First base is traditionally one of the deepest positions. fantasy baseball.
That might be a little harsh, with elite hitters like Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson, and Pete Alonso standing head and shoulders above the rest, but the deeper you dig into the latest fantasy rankings, the more There will be more options later on.
Sure, you could take the route that leads to veteran hitters like Bryce Harper or Cody Bellinger, but if your draft plan focuses on stolen bases and early-round starting pitchers, you can There are several people. You should probably aim for it in the mid to late rounds.
The big bat to watch is Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson.
The 24-year-old endured a tough rookie season in 2022 and struggled early last season, but bounced back to form in the second half.
He may have hit just .238, but in 72 games after the All-Star break, Torkelson had 19 home runs and 49 RBIs, giving him 31 home runs and 94 RBIs on the season.
His OPS also improved from .711 in the first half to .816 in the second half.
Torkelson has spent a lot of time this spring improving his bat discipline, so we should see an increase in walks and a decrease in strikeouts.
He’s still swinging for the fences, but we’re also seeing him start spraying the ball all over the field. This is expected to improve his BABIP and, in turn, improve his batting average.
Even if he had a batting average of .250, that and 30+ home runs is huge.
And the best part is that his average draft position is 107.78th. This means they could wait until the 9th round or he could wait until the 10th round to draft him in a 12-team league.
If you find yourself still looking for a first baseman or corner infielder late in the draft, head to Kansas City and hunt down the creature affectionately known as Pascatch.
We haven’t seen a full season of Vinny Pasquantino yet, but the raw power is there and so is the plate discipline.
No need to worry about late spring. Note the .280 isolated power mark he posted in the minors and the .190 ISO he posted last season.
Also noteworthy is his incredibly low strikeout rate.
The 26-year-old is just hitting his prime physically, which will help him achieve more than 20 home runs and a solid .275 batting average, along with discipline at the plate. He’s not bad for a guy who can go 14 rounds.
Without a doubt, everyone wants to acquire a top-notch first baseman. Freeman and Olson are studs.
But if you happen to miss them, there’s no need to panic.
Set your sights on guys like Torkelson and Pasquantino to power through late.
You can rest assured and focus on other categories and positions in the early rounds.
Howard Bender is responsible for the following content. fantasyalarm.com. X Follow him at @rotobuzzguy[WEB]Insert link:[WEB”insertlink:[WEB”insertlink:https://twitter.com/rotobuzzguy%5D Catch him on the award-winning SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel on the “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” weekdays from 6-8 p.m. fantasyalarm.com Get fantasy baseball news and advice.
