Skip to main content

2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep

Check out our best draft articles by topic category.

Must-Reads | Strategy | Sleepers | Prospects | Mock Drafts | Profiles | Dynasty | League Advice/Setup | Draft Kit


Must-Reads

Position-by-Position Primer
C | 1B | 2B | SS

Top Prospects by Position (Redraft)
Here are the top prospects at each position that could potentially have an impact in 2020
C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP

Players to Target by Category
AVG/OBP | HR | SB | OBP Primer

13 Players Who Will Disappoint
Experts name which early-round hitters and pitchers will disappoint based on their ADP

12 Must-Have Players
The experts name the hitters and pitchers they will want on all their teams based on their current price

12 Breakout Hitters
Our staff identifies twelve hitters that have the best shot at breaking out in 2020

10 Breakout Pitchers
Our staff identifies ten pitchers that have the best shot at breaking out in 2020

Notable Team Changes
Changing teams can come with fantasy implications and these are the most notable moves

Bernie Pleskoff’s Positional Rankings
C | 1B | SS

Bernie Pleskoff’s Top 40 Prospects
Get the lowdown from former MLB scout Bernie Pleskoff on who his top 40 prospects are for fantasy

13 Under-the-Radar Prospects
See which prospects are flying under the radar and which second-year players could shine in 2020

Innings Limits to Monitor
Find out which pitchers could see their outings shortened and production hampered

Second-Half Standouts
Analysis of seven players who had notable performances to close out the 2019 season

10 Offseason Risers
Fantasy experts name which hitters & pitchers saw their stocks rise the most this offseason and when you should snag them

7 Players to Target & Avoid
Experts name which players had the biggest underlying numbers for positive and negative regression in 2020

High BABIP Hitters from 2019
Be cautious of these batters who were luckier than usual in 2019

Low BABIP Hitters from 2019
Be optimistic about these batters who were more unlucky than usual in 2019

Spring Training Bold Predictions
Players do their best to make strides in spring and the experts are making their bold predictions

Late-Round Picks From All 30 Teams
Bernie Pleskoff names his favorite late-round pick from each ballclub

Top 10 Rankings + Early Draft Targets
The experts name who could finish inside the top 3 along with who their favorite early-round targets are

5 Second-Year Breakout Candidates
After a year in the big leagues, these five names are primed to break out

Grading Players on New Teams
Moving to a new team can have a fantasy impact and we’re giving grades for the bigger names that found new homes

Players to Avoid who Were Lucky in 2019
These hitters and pitchers were incredibly lucky in 2019 and should negatively regress in 2020

Free Agency Beneficiaries
With vacated positions following free agency, these were the top beneficiaries

NL-Only Early and Late Round Targets
Target these 6 players in NL-Only drafts during the early and late rounds

Finding Cheap Batting Average & OBP Players ($)
You don’t have to punt categories like batting average if you know where you can find cheap value at

10 Players to Forget About Their 2019 Season
These ten players had numbers worth forgetting in 2019 and here’s why you should forget about them

8 Bounce-back Pitchers Following Slumps
Get our reasons for optimism when it comes to these eight pitchers who struggled in 2019

What to Watch for in Spring Training
These are the only things worth paying attention to in spring training

Park Factors Overview
A guide on what you need to know about the various ballparks with fantasy impact

Shiny New Toy Syndrome
Advice on how to handle the temptations of drafting young new players

Spring Training Stats that Matter
Five things from spring training that can have actual fantasy impact

Strategy

10 Mistakes Not to Repeat from Last Year
Reminders on what not to do compared to last season

Marmol Draft Strategy
A strategy that employs setup men instead of closers

Bichette Draft Strategy
A strategy that skips pitching until the back portion of a draft and loads up on closers

Categories League Tips
Guide on how to prepare for a categories league format

Points League Tips
Guide on how to prepare for a points league format

Auction League Tips ($)
Detailed step-by-step guide on how to prepare for and win your auction draft

Pitcher-Heavy Draft Strategy
Analysis on how baseball has changed making the top-tier pitchers more valuable than ever

Hitters Early Draft Strategy
A strategy that emphasizes hitting early on and taking upside pitchers later

Drafting Position Strategy from Beginning, Middle, and End
Advice on how to attack your draft based on where you’re picking

NFBC Draft Champions Tips
Guide on how to prepare for an NFBC Draft Champions draft

Roto v. H2H Draft Strategies
Get the difference in draft strategy when playing in roto vs. head-to-head leagues

H2H Categories v. Points Leagues Strategies
See the important differences between the two league configurations

Building a Fantasy Baseball Foundation
11 tips to build a strong foundation for fantasy baseball success

Positional Scarcity
Insight into which positions in 2020 are the most shallow and deep

5 Lessons Learned to Carry into 2020
Reminders of what it takes to be successful

Utilizing Strikeout-to-Walk Ratios
This is one metric you’ll want to consider when evaluating pitchers

