Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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20.
Manny Machado
3B
It's a shame you don't get points for defense in fantasy baseball, as that would bolster Machado's falling stock. The former perennial top-10 selection is now going in the late second or early third round. Machado will turn 30 this year, and some positive regression seems to be in order. He's still a five-category contributor, and in a loaded Padres lineup, 80/25/80 with 10 SBs should be on the table. But expecting Machado to return to the 35 HR level would be downright delusional.
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65.
Joe Musgrove
SP
If you're the type of manager who loads up on bats early, knowing that there are always pitchers who'll turn in solid numbers available later on - guys who'll give you 25-30 starts and won't have more than a few clunkers - Musgrove is your guy. In San Diego's pitcher's park with a good defense behind him, Musgrove should produce solid strikeout totals, with a mid-3.00s ERA and a low 1.10s WHIP. Draft him. Play him. Sure, you'll forget he's on your team half the time, but enjoy the pretty stats.
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86.
Yu Darvish
SP
Missed out on some of the big strikeout pitchers early? Nobody on your roster is projected to pass the 250 K mark? Heading into the eighth round and worried? Darvish is your answer. He's going to get swings and misses. He still has an outstanding, varied pitch repertoire. Sure, his ERA won't win you any leagues, but it won't hurt you much, and he'll pair it with a low WHIP. Darvish's issue has always been his propensity to give up the long ball. Playing half his games in San Diego's generous dimensions should limit the damage.
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100.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
RF,SS
A fractured wrist has changed the draft calculus on Tatis Jr., who might be out for as long as three months. It's always taken an iron stomach to draft him and deal with the injury risk. When healthy, he's a multi-category box score stuffer. His counting numbers are so orbital, he's basically a seven-category player ... when he's on the field. Now, you simply can't consider taking him within the first seven rounds.
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115.
Jake Cronenworth
1B,2B,SS
Cronenworth quietly had a very solid season for the Padres, totaling 21 home runs and exactly an .800 OPS. He's not an exciting player - he doesn't have a ton of power or speed and his batting average won't wow you. But he'll bat second for the Padres this year and so you can expect him to challenge the 94 runs scored he totaled last season. He also struck out just 14% of the time last year, which ranked in the top 10% in MLB, so he's unlikely to endure prolonged slumps, and consistent production goes further in today's fantasy landscape than it used to. Add to that his multi-position eligibility and Cronenworth makes an ideal part of any fantasy team, particularly one with daily lineup changes.
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120.
Sean Manaea
SP
Manaea was traded to the Padres on the eve of the season, and it's a bit of a mixed bag for his value. His win potential certainly improves given the quality of the offense behind him now, but he'll see a downgrade in home park. Putting aside, the trade, Manaea was really inconsistent last year, and had just one month where his ERA was within two runs of the previous month. There were some overall gains, including a fastball that randomly found almost two miles of velocity. But in the end, Manaea just sort of is what he is. He doesn't have the secondary stuff to be a big strikeout pitcher, and his best-case scenario, absent a massively lucky season, is a mid-3.00 ERA with a WHIP that doesn't hurt you. Draft him for the back end of your rotation but do not expect a great leap.
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121.
Blake Snell
SP
Snell is an every-other-year pitcher. Over his six year career, his ERA has been good in even years (averaging 2.89) and pedestrian in odd years (4.17). Is that scientific? No, of course not, but you're playing a game based on other people playing a game. Let's have some leeway here. Well, friends, it's an even year. So go ahead and make Snell your SP3.
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128.
Trent Grisham
CF
Grisham was . . . fine last year. His 15 homers and 13 steals contributed, particularly given that he missed time with injury. But there just wasn't much to get excited about. There's probably more to be had in the stolen base department, as Grisham ranks in the 91st percentile in sprint speed. And he should bat atop the lineup this year with Fernando Tatis set to miss time. But your best-case scenario is a 20-15 line with a batting average that hurts. That's a startable player in fantasy, but not one you should reach for in drafts.
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167.
Mike Clevinger
SP
Clevinger is on track to be ready for Opening Day after missing all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. That was Clevinger's second such surgery so there's certainly reason for long-term concern, but for just this year, he's someone to buy. He was a top flight fantasy starter for the last several years before his injury, and has a wipeout slider to go along with his fastball. His control has never been elite and there will probably be a fairly hard innings cap on him coming off of surgery, but on an inning-by-inning basis, he should provide elite production if healthy.
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170.
Taylor Rogers
RP
Rogers should regain the closer's role this year and likely have it all to himself for Minnesota. Other than being a lefty, he's got a pretty typical closer makeup. His strikeout rate sits above 30% most years, his walk rate remains below 5%, and his sinker sits at about 95 MPH. After signing Carlos Correa, the Twins may be more competitive than you think, so don't discount Rogers as a second tier closer who could top 25 or even 30 saves if everything breaks right.
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176.
Luke Voit
1B
Voit played in just 68 games last year after battling through various injuries, and his overall game suffered. He hit just 11 home runs and batted .239, while seeing his strikeout rate jump to a career-worst 30.7%. He still made solid contact overall, upping his hard-hit rate to 52.2% and his barrel rate to 15.8%, but none of that was enough to overcome the increase in whiffs. He'll get a fresh start in San Diego, where he'll likely be the everyday DH unless the team trades Eric Hosmer. Once Fernando Tatis Jr. returns, there should be RBI opportunities aplenty, but even until then, Voit should provide plenty of power. If he can cut his strikeout rate back down to his career levels and see a corresponding increase in batting average, he should be a fantasy asset.
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238.
Wil Myers
RF
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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290.
Eric Hosmer
1B
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338.
Dinelson Lamet
SP,RP
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349.
Robert Suarez
RP
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355.
C.J. Abrams
SS
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390.
Pierce Johnson
RP
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392.
Ha-Seong Kim
2B,3B,SS
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404.
Austin Nola
C
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410.
MacKenzie Gore
SP
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414.
Jorge Alfaro
C,LF
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454.
Robinson Cano
2B
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489.
Jurickson Profar
1B,CF,LF,RF
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493.
Craig Stammen
RP
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521.
Nick Martinez
SP,RP
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569.
Drew Pomeranz
RP
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599.
Tim Hill
RP
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635.
Matt Beaty
1B,LF,RF
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639.
Brent Rooker
LF
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730.
Ryan Weathers
SP,RP
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759.
Austin Adams
RP
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765.
Adrian Morejon
SP
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886.
Nabil Crismatt
RP
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895.
Reiss Knehr
SP
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912.
Thomas Eshelman
SP
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923.
Yusmeiro Petit
RP
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933.
Luis Campusano
C
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1081.
Jose Castillo
RP
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1087.
Nomar Mazara
RF
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1095.
Steven Wilson
RP
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1140.
Michel Baez
RP
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1154.
Webster Rivas
C
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1245.
Shogo Akiyama
CF
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1338.
Sergio Alcantara
2B,3B,SS
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1387.
Kyle Tyler
RP
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1408.
Ray Kerr
RP
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1438.
Ian Krol
RP
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1518.
Jorge Ona
RF
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1527.
Eguy Rosario
SS
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1581.
Domingo Leyba
2B
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1638.
Luis Liberato
CF
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1645.
Brett Sullivan
LF
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