We are over 70 games into the 2023 MLB season and there are currently five teams that possess 40 wins or more: Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Not-so-coincidentally, the teams that are excelling early on in the campaign also tend to have some of the best fantasy players across the board. Ronald Acuna Jr. currently tops the scoring standings in points leagues nationwide, and his teammates Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies are also up there. Rangers’ SS Marcus Semien sits right behind Acuna. The surprise Diamondbacks are led by standout rookie Corbin Carroll, and the Rays have been carried by Wander Franco, and Randy Arozarena all season long.
All the players mentioned are in the top 20 or so in fantasy scoring, and it should not be a surprise that the teams currently playing well correlates to having players with prolific seasons. Forecasting teams that could ascend in the latter half of the campaign could be a good way to get a jump start on picking up and/or acquiring the next batch of players that could surge in the coming weeks. As we know, paying attention to depth chart moves is always essential in this regard.
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Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review
Luis Matos (OF – SFG)
As the next (of many) exciting young prospects to jump up to the major league level this season, the Luis Matos era looks to have officially arrived. The Giants recalled the 21-year-old from Triple-A Sacramento to make his debut on Wednesday, June 14.
Matos is the fourth-ranked prospect in the San Francisco farm system and prior to his call up, he was slashing an astute .398/.435/.685 with seven long balls and six steals at the Triple-A level. He also has an incredibly keen eye at the plate, as he posted more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) during his stint in the minors this year. The Giants just lost Mitch Haniger to an IL-stint, so Matos should be able to stick around and prove his worth in the majors. He is likely still on waivers in many fantasy leagues, but Matos certainly seems to deserve at least a bench role while his playing time sorts itself out.
Nolan Jones (OF – COL)
There have been few hotter hitters in the majors this month than Nolan Jones. A former highly-touted prospect by the Guardians, he was drafted by Cleveland during the second round in 2016. In the end, Colorado ended up trading one of their own prospects, SS Juan Brito, to acquire Jones this past offseason.
As of now, the Rockies are looking pretty smart for the aforementioned transaction. Across 11 June appearances to date, Jones has gone 15-for-40 (.375) with three homers, three doubles, and three steals. His season batting average now sits at .345 overall, and he has assumed an everyday role in the Colorado outfield until further notice. Playing home games at Coors is a huge boost to his already-trending-upwards prospects. The 25-year-old finally looks like he is here to stay, and he should be able to provide substantial fantasy numbers throughout the duration of the 2023 season.
Nick Pratto (1B – KCR)
Today, the depth chart review features a rare Kansas City player, and we are looking at second-year man Nick Pratto. As of writing, incumbent first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has officially been ruled out for the remainder of 2023 after suffering a torn labrum. Pratto will now have ample opportunity to seize the 1B job outright as the clear-cut top option within the desolate Royals’ depth chart.
Pratto has actually played quite well to kick off the campaign. The sophomore currently boasts a season-long .281/.367/.425 slash line with four homers and nine doubles. Also to Pratto’s credit, he has great discipline and walks fairly often; his chase rate also currently sits in the 86th percentile across the MLB. He has also been leading off for Kansas City for some time, an obvious spot you want to be at when it comes to fantasy production.
There is some upside to Pratto’s game that needs to be taken into consideration going forward, especially with the Kansas City brass likely to throw him out there on a near-daily basis.
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