In 2015 several rookies took both the Major Leagues and fantasy baseball by storm. What young prospects could look to make an impact this season?
2015 was in many ways the year of the rookie. Not only did rookies play impacts for their teams, but many looked to be among the best players at their position.
Players like Carlos Correa, Noah Syndergaard, Miguel Sano, and Kris Bryant blew people’s expectations out of the water. Everyone knew they were good, but no one was anticipating they would play such a large role in both fantasy baseball and the MLB so early.
There may never be another class of rookies as talented as the ones that made their debuts in 2015. But, just because a group like that doesn’t come around very often doesn’t mean you wont find fantasy value in this year’s group of rookies.
According to FantasyPros, all of the players on this list are going to be taken at the very end of a standard draft and many won’t be drafted at all. Their average draft position (ADP) is based on a composite draft position gathered from five different fantasy platforms.
Alright, let’s take a look at the rookies that may be able to help their team this season. It should be noted that to be considered a rookie, a player must have less than 130 at-bats or less than 50 innings pitched.
Next: Catching Up
Catcher: Gary Sanchez – ADP: Undrafted
Gary Sanchez has a decent shot at entering the season as the backup to Brian McCann, but he’s going to have to hit a little better the rest of the Spring to have a shot. So far he’s got only one hit and a batting average south of .100.
Sanchez found his way onto everyone’s radar after he had a great season in 2015. He spent time between Double-A and Triple-A but hit consistently throughout the season.
In only 365 at-bats between those two Minor League levels Sanchez his 23 doubles and 18 home runs. That’s a home run in every 20.3 at-bats and an extra-base hit in every nine.
He does strike out a fair amount with a strikeout percentage of 21 in 2015 and a rate of just over 23. He’s also not someone who’s going to hit for an average of around .300, but he’s a catcher. Anything north of .250 with the power he provides is a plus.
When he reported to Arizona for the fall league, he continue to mash. He slashed .295/.357/.625 in 88 at-bats. In that time he hit six doubles, a triple, seven home runs and drove in 21 RBIs.
He may not make the opening day roster if he can’t start to hit this Spring, but even if he does he’s likely to get limited hacks behind Brian McCann. Because of this, most of Sanchez’s value is found in dynasty leagues.
Next: Reed It And Weep
First Base: A.J. Reed – ADP: Undrafted
The path to the Major Leagues appears to be wide open for A.J. Reed. The Astros parted ways with Chris Carter clearing a spot for A.J. Reed who they drafted in 2014.
The left-handed first basemen was probably the best hitter coming out of college in 2014 and he’ll look to follow a similar path as Kris Bryant. Reed hasn’t had eye-popping numbers this Spring, but the Astros are probably set on letting him work things out in the Majors.
In 2015, he batted .340 across two minor league levels. It should be noted that he hasn’t hit at Triple-A, but a lot of times good pitchers never make it as far as Triple-A before they get called up. A lot of prospects make the jump from Double-A to the show and are just fine.
Aside from hitting for a high average, A.J. Reed kills the baseball. He hit 34 home runs, 30 doubles, and five triples across just 523 at-bats last season. That’s a home run every 15 at-bats and an extra-base hit every 7.5 at-bats.
He does strikeout a fair deal, but he also walked 86 times last season. His on-base percentage was a whopping .432 so he shouldn’t be overzealous when he gets the the Major Leagues.
Next: Come On Ref!
Second Base: Rob Refsnyder – ADP: Undrafted
It looked like Rob Refsnyder might be taking over the everyday second base job when he put up decent numbers for the Yankees in 2015. That all changed when the Yankees traded for Starlin Castro.
Refsnyder is having a sold Spring Training and may find his way into a utility role to start the season with the Yankees. He’s not someone you probably want to pick up unless there is an injury to Castro or Didi Gregorious.
In very limited time in the Major Leagues last season, Refsnyder slashed .302/.348/.512 with two home runs and three doubles. He also stole a couple bags and drove in five runs.
He got most of his at-bats against left-handed pitchers last year so it’s possible the Yankees were already looking to use him in some kind of platoon role. He’s also slotted in as the backup to Chase Headley so it’s not unlikely that he’ll be used a fair amount.
He’s got decent power potential for a second baseman having hit a total of 26 home runs over the last two seasons. He’s also got sneaky speed with 23 steals in that time. His true power comes in the form of doubles however, with 69 in the past two years.
He’s a risky play at best, but he does have some potential.
Next: He's No Gangster
Third Base: Joey Gallo – ADP: Undrafted
Joey Gallo has a very impressive body of work in the Minor Leagues and he may be able to play his way onto the opening day roster.
He’s leading the Rangers in Spring Training home runs and is currently slashing .286/.409/.607. He does have nine strikeouts across his 28 at-bats but that’s always going to be a big part of his game.
In his minor league career, Gallo has a slash line of .258/.369/.602 in 1,377 at-bats. He’s also hit 127 home runs, 73 doubles, and ten triples in that time giving him an extra-base hit in every 6.5 at-bats.
What’s more impressive is that if you remove his 568 strikeouts, he gets an extra-base hit every 3.8 at-bats. In fact, 59 percent of his hits go for extra bases which is pretty appealing.
