After putting on a jaw-dropping performance at the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby and winning AL Rookie of the Year honors last season, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez is on the fast track to superstardom in baseball. Rodriguez slashed .284/.345/.509 with 28 home runs and 25 stolen bases across 132 games last season, and Fantasy baseball owners across the country expect the production to amplify this season. Current 2023 Fantasy baseball ADP data has Rodriguez coming off the board at fifth overall on average ahead of established stars like Juan Soto, Mookie Betts and Mike Trout.
So can J-Rod live up to the hype in his second season, or is there any concern that he could have a setback with MLB pitching adjusting to his aggressive approach? A reliable set of 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings can help you answer those questions while also guiding you to the 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers who can outperform their draft positions. So 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 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers the model is projecting: Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft had a bit of a letdown after a strong rookie season. Rodgers slashed .284/.328/.470 in 2021 but his line dropped to .266/.325/.408 in 2022 and now he’s the 29th second baseman coming off the board when looking at early 2023 Fantasy baseball ADP data. However, there does appear to be some misfortune baked into those numbers.
His BABIP was 24 points lower than it had been the year before and he actually cut his strikeout rate from 20.2% to 17.4% while increasing his walk rate from 4.6% to 7.9%. He also improved his average exit velocity from 88.8 mph to 90.0 mph and his hard-hit contact rate from 40.6% to 46.3%. If he can start to elevate the ball more, he’s got more than enough raw power to take advantage of the favorable conditions at Coors Field, which is why the model ranks him as a top-15 option at the position.
Another of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is all over: Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. After a stellar season in 2021 where he made his third all-star game and finished with 24 home runs and 90 RBI while slashing .298/.373/.522, Crawford’s production fell off the map in 2022.
He slashed .231/.308/.344 with nine home runs and 52 RBI last year for an extremely disappointing season. However, when we take a look at the peripheral data there are reasons to expect a bounceback in 2023. His .280 BABIP was 18 points below his career average and 54 points below his banner season, and his groundball rate spiked from 40.2% to 46.6%. If he can get back to driving the ball again, the model expects he’ll find a middle ground and is ranking him as SS16 despite the fact that he’s the 39th player off the board on average at the 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 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.