Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets: Elly De La Cruz, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe (2024)

Many players have been discussed heavily this draft season regarding risk. We have some elite prospects trying to get their footing in the bigs. A few prospects got their first cup of coffee last season but still showcase some flaws. And then there are a couple of veterans who just can’t stay healthy. Let’s look at six players who could elevate your fantasy teams to new heights or be bad draft picks.

High-Risk/High-Reward Hitters

Elly De La Cruz (3B, SS – CIN)

Elly De La Cruz was mashing in Triple-A last year and got his call to the bigs. Once up, there was good and bad in his production. Over 98 games with the Reds, De La Cruz hit 13 home runs while stealing 35 bases. He also also struck out 33.7% of the time and hit .235. The plate discipline needs to improve as he showcased a 35.3% O-Swing, 72.8% contact rate and 12.3% SwStr. De La Cruz only swung at 61% of pitches in the zone and had a called strike rate of 18.1%.

De La Cruz has impressive power and elite speed but also has some issues with his plate discipline, which he needs to drastically improve to be great. He could be a 30/50 bat but, simultaneously, a 20/30 bat with a poor batting average, which is not what you’d like at his average draft position (ADP).

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (OF – MIA)

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of our significant injury concerns on draft day, as he has only played 100+ games once in his career. Last season, he played 97 games, hitting 19 home runs while stealing 22 bases. Chisholm brings an easy 20/20 floor if he can play 120+ games but we have only seen that once. The playing time due to health is a significant risk but the reward could be a 30/30 bat.

Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY)

Anthony Volpe had quite the rookie season, playing in 159 games and hitting 21 home runs while stealing 24 bases. A 20/20 season in his rookie season is solid but there were also some downfalls. He only had a combined 122 runs and RBIs, which you’d want more of in 159 games. Even worse, Volpe only hit .209. It appears the Yankees will stick with their 23-year-old shortstop, which keeps plenty of interest for fantasy. He could reward fantasy managers with a 20/20 season again but a low batting average is a significant risk Volpe could bring on draft day.