10 Fantasy Baseball post-hype sleepers you shouldn't give up on just yet
Fantasy owners are a fickle bunch, with a tendency to get hyped about young players at the drop of a hat and then jump off just as quickly if they don’t see immediate success. But those who truly understand how players develop know that the ascension pattern is rarely linear, and those who are willing to cut some young dudes a little slack could find a breakout player who fully hits his stride — just a little later than expected.
Here are 10 post-hype sleepers fantasy owners should consider in their drafts.
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
Sure, Devers was a bit of a bust last season when he produced a .240 BA after being selected on average 82nd overall in Yahoo leagues. But, man, the kid was just 21 years old! And while most of his peers were toiling in the low Minors, the youngster still managed to collect 21 long balls in 121 games. Now 22 years old and available 45 picks later than he was a year ago, Devers is a solid mid-round pick who could go deep 30 times.
Max Kepler, OF, Twins
Owners are done waiting for Kepler to hit for average (career .233 BA), and they aren’t too enamored with his power skills either (career high of 20 homers). Still, there are reasons for patient drafters to give him one more chance, as his fly-ball rate (46.2 percent), hard-contact rate (37.1 percent) and plate discipline (0.74 BB:K ratio) trended in the right direction last season. With improved luck (.236 BABIP, 9.9 percent HR/FB rate in 2018), Kepler could deliver on his promise and hit .260 with 25-30 long balls.
Manuel Margot, OF, Padres
Margot tallied just eight homers and 11 steals in 141 games after entering last season as a 20-20 candidate. The fantasy community has voiced their displeasure loudly, leaving the outfielder for the late rounds after tabbing him 152nd on average in 2018 Yahoo drafts. But Margot is still just 24 years old and owns the skill set that enabled him to compile 13 round-trippers and 17 swipes in 126 games during the 2017 season.
Randal Grichuk, OF, Blue Jays
Freed from an outfield logjam in St. Louis and headed to homer-happy Rogers Centre, the hard-hitting Grichuk warranted plenty of enthusiasm at this time last year. But the slugger got off to a slow start, and he lost the attention of most owners before he hit .280 with 14 homers after the All-Star break. Now that the buzz has died down, owners should feel excited about spending one of their final picks on a 27-year-old with a lifetime 44.0 percent fly-ball rate and a 38.9 percent hard-contact rate.
[Positional Rankings: Top 300 Overall | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | P ]
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Owners with a short memory will be shocked to know that Buxton was a top-60 pick last season. After all, such lofty status is hard to believe for someone who spent much of the year in the Minors and posted a miserable .156/.183/.200 slash line with the Twins. But for the cost of a mid-round pick, owners can hope that better health and improved fortune (.226 BABIP in 2018) unlocks the wheels for one of baseball’s fastest players.
Austin Meadows, OF, Rays
Meadows was a hyped Pirates prospect at the outset of 2017, but that status has since cooled, and he is getting little buzz this season despite coming off a solid rookie year (.785 OPS) and having a clear path to playing time in Tampa Bay. After producing 18 homers and 17 steals across 128 games between the Majors and Minors a year ago, Meadows is a legit 20-20 candidate.
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Cubs
Remember when Schwarber was all the rage? Armed with catcher eligibility and 35-homer potential, the slugger was an early-round pick just a couple years ago. And although his backstop status is long gone, Schwarber still has the thunderous plate skills (career 38.8 percent hard-contact rate, 24.2 percent HR/FB rate). After making small improvements on his plate discipline a year ago, he could be in line to take a step forward in his age-26 season.
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
The Happ hype train was speeding out of control last spring when the youngster was being selected among the top-150 picks in nearly every draft. But extreme contact woes (36.1 percent strikeout rate) led to a lowly .233 batting average and kept his playing time in check. Now without a full-time position, Happ has fallen roughly 100 picks from his 2018 ADP. For those who can spare a bench spot, there is still plenty of pop and a bit of speed sitting inside this 24 year old.
Dylan Bundy, SP, Orioles
Owners with a great memory will recall the day that Bundy debuted as a teenager way back in 2012. He followed up that brief cameo by dealing with injuries that kept him entirely out of the Majors for three full seasons before returning in ’16 to toss 451 unremarkable frames (4.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) across three years. The odds of stardom aren’t great at this point, but the 26 year old was once so highly regarded that owners shouldn’t completely dismiss him as a late-round option.
Luke Weaver, SP, D-backs
Weaver was the dream of many fantasy owners last season, as his helium-filled price tag pushed him all the way into the initial 10 rounds of some mixed-league drafts. But the right-hander experienced a major regression in accumulating punch-outs (8.0 K/9 rate) and limiting free passes (3.6 BB/9 rate). He was also burned by bad luck (68.7 percent strand rate). Now in Arizona, the bloom is totally off this desert rose (247 ADP), but the skills that made him a coveted asset a year ago are still in there somewhere.
