Fantasy Baseball: Our top draft targets from the NL West

Our fantasy baseball analysts jump into each MLB division and reveal the player they're targeting in drafts from each team. Here are Scott Pianowski, Dalton Del Don and Andy Behrens' picks for the NL West.

Los Angeles Dodgers

-Um, is there a Dodgers player I wouldn’t take? No.

This team’s roster is loaded to the point of being unfair. I suppose I’ll say Blake Treinen here, because A) I’ve actually landed him in multiple drafts and B) he’s the sort of reliever who can help fantasy managers regardless of his role. He’ll fall into a few (or many) save opportunities, but it’s the K-rate and fantasy ratios you’ll really appreciate. — Andy Behrens

-Walker Buehler costs a high draft pick, but I’ll still elbow you out of the way to land him. He’s still fairly low on the odometer, entering his age-27 season, and the Dodgers figure to score a boatload of runs for him. Some pundits will tell you not to chase wins, but targeting winning teams sure seems like a logical, if obvious, strategy to me. I want to be on board when Buehler has his peak season. — Scott Pianowski

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-Will Smith posted a .936 OPS with 15 homers and 44 RBI over just 56 games after the All-Star break last season, and he might be the favorite to end 2022 widely considered as baseball’s best hitting catcher. With Smith just now entering his prime, hitting in a loaded Dodgers lineup and with the likely benefit of the DH, he’s going to help win a lot of fantasy leagues this year. — Dalton Del Don

San Francisco Giants

-If not now, Joey Bart, then when? It feels as if we’ve been expecting his breakout forever, but somehow he’s still only 25. He hit .294 with pop at Triple-A last season and profiles as a nice late option at a tricky position. — Andy Behrens

-Camilo Doval was the Giants closer late last year, when Jake McGee wasn’t available. Perhaps that arrangement will carry over to this season, even if McGee is healthy. Many teams prefer a right-handed pitcher in the ninth inning, and Doval has a more exciting arsenal of stuff. — Scott Pianowski

-Brandon Belt may be an injury waiting to happen, but he also slugged a whopping 29 homers over just 325 at-bats last year. Belt’s wRC+ of 163 over the last two seasons trails only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper. In fact, Belt has been one of baseball’s very best hitters since 2020 any way you want to measure it. Signed to a one-year deal, Belt will have plenty of incentive to stay healthy before hitting free agency, and the Giants’ organization has proven to be a huge help in boosting performance. Slated to bat second in San Francisco’s lineup, Captain Belt rightfully has his teammates stand at attention when he enters the clubhouse. — Dalton Del Don

San Diego Padres

-Mike Clevinger’s recovery and readiness for opening day have been strangely under-hyped. He’s been an afterthought in drafts, but there’s no question he’s an ace when healthy. I’ve been avoiding many of the top-of-draft starting pitchers (as we discussed a few weeks ago) in part because proven options like Clevinger have been available so late. — Andy Behrens

-Players who are good at several things (but perhaps not outstanding in one area) tend to be underrated, and that perfectly describes Jake Cronenworth. He’ll qualify at three positions. He has some power, some speed, a decent average. He likely opens the year as San Diego’s No. 3 batter. Maybe it’s a boring value play, but that’s my jam. — Scott Pianowski

-Austin Nola is an afterthought in drafts, although it was injuries solely to blame for his poor 2021. He admittedly has durability concerns, but he also sports a higher career wRC+ (114) than J.T. Realmuto (109). Nola walked nearly as often as he struck out last season, and he sported a .280 expected batting average in 2020. The universal DH could help keep Nola healthy and his bat in the lineup, and he’s the rare catcher who doesn’t hurt your batting average. — Dalton Del Don

Colorado Rockies

-The one Colorado player I’ve consistently landed is C.J. Cron, a proven slugger coming off a 28-92-.281 campaign. I see no reason why he can’t clear the fence 30-35 times, given his history and the favorable home hitting environment. Cron is going multiple rounds later than guys like Jared Walsh and Ryan Mountcastle in Yahoo drafts, despite similar projections. — Andy Behrens

-Elias Diaz is projected to slash .264/.324/.435 and start most of the time for the Rockies. Whatever happened to “anemone in Coors, sign me up?” He can easily replicate last year’s 18 homers, and he’s an affordable ticket at Yahoo ADP 241. — Scott Pianowski

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-Brendan Rodgers has battled injuries in the past, but he’s a former top-three pick who hit .350 during his final year in Triple-A. Slated to hit second in the Rockies lineup, Rodgers is especially interesting because he calls Coors Field home. Coincidentally, he hit far better on the road last season (.873 OPS) while failing to take advantage of MLB’s best hitter’s park (.723 OPS at home). Nonetheless, Coors Field has increased run scoring by 34 percent over the last three seasons; Great American Ballpark is second over that span at 16%. Rodgers is 2B/SS eligible, just entering his prime and hitting in paradise, yet he’s going after Round 20 in Yahoo leagues. — Dalton Del Don

Arizona Diamondbacks

-The universal DH has arrived just in time for the Seth Beer era in Arizona. He was excellent in his five-game major league cameo appearance last season before the shoulder injury. He offers power, average, on-base skills and an elite name. That’s pretty much everything I’m looking for in a Util, honestly. — Andy Behrens

-If you want an inexpensive hold-the-nose closer, Mark Melancon looks like a solid bet for 20 saves. Of course, it could turn into Melancon and the Infinite Sadness when the non-contending Snakes look to trade him around the deadline, likely to a team that won’t use Melancon in the ninth. But we can still make a profit here. — Scott Pianowski

-Daulton Varsho is the rare catcher who will get steals, and he’s locked in an everyday role in Arizona’s outfield. He was top-five among catchers in batting average, homers, RBI, runs and stolen bases over the final two months last season, and few eligible players at his position are scheduled to play regularly more than he will. — Dalton Del Don