One of the big rule changes being implemented for the 2023 MLB season is the increase in base size from 15 to 18 inches. That should have a direct effect on 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings as players are more likely to be running this year and racking up stolen bases. Thus, speedy players like Trea Turner, Kyle Tucker and Starling Marte managed to increase their 2023 Fantasy baseball values without doing anything other than being on active rosters.
This rule change could even lead to a resurgence in baserunning amongst veterans who scaled back their stolen base opportunities in recent years. If the likes of Mike Trout and Jose Altuve take off a bit more this year, then each player deserves a boost up Fantasy baseball rankings 2023. Before going on the clock in any 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts, be sure to see the Fantasy baseball rankings 2023 and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Reds first baseman Joey Votto. The team at SportsLine was all over Votto as a Fantasy bust from the start after a resurgent 2021 season that saw him going as one of the top 12 first basemen off the board in 2022 Fantasy baseball drafts. After slashing .266/.375/.563 with 36 homers and 99 RBI the year prior, Votto slashed .205/.319/.370 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 2022. He finished outside the top 45 players at his position and anybody who following SportsLine’s advice avoided a major headache.
Their model is powered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.
Any time more MLB news comes out about the updated 2023 MLB schedule or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers
One of the 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers the model is all over: Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. After suffering a partially torn UCL at the end of the 2021 season, Muncy started 2022 behind in his rehab and it showed on the field. He had averaged 35.3 home runs over his previous three full seasons but could only muster nine long balls on a paltry .161 average through July 31 of last year.
However, he picked things back up in August, slugged 12 homers over the last two months and saw his OPS jump from .613 before Aug. 1 to .858 post-Aug. 1. Muncy says his elbow is “right back where it needs to be” entering the 2023 MLB season but he’s still being overlooked in Fantasy baseball drafts 2023. The model has him on par with Atlanta’s Austin Riley at the third base position, but Muncy is being selected three-to-four rounds later, making him a 2023 Fantasy baseball sleeper pick.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts
One of the 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model is jumping on: Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. The 21-year-old Venezuelan signed with the Rockies for $800,000 back in 2017 and he’s developed rapidly while playing his way through the Colorado minor league system. Last season, Tovar slashed .319/.387/.540 with 14 home runs and 17 stolen bases across 71 games while playing for both the double-A and triple-A affiliates.
That also earned him a September callup where he got 35 plate appearances over nine games and even hit his first career MLB home run on the final day of the season. Now Tovar enters the 2023 season as MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 overall prospect, and his Gold Glove potential at shortstop has him looking like the presumed Opening Day starter for the Rockies. And the model ranks him as its No. 22 shortstop for 2023 despite the fact that he’s the 31st shortstop off the board on average.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball busts
As for players to avoid, the model has pinpointed new Rangers first baseman Nate Lowe as one of its biggest 2023 Fantasy baseball busts. Lowe is coming off a season where he set new career highs in hits (179), home runs (27), RBI (76), batting average (.302) and slugging percentage (.492) and won the AL Silver Slugger award at his position.
However, there are some peripheral numbers that would indicate he’s due for regression in 2023. His .363 BABIP was 23 points higher than in any season he’d played thus far, and his average exit velocity (90.2 mph) and hard-hit contact rate (45.0%) were actually down from 2021. Lowe is certainly still a useful Fantasy asset but the model projects him as the 17th-best first baseman despite being the seventh player drafted at the position on average.
How to find proven 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings
SportsLine’s model is also high on a surprising starting pitcher who lands in the top 10 of its positional rankings. This player is barely going off the board in the top 125 picks, but is projected to outperform starters such as Aaron Nola, Shane McClanahan and Brandon Woodruff. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So which 2023 Fantasy baseball busts, breakouts, and sleepers should you target or fade in your drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Joey Votto’s disappointing season, and find out.