Finding Value Hitters with Barrel Rate
Barrel rates are a sign of quality contact and here’s how to leverage that information

League Trends & Impact
These trends in baseball should impact your draft strategy and here’s how

Navigating Around Openers and Closers
“Openers” became popular in 2019 and here’s how to adjust for them in 2020

How to Decide on Keepers
Tips to remember when deciding who to keep in keeper and dynasty leagues

Evaluating Rookies and Prospects
A guide on how to evaluating younger players for fantasy purposes

Sleepers

Top 10 Hitter Sleepers
Bobby Sylvester names his top 10 hitter sleepers to target in your drafts

Top 10 Pitcher Sleepers
Dan Harris names his top 10 pitcher sleepers to target in your drafts

40 Deep League Sleepers
A list of deep league sleepers that fall into various categories such as young breakout candidates, starters with IP concerns and more.

Deep Sleepers Outside the Top 200
A look at late-round sleepers that will cost you little to nothing

Prospects

Bernie Pleskoff’s Top 40 Prospects
Get the lowdown from former MLB scout Bernie Pleskoff on who his top 40 prospects are for fantasy

Bobby Sylvester’s Top 100 Prospects ($)
A rundown of who the top 100 prospects are for fantasy baseball

Bobby Sylvester’s Top 400 Prospects Worldwide ($)
A rundown of who the top 400 prospects worldwide are for fantasy baseball

Top 25 Impact Prospects in 2020 (Redraft)
Prospects can do wonders for a fantasy team and these players should contribute from the start

Top Prospects by Position (Redraft)
Here are the top prospects at each position that could potentially have an impact in 2020
C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP

13 Under-the-Radar Prospects
See which prospects are flying under the radar and which second-year players could shine in 2020

Prospects to Stash (Redraft)
Stash these prospects at the start of the season as it might not be long before they get the call

40 MLB Prospects Who Will Break Out ($)
Insight into which prospects will make the leap into the upper echelon of prospects by next year

Top 20 First-Year Player Draft Ranking
Dynasty leaguers need to know more than the average bear including who the top first-year players going into the draft are.

Top 10 Amateur Prospects ($)
Get ahead of the competition with these amateurs who can be future top 25 prospects

Top International Prospects ($)
Get the lowdown on which prospects could be the next Shohei Ohtani or Jose Abreu

10 Prospects to Acquire in Dynasty
Between waivers and/or trades, these are 10 prospects you’ll want on your team

5 Prospects to Sell in Dynasty
Not every prospect will work out and here are five that you should sell away in dynasty leagues

Mock Drafts

12-Team Mock Draft from Different Draft Slots
3 | 6 | 7 | 12

10-Team Mock Draft from Different Draft Slots
1 | 5 | 7

LABR 15-Team Draft Recap

10-Team AL Only

10-Team NL Only

Points League Mock Draft (12-Team)

Auction League Mock Draft (12-Team)

Profiles

Alex Wood
Anthony Rendon
Aristides Aquino
Cole Hamels
Corey Kluber
Corey Seager
Drew Pomeranz
Drew Smyly
Gerrit Cole
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Jarrod Dyson
Jonathan Villar
Josh Donaldson
Kenta Maeda
Kyle Gibson
Luis Urias
Manuel Margot
Marcel Ozuna
Mike Moustakas
Mookie Betts
Nicholas Castellanos
Rich Hill
Robinson Chirinos
Shogo Akiyama
Starling Marte
Stephen Strasburg
Todd Frazier
Tommy Pham
Travis Shaw
Will Smith
Yasmani Grandal
Zach Wheeler

Dynasty

Fantasy Baseball Top 1000 Players ($)
The deepest dynasty rankings list around including high schoolers and international prospects

10 Prospects to Acquire in Dynasty
Between waivers and/or trades, these are 10 prospects you’ll want on your team

5 Players to Target in Dynasty
Post-hype sleepers, injury concerns, whatever the reason, these five names should be back on your radar going into 2020

5 Prospects to Sell in Dynasty
Not every prospect will work out and here are five that you should sell away in dynasty leagues

Players to Sell in Dynasty
Letting go isn’t easy, but we’ve got reasons to move on from these players in dynasty

Buy Low/Sell High
We’re looking at underlying metrics to identify players who were lucky and unlucky whose values may be skewed on the trade market

Top 20 First-Year Player Draft Ranking
Dynasty leaguers need to know more than the average bear including who the top first-year players going into the draft are.

League Advice/Setup

Improving Your Leauge
Tips on how to make your league more fun

Joining a New League
Here’s what you need to know before and after joining a new league

Starting a Keeper/Dynasty League
Advice on how to start a keeper or dynasty league

Keeping League Members Incentivized
How to keep your league mates interested throughout the entire season

Maintaining Competitive Balance in Keeper and Dynasty Leagues
How to keep your league from getting too stacked in one direction

Expanding your Keeper/Dynasty League
Make a smooth transition with these tips on how to expand your league