With 2023 MLB Spring Training already underway, Fantasy baseball owners are eagerly looking at how each team decides to set up its lineups and rotations. But with the World Baseball Classic also set to begin on March 7, several of the game’s biggest stars will be leaving their clubs for international duty. So, are their youngsters who can take advantage of the additional reps to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, and will they be worthy of your 2023 Fantasy baseball lineups?
A reliable set of live-updated 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings can help you adjust to all the latest MLB news on the fly and ensure that you’re getting maximum value from each pick. They can also help you identify the 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers who will dramatically outperform their 2023 Fantasy baseball ADP. Before going on the clock, be sure to see the 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings 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 Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman.
Edman had a 2022 Fantasy baseball ADP well outside the top 100 but the model predicted that he’d outperform that draft position. The result: Edman posted new career-highs in home runs (13), RBI (57) and stolen bases (32) while slashing a respectable .265/.324/.400 to finish as the third-best second baseman in Fantasy baseball. Anybody who followed its advice and picked up Edman late in their Fantasy baseball drafts received a huge power boost in their Fantasy baseball lineups.
The SportsLine model is engineered 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, free agency signings 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 Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is high on: Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth. The 29-year-old has made back-to-back all-star teams but he’s coming off the board in the 14th round of 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts after his numbers took a bit of a dip from 2021 to 2022. Cronenworth saw his batting average drop from .266 to .239 and his slugging percentage cratered from .460 to .390.
However, he still managed 17 home runs and a career-high 88 RBI, and there are some reasons for optimism in his peripherals. He upped his walk rate from 8.6% to 10.2% and he also had a more launch-focused swing, with his flyball rate increasing from 23.6% in 2021 to 34.1% in 2022. That’s a big reason why the model is projecting Cronenworth as a top-five second baseman, ahead of players like Jazz Chisholm and Ozzie Albies, who are being drafted in the seventh round on average.
Another of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is all over: Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Helsley’s first three years in the big leagues were nothing to write home about. He made 87 appearances and posted a 4.03 ERA with 89 strikeouts over 96 innings. Over the 2020-21 seasons, his walk rate was over 13% while his strikeout rate was below 23%. However, he added some velocity to an already big fastball and changed his release point to dramatic effect.
Helsley made 54 appearances in 2022 and posted a 1.25 ERA with 94 strikeouts over 64.2 innings while also recording 19 saves. Helsley made his first all-star team in the process and saw his strikeout rate jump to 39.3% while slashing his walk rate to 8.4%. The model is expecting more of the same, listing him as its No. 3 Fantasy baseball closer ahead of Emmanuel Clase, Josh Hader and Jordan Romano, who are all being drafted earlier.
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 sleepers should you target in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Tommy Edman’s big season, and find out.