Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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11.
Rafael Devers
3B
Devers hit a career-high 38 HRs in 2021, and the peripherals say there's more where that came from. He was north of the 90th percentile in average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity and hard hit percentage. Devers doesn't take a lot of walks, but he drives the ball to all fields with authority and should provide a plus batting average. He doesn't run much, but with this sort of hitting profile, that's a minor complaint. He plays in a great hitter's park and has a strong supporting cast. Devers is building an impressive body of work, and he's still only 25. This is a rock-solid investment.
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23.
Xander Bogaerts
SS
He was batting .321 at the All-Star Break last year, but a wrist injury sapped some of his mojo in the back half of the season. Bogaerts has one of the more stable skill sets in MLB. He has a .290 career average, and his run production has been remarkably stable. You can pencil in Bogaerts for 25 HRs, 90 RBI and 90 runs, and he's likely to hew pretty close to those numbers. Fenway Park and a strong lineup work in his favor. He's been so good for so long, it's hard to believe he's still in his 20s.
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24.
Trevor Story
2B,SS
In Colorado, Story was a menace. Away from the mile high air, he's just another guy. Since 2019, Story's batting average has been 80 points lower away from Denver, and his slugging percentage is 150 points lower. He's hit 60.1% of his career home runs at Coors Field, and 62% of his career RBI have come there. Now he'll be playing his home games in Fenway Park, arguably the second-best hitters park in baseball. But while Fenway is good for hitters overall, it actually depresses home runs slightly. Let someone else spend the year complaining that they weren't smart enough to dodge this overpriced bullet.
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43.
J.D. Martinez
DH,LF
Martinez got the bad taste of 2020 out of his mouth with a fine 2021 season. After batting .213 and hitting only seven HRs in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Martinez batted .286 last year with 28 HRs, 99 RBI and 92 runs. Martinez is 34, so there's some age-related risk, but his 2021 Statcast numbers and other peripheral stats suggest that his skill set is aging well. He plays in a great hitter's park, and batting behind Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts should provide plenty of RBI opportunities. FantasyPros rankers like Martinez much more than the general public does - an indication that he's probably a value.
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92.
Alex Verdugo
CF,LF,RF
Verdugo is a reliable option for batting average, as he's batted at least .289 in three straight seasons. He doesn't have a ton of pop or speed, though he'll at least chip in with home runs and steals, and because he'll bat near the top of the Red Sox lineup, should be an asset in runs scored. Think of a poor man's version of Michael Brantley in his prime and that's what Verdugo will give you, and that's plenty valuable for fantasy.
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124.
Tommy Pham
DH,LF
Pham recently signed with the Reds, and even though the team has shipped off most of its lineup, it's not a bad fit. Pham's batting average has suffered over the last two seasons, but his expected batting average (.266, .258) suggests that he's been more unlucky than anything. And although his power numbers have declined, a move to Great American Ball Park should likely add a few home runs to his ledger this year. Pham still walks a ton and is a lock for double-digit steals, and he's the type of player who fantasy managers like to ignore each year. Don't worry as much about the lack of lineup protection, and instead buy the high floor and relative lack of competition for his job.
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137.
Kike Hernandez
2B,CF,SS
Hernandez had an extremely solid year batting atop the Red Sox lineup, hitting 20 home runs and tallying 84 runs scored. Very little about his underlying batted ball data and overall metrics were different - he just stayed healthy and became an everyday player. His batting average won't help you and he offers nothing in the stolen base category. But he should be a major asset in runs scored and contribute in homers and RBI. With the addition of Trevor Story, he'll likely be the everyday center fielder, but he'll retain his second base eligibility from last year, further strengthening his value. Hernandez won't win you your league, but he's the type of player you can leave in your lineup all year long.
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140.
Bobby Dalbec
1B,3B
Dalbec has a ton of power, and ranked in the top nine percent of the league in average and maximum exit velocity. But he also struck out often, 34.4% of the time, which led to a middling .240 batting average despite him hitting the ball hard consistently. That's likely what we'll see again in his second year, though with more job security and perhaps a minor step up. Dalbec is one of a handful of 25-homer bats going very late in drafts, but he has enough upside to hit 35 without too much needing to go right. That makes him the ideal bench player or corner infielder in deeper mixed leagues.
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173.
Eric Hosmer
1B
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238.
Jarren Duran
CF,RF
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322.
Triston Casas
1B
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356.
Bryce Brentz
LF
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379.
Reese McGuire
C
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407.
Christian Arroyo
1B,2B,3B,DH,RF,SS
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441.
Yu Chang
1B,3B
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442.
Jeter Downs
2B,3B,SS
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471.
Connor Wong
C
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544.
Rob Refsnyder
CF,DH,LF,RF
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573.
Franchy Cordero
1B,LF,RF
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587.
Christin Stewart
LF
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619.
Abraham Almonte
LF
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644.
Jaylin Davis
LF
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