While this isn’t your typical “breakouts” article, it’s meant to serve the same purpose. Fantasy X-Factors are players who will be difference makers for both their team and your fantasy baseball team. Sometimes that player may be a second-rounder looking to take their game to the next level. Other times it could be an 18th-rounder with the potential to end up as a top-five talent at the position.
With that in mind, let’s cut the intro short and get straight into the list. Here are all of our fantasy baseball draft X-Factors. Below we dive into a few notable names from the list.
Fantasy Baseball X-Factors
If you rostered Brandon Pfaadt at some point during the 2023 regular season you had quite the wild ride. He went from leading the minors in strikeouts in 2022 to getting absolutely tattooed in the majors in 2023. He figured it out in the postseason, though, striking out 26 across 22 innings with a 3.27 ERA and a 24.1% K-BB rate.
If he can recapture that form he’s in for a season mirroring that of teammate Merrill Kelly.
Admittedly, I’ve been looking for an excuse to discuss Jackson Holliday. With as stacked as the Orioles lineup is with young talent, Holliday stands out above them all. All he’s done since being drafted is mash professional pitching. In 541 minor league at-bats, he’s hit .320 and flashed pop (57 XBH) and speed (28 steals). That’s translated this spring where he’s hitting .323 thus far, including a massive grand slam off a high fastball from fellow lefty Yusei Kikuchi.
He’s projected to start the season batting lower in the lineup. Should he find himself in the leadoff spot the sky’s the limit for Holliday as a rookie.
The 2023 post-hype breakout campaign of Jarren Duran was fun to watch. He found a way to go from question mark to one of the best doubles hitters in baseball. Despite injuries keeping him to just 102 games, Duran still managed 34 doubles and 44 total XBH.
In the second half of the season, pitchers refused to give Duran anything to hit. Should he start 2024 seeing pitches, Duran could be in line for a 50-double, 35-strong base season while hitting what ATC projects to be around a .262 batting average.
Tools To Help You Win Your Fantasy Leagues
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Expert Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice
- The Welsh’s Must-Have Players (Premium)
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- Justin Mason’s Must-Have Players (Premium)
- KC Bubba’s Must-Have Players (Premium)
- Blake Meyer’s Must-Have Players (Premium)
- Mason’s High-Stakes Leagues Draft Strategy (Premium)
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