Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Adolis Garcia, Esteury Ruiz, Gavin Williams, Cristopher Sanchez

Every fantasy baseball platform has unique draft rankings, especially ESPN. Points leagues are common on ESPN instead of category leagues, which often causes well-rounded players like Julio Rodriguez to be ranked lower than their consensus average draft position (ADP). This shift is done in favor of players more optimized for a points format, like Juan Soto. In addition, ESPN often bestows unproven young talent with a lower draft position, such as Oneil Cruz, whose ADP is 174 in ESPN compared to an 89 consensus. A dive into similar examples can reveal undervalued players to target.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Values in ESPN Leagues (2024)

Adolis Garcia (CF/RF – TEX) – 81 ESPN ADP vs. 48 Consensus ADP

Garcia is an excellent source of power coming off of a career-high in all of these stats: 107 RBI, 39 HR, 65 BB and .508 slugging. The Rangers ALCS MVP, a late bloomer, has only improved through each of his three complete seasons. This is a great position to grab a player who earned MVP votes in 2023, and perhaps managers should ensure drafting Garcia by seeking him even earlier.

Esteury Ruiz (OF – OAK) – 197 ESPN ADP vs. 134 Consensus ADP

Ronald Acuna Jr. made history this year as the first player to go 40-70. Ruiz may have only launched five homers, but he was close behind Acuna with 67 steals. Ruiz’s average bat is not what makes him useful in fantasy, but his stolen bases provide excellent value in their own right. This advice depends on the league format, but Ruiz is a cost-effective way to win the steals category.

Gavin Williams (SP – CLE) – 210 ESPN ADP vs. 178 Consensus ADP

The top pitching prospect had a 3.29 ERA in 82.0 IP, with a WHIP of 1.26. Williams had an xERA of 4.21, revealing that he got lucky, but managers must also consider that he only had a 19.7 K% in the majors compared to a 33.3 K% in 46 innings of Triple-A. As Williams adjusts to better talent, it is reasonable for the strikeouts to increase, even if he allows more runs. Far into the draft is a territory without bonafide aces, but Williams has the potential to be near the top of a fantasy rotation.

Cristopher Sanchez (SP – PHI) – 360 ESPN ADP vs. 278 Consensus ADP

Sanchez had a 3.44 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 in 99.1 IP in 2023. His third season was the best of his career, a vast improvement aided by a minuscule 4.0% walk rate. It will be exciting to see what the Phillies NLCS Game 4 opener can do after an offseason to work on his pitches, including his dominant changeup. The southpaw has been frequently mentioned and is no longer a deep sleeper, but he remains dirt cheap in ESPN and is a perfect target if he builds off his 2023 performance.