Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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1.
Trea Turner
2B,SS
Turner's excellence depends on his health. He's played more than 148 games only once in his seven-year career. If LA's great weather can keep him on the field, he's a legitimate threat for 30 HRs, 100 RBI and 110 runs in a consistently good Dodgers lineup. But Turner's history makes it more likely he plays in something closer to 120-130 games. Is that worth his top-three ADP? Qualifying at 2B bumps up his value a few ticks, but keeper league owners should beware: He'll return to SS-only eligibility in 2023.
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6.
Bryce Harper
RF,DH
Mr. Consistency. Draft Harper somewhere between 6 and 10 in the first round, leave him in the lineup and count your blessings. In one of the quietest MVP campaigns in recent memory, Harper did Harper-like things in 2021, with 35 homers, 101 runs, 84 RBI and 13 stolen bases. With the Phillies adding Nick Castellanos to provide Harper with some lineup protection, a 100 RBI season with 110 runs is probably Harper's floor.
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31.
Nick Castellanos
RF,DH
"It's a deep drive to left field by Castellanos" has become baseball's best meme, which overshadows the fact that Castellanos has been one of baseball's most underrated power bats over the last half decade. The 29-year-old picked the perfect year to enter free agency, coming off a 2021 campaign with a .576 SLG% and a .938 OPS. The move to Philadelphia should be a good one, as it gives Castellanos a chance to bat cleanup directly behind Bryce Harper.
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57.
J.T. Realmuto
C,1B
Some of us still want to think of the 28-year-old Realmuto, who was the best catcher in baseball. But he's entering his age-31 season and is likely on the downside of his career. Catchers tend to fall off precipitously after age 30, so Realmuto will have to stave off Father Time. Double-digit steals from the catcher slot are always a bonus for fantasy managers, but Realmuto is no longer a catcher for whom you should reach. The Phillies' lineup is full of holes and won't provide much support outside of Bryce Harper. However, the universal DH rule adds to Realmuto's value. He'll get more at bats and more rest for his legs. He's still a great option at catcher. Just don't reach.
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62.
Kyle Schwarber
LF,1B,DH
Schwarber was really, really good in 2020. He ranked in the top 10% of the league in barrel rate, average and maximum exit velocity, hard-hit rate, walk percentage, and wOBA. He also batted a career-best .266, probably because he swung at far fewer pitches outside the strike zone than he ever had before. He'll now bat near or at the top of a strong Phillies lineup in a park that should only accentuate Schwarber's raw power. If Schwarber can hold the gains he saw last year - being more selective, hitting more line drives, etc. - then he should be in for perhaps his best season to date.
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68.
Rhys Hoskins
1B
Hoskins traded off some walks for some additional power last year, as he consistently made harder contact than he ever had before in his career. His 91.2 MPH average exit velocity and 112.2 MPH maximum exit velocity were both career highs, and his 17% barrel rate ranked in the top 6% of baseball. The only real problem for Hoskins, aside from his .240-ish batting average, is his difficulty staying healthy. He was limited to just 107 games last year because of an abdominal injury and he missed about a third of 2020's shortened season. The talent is there - he'll hit plenty of home runs and he'll likely bat in front of Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto. Just bank on closer to 120 games rather than a full season.
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161.
Alec Bohm
3B,1B
Bohm was dreadful last year, but there's a pretty plausible theory as to what went wrong. He was one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball in the first half of the year, ranking near the top of the league in quality of contact but just not seeing the results. Eventually, that got into his head, and he expanded the zone and watched his strikeout rate climb significantly. By the end of the year, Bohm was a total mess, swinging at pitches out of the zone, taking pitches in the zone, and watching his already poor numbers decline. That's not the type of thing that usually derails a hitter for multiple seasons, so hopefully he can get back to doing what made him a strong prospect- being patient and hitting the ball hard. He's worth a flier late in your drafts, just don't go into the season relying on him.
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211.
Brandon Marsh
CF,LF
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231.
Bryson Stott
SS,2B
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277.
Edmundo Sosa
2B,SS,3B
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328.
Matt Vierling
CF,RF,LF
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406.
Darick Hall
1B,DH
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451.
Rafael Marchan
C
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457.
Garrett Stubbs
C
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504.
John Hicks
C
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576.
Jake Cave
LF,CF,RF
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590.
Scott Kingery
RF
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604.
Nick Maton
2B,SS,LF,RF
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616.
Yairo Munoz
2B
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641.
Daniel Robertson
3B
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670.
Justin Williams
RF
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671.
Simon Muzziotti
CF
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709.
Josh Ockimey
1B
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