Players to Keep an Eye on This Baseball Season

Making the right free agent acquisitions in a fantasy baseball league can make the difference between winning a fantasy championship and missing the playoffs. This season, like any other, you will need to keep an eye on the free agents and create a “watch list” that will fill your teams holes.

Players to Watch

Ben Revere (CF, OF)- Minnesota Twins
Available in 95.4% of ESPN standard leagues.
Ben Revere may be one of the three Minnesota Twins players I would take on my team; other two being Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham. Ben Revere is not in the starting lineup as of opening day but he is still going to get at-bats and playing time. Revere is a straight steals guy and could be used quite a bit late in games. I like Revere a lot, he is the first guy in line to take a starting spot if an injury occurs; also, if Denard Span does not perform Revere could take the starting centerfield spot from him. I project Ben Revere to hit .283 with 42 steals and around 71 runs scored.

Jason Bourgeois (LF, CF, RF, OF, 2B)-Kansas City Royals
Available in 95.6% of ESPN standard leagues.
Bourgeois was traded to the Kansas City Royals mid-way through spring training. As of right now he is the fourth outfielder on the roster. However, Manager Ned Yost said that both Lorenzo Cain and Jeff Francouer must perform in order to keep their spots. He later went on to say that Jason Bourgeois reminds him a lot of Bill Hall, who was a great guy to have because he was a fantastic pinch hitter and could do many things. With that being said, I expect Ned Yost to utilize Bourgeois at 2B (never started a game there before) because the Royals have not had anyone step up to the plate from that position. Bourgeois is another steals guy who could provide a better average than Revere. Last season, he stole 31 bags in only 283 at-bats. If you translate that to 400 at-bats, he will be a steal in your fantasy league… no pun intended.

Mat Gamel  (1B, 3B)-Milwaukee Brewers
Available in 21.1% of ESPN standard leagues.Mat Gamel will be the Brew Crew’s starting first baseman on opening day due to Prince Fielder’s departure. Most likely Gamel will not be providing a .320 average 40 home run season like Prince Fielder has done in the past, Gamel has some upside. Gamel is a power-hitter and will be batting behind Ryan Braun who had a .332 batting average and a .397 on-base percentage last season. I still expect the Brewers to score a lot of runs this year and Gamel will help provide some power in that lineup. He should hit 20+ long balls and roam somewhere around 90 RBI.

Jose Altuve (2B)-Houston Astros
Available in 71.3% of ESPN standard leagues.
There aren’t many bright spots for the Houston Astros… if any. But Jose Altuve is still available in many standard 12 team leagues. He does not provide much pop and won’t score many runs via hitting in a depleted lineup but there is much upside to Altuve. He is only 21 years old and is on the rise, a .301 batting average and 22+ steal season is very much attainable. The only major downfall to Altuve is that he is only eligible at 2B, but, second base may be the thinnest position fantasy-wise so he could be a great pick-up.

Felix Doubront (SP)-Boston Red Sox
Available in 98.1% of ESPN standard leagues.
Felix Doubront is not a household name by any means, but he has been deemed the number four starter in the Red Sox rotation. Doubront is a lefty that has the ability to pitch late into games. Pitching in Boston should get Doubront a good amount of wins given the fact that the offense provides. If you are in a league that categorizes quality starts Doubront has potential to be one of the upper-tier guys. He will not knock your sox off with the his strikeout numbers, but he should get somewhere around 12-14 wins and a reasonable ERA.

Must-Have Guy

Dexter Fowler (CF, OF)-Colorado Rockies
Available in 73.1% of ESPN standard leagues.
The Rockies starting centerfielder is a guy that I have been big on throughout his whole career. Once again, he is another steals guy so if you need steals I would go after Fowler before any other free agent. There is a lot to like about Fowler, he is batting second (in front of Carlos Gonzalez & Troy Tulowitzki) and this is his ultimate chance to have a breakout season. Last year, Fowler was sent down to Colorado Springs (AAA) in order to work on his mechanics. In the off-season Fowler fine-tuned his swing and added 7 lbs. of muscle; in a spring training interview, a reporter asked him how he felt. Fowler said he feels great and that the ball flies off his bat now. Fowler could be a 19 home run, 52 steal, 90+ runs scored player. If he is a free agent in your league, I advise you to pick him up.

 

Notable Mentions
SS-Sean Rodriguez-Tampa Bay Rays
Key Attribute: Versatility, a starter that is eligible at SS, 2B and 3B.

SP-Corey Luebke- San Diego Padres
Key Attribute: Quality pitcher that is in a friendly ballpark; should post a low WHIP.

1B-Byan LaHair-Chicago Cubs
Key Attribute: Power, could hit all the home runs that Anthony Rizzo was expected to hit.

