Being healthy and going to a pitcher-friendly park should give Drew Smyly a welcome boost

It’s been another offseason with plenty of movement and as always, this is a good thing for many of those on the move. Be it a pitcher that has made his way to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark or a hitter that’s going to get more opportunities to produce, those are the names we can look to as players who could break out in 2017.

Sure, it may be early, but now is an ideal time to start finding some early targets to compile your list of players to consider when your draft comes up. There’s no reason to wait, especially if you’re taking the time to read this. In fact, save yourself even more time with our Cheat Sheet Creator. It seriously takes just seconds to add sleepers and targets. As for who to add to your list, we reached out to a group of fantasy baseball experts and asked them which pitchers and hitters have seen their stock rise the most this offseason. See who the pundits picked below.

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Q1. What pitcher that changed teams will be impacted the most in fantasy due to their new home?

Drew Smyly (SP – SEA)
“Smyly stayed healthy enough to start 30 games and pitch 175 innings in 2016. Couple that with the move to Seattle’s Safeco Field and we could see a nice breakout season from him. The long ball has always been a problem for Smyly, so moving to a pitcher’s park where the long ball is limited may help to bring down his overall ERA.”
– Tim McCullough (RotoExperts)

“I’m sure everyone’s first instinct is Chris Sale, but Sale was already so dominant, that it’s gonna be hard for him to improve on that, even while picking up more wins in Boston. Drew Smyly is coming off of a rough year in 2016 in which he was never able to regain his pre-labrum surgery form. The Rays had him stop throwing his 2-seam fastball. Correlation does not equate to causation, but it’s interesting to note that Smyly’s K/9 dropped from 14.4 to 9.9, as the 2-seam fastball is a nice weapon for a left-handed pitcher to use against left-handed hitters. Expect more wins as a result of moving to a team with a better offense, but if the Mariners decide to bring back Smyly’s 2-seam fastball, we could see a significant resurgence.”
– Tim Young (Brewer Rat)

Joaquin Benoit (RP – PHI)
“The ninth inning is wide open in Philadelphia, and Joaquin Benoit boasts the closer experience MLB teams adore. He also ended the 2016 season on fire, allowing one run over 23.2 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays. Jeanmar Gomez, meanwhile, surrendered 26 runs in 27 second-half frames. Don’t be surprised if the 39-year-old gets an early crack at save opportunities, even if he’s just keeping the spot warm for Hector Neris.”
– Andrew Gould (Bleacher Report)

Andrew Cashner (SP – TEX)
“This isn’t the name everyone may have expected, but the fantasy impact of Andrew Cashner is significant. After posting a career-worst 1.30 HR/9 and 14.5 HR/FB% while pitching in two of the best pitchers parks (SD and MIA), Cashner has joined the hot box of Texas on a one-year deal. He’s lost almost 1.5 mph off his fastball, and while he won’t be getting drafted high enough to impact your teams, the hitters within his division certainly gains boost (especially for DFS).”
– Jamie Calandro (Fantasy Team Advice)

Q2. What hitter that changed teams will be impacted the most in fantasy due to their new home?

Ian Desmond (SS,LF,CF – COL)
“Desmond signing with the Colorado Rockies is probably the one move that caused the biggest rise in fantasy value so far this season. Desmond has been a 20/20 player almost every season since 2012 (he fell short in 2015). He should see a significant boost in batting average playing half of his games at Coors Field. Depending on where the Rockies slot him in the lineup, he should post excellent counting stats and approach 30 HRs with 20-plus steals in 2017.”
– Tim McCullough (RotoExperts)

Jorge Soler (OF – KC)
“Traded away from the crammed Chicago Cubs lineup, Jorge Soler should finally receive everyday reps for a full season. Even in a disappointing year, he notched a .769 OPS with a dozen homers over 86 games. While he’ll no longer carry the hype that followed his brief, but brilliant 2014 debut, the outfielder is a solid bet for 20-25 homers. Soler will turn 25 before Opening Day, so don’t forget the immense buzz which followed his arrival.”
– Andrew Gould (Bleacher Report)

Yoan Moncada (2B,3B – CWS)
“Even though Moncada will probably start in the minors, it should be a short stay there as he will be given a much better opportunity on a rebuilding team after being the key piece in the Chris Sale deal. Moncada is a switch hitter that has been called “Robinson Cano with speed”, and posted a .404 wOBA and .254 ISO in the minors last year. He’ll see regular action quickly in 2017 and has all five tools.”
– Jamie Calandro (Fantasy Team Advice)

Kendrys Morales (1B,RF,DH – TOR)
“Kauffman Stadium is notoriously tough to hit home runs in. Simply by leaving KC, Morales should see a power boost. During his time as a Royal, he hit 25% more home runs on the road than at home. He’ll now be moving to an above average home run hitters park, and to a lineup featuring Josh Donaldson. In Morales, you could be finding yourself a nice little mid-round sleeper.”
– Tim Young (Brewer Rat)

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Thank you to the experts for giving their offseason risers. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and check out our latest podcast below. Subscribe to get updates each time a new episode is available.

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