Fantasy Risers: NL Central

Over the next few weeks, the Rotoworld staff will take a look at some players whose value is on the rise headed into the 2015 season. We'll break them down by division. National League East was first. Now to the NL Central ...

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Devin Mesoraco, C, Reds

It was a highly disappointing 2014 for the Reds, who were considered by many to be preseason contenders for the National League Central division crown but wound up just three games ahead of the last-place Cubs with a record of 76-86 -- the team’s worst finish in seven years. Cincinnati did, however, get one thing right this season: handing over the reins at catcher to Mesoraco.

The former first-round pick (15th overall in 2007) showed only glimpses of promise in his first three years at the major league level, batting .225/.282/.359 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI in 175 games as an understudy to Ryan Hanigan. But, finally trusted with the full-time gig in 2014 and after battling through a few early injuries, Mesoraco took off. He smashed 25 home runs and tallied 80 RBI in 114 games, posting the highest OPS (.893) of any catcher in the major leagues and earning his first All-Star nod. Great American Ball Park is one of the most power-friendly stadiums in MLB and Mesoraco is just reaching his physical prime at age 26, so there should be no let-up heading into 2015. He’s a premier power bat playing in a premier power park, at a position where it’s often difficult to find consistent fantasy production.

Kolten Wong, 2B, Cardinals

Players who possess both power and speed make for the most attractive fantasy options because they can cover the entire range of categories in standard-scoring leagues. Wong looks like one of those types, and it might not take an overpay to secure him in 2015 because his overall regular-season batting line from 2014 -- .249/.292/.388 -- is far from an attention-grabber.

Wong fell into a deep slump in the third week of the 2014 regular season and was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on April 27 to work his way out of it. He returned with a bang in mid-May, going 4-for-8 with two stolen bases and three runs scored in his first two games, but the production again tailed off and then he suffered a shoulder injury in early June that would linger into late August. It was a frustrating summer, but mark the 24-year-old Hawaiian down as a potential breakout candidate for 2015 fantasy leagues. Wong slugged three October homers for the Cardinals in their run to the NLCS and he is 49-for-54 in stolen bases attempts over the past two seasons between Memphis and the majors. The tools are all there. Good health and consistency will now hopefully follow.

Jorge Soler, OF, Cubs

The Cubs’ rising wave of position player talent should be piquing the interest of anyone who participates in fantasy baseball because anyone who participates in fantasy baseball knows that upside is king. It’s simple: If you can identify a star before he becomes a star you typically won’t have to pay a star price for him on draft day. And the group of young prospects that have already arrived or are on their way to the north side of Chicago have this aforementioned upside in spades.

Soler might be the best of them all. The 22-year-old Cuban defector has skyrocketed through the Cubs’ system since signing a nine-year, $30 million contract with the team in June 2012, posting a .910 OPS in Low-A, a 1.335 OPS at Double-A, and a .996 OPS at Triple-A. He arrived in the majors in late-August 2014 and didn’t skip a beat, finishing with a .903 OPS, eight doubles, five home runs, and 20 RBI in his first 24 big-league games. Soler is locked in as the Cubs’ starting right fielder for 2015 and he has the goods to make a huge splash in what will technically be his rookie campaign.

Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs

The previous breakdown reads Soler “might be the best of them all” because saying it with any certainty would be foolish. We’re not scouts here at Rotoworld, and the Cubs prospect who is most beloved by folks who rank these guys for a living is Bryant. There’s also the bust factor. Look at an old Top 100 list sometime from Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus. Projecting baseball talent isn’t easy.

Bryant was the second overall pick in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of San Diego and already looks ready to become a star at the sport’s highest level. He had a sensational 2014 season in the minor leagues, batting .325/.438/.661 with 43 home runs and 110 RBI in 138 games between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. We’ll guess that the Cubs keep Bryant in the minors out of spring training in 2015 to delay starting his arbitration clock, but he’ll be up at some point in the early part of the summer and should shine right out of the gate.

Mike Fiers, SP, Brewers

Fiers first showed flashes of potential in 2012, posting a 3.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 135/36 K/BB ratio across 127 2/3 innings for the Brewers. But the right-hander followed that up in 2013 with a miserable 7.25 ERA in 22 1/3 frames and most had him written off as a potential long-term contributor in Milwaukee. The script has again been flipped.

