With pitchers and catchers reporting for MLB Spring Training in less than two weeks, Fantasy baseball owners across the country are beginning their 2023 Fantasy baseball draft prep. Two-time NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom took lots of people by surprise when he signed a five-year, $185 million contract to join the Texas Rangers during the MLB offseason. But between the change of venue and the fact that he’s only made 26 starts over the last two seasons, where should you be targeting him in your 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts?
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge decided to stay put on a $360 million deal with the Yankees, but can anybody spending the top overall pick expect to see the same level of motivation now that he’s got the big contract? A reliable set of 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings can help ensure you get maximum value out of every pick while also identifying potential 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts. 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: Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers. Perhaps you prefer to have some speed in the middle infield, but Rodgers makes up for what he lacks as a base stealer with exceptional bat control and still-developing power. After batting .298 in 1,700 career minor-league plate appearances, Rodgers hit .284 as a rookie with 15 home runs and 51 RBI.
And while his average dropped off to .266 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI last season, he actually increased his average exit velocity (88.8 mph to 90.0 mph), walk rate (4.6% to 7.9%), hard-hit contact rate (40.6% to 46.3%) while decreasing his strikeout rate from 20.2% to 17.4%. With an improved flyball rate, Rodgers has plenty of power to evolve into a 25-30 homer threat in Coors Field, and that’s why the model ranks him as its No. 16 second basemen despite the fact that he’s been drafted 29th at his position overall.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts
One of the 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model is all over: Royals second baseman Michael Massey. He was selected by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB draft after hitting .317 with five home runs and 28 RBI during his junior season at the University of Illinois. Massey was assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to begin the 2022 season before being promoted to Triple-A Omaha in mid-June. His rise continued when the Royals selected his contract and promoted him to the big leagues last July.
Massey hit .243 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 173 at-bats last year, and he is in line to take on a routine workload this season. He had two home runs in a four-game stretch to close the 2022 regular season, and he is flying under the radar as a projected everyday starter entering the 2023 campaign. SportsLine’s model has Massey listed ahead of second basemen like Gavin Lux and Nolan Gorman, who are both being selected before him in average drafts.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball busts
As for players to avoid, the model has pinpointed new Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson as one of its biggest 2023 Fantasy baseball busts. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Braves and he’s steadily developed into an offensive threat over the years, earning his first all-star selection last year and finishing with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
However, Swanson’s career-high .277 batting average was aided by a .348 BABIP that was more than 35 points better than his career average, and now he’s going to have a month or two of unfavorable hitting conditions to deal with in Chicago. He also won’t have nearly as much protection with the Cubs as he had with the Braves and those are both big reasons why the model ranks him outside its top 12 shortstops despite the fact that he’s been the sixth 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.