Here are a few fantasy baseball draft sleepers that you need to know as you prepare for your league!
Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Brendan Rodgers missed most of last season while recovering from surgery to repair his shoulder labrum. Fortunately, he made his season debut for the Rockies on July 31. More importantly, after a slow start, Rodgers finished the campaign with a bang. In Rodgers’ final 67 plate appearances in 2023, he had four homers, a 13.4 K%, a .349 batting average and a .388 OBP. Roster Resource is projecting Rodgers to hit cleanup. Finally, Coors Field is still MLB’s most hitter-friendly ballpark.
Here are a few fantasy baseball draft sleepers that you need to know as you prepare for your league!
Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Brendan Rodgers missed most of last season while recovering from surgery to repair his shoulder labrum. Fortunately, he made his season debut for the Rockies on July 31. More importantly, after a slow start, Rodgers finished the campaign with a bang. In Rodgers’ final 67 plate appearances in 2023, he had four homers, a 13.4 K%, a .349 batting average and a .388 OBP. Roster Resource is projecting Rodgers to hit cleanup. Finally, Coors Field is still MLB’s most hitter-friendly ballpark.
Zach Neto was the 13th pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft and made quick work of the minors. He reached the majors after recording 10 homers, eight stolen bases, a .321 batting average, a .410 OBP, 153 wRC+, 8.8 BB% and 20.7 K% in 217 plate appearances.
Neto didn’t light the world on fire for the Angels, but his 89 wRC+ was adequate for a player with such little seasoning in the minors. A .272 BABIP dragged his batting average to .225. Yet, Neto had nine homers, five stolen bases and a 23.4 K%. Neto could flirt with 20 homers and double-digit stolen bases this year, and with a BABIP closer to the league average (.297 in 2023) and a slightly improved strikeout rate, his batting average would be easier to stomach.
An injury to Anthony DeSclafani has paved the way for Louie Varland to open the 2024 season in Minnesota’s rotation. In 103.0 innings (19 starts in 20 appearances) in Triple-A, he had a 3.50 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 6.7 BB% and 26.4 K%.
Sadly, homers have killed him in the majors, resulting in a meaningful gap between his 4.40 ERA and 3.90 xFIP in 94.0 innings (15 starts and seven relief appearances). Varland’s 23.7 K% and 5.9 BB% in the majors are encouraging marks, and after a sharp spring, he might be ready to pitch at a level closer to his xFIP than his ERA to this point in The Show.
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