In previous years, first base was such a gold mine that you could wait until the 20th round and still get a .260 hitter with the potential to hit 30 homers. That isn’t the case this season. Rather, your utility player may end up being a second baseman and that would be just fine as the position might even be deeper than first base. Still, you have to draft one, and while many will be reaching for players like Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo, I’ve got two values that I love this season. Let me tell you about them in route to my rankings.
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Miguel Cabrera (DET): 13th Round Target
I had the privilege of speaking with Jayson Stark earlier this month and he raved about Cabrera being in the best shape of his career. Don’t be surprised when he puts up a Nelson Cruz and David Ortiz type of old man season as the Tigers’ primary DH this year. Don’t forget, after all, that Cabrera has been an MVP candidate every single season he has been healthy in his career. It is tough to get batting average late into drafts, but if Cabrera is healthy, he is a lock for .290 and has the power upside to return to 30 homers once again, all at an incredible mid-round value.
Josh Bell (PIT): 19th Round Target
Besides one league where I grabbed Cody Bellinger, I’ve been mostly waiting until the mid-rounds then reaching a few rounds on Cabrera. In leagues where I whiffed on Cabrera, however, Bell has quickly become my focus. It doesn’t take much draft capital to acquire him and he’ll give you enough batting average to go with some power upside. I wouldn’t mind C.J. Cron at that stage in the draft either.
Other Rankings: C | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP (To be posted this week)
ADP – Average Draft Position
Here are 50 important stats to help you on draft day
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