Everyone who has drafted the fantasy baseball draft knows that you can almost always find the drafting worth an outfit. This does not mean that you should pass top-tier OFs in the early stages, but it does let you know that you should have a handy list of sleepers on your cheat sheet. The potential breakouts you get in the outfield can produce in a wide variety of categories, making it a great position to target your roster to score goals.
As always, we try to provide an array of potential sleepers, whether you are in a shallow league or a deep league. Some of the players listed below would not be considered in a 10-team, three-off league, but if you are in a 12- or 14-team five-off league, you know that you will be digging deep for a bench organization or two.
You also know that countless meaningful areas will pop up throughout the season. They may be nothing more than a two-week flare, but as long as you don’t leave decent long-term players, riding hot streaks can work. Some of the people below cannot do much in the early days of the season, but they should be kept in mind as the year goes on.
2021 fictitious basis
Catcher First | Second | Third. Short | Starter Reliever | Top 300
Fantasy Baseball of Sleepers: Breakout Outfielders, Late Goal Theft
Positionability based on Yahoo’s default settings
Randy Azzorna, Rays. Azorena is probably more overwrought than underachieved at this point, so it might be a bit of a stretch to call her a “sleeper”, but while many may think of her as a sloth after her abusive postseason, she also has a good amount of Speed. Azorena stole 19 bases among majors and minors in 2019, and this year he is a valid 20/20 candidate (or 30/20 candidate). It looks like he will be overdrafted, but seems to be able to help in several categories.
Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (also eligible at 1B). Mountcastle posted a .333 / / .386 / -492 line with five homers in his 35-game MLB debut last year. A ticket to everyday playing time in the outfield, the 24-year-old slogger broke at Double-A in 2018 (.297 / / .341 / .464) and in Triple-A in ’19 (.312) / / 344. Continued in /.527). Frankly, he is trending upward, and looking at his home park, it would not be surprising to see him hit with a solid average of 25 HRs and a good amount of RBI.
2021 Fantasy Sopers
Catcher First | Second | Third. Short | Outfield | Atomizer | each team
Anthony Santander, Orioles. Santander is not entirely unknown after hitting 20 HRs in 93 games in 2019 and 11 HRs in 37 games in ’20, but because he plays on the Orioles and has not yet had a monster season, the owners of the fantasy Probably won’t realize how high his breakout ability is. The 26-year-old switch-hitter surprisingly doesn’t strike much for a power hitter (just 15.2-percent strike percentage last year, 21.2 years ago), and won’t settle your average, settling around. 260. He does not run, but finds his home park, homers and RBI unavoidable.
Alex Verdugo, Red Sox. Verdugo has impressed the past two seasons, .294 / .342 / .475 with the Dodgers in 2019 and .308 / .367 / .478 with the Red Sox last year. He has not shown the ability to steal multiple targets or kill too many households, so he is easy to ignore, but will hit for a high average. At the age of 24, he can still develop more power, which will result in a good number of runs and RBIs, but the main reason for targeting Verdugo is if you need average help.
More fictitious grounds:
Mock draft simulator | Auction price | Team names | Spring update
Leodi Taveras, Rangers. Texas has several OF and DH options, so Taveras can’t get off to a slow start, but the 22-year-old switch-hitter has the legal power-speed upside. Right now, he has more speed than power – and his average is likely to disappoint – but fantasy owners are always looking for speed. If he plays the lead role for the Rangers, he could also be a major source of runs, especially if last year’s 10.4 percent BB-rate is valid.
Mitch Haniger, Meriners. Haniger is a major health risk after playing just 63 games in the last two years due to various injuries, but in his lone full season in 2018, he posted a .285 / .366 / .493 line with 26 HR, 90 runs. 93 RBIs, and eight SBs. At 29, she should not be washed, but seems less likely to stay healthy. Still, he deserves a late middle-goal pick on the chance to play 140-plus games.
DRAFT Strategy: Snake Draft | Smart system | Auction tips
Victor Reyes, Tigers. Reyes is running out to make good on the promise shown in the minors (who hit .299 / .346 / .391 with a decent amount of steals), but if he gets regular playing time, he will Can hit for a decent average. Pop double-digit homers, and steal 20 bases. That the deep leagues are late in drafts.
Dylan Carlson, Cardinals. Carlson struggled in his first big league action last year, hitting just .200 / / .252 / .364 in 35 games, but his 2019 numbers mostly double-A (.292 /.) With 26A and 20 SB. 372 / .542) costs incurred. Spent) show up on yourself. His strike is a concern, but tif he holds on to his job and finds time to play in St. Louis’ solid lineup everyday, he would deserve a starting spot in the five-off league.
MLB PROSPECTS: Top 50 | Top Points | Top pitchers
Christian Pache. The Peak season could begin in the nets, but the 22-year-old defensive Whiz could easily find his way into the lineup soon. His bat is still in progress, but with solid contact skills, developing power and good speed, Pach can be a good all-rounder when he gets game time.
Brandon Nimmo, Mets. Nimmo is one of those players who is better in real life than fantasy due to his high BB-rate, but he quietly showed improvement in power last year, hitting .484 while cutting down on strikes. If this trend continues, then it is not crazy to think that Nemo can hit close to 25 HB and steal around 10 targets while producing high NBP. It is worth a late-arrival flight, at least in the OBP league.
Sam Hilliard, Rockies. The Coors field factor makes almost every Rockies a potential sleeper, but Hilliard is particularly intriguing because of its power-speed combination. The 27-year-old leftie may be a “Quad-A” player, but he captured 42 HRs and 24 bases between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019. The high strike percentage won’t be great because of an average one, but Hilliard should get a shot at regular playing time in the Major this year.
Myles Straw, Astros. Straw is a classic no-power speedster who can hit a homer – literally a homer – and swipe 40 bags with regular playing time. It is not clear if he will get bats everyday, but it seems that there are plans to start the season. Those types of players still have value, and with Straw’s high BB-rate, he should always steal and run even if he doesn’t do much.
Wrote about other OF-capable sleepers: Dolton Warshaw (C), Nick Solak (2B, 3B), Dylan Moore (2B, 3B, SS), Garrett Hampson (SS), John Bertie (2B, 3B, SS, Yoshi Tsutsugo (3B), D Strange-Gordon) (SS *, 2B)
*Not eligible to play there on draft day, but expected to play there during season
Add Comment