2025 Fantasy Baseball: Brendan Donovan Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Many fantasy drafters won't give Brendan Donovan a second look in fantasy drafts due to his limited ceiling in four categories. His batting average plays well, and he is getting better.
Brendan Donovan three-run home run for the lead! pic.twitter.com/Ymlw9y86eV
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 31, 2024
2B – Brendan Donovan, STL (ADP – 242.7)
The St. Louis Cardinals gave Donovan 150 starts in 2024 to prove his worth. He responded with career highs in almost all offensive categories. His growth in power production (14 home runs and 73 RBIs) raised his profile on the surface, but Donovan had a minimal change in his average hit rate (1.503 – career-best).
He failed to hit a home run over 174 at-bats against left-handed pitching (.259 with 18 runs and 16 RBIs). The Cardinals split his at-bats between first (35.9%), fifth (22.0%), and sixth (17.8%) in the batting order. Donovan scored 36 of his 65 runs over the first three months while posting his best home run and RBI stats in April (3/16) and June (4/16).
His fly-ball rate (36.9) was a new top with St. Louis, but he had a regression in his HR/FB rate (7.5 – 13.4% in 2023), exit velocity (88.7 mph), and hard-hit rate (37.6). Despite a pullback in these metrics, Donovan had an improved launch angle (13.2).
Fantasy Outlook: Looking back on his minor league resume, he flashed more stolen bases (19 on 27 attempts) in 2021. Based on his playing time last year and the potential for some growth in his counting stats, Donovan falls into a neutral pocket at second base.
He won’t be a difference-maker in any area, but his approach graded well (strikeout rate – 13.7 and walk rate – 9.4) in his time in the majors. Ideally, a fantasy drafter would like to see him batting in the top two slots of the batting order to reach a higher ceiling in runs and at-bats.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
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.
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