Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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4.
Mike Trout
CF
Trout may not be the clear-cut number one player in fantasy this year, but that's of no fault of his own, as he's coming off one of his best seasons ever, with a career-high 45 home runs in just 134 games. If you were desperate to find a knock on Trout, it's that he hasn't topped 140 games in any of his last three seasons, and his 11 stolen bases last year tied his low in a single season. But that's all window dressing on a truly special player who is obviously a top-three pick at worst.
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23.
Anthony Rendon
3B
Rendon finally put it all together last year, setting career-highs in batting average (.319), home runs (34), runs scored (117), and RBI (126). He'll now move to Anaheim where he'll see a downgrade in park, but an upgrade in lineup by the sheer presence of Mike Trout. In the end, Rendon's move is a neutral one, and to the extent you trust him to stay healthy again, he's a rock-solid second round pick.
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128.
Shohei Ohtani
SP,DH
Ohtani didn't pitch at all in 2019 and likely won't do so until mid-May in 2020. But his bat looked just fine last year, proving that his 2018 skills he showed as a hitter were not a fluke. He'll likely settle back into a part-time DH role with the Angels, and if you can choose to deploy him as both a pitcher and a hitter in any given week, Ohtani should provide immense value as a fantasy player. Even if not, he should contribute on either end of the spectrum, so draft him with a high degree of confidence.
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164.
Andrew Heaney
SP
Heaney's 14.2% swinging strike rate was elite last year. But, as usual, he just couldn't put it all together. There's a monster somewhere inside Heaney - a 3.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 200 strikeout season lurks within. But it's still a mystery as to whether fantasy owners will ever see it. Draft him for his potential and hope to see it this year, but don't bank on the production.
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169.
Justin Upton
LF
It seems strange to call a veteran like Upton a sleeper, but that's exactly what his ADP shows he is. Throw out last year where he battled a toe injury early and was limited to just 63 mediocre games. Prior to last year, he had hit at least 30 home runs and stolen eight bases in three straight seasons. With Anthony Rendon in tow, there should be even more RBI opportunities for Upton. Still just 32 years old, there's plenty left in the tank.
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173.
Hansel Robles
RP
The regression never came for Robles last year, as he somehow managed to avoid walks despite struggling with them his entire career. He'll enter the year as the Angels' closer but it's a big gamble to think lightning will strike twice with such a mercurial pitcher. The safer bet is that Robles' walk and home run rates will return to his career levels, making him a closer unlikely to hold his job all year.
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226.
Dylan Bundy
SP
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253.
Griffin Canning
SP
Canning has UCL damage, and although Tommy John surgery isn't currently on the table, it certainly seems like a possibility. Despite his upside, with the developments, Canning shouldn't be drafted in fantasy leagues until one of the very last picks, if at all.
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277.
Tommy La Stella
2B,3B
After hitting 1 homer in 123 games during the 2018 season, La Stella completely changed his game and caught fire in 2019. He swatted 16 of them in just 292 at-bats and prior to injury, he was batting .295 as well. There is a chance he continues that performance over a full season this year.
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279.
Andrelton Simmons
SS
Simmons will never hit 20 homers nor should we expect him to return to the 19 steals we saw in 2017, but this is a reliable source of decent numbers at all five primary hitting categories. You can grab him in the very last round of your draft if you need a middle infielder.
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291.
Jo Adell
LF,CF,RF
Adell might just have the brightest future of any prospect in baseball, but he is nowhere near as polished as someone like Luis Robert. Rather, the power may take some time to develop and he'll never be a source of steals. You can stash him, but he isn't expected to be a star right away.
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342.
Julio Teheran
SP
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390.
David Fletcher
2B,3B,SS,LF
It is clear that Fletcher won't provide much in the way of homers or RBIs but this a guy who should boost your BA and provide 75+ runs in the final few rounds while playing multiple positions.
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404.
Ty Buttrey
RP
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418.
Albert Pujols
1B,DH
Pujols is nowhere near where he once was and has some durability concerns but this is still a 20+ homer hitter for the end of your bench with a BA that won't entirely kill you.
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439.
Shohei Ohtani
DH
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447.
Jason Castro
C
Castro knocked 13 homers in just 237 at-bats last year and may end up with more playing time this year, but if he does, fantasy owners can expect a lackluster batting average.
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520.
Patrick Sandoval
SP
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545.
Brian Goodwin
LF,CF,RF
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557.
Cam Bedrosian
SP,RP
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570.
Noe Ramirez
SP,RP
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578.
Keynan Middleton
RP
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644.
Matt Andriese
RP
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737.
Felix Pena
SP,RP
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746.
Ryan Buchter
RP
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798.
Jose Suarez
SP
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821.
Luis Rengifo
2B,SS
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843.
Matt Thaiss
1B,3B
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866.
Jaime Barria
SP,RP
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891.
Justin Anderson
RP
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918.
Taylor Ward
3B,LF
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922.
Max Stassi
C
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956.
Taylor Cole
SP,RP
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997.
Mike Mayers
RP
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1013.
Jose Soriano
SP
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1066.
Parker Markel
RP
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1072.
Dillon Peters
SP,RP
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1088.
Kyle Keller
RP
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1098.
Jose Quijada
RP
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1119.
Michael Hermosillo
LF,CF
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1130.
Luke Bard
SP,RP
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1139.
Jacob Rhame
RP
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1206.
Hoby Milner
RP
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1232.
Anthony Bemboom
C
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1293.
Jared Walsh
1B
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1413.
Jacob Barnes
RP
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1433.
JC Ramirez
SP,RP
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1487.
Elliot Soto
SS
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1543.
Jahmai Jones
2B,CF
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1568.
Brandon Marsh
CF,RF
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1612.
Jose Rodriguez
P
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