Bold Predictions For All 30 Ball Clubs

At the beginning of the of the 2011 season, if you would have said that Curtis Granderson was going to hit 40+ home runs and Ian Kennedy would reach 20+ wins people would have called you crazy. But those uncanny things happen each year; those players finished with 41 home runs and 21 wins respectively.

This year is going to be a big year for the MLB, more teams are starting to assemble superstar squads while other teams are calling up prospects getting ready for the future.  There will be something that happens to each team that no one has thought of, these will be my bold predictions of the 2012 season.

AL West

Seattle Mariners– Ichiro clubs out a career-high 17 home runs. He has always had pop in his bat but never used it because he was a leadoff hitter. Now he is batting third and knocking some runs in. Also, Jesus Montero will start less than 20 games at the catcher position.

Los Angeles Angels– Mark Trumbo struggles to get implemented/ keep his spot in the lineup (1B, 3B, DH, OF). He won’t even hit 19 home runs and he won’t be able to keep his average above .240. On a positive note, Kendrys Morales will stay healthy for the most part and knock out 26 home runs while C.J. Wilson gets a team-high 24 wins.

Texas Rangers– Mike Napoli ends up getting moved, again, at the trade deadline. Neftali Feliz has an impressive 13-8 record as a starter. Joe Nathan gets hurt (not bold) and Alexei Ogando becomes the closer getting 33+ saves.

Oakland Athletics– Yoenis Cespedes scorches 37 doubles and leads the team with 22 home runs and 89 RBI. Pitcher, Brandon McCarthy, makes the All-Star team and finished the season with 14 wins and a 2.96 ERA with a sub-1 WHIP. Manny Ramirez also takes the DH spot from Jonny Gomes after serving his 50-game suspension and he hits 13 dingers.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers– Alex Avila struggles on offense while the rest of the Tigers do not. Austin Jackson finally proves that the Tigers made the right choice in trading Curtis Granderson for him and company. Jackson steals 34 bases and hits a career-high .294.

Cleveland Indians– Josh Tomlin leads this team in wins with only 12.  Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore miss over a combined 210 games. Ubaldo Jimenez still can’t find his groove in Cleveland.

Minnesota Twins– Bottom-dwellers of the AL Central and the league for that matter, which ends up being the worst division in the MLB.  Mauer does play, and hits .318, but it doesn’t help the team. Ben Revere ends up taking Denard Span’s CF spot and steals 51 bases.

Kansas City Royals– Royals finish second in division with 88 wins. Eric Hosmer wins the AL MVP despite not making the playoffs. He bats: .330, 29 long-balls and 117 RBI. Mike Moustakas hits 26 home runs and Tim Collins makes the All-Star team as a setup man.

Chicago White Sox– Jake Peavy finally makes a comeback, dealing out a team-leading 14 wins. Matt Thornton finishes the season as the closer but not a good one and Konerko is the only player on the team to bat over .300.

AL East

Boston Red Sox (World Series Champs)– Mark Melancon was brought in to be a setup man but he ends up leading the club in saves (28).  Salty hits 23 home runs but Ryan Lavarnway will takeover as catcher by the end of July. Defensive prodigy Jose Iglesias gets called up and sent back down because he doesn’t know how to use a bad and Crawford is still irrelevant by the end of the season.

New York Yankees– Ivan Nova becomes the most consistent pitcher. Curtis “The Grandy Man” Granderson hits only 23 home runs while Jeter and A-rod combine for 26. Cano finishes third in MVP voting behind Hosmer and A. Gonzalez.

Toronto Blue Jays– Ricky Romero wins AL Cy Young Award, getting 227 K’s and 18 wins with 26 quality starts. Yunel Escobar hits .310 with 84 RBI and 22 steals. Kyle Drabek doesn’t make his way into the rotation either.

Tampa Bay Rays– Ben Zobrist hits 24 home runs while snatching 26 bases and he will start  games at 2B, 1B, LF, RF and DH. Desmond Jennings hits a shocking 26 HR and B.J. Upton gets traded to Houston.

Baltimore Orioles– Mark Reynolds moves to 1B, Brian Roberts comes back and Robert Andino plays most of the year at 3B. Jake Arietta wins only 9 games but has a 3.20 ERA. Adam Jones gets traded so Baltimore can stockpile on prospects… I don’t know why they want to though.

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks (Lose in World Series)– Trevor Cahill shows he misses pitching at the Coliseum and gets rocked. Ian Kennedy doesn not have the same type of season as last year. Tyler Skaggs gets promoted early and leads the team in strikeouts and ERA. Justin Upton hits 34 HR and steals 28 bases.