If he were to cut his strikeout rate be even five percent his numbers would be even more impressive. While his batting average suffered upon promotion to the Rangers last season, he continued to hit for extra bases. He recorded an extra-base hit in every tenth at-bat and 45 percent of his hits went for more than one bag.
He’s blocked at both third base and in left field by Adrian Beltre and Ian Desmond respectively, but an injury or a need for a regular backup could be his ticket. He may be worth stashing on draft day.
Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?
Shortstop: Corey Seager – ADP: 62nd overall
The fact that Corey Seager is going well below players like Troy Tulowitzki makes him a steal of a pick in the seventh round.
That means you get to make a pick that could be an MVP selection in your first round as well as your seventh round.
Corey Seager has done nothing but hit the ball hard at every level he’s played at. That includes his limited stint in the Major Leagues last season.
In just 98 at-bats with the Dodgers last season, Seager hit four home runs and nine doubles while he slashed .337/.425/.561. That’s a very small sample size, but don’t look for him to regress a great deal.
He also suffered a knee injury earlier in Spring Training which could hurt his draft stock a little bit. It’s unclear at this time whether or not he’ll be ready for opening day, but even if he’s not he’s worth picking up.
In the minors he’s slashed .307/.368/.523 across four seasons and 1,523 at-bats. It’s no fluke that he’s hitting the ball this well and he could be one of the top shortstops in the league by mid-season.
Next: Rule Five Guy
Outfield: Tyler Goeddel – ADP: Undrafted
Last year the Phillies stuck it out with Rule-Five pick Odubel Herrera and he turned out to be a quality player for them. This year Tyler Goeddel could fill that role and earn regular playing time for the Phillies.
He has a lot of things going for him in trying to earn some regular playing time. The first one being an injury that is going to keep Aaron Alther sidelined for most of the season.
The Phillies have a number of options they can use to fill Alther’s spot but Goeddel would seem to make the most sense. Here’s why:
Because the Phillies used their Rule-Five pick on Goeddel, they have to keep him on the 25-man roster all season long or give the Rays a chance to get him back.
The Phillies aren’t going to contend in a division that holds both the Mets and the Nationals. This season is one that should see them trying to figure out who will be their players of the future. There’s no need for them to waste their time trying to figure out if players like Peter Bourjos.
The bottom line is that Goeddel obviously drew enough attention by the Phillies that they’d like to see if he’s worth keeping. What better way to let him prove his worth than by sticking him in the lineup regularly. There is little at stake as they’re already focused on the future, so its as win-win a scenario as you’ll find.
Next: Pitching A Fit
Starting Pitcher: Kyle Zimmer – ADP: Undrafted
Kyle Zimmer isn’t going to crack the Royals’ opening day roster, but on a team that struggled to get innings from their starters last year, it shouldn’t be long until he earns a spot.
All he has to do is take care of his right arm and he’ll be just fine. He was pretty impressive in his first Spring Training giving up one run on seven hits in six innings. He’s also struck out five batters and walked none.
In his minor league career, when he’s healthy, he’s got a strikeout rate of 10.8 Ks/9 innings and his K/BB ratio is an impressive 3.81.
He’s got great control and three plus pitches that should all play at the Major League level. His curveball especially, is very devastating. Just take a look for yourself:
He offers the ability to strikeout at least a batter per inning and maintain a low ERA. He’s kept an ERA of 3.28 but posted an ERA of just 2.39 in 2015.
Keep a watchful eye on his status and the Royals’ starters this season. If a Royals’ starter stumbles, Zimmer’s phone could be ringing.
Next: Bonus Pick And Analysis
This year’s group of rookies probably isn’t going to be as good as last year’s but anything could happen.
Most of these players don’t warrant being drafted, but you should set an alert to get updates on these players. They all have upside and could play at least a backup role for your team at some point this season.
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One player who should make this list and maybe even get drafted is Rays’ pitcher
. This kid is going to be good.
It’s only a matter of time before Snell makes his debut and he has at least a shot of cracking the rotation. He was really impressive in 2015 jumping from A-ball all the way up to Triple-A and posting good numbers throughout.
In 134 innings of work, Snell posted an ERA of just 1.41 with 163 strikeouts to go along with it. He also only pitched to a WHIP of 1.022 so he’s got good command to go along with strikeout stuff.
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He’s currently not being drafted in most leagues and he’s owned in just six percent of ESPN leagues right now. Keep a close eye on what could be another great young Rays pitcher.
There are any number of rookies who could make an impact for both their real and fantasy teams this season but there are far too many too count. Here is at least one place to start.
The tricky part with picking these guys up on waivers is timing. Almost all of them will come off of waivers at the same time and the key is trying to figure out when to snag them just late enough so that nobody else gets them.
Next: Waiver Wire Sleepers At Each Position
It’s not always going to work out in your favor and you want to avoid carrying them on your bench if they aren’t ready to contribute. Some players, like Carlos Correa for example, are worth picking up two or three weeks early. The juice is worth the proverbial squeeze in those instances.
So what do you think Fantasy Baseball fans? What rookies do you have your eyes on as Fantasy Baseball approaches? Who on this list do you like? Who do you hate? Let me know your thoughts in the comments’ section below.