Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
9.
Juan Soto
LF,RF
Juan Soto delivered an impressive 2023 season, overcoming a sluggish start to finish with 35 homers, 109 RBIs, 97 runs, and 12 steals. His outstanding .410 OBP and .519 slugging, highlighted by a stellar 18.6% walk rate, underscore his advanced plate discipline. Despite a slightly higher strikeout rate at 18.2%, Soto remains a top pick, particularly in OBP leagues. Chances are good that the 25-year-old will be playing somewhere other than San Diego before hitting free agency in 2025; however, he is easily a Top-10 draft pick in all fantasy formats.
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11.
Aaron Judge
CF,RF,DH
In 2023, Aaron Judge played 106 games, the least since 2019. Despite this, he delivered impressive stats: a .267/.406/.613 slash line with 37 homers. While remarkable, these figures probably disappointed those who expected more from a Top 5 pick. Statcast ranks Judge at the absolute top of several metrics, including xwOBA, xSLG, avgEV, Barrel%, HardHit%, and BB%. Judge remains an offensive powerhouse, but some health risks put him at a better value as a second-round pick in 12-team leagues.
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68.
Gleyber Torres
2B
Gleyber Torres rewarded fantasy managers who took a chance on him in 2023. He hit 25 home runs, stole 13 bases, and scored 90 runs in an offense that lacked Aaron Judge for two-thirds of the season. Now that Juan Soto is in tow, Torres should creep to the century mark in runs, and he no longer comes with the baggage of a bad K%. He reduced his strikeout rate from 22.6 percent to 14.6, and he used that increased contact to raise his batting average to .273 (xBA .283) and his OBP to .347 without losing anything in his slugging. Torres is a Top 10 second baseman in 2024.
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113.
Clay Holmes
RP
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119.
Anthony Volpe
SS
Anthony Volpe's rookie season was less than ideal, though he hit 21 home runs and stole 24 bases. He slashed a miserable .209/.283/.383 and was below average in almost all Statcast hitting categories. Fantasy managers can expect another 20/20 season as well as improved counting stats in 2024, thanks to the lineup changes around him. However, there won't be enough improvement to warrant a draft pick prior to the 12th round.
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149.
Carlos Rodon
SP
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176.
Gerrit Cole
SP
Until we know about Gerrit Cole's elbow injury, it is difficult to know how early it is worth the risk to draft him. Cole made 33 starts last season, totaling 209.0 innings pitched and struck out 222 batters. However, his K/9 of 9.56 was the lowest in the last five seasons. He remained an elite ace, allowing 157 hits and 48 walks, with a home run total of 20, reflecting his ability to limit long balls, a critical factor in his success. The Yankees are giving us nothing to go on regarding how much time their ace is going to miss, leaving it up to fantasy managers to determine what their risk tolerance is. My personal tolerance stops at "pitcher with elbow issues." Proceed with caution.
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221.
Anthony Rizzo
1B
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236.
Nestor Cortes Jr.
SP
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238.
Giancarlo Stanton
RF,DH
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259.
Marcus Stroman
SP
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264.
Alex Verdugo
LF,RF
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329.
DJ LeMahieu
1B,3B
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369.
Clarke Schmidt
SP
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371.
Austin Wells
C
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404.
Luis Gil
SP
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423.
Jon Berti
3B,SS
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444.
Oscar Gonzalez
RF
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463.
Jasson Dominguez
CF
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553.
Oswald Peraza
3B
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563.
Ian Hamilton
RP
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574.
Caleb Ferguson
SP,RP
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605.
Will Warren
SP
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627.
Jonathan Loaisiga
RP
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649.
Chase Hampton
SP
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654.
Tommy Kahnle
RP
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682.
Oswaldo Cabrera
3B,LF,RF
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705.
Jose Trevino
C
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706.
Trent Grisham
CF
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716.
Michael Tonkin
RP
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719.
Victor Gonzalez
RP
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727.
Everson Pereira
LF
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824.
Scott Effross
RP
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848.
Phil Bickford
RP
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871.
Ron Marinaccio
RP
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880.
Luke Weaver
SP,RP
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895.
Spencer Jones
CF
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931.
Cody Poteet
RP
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940.
Lou Trivino
RP
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954.
JT Brubaker
SP
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961.
Clayton Beeter
SP
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992.
Rougned Odor
2B
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1000.
Jake Cousins
RP
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1053.
Cody Morris
RP
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1055.
Nick Burdi
RP
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1060.
Clayton Andrews
RP
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1097.
Ben Rice
C
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1133.
Colby White
RP
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1136.
Anthony Misiewicz
RP
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1146.
Yoendrys Gomez
RP
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1267.
Yerry de los Santos
RP
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1311.
McKinley Moore
RP
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1401.
Duane Underwood Jr.
RP
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1426.
Matt Sauer
SP,RP
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1588.
Taylor Trammell
LF
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1621.
Kevin Smith
SS
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1622.
Jeter Downs
SS
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1650.
Greg Allen
LF
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1692.
Jordan Groshans
3B
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1695.
Jahmai Jones
OF,DH
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1714.
Jorbit Vivas
2B
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