San Francisco Giants– Freddy Sanchez hits only .263, no one on the team hits over 23 home runs and Lincecum has a 3.49 ERA. Brian Wilson is lights out this year but he will have no save opportunities, only gets 31 saves.

Colorado Rockies– Dexter Fowler becomes a superstar. Jamie Moyer gets 13 wins, Tulowitzki wins NL MVP and Jordan Pacheco hits 24 home runs from the hot corner. Helton and Giambi both announce they will retire at end of season, freeing up first base for 3B prospect Nolan Arenado who will move to 1B.

San Diego Padres– Carlos Quentin hits only 16 home runs. Cameron Maybin leads the team with 26 bombs and 38 steals. Edinson Volquez and Corey Luebke both tie with 15 wins but the Padres still struggle.

Los Angeles Dodgers– Dee Gordon hits well over .300 but Andre Ethier becomes the team’s MVP. Ethier his .328 and knocks in 108 runs while Kemp struggles to hit 25 home runs and doesn’t even reach 100 RBI. Kershaw wins Cy Young by a landslide.

NL Central

Houston Astros– Jordan Lyles leads the team in wins with 13 and Jordan Schafer robs 23 bases. Unfortunately, a bunch of prospects get called up too early and end up having terrible numbers.

Chicago Cubs– Anthony Rizzo is a disappointment, hitting less than five home runs. Marmol gets traded along with Matt Garza (separate deals), leaving Jeff Samardzija to have the best season as a Cubs pitcher in 2012.

Cincinnati Reds– Aroldis Chapman eventually becomes the closer and strikes out over 100 as a reliever. Votto has a bad year after signing a monster contract, 20 HR and bats only .289. Chris Heisey leads the team as a platoon OF with 27 HR.

Milwaukee Brewers– Mat Gamel provides some pop with Prince Fielder gone. Braun has another 30/30 season, K-Rod gets traded and George Kottaras becomes everyday starting catcher.

Pittsburgh Pirates– McCutchen becomes elite, hitting 31 home runs and getting 34 steals, he earns the highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Erik Bedard doesn’t even start 21 games and James McDonald gets 197 K’s.

St. Louis Cardinals– Jon Jay has a breakout season and Wainwright gets 18 wins. David Freese loses his spot in the lineup and Matt Holliday only hits 18 homers. Jason Motte blows a bunch of saves and Fernando Salas takes over.

NL East

New York Mets– Jason Bay is back and hits 22 home runs.  David Wright knocks 19 out of the park before getting traded to the Chi-Sox in exchange for Gavin Floyd and Alexei Ramirez.

Atlanta Braves– Michael Bourn hits an abysmal .268 but still steals 59 bases and scores 99 runs. Jason Heyward stays healthy all season and knocks out 38 home runs and wins the Home Run Derby.

Miami Marlins– Hanley Ramirez is runner-up for the NL MVP Award, hitting 33 home runs and knocking in 114. Ricky Nolasco rings up 132 batters and gets 16 wins. Miami Marlins win the division. Oh yeah, Giancarlo (formerly Mike) Stanton leads the MLB with home runs, dropping 48.

Philadelphia Phillies– As Chase Utley comes back, Jimmy Rollins gets hurt, leaving Freddy Galvis in the lineup and moving him back to his natural shortstop position. Hunter Pence is the unsung hero and hits a quiet 30 home runs.

Washington Nationals– Bryce Harper is called up right after the All-Star break but is not successful in his first half-season. Ian Desmond gets traded and Strasburg gets shut down early for precautionary reasons. Washington finishes third in division.

Top 5 Fantasy Players at Each Position (Infield Only)

Catchers

Carlos Santana-Cleveland Indians
Analysis: One of the best power-hitting catchers in the game today; potential 30 HR. Can also place him at 1B on your team, a ton of RBIs and draws many walks.

Brian McCann-Atlanta Braves
Analysis: Career .286 hitter, fantastic hitter when runners are in scoring position. Doubles machine.

Alex Avila-Detroit Tigers
Analysis: Playing on what is to be said the best offense in the AL.  Last year hit .295 with 19 Hr. Avila is believed to be batting third, resulting in many runs scored being in front of Prince and Miggy.

Buster Posey- San Francisco Giants
Analysis: In only 45 games last season, Posey pumped out 4 HR and 21 RBI.  He also has potential for double-digit steals. If you are in a Field % league like I am, he is a great pick.

Matt Weiters- Baltimore Orioles
Analysis: Can hit any pitch anywhere he wants. Has potential for 25 HR and a .285+ average. You can wait on him a little bit; taking catchers early is risky.

First Base

Miguel Cabrera-Detroit Tigers
Analysis: Moving to third boosts his fantasy value even more. 30+ HR, 120+ RBI and a .295+ seems like an accurate projection. There is no pitching around him now that Prince is in town.

