Players Yahoo experts covet in Fantasy Baseball drafts
With spring training underway, it can mean only one thing: your fantasy baseball draft is just around the corner. With that in mind, the Yahoo fantasy baseball expert collective offer up the players they covet at the top of the draft:
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Q. What offensive player being drafted, on average (Yahoo ADP), inside the top 60 players, will you be reaching for the most?
Brandon Funston: XANDER BOGAERTS. I can’t help myself on this guy. As a 22-year-old in ’14, he finished as the No. 42 overall player in the Y! game. Last season, at 23, he jumped up to No. 29. I think a line of .300/20/100/100/10 is very realistic for ’17. I don’t plan to sit back and hope I get him in Round 3 (his Y! ADP is 26.7) . I’ll be the guy snatching him up a round before that.
Andy Behrens: I love KYLE SCHWARBER like my own husky child, and he’s retained catcher eligibility in 2017. It’s rare that a catcher can produce top-60 fantasy value, but it certainly helps when the guy primarily plays the outfield. And it really helps when the player is slated to bat leadoff and he has clear 30-homer potential. I’ll take Schwarber all day.
Scott Pianowski: I sure hope the 43.7 tag on J.D. MARTINEZ lasts for a few more weeks. A fluke injury kept his numbers down last year; there was nothing wrong with his efficiency otherwise. The Tigers might not have the best lineup 1-through-9, but the key spots are stocked nicely. You’re getting a round or round-and-a-half discount for no good reason; take it. Martinez offers both upside and floor entering his age-29 season.
Dalton Del Don: COREY SEAGER. He plays shortstop and just posted a .308/.365/.512 line as a 22-year-old rookie. Dodger Stadium is no doubt a pitcher’s park, but it has increased home runs for left-handed batters by 17 percent over the last three seasons (only three have been higher over that span), and Seager sure looks like a future MVP candidate. I want him in the second round in every league I’m in.
Q. What pitcher being drafted, on average (Yahoo ADP), inside the top 75 players, will you be reaching for the most?
Brandon Funston: AROLDIS CHAPMAN. I already proved I’d be reaching on Chapman a few weeks back when the Yahoo crew held a three-round mock exercise. I took Chapman in Round 3 of that draft, more than a full round ahead of where he’s going in Yahoo ADP (52.0). I’m not usually a closer-early advocate, but I see little downside in reaching a bit for Chapman. He offers a track record of 100-plus strikeouts (huge bonus in IP-capped leagues), an ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP under 1.00, with the likelihood of 30-40 saves. And, lets be honest, a 100.4 mph average fastball doesn’t slump.
Andy Behrens: JOHNNY CUETO is a personal favorite, both stylistically and for fantasy purposes. I’m happy to take a National League starter who’s a near-lock for a 1.05-ish WHIP over 200-plus innings.
Scott Pianowski: I’m not sure I have a great answer to this; I’ll be focusing on hitting early, and I see a lot of cheaper pitchers in the 90-130 ADP pocket that draw my attention. But if you force me to identify a Top 75 value, put me down for AROLDIS CHAPMAN (52.6). His ratios are silly, and his strikeouts pay the bills more than many recognize, especially in an innings-capped format. I realize in the less-skilled leagues, it’s trendy to get your saves for nothing. It’s not anywhere near that easy in a league with a legitimate competition level.
Dalton Del Don: CLAYTON KERSHAW. This may seem obvious, but Kershaw is the No. 1 player on my board. If you want someone slightly deeper, it’s Yu Darvish, whom I’m picking to win the A.L. Cy Young this year and would love to grab him in round three.
