Salary cap drafts (formerly known as auction drafts) present a different dynamic for fantasy managers. Many choose to use the “stars and scrubs” approach, pushing the price on star players and filling the back end of their rosters with lesser names. That seems to be happening a lot this season, as there is essentially a consensus on the game’s top hitter (Ronald Acuna Jr.) and top pitcher (Spencer Strider).
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- 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
- Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Baseball Projections
A sneaky byproduct of the stars and scrubs approach is that the “scrubs” often wind up not being scrubs at all. When you get to the end of a deep league snake draft, you might end up picking a platoon player or middle reliever to fill out those final roster spots. But in salary cap leagues, you can often find starting solid production at the tail end of drafts. Here are a few players to target with that final dollar.
$1 Salary Cap Draft Targets
Ryan Mountcastle (1B – BAL)
Ryan Mountcastle got off to a torrid start in 2023. He had six home runs and 19 RBIs in his first 13 games. Almost immediately thereafter, he went into a massive slump. He bottomed out in May and June, hitting just .211 in 123 at-bats before missing a month due to injury. But Mountcastle returned right around the All-Star break and had an under-the-radar second half of the season. He hit .322 with a .404 on-base percentage (OBP) in 54 games following the break. I do not think Mountcastle can maintain that level of production over 162 games. But he is a career .263 hitter who has averaged 26 home runs and 82 runs batted in per 600 plate appearances in his MLB career. I have seen him go for a dollar in multiple salary cap drafts recently, which feels like a tremendous value.
Braxton Garrett (SP – MIA)
Braxton Garrett has shown glimpses of his draft pedigree over his brief career. The former seventh-overall draft pick has a 3.86 ERA in nearly 300 innings of work. That number would be even lower were it not for an 11-run drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Braves last May. Garrett exhibited elite control last year, posting a 4.4% walk rate. His 2024 has gotten off to a bit of a rough start. Garrett complained of shoulder soreness in February and Miami has exercised caution in ramping his activity up. Garrett will not be ready for Opening Day. However, he has recently worked his way up to facing live hitters and also completed a three-inning bullpen session this week. Garrett should be set to join the Marlins’ rotation sometime in April. If you have the room on your roster to hold a spot for a few weeks, Garrett could be well worth that final dollar.
Jon Gray (SP – TEX)
Many were optimistic Jon Gray would leap forward after moving from the Colorado Rockies to the Texas Rangers two seasons ago. It has not necessarily worked out that way but it is also not like Gray has been a trainwreck. Gray has a 4.05 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 53 starts as a Ranger. The biggest issue for Gray is he is not a strikeout pitcher, striking out less than a hitter an inning during his Texas tenure. Gray’s fastball devolved into one of the worst offerings in baseball last season. The good news is that his slider was one of the best. Gray is savvy enough at this point in his career to make the most of his arsenal. He should be a solid source of production with a relatively high potential for wins.
Bryan De La Cruz (OF – MIA)
We’ve all done it. At least I know I have. I have seen Bryan De La Cruz staring at me in my player pool and thought, “Meh”. He just doesn’t jump off the page. But did you know he was a top-50 fantasy outfielder and top-200 player overall last season? I, for one, did not until recently. And that may not even be his ceiling. De La Cruz has underperformed in each of the last two seasons compared to some of his Statcast metrics. He has hit .255 since 2022 but has posted an expected batting average (xBA) of .278 in that time. If he gets some better batting average on balls in play (BABIP) luck, we could be talking about Bryan De La Cruz as a top-100 fantasy hitter this season. De La Cruz can be a steal for $1, especially in 15-team leagues or leagues that require five starting outfielders.
Ceddanne Rafaela (OF – BOS)
As Opening Day draws near, it appears more and more that Ceddanne Rafaela will be a starter in Boston’s everyday lineup. Rafaela was primarily competing with Wilyer Abreu for the center field job but Rafaela’s defensive prowess has resulted in the team testing him out at shortstop and second base. This could be an interesting development because Vaughn Grissom is expected to miss the first month of the season due to injury. While I expect most of Rafaela’s starts to be in the outfield, he may add eligibility at a secondary position (most likely second base) by the time Grissom returns. That could add some appeal for fantasy managers who are looking for roster flexibility down the road. This attribute may be worth a dollar on its own, even before you consider Rafaela’s upside.
At the plate, Rafaela is far from a finished product. He has drawn a walk in just 5.7% of his career plate appearances in the minors. MLB pitchers should be able to take advantage of this and bait Rafaela into chasing bad pitches. But Rafaela has sneaky power (60 homers in 424 games), in addition to excellent speed (115 stolen bases). Given close to a full complement of at-bats in Boston, he should hit between 10 and 15 home runs while contributing a healthy number of stolen bases. He is an excellent flier for those who break the bank on power bats early in salary cap drafts and find themselves searching the bargain bin for stolen bases. Just beware the batting average may not be pretty.
