2025 Fantasy Baseball: Isaac Paredes Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
Isaac Paredes brings pull power to the Astros lineup. His walk rate projects well to hit higher in Houston's lineup.
Isaac Paredes with his 1st home run as a Cub 💣 pic.twitter.com/l9sZpD050W
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 7, 2024
3B – Isaac Paredes, HOU (ADP – 199.5)
In 2023, the Rays found a player with a higher ceiling than initially expected. Paredes set a career-high in runs (71), home runs (31), and RBIs (98). He only had 23 barrels, so his home run total (31) was driven by launch angle (22.2%). He profiles as a dead pull hitter.
His power stroke (16 home runs and 55 RBIs) remained intact over his 363 at-bats with Tampa, but Parades lost more ground in batting average (.245). A trade to the Cubs in late July led to below-replacement value stats (.223/23/3/25/1 over 179 at-bats). The Astros signed him to a one-year deal ($6.6 million) in early January.
Paredes only had 20 barrels last season, with a fading exit velocity (85.0 mph) and hard-hit rate (27.1). His average hit rate (1.651) came in well below the previous two years (2.118 and 1.951) while ranking poorly in his contact batting average (.291) while in the majors. He has a fly-ball swing path (45.8%), but many turn into infield flies (18.8% in his career). His HR/FB rate (9.4) last year was well below the previous two seasons (16.5% and 16.9%). Paredes has had a favorable approach (strikeout rate – 16.4 and walk rate – 11.9) in his career.
Fantasy Outlook: My first instinct on his outlook, before running through his profile, was to buy him in 2025. Like many other drafters, his success in power and RBIs in 2023 jumped off the page, and Paredes looked more comfortable at the plate last year. His first step is improving timing at the plate and stop diving under the ball. Torn, but with an open mind if the ball jumps off the bat in spring training.
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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