland A’s

ADP: 273

When you run out of high-strikeout options, how about a guy who has totaled a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his last two seasons? That seems useful!

6. SP Aaron Civale, Cleveland Indians

With Mike Clevinger out to start the year, there’s room in the rotation for the pitcher who ended up with a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 10 games last season.

7. SP Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox

ADP: 379

Ignore the first-year numbers. The team around him could be better and the home runs he gave up could come down.

8. RP Giovanny Gallegos, St. Louis Cardinals

ADP: 195

You’ll notice I don’t have a lot of relievers listed here, but because I tend to take the ones no one else wants late. And the hard-throwing Gallegos might not even start off as the closer with the Cards. But you could end up with one of the best finishers in baseball if he repeats what he did last year (93 Ks, 2.31 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) and gets the role by the All-Star break.

9. SP Dylan Bundy, Los Angeles Angels

ADP: 237

Is he fantasy kryptonite because of all those years in Baltimore? Understandable. But he gets a new start in Los Angeles, and that could be worth a lot, especially when you’re taking him late.

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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 Roark, Matt 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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Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 4 Late-Round Closer Targets

Assessing 2020 fantasy baseball sleepers and looking at four late-round closer options who can pile up saves this season.

Drafting closers who can rack up saves is one of the most difficult parts of fantasy baseball. The inherent volatility of the position — with many managers having short leashes for any sort of struggles in the latter innings — adds to the difficulty. It’s often not worth the price to take unproven closers in the early-to-mid rounds only for them to lose their job before the end of April. Here, we’ll look at four relief pitchers with a chance to take over the ninth-inning duties for their respective teams who are worth a late-round flier in your 2020 fantasy baseball drafts.

2020 Fantasy baseball sleepers: Closers

Ty Buttrey, Los Angeles Angels

Buttrey is expected to start the 2020 season behind Hansel Robles on the Angels’ closer depth chart. Robles has struggled this spring, however, and new manager Joe Maddon will have little allegiance to a player who converted 23 of 27 save opportunities in 2019.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old Buttrey appeared in 72 games last season but converted just 2 of 6 save opportunities. Still, he had a better strikeout rate than Robles and could certainly earn a shot if Robles takes his spring issues into the season. The Angels are expecting to be much better in 2020 after a busy offseason, and Robles’ leash will be kept tight while closing for a team with playoff aspirations.

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

Luke Jackson, Atlanta Braves

Jackson begins the 2020 season in a middle- relief role, while Mark Melancon and Will Smith occupy the late-inning roles. Jackson ranked inside the top 20 of qualified relievers last season in both strikeout rate (33.7%) and ground-ball rate (60.5%).

The 28-year-old converted just 18 of 25 save opportunities in 2019, but he did gain a reasonable amount of experience. He may need only to overcome Melancon, who hasn’t saved more than 12 games since 2016, with Smith preferred for the set-up role.

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Dellin Betances, New York Mets

Betances, who’s recovering from a torn Achilles which limited him to 2/3 of an inning with the New York Yankees last year, is still targeting Opening Day for his return to a major league mound. Used almost exclusively as a set-up man by the Yanks, Betances has converted 36 of 55 save opportunities over his career. He has an elite strikeout rate year-over-year and he induces more soft contact than hard. Betances will be available to replace Edwin Diaz if the latter’s 2019 struggles persist in the early going of 2020.

Andrew Miller, St. Louis Cardinals

Another veteran with considerable ninth-inning experience, Miller will start the season behind Giovanny Gallegos for closer duties. Gallegos, 28, pitched to a 2.31 ERA across 74 innings and 66 games last season, but he’s just 2-for-6 in career save opportunities. Miller has mostly been a set-up man the last four seasons, but he has 59 career saves and just 16 blown chances. He’s available at the end of drafts and will get enough work even in middle relief to provide value from the RP slot with strong ratios and high strikeout totals.

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

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire.

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9 sleeper hitters fantasy baseball owners should target in 2020 drafts

Some names to flag for draft night.

We’re right in the middle of spring training, and although there are a lot more games to play in Arizona and Florida, it’s officially fantasy baseball prep season.

Let’s start with some sleepers you can get at a discount in your draft, specifically among hitters (we’ll do pitchers soon, I promise!).

We’re coming into this year after records for home runs hit by Major Leaguers were obliterated, so finding cheap power will be a focus, as will speed as stolen bases become so much harder to unearth.

Here are a few players who can give you some of either or both of those categories (all ADPs via FantasyPros)

1. 3B/LF J.D. Davis, New York Mets

ADP: 187

He broke out last year to the tune of .307 and 22 homers. It’s possible he could be even better than that now that he has what should be a bigger role.

2. 2B Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals

ADP: 237

Maybe you missed it last season, but he stole 24 bases and hit .285. Seems like everyone’s betting he won’t do it again, but at this kind of ADP, it’s a bet worth taking.

3. OF Trent Grisham, San Diego Padres

ADP: 325

He’s a name being thrown around a lot, and with good reason. He showed flashes in limited time with the Brewers and had some wheels in the minors. Perhaps he’s motivated to put last year’s error against the Washington Nationals behind him and find a place in what could be a crowded outfield after he was dealt to San Diego.

4. 3B/RF, Brian Anderson, Miami Marlins

ADP: 238

Fellow owners may run for the hills when it comes to Marlins players, and yes, he may not get a ton of RBI as the Marlins continue to rebuild. But he might be one of the cheapest source of 20 home runs you’ll find on draft day with a chance for more.

5. 2B/3B/SS/LF/CF Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies

ADP: 184

I love post-hype prospects, and I equally love guys who do a little bit of everything. He hit 19 homers and stole 15 bags last year while hitting .258. Maybe his average comes up, maybe there’s more power in store … and on top of that, he qualifies at so many positions. So much to love.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

6. 1B/DH Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

ADP: 317

Yes, him! Look, the wheels have fallen off from the days when the future Hall of Famer was an automatic first rounder in fantasy. But a guy who can still hit for relatively good average and drive in runs occasionally at such a low ADP might be a good last-round pick.

7. 1B/LF/CF/RF Mark Canha, Oakland A’s

ADP: 248

Nearly 30 dingers last season at that ADP? You have my attention.

8. C Carson Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks

ADP: 223

I’ll be the owner who waits and waits for catchers. And this one — 18 homers last year — is a good choice.

9. 3B Gio Urshela, New York Yankees

ADP: 217

He could have been a flash in the pan, but this late in the draft, I’ll roll the dice on a possible repeat of 2019 (.315, 21 HR, 74 RBI).

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