Tick tock… the season is getting closer and surely, your fantasy draft is around the corner if it hasn’t already taken place. This is such a fun time of year as the anticipation has been growing for months after the Cubs sent fans into tears back in November. As your gearing up, one thing you’ll want to think about is what players you should target near the final rounds of your draft.
It can be easy to just grab one of the top names suggested as the final pick, but it can be far more beneficial to you by just reading a bit down below. We reached out to our featured pundits to get advice on who you should be buying with that final pick. See which hitters and pitchers they named.
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Q1. What hitter should fantasy owners target with their last pick as a final-round flier?
Brandon Drury (2B/3B/LF/RF – ARI)
“Drury of the Diamondbacks is a player I’m in love with in the final few rounds. Last year, as a rookie, he flashed serious potential, batting .282 with 16 HRs and 53 RBIs, and nothing about his peripherals suggests it was a fluke. On top of that, he’ll have some handy three-position eligibility at third base, outfield and second base (where he’ll primarily play this season). If Drury can get his road numbers (.241/.291/.346, 4 HR) in line with his home stats (.322/.365/.567, 12 HR), he can easily be a 20-22 homer guy with a good average.”
– Seth Klein (The Fantasy Fix)
Jarrod Dyson (OF – SEA)
“The influx of power that we saw in 2016 – the second-highest year on record in home-runs-per-game – also coincided with a dip in stolen bases – the lowest average amount of stolen-base-attempts-per-game since 1967. Diminished stolen base attempts produce a higher demand for speedsters, and Dyson presents the ideal late option to add. A former role player in Kansas City, Dyson is an elite stolen base threat who projects to lead off in Seattle ahead of Jean Segura, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Kyle Seager.”
– Mario Mergola (Sporfolio)
Wilson Ramos (C – TB)
“While he won’t make your lineup for a month to perhaps three months, Ramos is well worth the investment of a last-round pick. You can quickly plug him into your DL spot and pick up a last-round talent type of player for free. Despite playing in just 131 games, Ramos led all catchers in batting average last season, was 2nd in homers and RBIs. When Ramos does come back, he should be among the top five to eight catchers in baseball, and if he comes back earlier than expected, you hit the jackpot.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Yoan Moncada (3B – CWS)
“Do I think you can actually grab him with the final pick? Probably not, but with a consensus ADP of 229 across all major sites, it’s possible. The White Sox will likely take it slow with the top prospect in baseball, keeping him down until his Super 2 passes (if they’re smart), but the ceiling from that final pick could be what wins you a championship. He may not go 30/30 this season at just 21 years old, but it’s in the cards for his potential. Scale it back to his ZiPS projections of .236/72/17/60/34 and you still have a unique power/speed asset that typically goes ten rounds earlier. With his K% mitigated by his great discipline (~14% in 2016) there’s a medium floor with a massive ceiling.”
– Matt Hayes (Razzball)
Matt Holliday (1B/LF – NYY)
“Veteran slugger has seen a sharp decline in recent seasons but still managed to put up 20 home runs last year. He should have an opportunity to bounce back with a healthy season as the Yankees DH, taking some of the defensive stress off of his aging body. Look for another 20 home run campaign with plenty of runs and RBIs while batting in the middle of New York’s lineup.”
– Wayne Bretsky (BretskyBall)
Q2. What pitcher should fantasy owners target with their last pick as a final-round flier?
Robbie Ray (SP – ARI)
“I’m gonna stick with the D-Backs’ theme and go with Robbie Ray here. On the outside, his ratios (4.90 ERA and 1.47 WHIP) don’t look good, but there’s hope. The high walk rate isn’t likely to decrease too much, but his 3.45 xFIP shows there’s room for improvement if he can keep some balls from leaving the yard and get better defense behind him. Having a full year of A.J. Pollock manning CF should help the latter. The real draw here, though, are his strikeouts. Last year, Ray sat down 218 batter via the K in just 174.1 IP, leading to an inhuman 28.1% whiff rate. If he can lower his ERA to the 4.20-4.40 range and still maintain those strikeouts, Robbie Ray is the perfect late round pitcher to pair with a high-K, low-ratio ace like Noah Syndergaard, Madison Bumgarner or Corey Kluber.”
– Seth Klein (The Fantasy Fix)
Ian Kennedy (SP – KC)
“The constant, consistent professional, Kennedy often gets lost in the shuffle of starting pitching options. The ten-year veteran owns a career average of 0.93 strikeouts-per-inning and has started at least thirty games in seven consecutive seasons. At their current rates, Kennedy’s numbers hardly elicit excitement, but everything he brings to the table – decent ERA and WHIP with strikeout potential – is a sturdy enough foundation for a late pick. The beauty in targeting Kennedy in 2017 lies in his offense’s underrated ability to finally push his win total into an area where he significantly outperforms his low price.”
– Mario Mergola (Sporfolio)
Jharel Cotton (SP – OAK)
“All eyes may be on his young teammate, Sean Manaea, but Cotton has equal upside, especially with the strikeouts. His profile translates to a fantasy darling with a 5:1 K:BB ratio last season. Sure, it was a small sample of 29.1 IP, but those numbers are fully supported through the minors when the K% was consistently in double digits. Sexier names like Julio Urias will be available, too, but Cotton can top both 150 innings pitched and 150 strikeouts while keeping his ERA under 4. He’ll be on as many teams as I can get him.”
– Matt Hayes (Razzball)
Carter Capps (RP – SD)
“By the end of the season, Capps could join Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Zach Britton among the top tier of closers. He isn’t currently listed as the closer for San Diego and is coming off a major surgery, so it is a major flier, but the upside is immense. A.J. Preller believed in Capps so much that he dealt for him in the middle of his Tommy John recovery and for good reason. Capps was the best relief pitcher in baseball before going down with an extraordinary 16.8 K/9, 0.806 WHIP and 1.16 ERA over 31 innings pitched. If he can take over the closer job and regain even 80% of that stat line, he will be among the biggest steals in the draft.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Jeanmar Gomez (RP – PHI)
“Gomez will be the opening day closer for the Philadelphia Phillies, yet, he is generally undrafted while bullpen-mate Hector Neris is getting all the draft day love. Closer value is all about opportunity and Gomez has that right now.”
– Wayne Bretsky (BretskyBall)
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Thank you to the experts for naming their late-round fliers. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and check out our latest podcast below for more fantasy advice.
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