Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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15.
Luis Robert
CF
The young White Sox slugger missed more than three months after straining his hip flexor trying to leg out an infield single but went nuclear upon his return, batting .350 with 12 HRs and 35 RBI over his final 43 games. Robert runs, too, with 15 SBs in 124 career games. There's legitimate 30-30 potential here, and it's not hard to imagine Robert producing a 40 HR season at cozy Guaranteed Rate Field. A ridiculous .394 BABIP fueled last year's .338 batting average, so there's bound to be some major recoil in that category. Health is a concern as well, as Robert experienced leg tightness in the playoffs. There's a lot to like here, but a second-round ADP seems a bit rich for a 24-year-old who has yet to play a full season.
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26.
Tim Anderson
SS
Anderson could fall out of bed and go 2-for-5. His batting averages the last three seasons: .335, .322, .309. At this point, we have to conclude that his consistently high BABIPs aren't fluky. Anderson isn't a truly elite base stealer, but he swiped 18 bags in 123 games last season and could conceivably steal 25-30 bases in a good year. Anderson has consistently been in the 17-20 home run range, so while he won't provide a lot of help in the power department, he won't hurt you either. In a loaded White Sox lineup, Anderson has a chance to score 100 runs if he can stay healthy. Anderson's ADP suggests he might slip into the fourth round of your draft. Pounce on him if he does.
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35.
Lucas Giolito
SP
Giolito doesn't have pinpoint control, and he gives up his fair share of gopher balls, but those are relatively minor warts on an otherwise sterling profile. He's finished 16th, 4th and 16th in strikeouts over the last three seasons. His worst batting average against over that span is .217. Giolito had a 3.53 ERA last year, but it would have been 3.17 if the Red Sox hadn't shelled him for seven runs in one inning in a disastrous Patriots' Day start. At 27, Giolito is entering the prime of his career, and he should benefit from playing on a good team in a soft division.
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46.
Liam Hendriks
RP
He's been lights-out for three years now. Hendricks led the AL with 38 saves last year, finishing one save behind MLB leader Mark Melancon. And, man, did Hendricks earn those saves. In 71 innings, he had 113 strikeouts and gave up only seven walks. For a second straight year, he gave up fewer than six hits per nine innings. His combined WHIP over the past two years is 0.72. Hendricks' flyball rate crept above 50% last year, leading to 11 gopher balls, but that's a small blemish on an otherwise flawless profile. Invest confidently in one of the game's best closers.
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53.
Eloy Jimenez
LF
Give the ascending slugger a mulligan for an ill-fated 2021 season. Jimenez ruptured a pectoral tendon in a spring training game and didn't come back until July 26. His surface stats in his 55 games were decent - 10 HRs, 37 RBI a .249 average - but Jimenez didn't live up to the promise he showed in the shortened 2020 season, when he had 14 HRs, 41 RBI and a .296 average. Expect a rebound and substantial power numbers. Speed isn't part of the package - he's played 232 career games and still hasn't stolen a base - but that's the only weakness here. It's only a matter of time before Jimenez gives us a 40 HR season.
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57.
Jose Abreu
1B
The White Sox slugger continues to be one of the most reliable investments in fantasy baseball. He hit 30 homers last year, with 117 RBI and 86 runs. In seven full MLB seasons, Abreu has produced 30 or more HRs five times and 100 or more RBI six times. His .261 batting average last season was the lowest of his career, but he batted .280 from July 1 on. His exit velocities and hard-hit percentage say that he still crushes baseballs with authority. If you get an age discount, pounce.
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85.
Dylan Cease
SP
Cease showed a lot of growth last season, drastically increasing his strikeout rate (top four percent in MLB) while seeing a corresponding drop in both his walk-rate and HR/9. But to take the next leap, he's going to have to increase his efficiency, as he barely averaged five innings per start. There's a pretty plausible path to Cease finishing as a top-15 starter, and it largely involves him continuing to hone his command, particularly with his inconsistent curveball. If he does, and he can avoid the blow-up outings, then Cease has the makings of a fantasy ace. If he can't, then he'll likely still be a productive, albeit inconsistent, starter for your team.
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127.
