Jamie Calandro names 10 breakout candidates for 2015.

This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Jamie head to Fantasy Team Advice.

Opening Day is less than two weeks away, which means draft season is in full swing (pun intended)! As you get your rankings and tiers set up, I hope that during your research you are “starring” some guys who you think can really take their game to that next level in 2015, because they are the ones that will propel you to a fantasy title (a chimp even knows to take Mike Trout first overall by now). If you’re skeptical, just ask the Corey Kluber, Michael Brantley, and Anthony Rendon owners how important they think finding these players are.

In this article, I’m going to attempt to dig through the incredibly deep MLB player pool and come up with some guys who might as well have the word “upside” tattooed on their foreheads, and I’ll touch on all the relevant categories in 5×5 roto. Each player includes their Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR). If you fancy AL- and NL-only leagues rather than that of the mixed variety, this will help you as well.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

FIVE-TOOL PLAYER

Christian Yelich, OF – Miami Marlins (ECR – 23rd ranked outfielder)

I’ve already kept him for five dollars in my highest-stakes auction league, and plan on doing so for the next several years. The one thing that is holding him back from being an elite player is his career 61.6% ground ball rate, which really suppresses his power. If he can level out his swing, he should turn into one of those rare five-tool players that make fantasy owners salivate. In his first full season, he posted an excellent .341 wOBA while scoring 94 runs and stealing 21 bases. This year he will bat second, which is very significant because Giancarlo Stanton looming behind him means Yelich should see a slew of fastballs. I’ve got him penciled in this year for .290/14/70 with 20-25 SB and 100 runs.

BIG BOPPER (POWER THREAT)

Nolan Arenado, 3B – Colorado Rockies (ECR – 6th ranked third baseman)

Hopefully someone in your league will only look at Arenado’s stats at face value and not be impressed, because then they’ll be missing out on a ton of upside that will fall to you. Arenado’s season was cut very short last year by a six-week DL stint thanks to a finger injury, followed by a nasty bout of pneumonia. He still managed to hit 18 HR and drive in 61 runs in only 467 plate appearances while posting a .213 ISO and a whopping 11.4% HR/FB rate. There is nothing to suggest that he won’t stay fully healthy this year, and he gains extra value from a thin 3B position while playing in the best hitter’s environment in the game.

SPEED DEMON

Ben Revere, OF – Philadelphia Phillies (ECR – 38th ranked outfielder)

Revere is the type of player that shouldn’t be a mystery to fantasy players. He won’t ever hit you any more than 2-3 home runs in a year, but he is certainly not a one-trick pony either. I will more than likely not own Billy Hamilton or Dee Gordon in any of my leagues this year due to the fact that I can get the exact same player (Revere) six or seven rounds later. The 49 stolen bases last year are elite, but his peripherals suggest that he can strongly improve in the other hitting categories as well. Last year he cut his K% from 10.4% to 7.1%, which is a significant drop. He also has averaged a 22% LD rate over the last two years, which is high for a guy who doesn’t hit for power at all. I think this year we see the average flirt with .300, and 90 runs and 50 steals are not out of the question.

ACE HURLER

Gerrit Cole, SP – Pittsburgh Pirates (ECR – 20th ranked starting pitcher)

One injury-riddled season has Cole plummeting down the draft boards this spring? That’s everyone else’s loss, and you should make it your gain. Even though Cole was limited to 22 starts last year, he posted an elite 9.00 K/9 and finished the season with a 33:3 K/BB ratio in the month of September. His 3.25 xFIP also suggests that he was the victim of some lousy luck, and he has every tool to not only be a breakout player, but become an SP1 for years to come.

