Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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9.
Aaron Judge
All rise! His Honor enjoyed a season of reasonably good health in 2021 and posted a career-high .269 BA to go along with 39 HRs, 98 RBI and 89 runs. His 71% contact rate was the best of his career, and naturally his power peripherals were through the roof. No one punishes baseballs quite like Judge. Health is always a concern, and he doesn't run much, but the power skills should age well as this 6-7, 282-pound brute enters his 30s.
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21.
J.D. Martinez
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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27.
Mitch Haniger
Sports hernia surgery caused him to miss the 2020 season, but Haniger returned in a big way last year, posting career highs in home runs (39), RBI (100) and runs (110). There are some warning signs here, however. Haniger's strikeout rate has gone through the roof, and his on-base percentage has plummeted. His exit velocities suggest that he won't match last year's HR total. The good news is that Haniger's banner 2021 season hasn't driven his price sky-high. Still, some caution is warranted.
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33.
Cody Bellinger
The last thing you want to do is pass on a former MVP who can be had in the middle rounds because his draft stock is plummeting. The second-to-last-thing you want to do is grab a player hoping for a bounce-back season and bang your head on a desk every night as he continues his affair with the Mendoza line. What if last year's crater season was an aberration? Worse, what if it wasn't? Bellinger is still only 26, but he won't have 1B eligibility in most formats, leaving him eligible for OF only. Oh, heck, if he's still there in the ninth or 10th round, take a chance. And find a bottle of Advil.
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39.
Josh Bell
Bell had a horrid .464 OPS in April, likely because his timing was off after missing time because of a COVID-19 diagnosis. But once he found his footing, he was everything that Nationals hoped he would be. He batted .277 with an .887 OPS in the second half, and even played plenty of outfield so Washington could keep his bat in the lineup even with Ryan Zimmerman playing well. His walk percentage and strikeout rate largely returned to their pre-2020 levels, and he got better and better as the season went along. With Zimmerman now retired and the DH in the National League, Bell's bat should remain in the lineup nearly every day, and the presence of Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz should offer him plenty of RBI opportunities. He's not a fantasy superstar, but he's a capable starter at first base for your fantasy team.
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40.
Joey Gallo
It should tell you all you need to know about Gallo that he hit 38 home runs and scored 90 runs last season and baseball fans and fantasy players view his year as a disaster. Gallo basically did what he always did - he struck out a ton (34.6%), walked more than anyone not named Juan Soto (18%) and left the yard often. His sub-.200 batting average is just basically what Gallo is going to bring to the table unless he changes his approach or gets lucky, though the fact that he hit ground balls at an elevated clip didn't help much. He'll still be batting in the middle of a strong Yankees lineup, so if you can deal with the batting average hit, draft him for the homers and runs scored production.
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53.
Andrew Benintendi
Benintendi was the classic "needs a change of scenery" player and got relatively back on track with the Royals. He looked almost identical to the disappointing but absolutely usable version of himself that he showed in 2019, and his underlying rates were nearly identical. He did walk at a career-worst rate but he also got his strikeout rate down under control, and had he avoided injury, he surely would have put up a 20-10 season. There's every reason to expct him to be able to do that again, but expect his other counting stats to remain mediocre with Kansas City's lineup.
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56.
Robbie Grossman
Grossman came out of nowhere to put up a 20-20 line in his age-31 season. And by "out of nowhere," I mean that his previous season-high in homers was 11 and his previous high in steals was nine. Everything suggests that Grossman sold out a bit for power, as he greatly increased both his launch angle and fly ball rate (46.2%). If he does that again, he can probably approach 20 homers for a second straight season, but considering his mediocre sprint speed (68th percentile), it would be surprising if he reached 20 steals. Take about 5-7 off your projections for both numbers and you probably won't be disappointed.
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59.
Adam Duvall
Duvall had the quietest 38-homer season in recent memory, which happens when a bulk of it takes place in Miami. He also led the National League in RBI and was one of the leaders in max exit velocity. But he also batted just .228 and struck out 31.4% of the time. Duvall is now 33 years old so expecting a rebound in batting average or strikeout rate is probably wishful thinking. But if it's power you crave, then Duvall should have you covered, particularly with playing his home game in Atlanta's hitter-friendly Truist Park.
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62.