Lance Lynn
SP
After establishing himself as one of MLB's premier innings-eaters in 2019 and 2020, Lynn spent time on IL in 2021 with back and knee problems but was still highly effective, posting a career-best 2.69 ERA. There are a few minor concerns, however. The BABIPs against him the last two years have been .243 and .265. (For his career, it's .301.) Lynn's flyball rate has been on the rise the last two years, which could be a problem since the White Sox play in a bandbox. We might not see another sub-.300 ERA again, but we're likely to see more innings than bad, and Lynn is a good bet to give you a lot of innings. He led MLB in batters faced in 2019 and tied for the league lead in 2020.
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135.
Yoan Moncada
3B
We've got a "best shape of his life" alert with Moncada, who has been vocal about his offseason training habits. Talk of 30 stolen bases have leaked out and considering the weakness of the third base position, Moncada's ADP has slowly begun to rise. But he's never stolen more than 12 bases in a season and is in the 67th percentile for sprint speed. Stolen bases are the least of Moncada's problems anyway, as he's hit just 20 homers and batted .253 combined over the last two seasons (196 games). His walk rate is still elite and there should be a ton of run and RBI opportunities again in the Chicago lineup. But until we actually see Moncada get back to the 2019 version of himself, don't bother reaching for him.
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151.
Yasmani Grandal
C,1B
Grandal played in only 93 games last year because of a knee injury but still hit 23 home runs with 122 combined runs and RBI. His walk rate (23.2%) was comically high, but it obviously didn't impact any of his other numbers, and his strikeout rate was the lowest it has been in years. Don't extrapolate his home run numbers - he's not going to his 40 - but mid-20s with solid runs and RBI totals are in the bank. That's gold for a catcher.
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155.
Michael Kopech
SP,RP
There is no doubting Kopech's talent - he has an outstanding fastball and slider with a decent changeup - but it's more his role. He's had a tortured path to success, including undergoing Tommy John surgery and opting out of the 2020 season. But he was excellent last year, mostly in relief, and showed that he has the stuff to succeed in the majors. His role in 2022 is a bit undefined as of now, as the White Sox appear to want him in the rotation but state that he is behind the other starters. Given that he's thrown just 69.1 innings over the last two years, you'd be wise to pencil him in for about 130 innings and 20-25 starts. So long as you draft depth behind him, he should be a major asset this year.
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191.
AJ Pollock
LF,CF,RF
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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245.
Andrew Vaughn
1B,LF,RF
Vaughn's rookie season was a little unfair, as he was thrust into the outfield despite little experience there when Eloy Jimenez suffered a serious injury in the spring. His 15 home runs in 127 games as a rookie showed his potential, but his 21.5% strikeout rate was a bit higher than projected. He'll likely see at-bats from several positions this year, as he plays outfield, first base, and DH, and it's likely that an advanced college bat such as his will take a step forward this year. Expect a good 20% increase on all his numbers across the board, which should make him startable, but not quite a fantasy superstar.
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366.
Josh Harrison
2B,3B,SS,LF
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402.
Gavin Sheets
1B,RF
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405.
Aaron Bummer
RP
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446.
Kendall Graveman
RP
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502.
Garrett Crochet
RP
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509.
Reynaldo Lopez
SP,RP
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531.
Joe Kelly
RP
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614.
Leury Garcia
2B,3B,SS,LF,CF,RF
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655.
Jose Ruiz
RP
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695.
Dallas Keuchel
SP
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748.
Jimmy Lambert
SP
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753.
Adam Engel
CF,RF
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769.
Ryan Burr
RP
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771.
Johnny Cueto
SP
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776.
Reese McGuire
C
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804.
Adam Haseley
CF
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811.
Yermin Mercedes
Util
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855.
Jake Burger
3B
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926.
Rafael Dolis
RP
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997.
Vince Velasquez
SP
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1022.
Matt Foster
RP
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1052.
Seby Zavala
C
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1105.
Bennett Sousa
RP
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1279.
Brody Koerner
RP
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1353.
Jonathan Stiever
RP
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1369.
Danny Mendick
2B,SS,RF
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1375.
Tyler Johnson
RP
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1419.
Romy Gonzalez
Util
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1466.
Micker Adolfo
RF
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1482.
Yoan Aybar
RP
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1501.
Wes Benjamin
RP
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1536.
Scott Blewett
RP
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1538.
Blake Rutherford
CF
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1540.
Kyle Crick
RP
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1557.
Anderson Severino
RP
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1615.
Nick Ciuffo
C
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1654.
Mark Payton
Util
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