LATE-INNING LIGHTNING

Ken Giles, RP – Philadelphia Phillies (ECR – 35th ranked relief pitcher)

The guy has the nickname “100 Miles Giles” and for that, you have to give him a look. Right now Jonathan Papelbon is the closer in Philadelphia, but I think that will change soon. Once Philly starts to tank (which should happen sooner rather than later), contending teams will come a-knockin’ for Papelbon’s services, opening the door for Giles to get some save opportunities. He should carry value even if he’s not in the ninth inning, however, as his stuff is electric. In 45.2 innings last year, Giles recorded a whopping 12.61 K/9 while also posting a measly 2.8% HR/FB rate. That kind of velocity and poise is the stuff elite closers are made of, and I think his journey begins this year.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIVE-TOOL PLAYER

Brett Lawrie, 2B/3B – Oakland Athletics (ECR – 24th ranked third baseman, 19th ranked second baseman)

Before you string me up for recommending a guy who is rapidly being associated with the term “bust”, consider a few things. One, he hit 12 HR in 282 plate appearances, so the power is still there. Two, he had stolen 68 bases the previous four seasons prior to 2014, all of which were also cut short due to injury. Lawrie’s main bugaboo has not been his talent, it’s been his health (along with a relevant amount of bad luck as evidenced by his .260 BABIP). The key to this pick is the fact that he’s completely discounted, so he no longer comes with the downside of wasting a high draft pick. I also think the move away from Toronto’s hard Astroturf will help minimize the injury risk.

BIG BOPPER (POWER THREAT)

C.J. Cron, 1B/DH – Los Angeles Angels (ECR – 47th ranked first baseman)

If you look at Cron’s ECR, you will see that he can be had as a late-round flier in drafts, or a dollar in auctions. When you think about it, you could have just stolen 30 HR when the power cupboard was seemingly bare. With Josh Hamilton dealing with his issues, Cron is going to be the everyday DH for the Angels, and will spell Pujols at 1B as well. Last year he hit 11 HR in only 253 plate appearances, registered a .194 ISO along with a whopping 25.3% LD rate and a 15.3% HR/FB%. His average is likely to dwell around the .250 range, but to get that power upside so late in the draft is a possible title-winning act.

SPEED DEMON

Leonys Martin, OF – Texas Rangers (ECR – 41st ranked outfielder)

As a heavy-volume DFS player, I recognize the upside Martin will bring this season. In DFS, opportunity is everything. If a player is getting minutes/touches/at-bats (whatever sport you’re playing), he has a much higher chance of hitting value than someone who might be more talented, but isn’t getting as much opportunity. Leonys Martin is the “year-long version” of this for the 2015 season. Last year he was very serviceable, hitting .274, scoring 68 runs and stealing 31 bases all while predominantly hitting eighth or ninth in the order. This year he has already been named the Rangers leadoff hitter, which automatically boosts him from a bottom-end outfielder to someone you should actively target, and even reaching a round early for. With the potency of the lineup behind him and the 100 extra at-bats he should get, you’re now looking at 100-run, 50-SB upside rather than what we have seen the previous years.

ACE HURLER

Carlos Carrasco, SP – Cleveland Indians (ECR – 28th ranked starting pitcher)

As a Yankees fan, I really wanted to write about Nathan Eovaldi here (I love him this year too), but Carrasco is just screaming for you to take him and tap into that potential that’s just showing itself now. After a rough beginning to his career, Carrasco fine-tuned a wicked slider to add to his live fastball, creating a nightmare for hitters. In his final ten starts of the season, Carrasco rattled off a 10.30 K/9 and a 1.29 ERA. He actually got stronger as the season went on, and his fastball was routinely clocked at 99 MPH in September. Take the discount while you can – you won’t get it next year.

LATE-INNING LIGHTNING

Dellin Betances, RP – New York Yankees (ECR – 6th ranked relief pitcher)

Betances is being taken as a top-ten closer, so he’s not exactly a secret.  However, his value is still being diminished due to some people being afraid of the fact that he hasn’t officially been named the closer along with the presence of Andrew Miller. Fear not folks. Remember that Betances was a top-50 pitcher last year even while being the eighth-inning guy for the entire year. This was due to his ridiculous 13.50 K/9 over 90 innings last season, and his 1.64 FIP suggests he is every bit as good as he appears to be. His .147 BAA ranked in the top ten among all relievers last year, and now you’re adding saves on top of that.

—

Jamie is the Lead Baseball Writer for Fantasy Team Advice. For questions and answers, find him on Twitter @jac3600.

—