Nick Castellanos and Chris Bryant could be the biggest fantasy baseball steals
when it comes to b Fantasy baseballPitch positioning in drafts can be difficult to navigate.
Depending on your league rules, upwards of 10 players may be taken in the first two rounds, with the next 10 exiting the plate at the end of the fifth round. If you’re in a league that starts with just three players, no problem, but if you start with five players and also have a useful spot to fill, then it’s a good idea to attack the position early.
Does that mean you can’t find quality outside help later in your drafts? of course not. In fact, there are a number of hard hitters who don’t get the respect they deserve and can be recruited at deep discounts.
Although baseball’s fantasy ADP has hit up a few innings recently, Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is still a big deal in the 10th. It’s easy to see why the average fantasy player routinely overlooks Castellanos: He averaged . 263 runs and only 13 home runs last year in Philadelphia after hitting 34 homers the year before in Cincinnati. But he also hit 14 home runs in a short season for 2020, so his three-year averages don’t look great.
Those numbers don’t tell the full story of Castellanos’ development as a hitter, nor do they acknowledge the difficulties he faced trading in 2019, signing with a new team in 2020 and then joining another new team in 2022.
Baseball players are creatures of habit, so playing for four different teams over five years can be challenging. When analyzing his numbers, the focus should be on his growth as a Detroit hitter and how he bounced back in 2021, his second full year with the Reds. Using these trends as a guide lets us predict a similar rebound for him in his sophomore year with the Phillies.
With a similar ADP, you can also look for Rocky player Kris Bryant to get back into form as well. Bryant has struggled with back and shoulder problems throughout 2022, and struggled in his first full season at Colorado. Now healthy Bryant is hitting . 333 with three home runs during spring training and will benefit from playing half his games at Coors Stadium. After just one season of a 25-man campaign, he’s poised for a big comeback this season.
The level of talent among players is massive, so drafting them early is a powerful strategy. But you don’t have to miss out on quality elsewhere just to fill the position. There is depth throughout, and while you don’t want to wait too long, having players like Castellanos and Bryant available in the middle innings should make crafting the situation easier.
Howard Bender is Chief Content Officer FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @employee And join him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com To all of you Fantasy baseball tip.
