Saturday, January 30, 2016

Quick Hit: Top Fantasy Sleepers for 2016


As the Hot Stove season comes down from a rapid boil to a simmer the fantasy baseball season begins to heat up as spring training draws closer. We have discussed many times this winter already ways to improve your late pick draft strategy in hopes of winning those later rounds and in turn your leagues and this morning I want to talk about a few sleepers that I have in mind for my own personal draft. Some are big names and others are at least recognizable names but many of them had down or irregular seasons in 2015, something I cannot see these players making a habit of in 2016. If you’re worried about your draft then give this a read and maybe even a bookmark to keep handy for your draft day, maybe it will help you!

Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto fit the same mold here because both are coming from either hitting friendly ballparks or somewhat neutral ballparks in terms of hitting vs. pitching. They won’t have that problem in San Francisco as AT&T Park is one of the biggest and best pitching ballparks in all of Major League Baseball. What is an upper deck shot inside Yankee Stadium doesn’t seem like it would reach the warning track in San Francisco making what Barry Bonds did there all the more special. If either are there later in the draft then snatch them up. Both of them.

The same can be said for starter, turned relief pitcher turned starter again Rich Hill. Hill came back into the league last season with the Boston Red Sox and pitched well enough to get a team like the Oakland Athletics to give him a shot as a starting pitcher. Hill should enjoy pitching inside the Oakland Coliseum more than he enjoyed the wacky dimensions inside Fenway Park. His defense behind him in Oakland, other than at shortstop with Marcus Semien, should be solid as well. He’s a good late round pick if you need wins.

Brett Lawrie is entering his prime years finally at age 26 and will be shifting to one of the more hitting friendly parks in U.S. Cellular Field. Lawrie will be eligible at first and third base for the White Sox this season and should see enough playing time at both positions to justify a real late pick.

Speaking of favorable park switches you have to think that Mark Trumbo and his power will enjoy hitting at Camden Yards and Oriole Park, ask Chris Davis and Nelson Cruz.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)