St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Baseball Sleepers and Breakouts
The starting pitching staff for the Cardinals lacks impactful, developing, impact arms. Their offense does have some sleepers and undervalued bats in the fantasy market. St. Louis needs Jordan Walker and Victor Scott to prove they belong in the majors.
Deep Sleeper: Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis gave Burleson the majority of his at-bats in the second slot in their batting order last year, and that plan should hold form this season except when facing left-handed pitching. His FPGscore (0.58) ranked 58th in 2024.
I like his floor in batting average, runs, home runs, and RBIs, and I understand he may have another gear if his bat improves against lefties. In my thoughts, and Burleson should be ranked higher on the OF4 list.
In spring training, Burleson has eight hits over 39 at-bats with four runs, two home runs, and six RBIs. The fantasy street talk has been about a weaker opportunity this year, which is a positive for me as more drafters won't be looking for him. My bet is on his approach and overall floor in 2024.
Sleeper: Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals
Based on minor league success at AAA and a half season of at-bats with the Cardinals, Herrera offers sneaky upside to a fantasy team, thanks to his value in five categories for the catcher position. St. Louis has a viable second catcher (Pedro Pages) who offers power but a lower ceiling.
With 400+ at-bats, I expect a positive batting average for Herrera with a 55/10/50/10 profile as his floor. He should outperform his ADP, and I envision him delivering a J.T. Realmuto 2016 season with a better approach. In 15-team formats, Herrera will be an advantage at C2.
Sleeper: Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
Over the winter, Winn stated that he wanted to run more, with an eye on stealing at least 30 bags. His minor league resume supports his position. His average hit rate (1.554) doesn’t support a push over 20 home runs. Let’s go with a .270 batting average with 100 runs, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a floor of 30 stolen bases.
Bargain: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
The quandary a drafter faces in 2025 is writing off Arenado’s bust season and trusting his return to his previous three years with St. Louis; the other option is to run and hide and avoid him at all costs. A 70/25/80 season would price Arenado as a sixth offensive piece to a fantasy team compared to the 134th-ranked hitter in the early draft season in the NFBC.
The Cardinals will pay him $21 million this year, ensuring he’ll have every opportunity to regain his lost power stroke. A keen eye in March should help sway his draft value. His good outweighs his bad in his career, so take the at-bats, and his power should come along for the ride.
Bargain: Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals
There’s something to be said for a catcher earning more playing time by starting at another position. Contreras checks the power box with some help in speed for a catcher. At the very least, he should offer value in runs and RBIs with 500 at-bats. Possible 30+ home runs with career-highs in the other three counting categories. I do see some batting average risk.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.