When it comes to league-specific formats, the fantasy baseball player pool is essentially cut in half on draft day. That means stacking up on top-tier talent is much more difficult, and, on the backend, players that would be late-round fliers or go undrafted with standard settings can suddenly become lineup regulars on winning rosters. The group of American League players below fit into that category for 2024.
- Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator
- 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
- Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Baseball Projections
2024 AL-Only Targets
Jake Rogers (C – DET)
After missing all of 2022 due to an elbow injury, Jake Rogers got his first real chance as a lineup regular at age 28 last year. Not only did he play well behind the plate but Rogers slugged .444 with 21 homers across 365 plate appearances. Those marks placed him inside the top 10 for both categories among catchers with at least 300 plate appearances. This is purely a power play as Rogers’ whiffs will likely keep him from hitting for a decent average.
Luke Raley (1B, OF – SEA)
Luke Raley is another power play. Even if he ends up on the strong side of a platoon with his new club, the former Tampa Bay thumper should get enough time in the lineup to deliver decent totals. In just over 400 plate appearances for the Rays in 2023, Raley posted a .824 OPS with 19 deep drives and 14 steals. He did fade quite a bit down the stretch and ultimately missed most of the last couple of weeks due to injury. Still, the Mariners don’t seem too concerned, as they dealt for Raley back in January to add depth and pop to their offense.
Jose Siri (OF – TB)
Jose Siri is an excellent center fielder. That will keep him in the Rays’ lineup most of the time despite his abundance of strikeouts (career 34.6%) and streaky results at the dish. His 12 stolen bases last year were a bit of a letdown for those who were looking for some cheaper speed out of Siri. However, he made up for that with a surprising 25 homers over 101 games. Siri has stated this spring he has a goal to swipe 30 bags this season. His career .223 AVG and .273 OBP would likely need to improve for him to attain that goal but a 20-20 season is certainly not out of the question.
Willi Castro (2B, RB, OF – MIN)
Willi Castro did reach the 30-steal threshold last season, finishing with 33 in 38 attempts. The speedy utility man added a .257 AVG with nine homers and 60 runs in just over 400 plate appearances. Castro may not have a clear everyday role right now, but, given his positional versatility and ability to switch hit, he should still see significant playing time. With that, his stolen-base potential is very valuable in a deeper format.
Reese Olson (SP – DET)
Reese Olson debuted on June 2 of last year. For the most part, he asserted himself as a legitimate big-league hurler. Over 21 outings (18 starts), the rookie right-hander put together a respectable 3.99 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 24.4 K%. With his mid-90s heat and an effective pitch mix, Olson limited the opposition to a .214 AVG while keeping his walks in check (7.8%). He had his best run during the final month of last season, cruising to a 1.44 ERA over five September starts. Olson is a must-draft in AL-Only leagues and a bargain overall.
Erick Fedde (SP – CWS)
Looking at Erick Fedde’s six-season stint with the Nationals from 2017 to 2022, there is nothing that inspires confidence. However, the now 31-year-old righty headed overseas to South Korea last year, made some notable adjustments and proceeded to win MVP honors in the the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). Fedde started 30 games for the NC Dinos, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 209-to-35 K/BB ratio across 180 1/3 innings. That led to a return to the States via a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox.
With an improved arsenal and workhorse stamina, the hope is Fedde can eat up a ton of innings for the rebuilding Sox. Don’t expect a repeat of those KBO stats but there is reason for renewed intrigue regarding the former first-round pick (2014) this year.
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and a 9-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.
