Life as a top baseball prospect can be challenging, but Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. acquitted himself nicely in his rookie season. The son of a long-time MLB pitcher, Witt was a consensus top-three prospect entering the 2022 season and he wound up hitting 20 home runs with 80 RBI and 30 stolen bases. That combination of speed and power was of enormous value to Fantasy baseball players, and now the expectation is that the 22-year-old can take another dramatic step forward in 2023.
But where exactly should you be targeting Witt in upcoming 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts and who are some of the other 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts that you should be aware of? A live-updated set of 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings can help answer those questions and also ensure that you’re adapting on the fly to any news that comes from MLB Spring Training. 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 followed 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 third baseman Ryan McMahon. The 28-year-old product of famed Mater Dei High School in Southern California is entering his seventh MLB season and he’s established himself as a sure-handed, power-hitting infielder that can play three positions. That versatility is of clear value in Fantasy baseball but his general upside playing at Coors Field adds to the intrigue considerably.
McMahon has hit between .246 and .254 in each of the last three full seasons he’s played and has 20, 23 and 24 home runs in those three seasons. However, an average exit velocity of over 90 mph in each of the last four years leaves the impression that there might be some meat left on the bone in the thin air of Denver. McMahon has been the 17th third baseman off the board in early 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts on average, but the model is projecting he finishes as a top-10 player at the position in 2023.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts
One of the 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model is jumping on: Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes. The former top-100 prospect was acquired from the Tigers in the trade for Austin Meadows, and he showcased impressive power during a 111-game stint in his first season with the Rays. Paredes hit 20 home runs in just 331 at-bats, and even though he only hit .205 for the season, there are some reasons for optimism he can improve his hit tool in 2023.
For starters, Paredes had extremely poor batted-ball luck, posting a .195 BABIP on the season. Paredes was a .271 hitter in six minor-league seasons and has also been a .280 hitter playing winter ball in Mexico. And with plus hands and the ability to play three infield positions, Paredes should be in the lineup regularly for Tampa Bay this season. An 11.6% walk rate last season only further enhances his offensive profile, which is why the model ranks him as a top-20 third baseman despite the fact that he’s been the 38th player off the board at the position on average.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball busts
As for players to avoid, the model has pinpointed Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes as one of its biggest 2023 Fantasy baseball busts. After back-to-back All-Star seasons, Burnes may seem like an unlikely candidate for a drop-off, but the conversation with the Milwaukee ace is more about whether or not he’ll meet expectations equal to his high draft position. Last season, Burnes finished a shade off of his league-leading ERA of 2.43 in 2021, with a 2.94 mark after he led the majors in starts among pitchers, with 33.
Burnes saw a 2% drop in swing-and-miss rate on pitches in the strike zone from 2021, a 3% increase in contact made on pitches in the zone, and a 2.5% increase in barrelled pitches. Similar incremental changes to those categories again this season would stand to push him out of the upper echelon of starting pitchers he’s being drafted alongside this offseason. The model suggests other options like Luis Castillo, Cristian Javier and Max Fried to return similar or better value from a lower average draft position.
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.