We’re just a week away from the season getting started and now is perhaps the best time to take a look at what spring training has meant. If you haven’t drafted yet, have a read below before you do as we asked our featured experts whose performances during spring have altered their rankings the most.

If you have already drafted, it’s never too early to make some post-draft trades!

Nail your draft with live pick-by-pick advice from the experts

Featured Experts:
Paul Sporer – FanGraphs
Scott Pianowski – Yahoo! Sports
Dan Harris – FantasyPros
Josh Shepardson – Fantasy Cruncher
Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros

1. Who has seen their fantasy stock rise the most for you based on spring training?

Delino DeShields (OF – TEX)
“DeShields has gone from a draft-day afterthought to one of the biggest risers so far. His performance this spring (.340 batting average, .426 OBP, four steals) should establish him as an everyday player, and Jeff Banister has stated that DeShields should bat leadoff and should have a chance at 50 steals. With stolen bases always scarce and players like Billy Hamilton being drafted way too early, DeShields makes a perfect selection in the mid-to-late rounds, and his price seems to go up every day.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

“I was in on Delino DeShields all along, but the Rangers solidifying his hold on the leadoff spot keeps the ADP rising. It’s still a ticket worth paying, however. Consider what Double D produced in 80 leadoff games last year: .350 OBP, 63 runs, six homers, 22 steals. He’s still just 25. Jump on board.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports)

Matt Olson (1B/OF – OAK)
“I’m one of Matt Olson’s biggest believers among the experts, and his spring has done nothing to dissuade my high ranking (65 overall). After becoming the everyday first baseman for the A’s in early August last year, he hit .283/.365/.725 with a reasonable 24.4% K% in 156 plate appearances, per FanGraphs. The slugger’s 13.2% SwStr% was high, but he was able to keep his strikeout rate in check with a stellar 27.8% O-Swing% and aggressive approach in the zone (69.9% Z-Swing%). Every reputable projection model I’ve come across pegs a notable uptick in punch outs for Olson this season, but in 47 plate appearances in spring training, he’s fanned only 10 times (23.3% K%). He has elite power, and his spring suggests that the strikeout rate he closed 2017 with might be the real deal.”
– Josh Shepardson (Fantasy Cruncher)

Blake Snell (SP – TB)
“The Rays’ Blake Snell has moved from a late-round high-upside lottery ticket to a starting pitcher that I feel comfortable enough to draft as my #3 starting pitcher. The former minor league pitcher of the year has been solid, but unspectacular in his first two seasons. The third-year breakout was always a possibility, but based on the dominance we have seen from him this spring (11 IP, 19 K, 2 ER), it seems more likely than not that he becomes a household name as a top 25 starting pitcher. Another player who stood out to me is Yasmani Grandal, who has a top 5 offensive catcher ceiling if he can keep it going into the regular season.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL)
“He was already getting major buzz, but he’s gone out and had a huge spring just further fueling the hype and skyrocketing his ADP.”
– Paul Sporer (FanGraphs)

2. Who has seen their fantasy stock fall the most for you based on spring training?

Shohei Ohtani (SP – LAA)
“Ohtani’s stock has fallen precipitously so far, although I’m not sure it’s necessarily warranted. His results have been poor (27.00 ERA), of course, but there’s little reason to doubt his skill or ability to succeed in the majors as a pitcher. Although his struggles as a hitter seem like they may translate, it’s doubtful that many fantasy owners were factoring that side of him into his draft price, anyway. In the end, Ohtani’s draft stock was inflated to begin with, even among the expert community, because of his potential. His spring training has made his stock fall, but, in my opinion, only to where it should have been in the first place.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

“Despite how often we say “don’t pay too much attention to spring training numbers” and yet we always do, especially with a hype beast like Shohei Ohtani. Yes, he allowed 7 ER in his latest start, but I have no idea the details behind that (Was he working on a pitch? did the defense/umpire cost him anything?) We just rarely know the specifics. So I think there’s a lot of panic and it’s probably over the top so I now like Ohtani at his 100-something ADPs, down from 75-80.”
– Paul Sporer (FanGraphs)

“Generally I’m allergic to buzz, so I probably wasn’t going to draft Shohei Ohtani anyway. I’m concerned his part-time offensive work could be a distraction, and he also has to deal with the cultural adjustment, the different style and workload of play, and a ton of media attention. And keep in mind Ohtani is also coming off ankle surgery and an elbow injury. It’s dangerous to put a lot of stock in spring training results, but Ohtani’s bloated ERA isn’t a shock, either. He’ll be a good one eventually, but I’m not getting in on the ground floor.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports)

Blake Parker (RP – LAA)
“While I could go with teammate Shohei Ohtani, I’ll instead opt for Blake Parker. He’s been bombed this spring, and he finds himself behind Cam Bedrosian — and perhaps others, at this point — in the saves pecking order for the Angels. Parker has pitched so poorly in spring training that gamers in leagues using holds shouldn’t be comfortable immediately slotting him into their active roster.”
– Josh Shepardson (Fantasy Cruncher)

Rougned Odor (2B – TEX)
“Yes, Rougned Odor managed to hit 30 homers with 15 stolen bases in a “down year” last season, but his .204 batting average seemed likely to soar in 2018. His spring training struggles have me skeptical, however. He is batting .178 with no home runs and 15 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. Considering many of those at-bats have been against fringe major leaguers, you can see why I would be hesitant about drafting him within the top 100.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for naming their spring risers and fallers. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and listen/subscribe to our podcast below for all the latest discussions this season including more sleepers with Eno Sarris!

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