Tommy Pham
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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65.
Michael Brantley
Brantley is one of the most consistent players in all of fantasy baseball, and so long as you're looking for what he gives you, there's nothing wrong with that. He's a lock to bat .300 and he'll generally offer decent runs and RBI totals batting in a strong Houston lineup. But the power that we saw in 2019 was an aberration at this point, and unless MLB uses juiced balls again, Brantley is likely to end up in the 10-12 home run range. At an advancing age, there's always reason to be concerned that he'll fall off a cliff, but nothing in his profile suggests that is imminent. Draft him for batting average but make sure you can make up the speed and power elsewhere.
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66.
AJ Pollock
Pollock reminded everyone last year why he was once such a desirable fantasy commodity. In just 117 games, he popped 21 home runs and added nine steals, all while batting .297. Pollock's issue has never been about his talent, and his career might be viewed differently if he could have stayed healthy. But his 117 games played last year represented his most since 2015, and given that he's already dealing with general soreness in the spring, it's highly unlikely that he'll surpass that number in his age-34 season. His skills have not declined much, and his 19% strikeout rate last year represented his best since 2017. So long as you factor in plenty of missed time, Pollock should again offer you fairly elite production on a game-by-game basis.
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73.
Michael Conforto
It appears as of now that Conforto guessed wrong when he turned down a long-term offer from the Mets and the qualifying offer, as he finds himself in an awkward limbo without a team well into the spring. There's obvious potential with Conforto, who hit at least 27 home runs for three straight seasons, gets on base at an above-average clip, and is just entering his age-29 season. But as we saw with Kris Bryant, it's hard to properly assess a player's fantasy value until we know his landing spot and, in Conforto's case, when he's going to sign.In a vacuum, however, Conforto can be a third or fourth outfielder for your fantasy team, someone who is capable of contributing in all five categories, though likely not excelling at any. Until he signs, you should drop him a good 10 spots from where you would otherwise have him, but he's not going to sit out the entire season, so don't let him fall too far in drafts.
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77.
Wil Myers
Myers couldn't sustain the many gains he made in the shortened 2020 season, but he didn't fall off a cliff entirely. His .256 batting average was his best (other than 2020) since 2016, and he offered 25 combined home runs and steals. The thing is that Myers' strikeout rate rose to 28.2%, but that's a number he can live with if he continued to make the quality of contact we're used to seeing from him. But, he didn't. His hard hit rate and exit velocity fell off a cliff (his 29.8% hard contact rate was one of the worst in baseball). It would seem like an odd decline for Myers, who was just 30 last year, so it may have just been a blip. But, it's worth being cautious before you head into the season assuming he'll bounce back. Given his ADP, however, you won't need to have confidence in him for him to be worth drafting.
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80.
Andrew McCutchen
McCutchen batted just .222 last year with the worst strikeout rate of his career (23%), but he provided plenty of value elsewhere. His walk rate was a robust 14.1%, he slugged 27 home runs, and fell just short of 160 combined runs and RBI. He'll move to Milwaukee this year, and so his power should translate once again, and he'll likely get to extra at-bats as the DH. He's not exciting, but even the batting average should bounce back a bit given his expected stats last year, so don't be afraid to pull the trigger late.
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81.
Brandon Nimmo
It's hard not to love a guy who sprints to first base after a walk, especially when he walks 14% of the time, one of the best rates in baseball. Nimmo will lead off again this year for the Mets, and given his elite OBP (.393 career), he should score plenty of runs. He doesn't have a ton of power or speed, but a fully healthy Nimmo should give you close to a 15-10 season with a plus batting average and contribution in the runs scored categories. The key phrase there is "fully healthy," because Nimmo's 92 games played last year were the second most of his career. But that injury risk is baked into his ADP, so draft him late and start him when he's in the lineup. You likely won't be disappointed if you do.
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84.
Raimel Tapia
Tapia moves from Colorado to Toronto, and although that's an obvious downgrade in terms of home park, it's pretty much as neutral a change as Tapia could have hoped for. He'll still play his home games in an extreme hitter-friendly environment, and he'll see a major upgrade in his surrounding lineup. The problem for Tapia, however, remains the same. He has extremely meager power numbers, and not enough speed to be a true difference-maker in the stolen base category (though he did swipe 20 last year). He'll almost certainly bat in the lower third of the lineup with Toronto, as he likely would have with the Rockies anyway, and his probable increase in runs scored should be canceled out by his likely drop in batting average (his xBA has been in the .250s in each of the last three seasons). There's little upside with Tapia, but he won't hurt you, so he's a decent bench option if you're light on steals.
