2025 Fantasy Baseball: Christopher Morel Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Christopher Morel was a helpful bat in four categories for half of 2024. He made strides with his approach at the expense of his aggressive swing. A new home and a winter to clear his head could lead to a much better outcome in power this year.
446 ft 😲
— MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2024
Christopher Morel's 14th home run of the year is a no-doubter. pic.twitter.com/Pwx1y3lluC
3B – Christopher Morel, TB (ADP – 279.8)
Despite setting career highs in plate appearances (611) and at-bats (535), Morel underperformed expectations in power (21) with a sharp decline in batting average (.196). His contact batting average (.279) has been alarmingly low twice over the past three seasons. In addition, his average hit rate (1.762) was a four-year low but high enough to support over 30 home runs with more balls in play. In 2022 and 2023, 42 of his 165 hits (24.5%) were home runs.
His approach (strikeout rate – 26.0 and walk rate – 10.0) was the best of his career, with his growth coming with the Cubs (24.5/11.2). Morel had a sharp decline in his exit velocity (89.2 mph – 92.1 in 2023) and hard-hit rate (40.4 – 50.0 in 2023). Judging by his massive increase in infield fly-balls (17.6% - 7.6 in 2023), Morel lost his timing or thought process at the plate, possibly due to trying to put more balls in play.
Over his first 84 games, he was on a winning pace in runs (38), home runs (15), RBIs (45), and stolen bases (7) over 293 at-bats despite hitting .198. Morel has a quiet July (.203/5/3/6 over 69 at-bats) with Chicago, followed by a disaster finish to the season with the Rays (.191 over 173 at-bats with 13 runs, three home runs, nine RBIs, and one steal).
Fantasy Outlook: Based on his struggles in 2024, by definition, Morel is a dirty power hitter with complementary speed. He made some strides with his approach over the first half, but someone got in his head in Tampa. The Rays plan on starting him in left field this year. Morel has a streaky bat, with 30+ home run upside. For a fantasy team looking for an upgrade in power, his bat stands out late in drafts. Swing big and clean up any damage in batting average before rostering him. His second base qualification adds another layer to his fantasy value.
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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