2025 Fantasy Baseball: Daulton Varsho Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Daulton Varsho would be a fantasy edge if the Blue Jays gave him 10 games at catcher in 2025. He's coming off a shoulder injury that potentially could delay his status for opening day.
Daulton Varsho crushes his 14th home run of the season. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/RyszY8mcLA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 11, 2024
OF – Daulton Varsho, TOR (ADP – 316.9)
Varsho missed the final 15 games of last season with a right shoulder injury (rotator cuff) that required surgery. Last September, the Blue Jays expected him to be ready for spring training. He’s seen time at DH in March, but his right arm might not be in starting game shape when the lights come on for the regular season.
His final stats in 2024 fell in a competitive backend outfielder range in four categories. Unfortunately, Varsho had a regression in his batting average every year with Toronto. He finished with a four-year high in his strikeout rate (26.7) while taking a few more walks (9.4%). Surprisingly, his bat has more value against left-handed pitching (.287/19/3/11/5 over 94 at-bats) than righties (.195 with 54 runs, 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, and five stolen bases over 365 at-bats).
Varsho started the year with productive at-bats in runs (31), home runs (10), RBIs (30), and steals (5) over the first two months despite hitting .205 over 176 at-bats. Back and knee issues led to disappointing stats in June and July (.194/20/3/16/4 over 160 at-bats). His exit velocity (86.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (33.3) were the lowest of his career.
Fantasy Outlook: The lack of catcher qualification has put Varsho in a different fantasy comparison in 2024 and 2025. His playing projects well, and he appears to have a higher ceiling in power and speed based on his best year in 2022. I view him as a viable backend option at outfield in deep formats, with the hopes that Varsho is healthy enough to open the season with a minimum of a DH role.
In addition, he does have catching experience, and the Blue Jays don’t have a strong C2 option this year. On the downside, his recovery from shoulder surgery may lead to fewer home runs early in the year.
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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.
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