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86.
Tyler Naquin
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89.
Adam Frazier
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91.
Dominic Smith
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93.
David Peralta
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95.
Garrett Hampson
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99.
Willie Calhoun
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101.
Rafael Ortega
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108.
Josh Harrison
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122.
Kole Calhoun
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125.
Bradley Zimmer
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127.
Justin Upton
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129.
Jackson Frazier
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135.
Jorge Alfaro
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138.
Jurickson Profar
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139.
Ben Gamel
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141.
Odubel Herrera
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142.
Chad Pinder
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143.
Jordan Luplow
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145.
Anthony Alford
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146.
Corey Dickerson
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150.
Aristides Aquino
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151.
Kevin Kiermaier
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153.
Niko Goodrum
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154.
Tyler Wade
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159.
Victor Reyes
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160.
Adam Engel
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163.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
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165.
Gregory Polanco
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167.
Kevin Pillar
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168.
Alex Dickerson
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170.
Jason Heyward
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171.
Matt Beaty
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173.
David Dahl
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176.
Steven Duggar
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177.
Aledmys Diaz
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178.
Michael Taylor
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179.
Willi Castro
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183.
Greg Allen
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186.
Eric Thames
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191.
Jose Marmolejos
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192.
Jerry Sands
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193.
Adam Eaton
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194.
Brett Gardner
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195.
Nomar Mazara
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200.
Luke Williams
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205.
Brian O'Grady
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208.
Lewis Brinson
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210.
Ehire Adrianza
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212.
Tim Locastro
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215.
Dillon Thomas
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217.
Dexter Fowler
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218.
Jace Peterson
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221.
Danny Santana
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222.
Shogo Akiyama
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223.
Marwin Gonzalez
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224.
Brett Phillips
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225.
Jake Lamb
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228.
Max Schrock
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229.
Brian Goodwin
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231.
Phil Gosselin
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232.
Michael Hermosillo
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233.
Charlie Culberson
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234.
Jarrod Dyson
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235.
Guillermo Heredia
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236.
Juan Lagares
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237.
Shed Long Jr.
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239.
Jake Marisnick
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243.
Jose Rojas
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245.
Josh Reddick
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247.
Wilmer Difo
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249.
Danny Mendick
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251.
Monte Harrison
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255.
Zach Reks
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257.
Luis Barrera
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259.
Matt Joyce
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261.
Aaron Altherr
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264.
Ian Desmond
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266.
Franchy Cordero
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271.
Daniel Robertson
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273.
Roman Quinn
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276.
Billy Hamilton
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278.
Magneuris Sierra
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280.
Brandon Drury
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281.
Jose Rondon
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283.
Delino DeShields
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284.
Steven Souza Jr.
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285.
Abraham Almonte
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286.
Albert Almora Jr.
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289.
Ender Inciarte
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291.
Ryan McBroom
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296.
Mallex Smith
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297.
Travis Demeritte
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298.
Johneshwy Fargas
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299.
Jaylin Davis
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300.
Brendon Davis
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302.
Scott Schebler
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303.
Nick Martini
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304.
Jonathan Davis
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306.
Dustin Fowler
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308.
Greg Deichmann
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311.
Trey Amburgey
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315.
Ka'ai Tom
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316.
Gerardo Parra
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317.
Rusney Castillo
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318.
Buddy Reed
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321.
Mike Tauchman
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322.
Michael Reed
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324.
Derek Fisher
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325.
JaCoby Jones
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327.
Joe Benson
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328.
Lane Adams
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330.
Patrick Kivlehan
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332.
Dee Strange-Gordon
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334.
Joe McCarthy
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336.
Yoenis Cespedes
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337.
Mark Payton
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338.
Tzu-Wei Lin
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340.
Nick Heath
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342.
Luis Basabe
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344.
Jacob Robson
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345.
Mikie Mahtook
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346.
Nick Williams
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347.
Henry Ramos
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348.
Sam Travis
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