To help you prepare for your fantasy baseball draft, we are providing Bobby Sylvester’s top fantasy baseball sleepers per position entering the 2020 season. Below, you’ll find Bobby’s top-300 fantasy baseball rankings.

Prep for your draft with our award-winning fantasy baseball tools

Catcher

Tom Murphy (SEA)
Murphy was quietly exceptional for the Mariners in just 260 at-bats, knocking 18 homers with 40 RBIs and a .269 BA. Now that Narvaez is out of his way and in Milwaukee, Murphy should add 200 trips to the plate and could approach 25 or perhaps even 30 homers for fantasy owners.

First Base

Justin Smoak (MIL)
It wasn’t long ago that Smoak broke out to hit 38 homers with a .270 batting average. While that hasn’t quite been his level of on-paper production the last two seasons, his average exit velocity is up, his K-rate is down and his BB-rate is through the roof. In fact, Baseball Savant shows that according to batted ball data, Smoak was the single most unlucky hitter in baseball last year. Based on his quality of contact, the batting average should have been around .255 with a slugging percentage just shy of .500 which is in the same range as Nolan Arenado‘s xSLG. To put it plainly, the dude rakes and just so happens to be moving to a top-tier hitter’s park.

Second Base

Starlin Castro (WAS)
Castro was a total afterthought for most of the season but he finished on such a strong note that he ended up with 22 homers, a .270 batting average and 86 RBIs in Miami’s crummy lineup. Now that he is in Washington, 100 RBIs is a realistic goal.

Third Base

Howie Kendrick (WAS)
At-bat for at-bat, Kendrick was one of the best hitters in the MLB last season despite his old age. He somehow went from a 4 home run hitter to 17 bombs with a .344 batting average. It is hard to tell if it will stick around for a full year but he is well worth a late-round investment.

Shortstop

Scott Kingery (PHI)
Kingery slowed down after his blazing start but still finished with 19 homers and 15 steals in just 126 games. With a full season likely ahead of him and multi-position eligibility, this may end up being one of the steals of the draft when he goes 25/20 with a .260 average.

Outfield

Avisail Garcia (MIL)
You may remember three years back when Garcia was an all-star and batted .330 but even last year he batted .282 with 20 homers and 10 steals despite missing 40 games. Oh, and by the way, he did that with pitcher-friendly Tampa Bay as his home ballpark. Now that he moving to one of the best home parks in the majors, a jump to 30 homers and 15 steals over a full season is well within the realm of possible outcomes. Add in the fact that he is a statcast superstar and a jump to .320 and 35 homers is even possible. At the very least, we are getting a solid average with both power and speed late in drafts.

Wil Myers (SD)
The 29-year-old Myers has been disappointing each of the last two seasons but let’s not forget that he is not far removed from 58 HRs and 48 SBs in two seasons combined. The average will never be there but the power/speed combo is worth a late-round gamble.

Starting Pitcher

Josh James (HOU)
After breaking out as a prospect to a guy who struck out 171 batters in 114 innings with sparkling ratios, James has proceeded to carve up MLB hitters. He now has 124 Ks in 84 innings with a 1.22 WHIP at the MLB level. He was expected to win a rotation spot last spring, but dealt with a core injury that ultimately forced him into the bullpen. Now that the 5th spot is open again, James has to be the favorite and if he happens to win the role, we could be talking about 200+ strikeouts and a potential ace in 2020.

Brendan McKay (TB)
McKay just so happened to be the top MILB pitcher last season before his MLB debut. He carried a 1.10 ERA with an 0.81 WHIP and 102 Ks in just 73 innings. He struggled to keep the ball in the park in 11 MLB starts but has the dynamite stuff fantasy owners should look when trying to find that next breakout like Shane Bieber or Chris Paddack. McKay had a minor injury concern but is now expected back by opening day and he should be in the rotation most of the season.

Garrett Richards (SD)
Richards has spent a lot of time on the IL but all he has done since 2014 while he is on the mound is post brilliant ratios. In 89 starts during that time, he has a 3.23 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Even if he ends up with just 60 innings early in the year, he’ll outproduce his late-round ADP.

Relief Pitcher

James Karinchak (CLE)
I’ve got to warn you upfront. What I’m about to type is not safe for work. Karinchak struck out 74 batters in 30 innings last year. You read that right. He struck out 22 batters per 9 innings. Do I really need to type anything else? This monster should be up in Cleveland’s pen all season this year and is the next coming of Betances, only you can get him 250 picks later than we are used to drafting those ratio kings with 100+ strikeouts. And if anything happens to Brad Hand, Karinchak could immediately become the next great closer.

Bobby’s Top-300 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Nail your draft by prepping with our Free Draft Kit. Cheat Sheets, sleepers & more

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | SoundCloud | Stitcher | TuneIn