MLB prospect rankings can be a helpful tool to identify 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts, but some of those players are more prepared than others for Opening Day. Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas earned Freddie Freeman comparisons throughout his time in the minors, and his limited major-league action led to Boston getting rid of Eric Hosmer. Casas hit five home runs and walked 19 times across 76 at-bats at the MLB level after batting .281 with 12 home runs in 278 at-bats in the MiLB. Should you be including him in your 2023 Fantasy baseball picks?
There are other tough decisions to be made in 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts, including who to draft near the top. SportsLine’s model has ranked every key player at every position in the majors, providing some valuable 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings to owners. 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 Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino as one of its biggest 2023 Fantasy baseball busts. The former 11th-round pick out of Old Dominion has proven himself to be an incredibly productive hitter at every stop in his climb through the Kansas City farm system, slashing .292/.382/.569 in 1,071 career minor-league plate appearances.
That earned him a midseason call-up where he slashed .295/.383/.450 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI. However, Kaufman Stadium certainly caps Pasquantino’s overall power potential as a line-drive hitter, and that’s a major deterrent at a position where home runs are essential. Pasquantino is currently the 10th first baseman off the board on average in standard Fantasy baseball drafts but the model ranks him as its No. 19 player at the position for 2023.
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.