Albert Pujols-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Analysis: Probably the greatest hitter of my generation when its all said and done. They might name the waterfall after him at Angel Stadium.  40 homeruns, 115+ runs batted in seems right, should draw a lot of walks too.

Prince Fielder-Detroit Tigers
Analysis: He is in the middle of the batting order on a deadly lineup. There is no reason for him to not get 35+ homeruns and 120+ RBI.

Adrian Gonzalez-Boston Red Sox
Analysis: Can hit opposite field resulting in doubles, can hit for average (.338 last season). Also has potential for 35 homeruns at Fenway Park. Another superstar in a deadly lineup, just don’t expect steals from him.

Joey Votto-Cincinnati Reds
Analysis: Plays in a hitters ballpark, had very quiet but outstanding numbers last year. He hit .309 with 29 homeruns, 101 runs scored and 103 RBI. I expect him to mimic that; best first baseman in the National League.

Second Base

Robinson Cano-New York Yankees
Analysis: He is the only first baseman I see that could possibly go in the first 15 picks. Incredible balance between average and power, will get a lot of RBI in that Yankee lineup as well.

Dustin Pedroia-Boston Red Sox
Analysis: As the years go on, his steals numbers goes up. Snagged 26 last year, also rakes at Fenway Park. I’d take him as early as the middle of the third round because 2B is weak. Won’t be disappointed, will hit .300+, around 25 HR and steal over 20 bases.

Ian Kinsler-Texas Rangers
Analysis: Great 5 tool player. Awesome power numbers for a second baseman. Had a down year for average last season but look for that to improve this year. Could have a 30/20 season. Easily.

Howard Kendrick-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Analysis: Kendrick leads the Angeles in plate appearances year-in and year-out; he still manages to have a great batting average. Versatility is key for fantasy sports, he can play 1B, 2B and OF.

Brandon Phillips-Cincinatti Reds
Analysis: Great all-around player offensively. Closest you can get for a sure thing for draft position. Will help greatly in every category.

Third Base

Jose Bautista-Toronto Blue Jays
Analysis: Last season Joey Bats proved me wrong. I thought he would be a one-year wonder but then he went out and slugged 43 homeruns. His average draft position is 6, very good for average unlike many power hitters. Eligible at 3B and OF, he is going to hit 50 homeruns in the near future. Don’t pass on him.

Adrian Beltre-Texas Rangers
Analysis: Typical power hitter. Safe to say he’s going to hit over 30 long-balls, over 100 runs-batted-in barring injury. Beltre might be a little over-ranked because he has been injury prone in the past, but 3B is a very thin position.

Evan Longoria-Tampa Bay Rays
Analysis: Longoria had crazy numbers once he started playing last season. His past injuries scare me; had a couple minor foot surgeries in the offseason. If healthy, he could be the AL MVP by the end of the year.

Ryan Zimmerman-Washington Nationals
Analysis: Just signed to a new contract, one of the top all-around 3B in MLB. The Nationals are improving offensively, giving Zimmerman a chance to be comfortable and a lot of RBI opportunities.

David Wright-New York Mets
Analysis: Another third baseman that has been injury-riddled. Wright has been a fan-favorite for years and the fences being moved in can help him out a lot. Not a homerun guy, but should have a great average and possibly see him reach the mid-90’s for RBI.

Shortstop

Troy Tulowitzki-Colorado Rockies
Analysis: Best power-hitting shortstop in the league. He is a freak of nature and will post monster numbers. Nothing unusual.

Jose Reyes-Miami Marlins
Analysis: Injured a lot in New York, but I feel Ozzie Guillen will bring the best out of Jose Reyes. Don’t expect more than 12 homeruns, but I would expect 35+ steals and well over 90 runs scored.

Hanley Ramirez-Miami Marlins
Analysis: Hitting Coach Eduardo Perez said that Hanley Ramirez is in MVP form. Could be the best player fantasy-wise because he can play 3B and SS. I would be willing to draft him in the middle of the second round, don’t let this guy get away. Expect a lot of homeruns and triple-digit RBI numbers.

Starlin Castro-Chicago Cubs
Analysis: Last year, Castro’s heads were in the clouds and he still managed great numbers. I’m assuming the front office of the Cubs will have a talk with him and he will keep improving his numbers. Great for dynasty leagues: only 21 years old and numbers improved in each of his first two seasons. Career averages: .304 BA, 16 SB, 54 RBI, 173 hits.

Elvis Andrus-Texas Rangers
Analysis: Not even 23 years old and already has 1,880 plate appearances. He racked up 37 steals last year but I’m afraid people will reach on him via lack of talent in the SS department. If he goes early, you could wait on Dee Gordon and might end up with the same production.