Lance Lynn (SP – STL)
Lance Lynn had one of the steepest year-to-year declines in recent memory from 2022 to 2023. He entered last season having pitched to a sub-4.00 ERA in 10 of his previous 11 MLB seasons. But last year, the wheels completely fell off. Lynn served up 44 home runs en route to a ghastly 5.73 ERA. Following a deadline trade to Los Angeles, Lynn showed glimpses of his old self. He had seven wins and seven quality starts in his 11 Dodgers starts. Now Lynn finds him back in St. Louis, where he has enjoyed most of his success. Hopefully, he can rekindle some of that old magic. Like Gray, Lynn will not strike out many hitters on a per-inning basis. However, his ability to pitch deep into ballgames should mask that to some degree. Lynn’s 191 punchouts in 2023 were the 20th most in the league.
J.P. Crawford (SS – SEA)
It speaks to the depth and talent at the shortstop position that you can get a player the caliber of J.P. Crawford for a dollar. Crawford is often ignored because, like many others on this list, he is a compiler. But that is not a bad thing. Last year, Crawford scored 94 runs. Only 34 hitters scored at least 90 last year. Among them, 31 of them have an average draft position (ADP) inside the top 150 in standard drafts. That means all of them are long gone by the time dollar bids start getting thrown around in salary cap drafts. Crawford does not have prodigious power or speed. However, I see no reason why he cannot repeat his breakout 2023 campaign this season.
Crawford was long thought of as a platoon bat only. And he does struggle against lefties comparatively speaking. But he has worked very hard on that aspect of his game. It paid off last year. Crawford finished the year with a .373 on-base percentage and 120 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. If he can maintain that type of production versus southpaws, he can once again approach 100 runs scored along with decent production in batting average, runs batted in and home runs. I am completely in on getting that production for a dollar and would advise doubling that bid if you have the bandwidth.
Jordan Hicks (SP – SF)
The San Francisco Giants signed Jordan Hicks to a four-year deal this offseason, intending to add him to their starting rotation. Hicks has only made eight starts since his 2018 arrival, so there may be some bumps in the road. Control has never been Hicks’ strong suit and his innings may be capped. But the talent is certainly there. Hicks has never had an xERA higher than 3.91 in any of his five MLB seasons. He also has multiple six-strikeout outings this spring, no small feat given workload restrictions in spring training. In an environment where pitchers are seemingly getting hurt every day, Jordan Hicks can be a solid early-season source of strikeouts for those seeking pitching depth late in drafts.
Jeff McNeil (2B, OF – NYM)
Jake Cronenworth (1B, 2B – SD)
I am listing Jeff McNeil and Jake Cronenworth together because they share similar traits and circumstances for fantasy purposes. Neither player is going to produce numbers that jump off the page. Their Statcast metrics from last season are often downright ugly. But both seem to be locked into everyday roles and should hit in prime lineup spots. We have already seen Cronenworth have a big day at the plate hitting third for the San Diego Padres. Mcneil was slated to hit cleanup for the New York Mets, at least until they signed J.D. Martinez. Still, even if McNeil hits fifth, that is a good spot hitting behind four players who should reach base at a high rate. McNeil and Cronenworth can hit double-digit home runs and approach double-digit steals while providing solid totals in runs and runs batted in.
They are also eligible for multiple positions. Since the advent of the universal DH, there have been quite a few players who end up being UT-eligible only. This results in a decrease in the number of players who can play multiple positions. Many who carry dual eligibility do so at similar positions, such as second base and shortstop. But McNeil and Cronenworth offer unique flexibility to fantasy managers. McNeil is eligible at second and outfield, two relatively thin positions in the fantasy landscape. And Cronenworth is eligible at both first base and second. If you play in leagues with middle infield (MI) and corner infield (CI) spots, Cronenworth is an interesting chess piece. Both veterans make for solid additions at the end of your salary cap drafts.
Honorable Mention — The Catcher Crop
I believe there are about 20 catchers I am comfortable starting in fantasy baseball this year depending on league format. If you play in a two-catcher league, this will likely not apply. However, in one-catcher leagues, there are a ton of quality backstops you can get for $1. Fantasy managers will usually pay up for the top six catchers. Once those players are gone, there is a surplus of serviceable catchers in comparison to the number of fantasy managers who need them. Therefore, the remaining managers tend to pick based on personal preference rather than engaging in a bidding war. I have seen leagues where Cal Raleigh, Francisco Alvarez, Logan O’Hoppe and Jonah Heim go for a buck. This is a strategy I fully endorse in leagues where you only need to start one catcher.
Expert Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice
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