Fiers opened the 2014 season in a tremendous groove at Triple-A Nashville and finally got another chance at the major league level in early June, first joining the Brewers as a reliever before eventually pitching his way into a rotation spot. He wound up with a 2.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 76/17 K/BB ratio in 71 2/3 total innings (10 starts, four relief appearances) and now he is certain to open the 2015 campaign as one of the Brewers’ five starting pitchers. Some regression is undoubtedly coming, but the 29-year-old seems like a good bet for a decent ERA and better-than-decent strikeout rate.

Billy Hamilton, OF, Reds

The expectations surrounding Hamilton last spring were daunting. He was supposed to lead the major leagues in stolen bases and run away with the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year Award. But it was Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon who recorded the most base thefts (64) and Mets starter Jacob deGrom was named Rookie of the Year. Hamilton finished second in both races.

Perhaps that will cool off some of the fantasy hype, which was unreasonable to begin with. Hamilton is a rare baseball athlete, but he batted just .256/.308/.343 in 2013 at Triple-A so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he failed to crack a .300 on-base percentage (he finished at .292) in his first full major league season. The good news for owners who paid a hefty price for Hamilton in dynasty leagues is that Reds manager Bryan Price appears committed to keeping the speedster in the leadoff spot. He should take some strides in his sophomore season.

Jake Arrieta, SP, Cubs

Arrieta was drafted in only a small fraction of fantasy leagues last year because he dealt with shoulder issues all spring and had an underwhelming 4.78 ERA in 75 1/3 innings between the Orioles and Cubs in 2013. On top of that, he had a 6.22 ERA in 114 2/3 innings for Baltimore in 2012. The guy simply hadn’t put himself on the radar. But he’ll be heavily sought after now.

Arrieta made his 2014 regular-season debut for the Cubs on May 3, striking out seven batters over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory against the rival Cardinals. That kicked off a summer-long run of dominance that included a couple of near no-hitters and only a few undesirable outings. Arrieta finished with a brilliant 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 167/41 K/BB ratio in 156 2/3 innings, recording a 10-5 record on a 73-89 last-place Cubs team. He’ll carry an even better potential for wins in 2015 on what should be a much-improved Northsiders squad.

Honorable Mentions

Gregory Polanco, OF, Pirates

Polanco opened his rookie season on a tear, hitting .365 with an .863 OPS over his first 57 plate appearances, but that level of production quickly proved unsustainable for the well-built young outfielder and he finished 2014 with a rough .235/.307/.343 overall slash line. Look for him to settle in as a sophomore. He is a good power and speed guy with the kind of minor league numbers that suggest he’s eventually going to become a star.

Shelby Miller, SP, Cardinals

Miller was probably better-suited for last year’s version of this list, coming off a 2013 rookie season in which he registered a 3.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 169 strikeouts across 173 1/3 innings. His overall numbers from 2014 weren’t as good, but the young right-hander had an excellent second half spurred by the development of a sinking fastball (which was taught to him by trade acquisition Justin Masterson). Miller should feature that pitch even more in 2015 and he might come pretty cheap on draft day because of the perceived step back.

Javier Baez, 2B/SS, Cubs

Baez is another one of those highly-touted Cubs prospects, though some of his shine has faded because of how poorly he played in 2014 -- his first taste of the major leagues. The 21-year-old joined the Cubs in early August and homered in his debut, but he wound up with a brutal .169/.227/.324 slash line and he struck out 95 times in 52 games. Baez has rare bat speed and he plays on the middle infield, where good fantasy production is hard to come by. It’ll be worth taking a bet that he can improve his plate discipline in 2015.

Josh Harrison, 3B, Pirates

Harrison was one of the breakout stars of the 2014 season, batting .315/.347/.490 with 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 143 games. He earned his first nod to the Midsummer Classic and took over the Pirates’ starting third base job, helped in part by a miserable year offensively and defensively from Pedro Alvarez. Harrison will open 2015 at the hot corner in Pittsburgh and he’ll try to prove that 2014 was no fluke.

Wily Peralta, SP, Brewers

Peralta has the arsenal to become a front-line starter -- a fastball that averaged 95.8 mph in 2014, a wicked slider, as well as a changeup -- and he seemed to take a big step in the right direction this past season. Peralta registered a 3.53 ERA and struck out 154 batters in 198 2/3 innings, turning in a 17-11 record for the late-fading Brewers. He’s only 25 years old and doesn’t turn 26 until next May. Bet on the youth. Bet on the stuff.