Deep sleeper
Keibert Ruiz, Nationals
Ruiz has had a fairly quiet start to his MLB career on a Nationals team that’s far away from contending, but he’s shown enough with his bat to be worth a flier at a thin position. He was a force in the minors as a hitter and should be able to take a step forward this season with plenty of opportunity to rack up at-bats on a rebuilding team.
TOP 15
1. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
2. Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays (OF)
3. Will Smith, Dodgers
4. Salvador Perez, Royals
5. Adley Rutschman, Orioles
6. Willson Contreras, Cardinals
7. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays
8. Sean Murphy, Braves
9. M.J. Melendez, Royals (OF)
10. William Contreras, Brewers
11. Keibert Ruiz, Nationals
12. Cal Raleigh, Mariners
13. Jonah Heim, Rangers
14. Tyler Stephenson, Reds
15. Danny Jansen, Blue Jays
DH/UTIL only
No. 1 option
Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Ohtani is one of the top fantasy contributors as a hitter and a pitcher, with the only downside being that he doesn’t have a position in the field to where he’s only utility eligible in most leagues. This shouldn’t discourage fantasy managers from selecting Ohtani in the first round, as he’ll deliver enough with the bat to be worth being limited to utility-only and will also contribute strong pitching numbers.
Bust Candidate
J.D. Martinez, Dodgers
Martinez used to be one of the top DH options in MLB, but his hitting numbers took a nosedive last season, especially in the power department. A move to Dodger Stadium likely won’t result in a resurgence, making Martinez hardly worth drafting outside of deeper leagues.
Deep sleeper
Mitch Garver, Rangers
Garver lost catcher eligibility, but he could regain it this season and be a sneaky option as a result, as he hit 30 home runs just a few seasons ago. The issue is that it might take him a month or two to regain eligibility, and he’ll likely be a negative contributor in batting average, so he’s best left to the waiver wire but worth monitoring in case he goes on a home run tear.
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