As we get closer to spring training and ramp up the 2023 fantasy baseball draft prep, let’s look back at the early rounds of the 2022 drafts. Part 4 of my five-part series will review each pick of round four. This series will focus on 12-team leagues, so 60 players are discussed, and will use end-of-draft season ADP from CBS. I chose CBS over ESPN and Yahoo as some of the ADP was wonky, and this made the most sense for this exercise.

Looking back on what went right and wrong from the previous season is an excellent exercise before digging into the 2023 research. So we will dig in and see what players were worth the draft day price. Which players were busts? And even which players were major hits that likely helped fantasy players win leagues.

The results of a draft pick can vary from format to format so I will focus on 5×5 ROTO formats, but the information should also help points leagues and H2H players. If you have any further questions on the analysis by rounds or more for your 2023 season, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter. But first, let’s look at picks 37-48 of the 2022 draft season.

• 2022 Fantasy Baseball ADP Recap: Round 1
• 2022 Fantasy Baseball ADP Recap: Round 2
• 2022 Fantasy Baseball ADP Recap: Round 3

2022 Fantasy Baseball ADP Recap

37. Marcus Semien (TEX – 2B)

After a slow start to the 2022 season, Semien got red hot and finished with another great fantasy season. Semien hit 26 home runs while stealing 25 bases and scoring 101 runs. It was the third straight season he had over 100 runs scored and over 26 home runs while stealing the most bases he has in a season. Semien also lowered his strikeout rate to a career-best 16.6% while playing over 160 games for the third straight season.

38. Lucas Giolito (CHW – SP)

It’s safe to say that 2022 was a massively disappointing season for Giolito from a fantasy perspective. He had a 4.90 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 16.6% K-BB which were all quite a bit off from the usual expectations for the White Sox ace. However, he did still finish with 11 wins as he did in 2021, and he had a nice 3.66 xFIP to go with that 4.90 ERA. Hopefully, 2023 will be better for Giolito and the fantasy managers who trust him again.

39. Sandy Alcantara (MIA – SP)

Alcantara followed up his outstanding 2021 season with a CY Young campaign in 2022. Again, he was a workhorse throwing 228.2 innings while racking up 14 wins with a 2.28 ERA. His 0.98 WHIP was also elite, and he piggybacked that with a near 24% strikeout rate. That is now three straight seasons where Alcantara has thrown at least 197 innings with solid ratios. Of course, he needs the innings for the strikeouts, but he has proven he can do that for your fantasy teams.

40. Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B) 

Goldy gets older, but his fantasy game is consistently one of the best in the game. Last season, it may have been even better as he hit .317 with 35 home runs, 106 runs scored, 115 RBI, and seven stolen bases. That is five straight seasons where Goldy has hit at least 30 home runs, and you can count on him to be a strong contributor in the other four ROTO categories. Not too shabby for a player who will be entering his age-35 season.

41. Robbie Ray (SEA – SP)

After a CY Young campaign in 2021, Ray followed it up with a quality season in his first season in Seattle. Ray threw 189 innings, winning 12 games with a 3.71 ERA. He struck out 27.4% of the batters he faced to go with a 1.19 WHIP. Ray’s overall stat line was slightly lower than in 2021, but that was expected after his fantastic CY Young season.

42. Jose Altuve (HOU – 2B) 

Altuve came at a draft day discount last year and was good. He hit 28 home runs while scoring 103 runs and hitting .300. More impressively, the stolen bases returned for the 32-year-old as he stole 18 bases. Altuve has now hit at least 28 home runs in three straight seasons, with 100+ runs scored in back-to-back seasons, and he always provides an excellent batting average.

43. Aaron Nola (PHI – SP)

Once again, Nola put together a great fantasy season. He threw 205 innings in his third season in the last four, where he threw at least 200 innings. Nola had a 3.25 ERA with a 2.77 xFIP and 0.96 WHIP. Lastly, he dominated with a 25.5% K-BB which was his third straight season with a K-BB% over 20%. Nola is as consistent as they come and still gets drafted at a value each season.

44. Nick Castellanos (PHI – OF)

Castellanos had a down season in his first year in Philadelphia. He only hit 13 home runs to go with a .263 batting average. He also had a career-worst barrel rate of 6.6% and his second-lowest hard-hit rate of 34.6%. Unfortunately, it couldn’t get much worse for Castellanos, and he should be in for an excellent bounce-back campaign.

45. George Springer (TOR – OF)

Springer showcased some talents we did not see in some time in 2022. Springer played in 133 games, which was his most since 2018. He also stole 14 bases, which was the second most in his career. In addition, Springer hit 25 home runs while hitting .267 and reminded all fantasy managers that he could be a stud if he could stay healthy.

46. Byron Buxton (MIN – OF)

Another season for Buxton where fantasy managers look back and think, “what could have been.” He played in 92 games, the most games Buxton has played since 2017. He hit 28 home runs but only stole six bases and hit a bad .224. Health is always a concern with Buxton, making him an extremely tough draft pick year in and year out.

47. Tim Anderson (CHW – SS)

Another frustrating season for those that rostered Anderson. He only played 79 games and hasn’t played over 123 games since 2018. Anderson still hit .301, which is excellent, but only six home runs and 13 stolen bases are less than desired for fantasy managers. One of these years, Anderson will play an entire season, right?

48. Kris Bryant (COL – OF)

What a wasted season for Bryant. In his first season in Colorado, Bryant only played in 42 games. He hit .306 with only five home runs. Bryant was abysmal from a fantasy perspective.

Conclusion

Round 4 had a lot of good but bad as well. Goldschmidt, Semien, Altuve, and Springer brought offensive goodness for fantasy managers, while Alcantara, Ray, and Nola were phenomenal on the mound. At the same time, there was a lot of bad with Giolito, Buxton, Anderson, Castellanos, and Bryant. Round 4 was a minefield and could have crushed a fantasy team or catapulted them into contention.