First of many! We will be posting a FAAB advice article throughout the fantasy baseball season. Given that this is a post-draft FAAB article, we are strictly analyzing lesser drafted players who deserve your bids prior to the start of Opening Day. There are players ranging from 1% rostered to 45% rostered.
Moving forward, we will analyze those worthy of bids due to recent play, role changes, and also prospects making their way up to the bigs. We will also take a look back at the prior week’s suggested players and see how much they went for in public-facing industry leagues. With that being said, happy bidding! Note: FAAB is based on a $100 budget, roster percentage is from Yahoo!
Hitters
- 13% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 8-10%
Going from undrafted to targeted, the 24-year old top prospect Pena has the tools to be an at least serviceable replacement to the newly departed Carlos Correa. The glove is clearly there, but the intriguing power potential along with the hit tool has now reared its head. Additionally, he can swipe 20+ stolen bases if given a full season of work. It remains to be seen what the Astros will do with Pena. As of now, we do not know if he will start, but if he does (and should) – this could be a .275 hitter with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases from short. Sign me up.
- 9% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 4-5%
In my draft prep article, I stated that Spring Training stats generally do not matter. Well, I said generally for a reason. I was a true believer in Hiura as he rose through the ranks of the minors a couple years ago. It was an all-fields approach with quick hands through the lower and middle parts of the zone with plus barrel control. Simply put, he had the makings of a fantasy stud. However – and a huge however – MLB teams quickly realized that there was a massive hole in his profile… Hiura just could not get his hands up in the zone to reach high velocity, Major League fastballs.
But now, early reports indicate that the young second baseman-turned-first baseman has adjusted his swing and maybe corrected the issue, partially proven by his 1.500 OPS and four home runs in only 25 Spring at-bats. Just 9% rostered, he is absolutely worth a late-round flier – but for the remaining 91% of you, don’t be too afraid to sprinkle $4 on the intriguing young spring slugger.
And now I will slightly contradict myself: Exercise caution… it is spring after all.
- 24% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 3-4%
You might not know this, but Candelario shared the MLB lead for doubles last year. Now entrenched at the hot corner for Detroit and part of a very interesting Tigers lineup which includes Akil Baddoo, Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Schoop, newly acquired Javy Baez, and 2020 1st overall pick Spencer Torkelson – there is a lot to be excited about if you are an investor in Candelario. He doesn’t hit the ball all that hard, but he’s disciplined and has displayed a real knack for gap power.
- 14% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 1-2%
Last year, Diaz hit 18 home runs in 338 at-bats. The home vs. road power splits were actually dead even, but he hit .289 at home and .203 on the road. Coors Field, don’t you love it? I am still a little bit confused about how Diaz is so ridiculously under-rostered, given that catcher is so thin. I get it, the swing isn’t all that great, and he doesn’t really have a track record, but you could certainly do worse than 15-20 home runs out of your catcher position. To start the year, a modest bid of $2 seems pretty reasonable if you are post-draft searching for a backstop.
Starting Pitchers
- 45% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 10%
The San Francisco Giants are likely the best pitching development organization in baseball. Logan Webb, Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood, the list goes on. Now, Alex Cobb is allegedly throwing 97 mph in spring, up four mph from his average last year. Cobb has had amongst the most up-and-down careers of anyone in baseball and now finds himself coming off of a solid year in an incredibly solid situation. If the velocity remains, he stays healthy, and the ability to miss barrels continues – the new Giant could somehow end up a top-30 starter by the time the year ends.
- 44% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 8-10%
The 2017 second overall pick has made the Reds rotation. Listen, there’s risk here – plain and simple. But guess what? Pure stuff is pure stuff. Greene sits 99-102 mph on his fastball with one of the more athletic deliveries and frames of any pitcher in all of baseball. There is reason to steer clear here due to reliance on one pitch and health, but the upside is simply undeniable. Slotted into a somewhat underrated Reds staff, Greene has the chance to turn heads and miss bats. While I do expect him to struggle at first, the success in the minors is real. After his acclimation period, Greene should provide an excellent return on a decent investment.
- 37% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 7-8%
The oft-injured Gonsolin was named a back-end rotation member of the Dodgers prior to the start of the 2022 season. A friend of Statcast, Gonsolin ranks above average to well-above average in most advanced metrics. For some reason, however, his fastball got hit, and he really struggled to throw strikes last year. Oddly enough, his walk rate jumped from 4% in 2020 to 14% in 2021. Despite this, Gonsolin has the stuff to break hitters down and contribute to multiple pitching categories. His secondaries are fantastic, and he’s on the Dodgers. If he can stay healthy and simply locate better in 2022, this is a worthwhile investment.
- 1% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 1%
Despite a tumultuous 2021 campaign, Howard was named the fifth starter by the Rangers earlier this week. A minor league stud, Howard has not found success in the majors. After a decent showing in Philadelphia, the 2017 second rounder struggled mightily in Texas after he was traded for Kyle Gibson. However, Howard was a recipient of some combination of bad luck and poor command. The stuff is there: A mid-90s fastball, an above-average change, and plus, flashing plus-plus late-break slider.
His 7.43 ERA and 1.61 WHIP last year might make you disregard this immediately, but there is more than what meets the eye here. Upside, upside, upside.
Closers
- 19% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 8-10%
At this very moment, we do not know for sure that Suarez is 100% the Padres’ closer. However, if your draft had ended before the news break that he might be, please feel free to shell out $9 or maybe even $10 for this 31-year old rookie. In his last two seasons with Hanshin, Suarez tallied 67 saves and a 1.65 ERA in 114 2/3 IP. It’s extremely easy gas and strong secondaries. Last year, Mark Melancon had an incredible statistical year for San Diego. Sure, the Padres are really hard to project right now, but they will likely play in a ton of close games like last year.
If the reports are true, I think an optimistic but not out-of-the-question projection is for Suarez to hold down the job the entire year and challenge for a sub-3.25 ERA with 30-35 saves. Go out and spend on this guy NOW.
- 34% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 2-3%
Colome is the likely favorite for the closer role in Colorado to start 2022. There really isn’t that much there, as Colome is a sub-9 K/9 reliever playing in Coors. However, there is no denying he’s a veteran who has had some tremendous seasons pitching the ninth. Despite this, he’s a bottom-tier closer for fantasy and probably real life purposes at this point – but if you’re closer-needy like many of us – it’s likely worth the small price.
- 14% Rostered
- Suggested FAAB: 1%
This is a messy situation. Wick is a fine reliever, but veteran prior closers Mychal Givens and David Robertson are now his teammates. Wick should likely begin the year as the Cubs ninth-inning man, and he’s barely rostered. If you are searching for saves and can’t find them anywhere else, feel free to throw a buck – maybe even two – on Wick.
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