Major League Baseball may still be in a lockout, but Fantasy Baseball draft season is in full swing. Drafting prospects for redraft leagues can be risky, especially with the uncertainty of when they will debut. Not every prospect comes up and lights the world on fire like Ronald Acuña Jr, Fernando Tatís Jr, and Juan Soto. Often, prospects struggle upon debut and do not fulfill their draft cost. It may not be worth paying up for the prospect in the FantasyPros Consensus ADP, but some rookie hitters are going later in drafts and may be worth taking a shot on. Let’s take a look at who those bats are.
Complete a mock draft in minutes with our free Draft Simulator 
Riley Greene checks in with a FantasyPros ADP of 270 but certainly has the upside to outperform that ADP. If the Tigers are serious about taking the next step with their young core and putting a winning product on the field, Greene will be Detroit’s Opening Day center fielder. A lot of that could hinge on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but there is no denying Greene is ready for the Majors, despite being 21 years old.
Greene dominated both double and triple-A last season posting a .301/.387/.534 slash line. Greene mashed 24 home runs and stole 16 bases. Greene isn’t a speed demon, but he is highly efficient on the base paths. He has been caught stealing just once in his MiLB career.
Greene is a very mature hitter with excellent plate discipline and has a knack for finding the barrel of the bat. He should have no problem hitting against Major League pitching. I would expect him to debut no later than the All-Star break, but there is an outside chance he could break camp with the team.
Greene’s teammate Spencer Torkelson is coming in slightly higher in ADP at 222, according to FantasyPros. I was fortunate enough to see Torkelson live in multiple games in the Arizona Fall League before leaving with an injury.
Torkelson hits the ball to all fields well and makes very consistent contact. Last year Torkelson posted a 75 percent contact rate between three Minor League levels (A+, AA, AAA). Despite a very slow start, he has massive raw power and showed it in-game last season, hitting 30 home runs in 520 plate appearances.
Much like Riley Greene, his debut could be determined by the CBA. But, one thing is clear, Spencer Torkelson is more than ready to play at the highest level of professional baseball.
We now drop down a couple of hundred picks to Bryson Stott, who has an ADP of 433 according to FantasyPros Consensus. Stott is not flashy, but he consistently gets the job done. If the Phillies are serious about winning, Stott will start at shortstop to open the season.
Last season Stott ascended from high-A to triple-A and hit at every level. He posted a .299/.390/.486 slash line with 16 home runs and ten stolen bases. Stott hits the ball to all fields and has consistently improved his plate discipline throughout his Minor League career.
It does appear likely that the Phillies use Didi Gregorious as their Opening Day shortstop, but don’t be surprised when Stott overtakes him reasonably quick.
Seth Beer is a huge beneficiary of the National League designated hitter. His glove is terrible; in fact, Fangraphs has his glove as a present 20 grade on the 20/80 scale. Beer will likely be UT only for long-term fantasy purposes, but the bat can play. Last season in triple-A, Beer posted a slash line of .287/.398/.511 with 16 home runs. Beer certainly has more power than that, and it would not be surprising to see him approach 25 home runs regularly with everyday at-bats.
There are a couple of concerns with Beer. First, he had shoulder surgery in late September. There has been no news regarding the severity of the surgery or how his rehab is going. There is also a platoon possibility. Beer would be on the strong side, but a platoon is a platoon.
Despite the concerns, you could do much worse at pick 500 than Seth Beer, who should see regular at-bats and be a solid hitter at that.
You may not be familiar with Steven Kawn yet, but you will in 2022. Kwan is now 24 years old and is more than ready for a test in the Majors. Kwan does not have a flashy profile, but he makes elite contact. Last season, Kwan posted an 88 percent contact rate in double-A and a 92 percent contact rate in triple-A. If this sounds like an outlier, it’s not. Kwan has produced high contact rates throughout his MiLB career.
Kwan likely won’t hit for a ton of power or steal a massive amount of bases. But as a late-round batting average boost, you could do a lot worse. Kwan did hit 12 home runs last year in just 341 plate appearances between double and triple-A, so 15-18 may not be out of the realm of possibility. He stole just six bases in eight attempts. So, you are probably looking at a potential 15 home run and five stolen base type player, but the batting average will offset some of that. Last year, Kwan slashed .328/.407/.527.
Kwan won’t be a league winner by any means, but he could be an excellent source of batting average off your bench in deep leagues if you need the batting average boost.
Complete a mock draft in minutes with our free Draft Simulator
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – that optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
Chris Clegg is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @RotoClegg.
