Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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33.
Byron Buxton
CF
Get a season of reasonably good health out of Buxton and you're likely to run a profit, probably a big one. But what are the chances he'll play 150 or more games? In the five non-COVID years that he's been on the Twins' Opening Day roster, Buxton has averaged 81.6 games played and 271.2 at-bats. In 2021, Buxton missed 39 games with a strained hip, then broke his hand after being hit with a pitch in his third game back, causing him to miss another month. When healthy, Buxton will steal a lot of bases and score plenty of runs. He's added power, too, and he batted .306 over 61 games last year. Still only 28, Buxton has upside galore, but the risk level here is enormous.
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52.
Jorge Polanco
2B,SS
Polanco enjoyed the finest season of his career in 2021, batting .269 with 33 HRs, 98 RBI, 97 runs and 11 SBs. He went nuclear after the All-Star break, batting .287 with 21 homers. Could it be that Polanco feels less pressure as a second baseman than as a shortstop, and his hitting has benefitted as a result? Polanco has always been a line drive machine, so even if the power gains don't stick (and there's a good chance they won't), he should still deliver a healthy batting average. Dual 2B-SS eligibility is a plus. Polanco is a worthy investment, but don't pay for a full repeat of the power.
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53.
Carlos Correa
SS
Correa enjoyed one of his finest seasons to date in 2021, establishing new career highs in homers (26) and runs (104). He also had 92 RBI and batted .279. Good health was a key, as he played 148 games. Since breaking into the league in 2015, Correa had played more than 110 games only twice. At 27, Correa is squarely in his prime. His power production is probably maxed out due to his modest flyball rates, but his improved plate patience and robust line drive rates suggest that the healthy batting average and solid run production are easily repeatable. Correa is a free agent, so his landing spot will have a major bearing on his value.
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110.
Alex Kirilloff
1B,LF,RF
Kirilloff had a poor 2021 season, ultimately succumbing to wrist surgery to fix an injury that has reportedly bothered him off and on for a few years at this point. Long-term, there's plenty of reason for optimism given his pedigree and strong minor league numbers. But for this year, he's more of a middling outfield filler. His quality of contact and home park aren't favorable enough to lead to a major outburst in power, and his surrounding lineup isn't strong enough to offer a favorable environment for counting stats. Kirilloff probably won't hurt you in batting average and he'll hit about 20 home runs, but players like that are a dime a dozen in redraft leagues. Take him late as a filler, but still view him as a target in keeper and dynasty formats.
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142.
Miguel Sano
1B
Sano reportedly lost 25 pounds this offseason and is in, wait for it, the best shape of his life. Hopefully that means he can stay healthy and productive because, simply put, he hits the ball as hard as anyone in the game. He is always in the top three percent of the league in hard hit rate and exit velocity, and 50 homers could potentially be in reach if he put it all together. But he struck out 34.4% of the time last year and that was the best single-season mark in that category of his career. There is potential, as there always is with Sano, but you've got to be in really good shape in batting average before you take on the risk with him.
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147.
Max Kepler
CF,RF
Kepler's expected stats suggest he got pretty unlucky last year, as they looked a lot like his 2019 season where he hit 38 home runs and batted .252. On the plus side, he did swipe 10 bases, the first time he had reached double digits in that category in his career. His true outcome likely lies somewhere between his 2019 season and last year's numbers, and he's more of a .240, 20-homer bat. The bigger problem this year is that the Twins' lineup likely won't be strong, and his counting stats will take a hit. Kepler can fill in for you, just don't rely on him as a starter.
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166.
Gio Urshela
3B,SS
Urshela was moved to Minnesota this offseason where he'll man third base and likely bat in the bottom third of the order. When healthy, he's a high-average, 20-homer bat who will chip in everywhere but steals. But his margin for error is fairly thin given how mediocre his quality of contact is and with his poor walk rate. Given that his surrounding llineup and home park took a pretty drastic step down, he's really just an AL-only option at this point.
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191.
Gary Sanchez
C
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221.
Luis Arraez
1B,2B,3B,LF
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267.
Ryan Jeffers
C
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268.
Jose Miranda
1B,3B
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338.
Trevor Larnach
LF,RF
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352.
Nick Gordon
2B,SS,LF,CF
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436.
Sandy Leon
C
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468.
Chance Sisco
C
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574.
Kyle Garlick
LF,RF
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576.
Jake Cave
LF,CF,RF
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583.
Gilberto Celestino
LF,CF,RF
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631.
Royce Lewis
SS
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634.
Curtis Terry
Util
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686.
Tim Beckham
SS
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728.
Andrew Bechtold
3B
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754.
Austin Martin
3B
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