As we head into the new year and ramp up the 2023 fantasy baseball draft prep, let’s look back at the early rounds of the 2022 drafts. Part No. 5 of my five-part series will review each pick of round five. 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 49-60 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: Round 4

2022 Fantasy Baseball ADP Recap

49. Josh Hader (SD – RP)

Josh Hader was the first relief pitcher drafted based on this ADP, and it was a mixed season for Hader. He finished with 36 saves and a 27.4% K-BB, which is solid, but the rest of his ROTO statistics could have been more desirable. Hader finished the season with a 5.22 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, which were down for the ace closer. He had a rough stretch personally in the middle of the season, coinciding with his on-the-mound performance, so a mulligan should be given. Hader also had a 2.94 xFIP which shows some serious promise, and a 66.9% LOB rate, which is by far the worst in his career.

50. Corey Seager (TEX – SS)

Corey Seager delivered in his first season with the Rangers. He played in 151 games, his most played since 2016 and the first time he had over 100 games since 2019. Seager hit a career-high 33 home runs in so many games while scoring 91 runs. Seager only hit .245, which is extremely low for him, but a .242 BABIP played a part in that, and a rebound in batting average should follow for Seager. He finally stayed healthy and delivered the fantasy goodness.

51. Wander Franco (TB – SS)

Wander Franco had a down season in his anticipated first full season in the bigs. He only played in 83 games due to injuries. Franco hit .277 with six home runs and eight stolen bases, which does not meet expectations for a top-five-round pick. Franco’s barrel rate of 4.6% and hard-hit rate of 35.4% do not help either, and many are hoping it comes together for Franco in his age-22 season this year.

52. Nolan Arenado (STL – 3B)

2022 was another quality season for Nolan Arenado in his second season with the Cardinals. He hit .293 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI. That gives Arenado seven straight seasons with at least 30 home runs and over 100 RBI. He even threw in five stolen bases and lowered his strikeout rate to 11.6%. Arenado is as consistent as they come, and his consistency is outstanding for a shallow third-base position.

53. Francisco Lindor (NYM – SS)

After a letdown in 2021, Francisco Lindor bounced back in 2022. He played in 161 games, hitting 26 home runs and stealing 16 bases. Lindor even hit .270 with 98 runs scored and 107 RBI. Lindor put together a tremendous five-category season for fantasy managers, and the 29-year-old looks to be a fantasy stud once again.

54. Kevin Gausman (TOR – SP)

Kevin Gausman backed up a CY Young caliber 2021 season with a solid first season in Toronto. Gausman racked up a 3.35 ERA, 2.75 xFIP and 24.4% K-BB over 174.2 innings pitched. Additionally, Gausman lowered his walk rate to 3.9% and his HR/FB to 8.5%. Gausman was a workhorse and continued to provide outstanding fantasy value.

55. Max Fried (ATL – SP)

After a few great fantasy seasons from Max Fried, he was even better in 2022. Fried threw a career-high 185.1 innings with a 2.48 ERA and 3.09 xFIP. Fried had a 23.2% strikeout rate and a career-best 4.4% walk rate. The low walk rate lowered Fried’s WHIP to a career-best 1.01. Fried was outstanding and continues to improve each season, making for so much fantasy goodness.

56. Liam Hendriks (CHW – RP)

Liam Hendriks backed up a 38-save season in 2021 with 37 saves in 2022. He had a 2.81 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and an excellent 29.4% K-BB. Hendriks’s overall numbers were in line with his previous success, as he finished the season as one of the best closers in baseball.

57. Jose Berrios (TOR – SP)

Oh wow, what a subpar 2022 season for Jose Berrios. He only threw 172 innings, which was his lowest since 2017. The shortness of innings could be due to the overall production, which racked up a 5.23 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 13.8%. It was by far Berrios’s worst year since his 2016 rookie season. Berrios also allowed his highest barrel rate and hard-hit rate of his career, so there were not many signs of a turnaround for Berrios.

58. Charlie Morton (ATL – SP)

Charlie Morton did Charlie Morton things in 2022. He threw 172 innings for his fourth straight season. He accumulated a 4.34 ERA and 3.60 xFIP. His WHIP has always fluctuated; in 2022, he had a 1.23 WHIP. Morton also struck out a 28.2% strikeout rate and near 20% K-BB. Morton was a workhorse and racked up strikeouts and innings on his way to a lovely fantasy season.

59. Will Smith (LAD – C)

Will Smith put together another excellent season for a catcher in 2022. He played in 137 games and hit .260 with 24 home runs and 87 RBI. Smith struck out only 16.6% of the time while walking nearly 10%. Smith also had his third straight season with a barrel rate of over 10% and a hard-hit rate of over 43%. Smith hit for average and power while gaining some extra plate appearances due to the DH. He was once again a top-level fantasy catcher.

60. Jose Abreu (CHW – 1B)

What a weird season from Jose Abreu. He played in 157 games and hit .304 while scoring 85 runs. All of those stats were in line with Abreu’s standard numbers. But, there was a downside for Abreu as he only hit 15 home runs with 75 RBI. Outside of a random occasion, Abreu has hit for much more power while driving near or over 100 RBI. The power and run production fell while his quality of contact metrics were just fine, if not better than previous seasons. Expect a bounce-back season from Abreu in 2023.

Conclusion

Overall, round No. 5 was a solid round where most players elevated your fantasy team or at least did not crush your team. Players like Seager, Arenado, Lindor, Gausman, Fried and Hendriks were all outstanding and could have justified a higher draft pick based on their results. In addition, Hader, Morton, Abreu and Smith were really good and still helped your team in one way or another. The only significant blunders in round No. 5 were Franco and Berrios, the two that hurt your teams. Between Franco’s injuries and Berrios being flat-out bad, those were the only picks in Round 5 to crush your team. Nevertheless, round No. 5 was a great round and potentially the best overall return of the first five rounds recapped.