2025 Fantasy Baseball: Jeimer Candelario Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Jeimer Candelario has a rising power bat, but it tends to come with weakness in batting average and unimpactful runs and RBIs. The Reds have rising talent at the corner position, inviting more competition for at-bats.
Jeimer Candelario goes yard for a 2-run home run!@Reds up 4-1! pic.twitter.com/Oo4lDH7Q9u
— FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati (@FanDuelSN_CIN) June 4, 2024
3B – Jeimer Candelario, CIN (ADP – 295.8)
Candelario set career highs in runs (77) and home runs (22) in 2023 while adding a surprising eight steals (seven stolen bases over his previous 606 games. He had the most production in July (.240/17/6/15/2 over 75 at-bats). Candelario landed on the injured list in September with a back issue.
Despite missing 50 games (broken toe), he finished two home runs shy of his previous record (22), supported by a career-best average hit rate (1.906). Candelario had a regression in his contact batting average (.307). His production came in June (.290/12/8/19/3 over 93 at-bats). He hit under .215 in April (.189 – 35 strikeouts over 90 at-bats), July (.181), and August (.213).
Candelario had a weaker approach (strikeout rate – 24.6 and walk rate – 5.8). His exit velocity (86.9) was his lowest since 2017, but he finished with a career-best HR/FB rate (15.7). Candelario struggled with left-handed pitching (.215 with 13 runs, three home runs, and 10 RBIs over 130 at-bats – .346 SLG).
The Reds gave him 258 of his 427 at-bats (60.4%) in the third and fourth slots in the batting order. He came to the plate with only 264 runners on base, leading to weakness in his output in RBIs.
Fantasy Outlook: Candelario delivered the league-average fantasy-hitting profile once in his career (2023). I don’t see any excitement in a higher batting average, and he didn’t play well enough last season to command a middle-of-the-order opportunity. His best chance of paying off is by being in the lineup every day, but Candelario isn’t better than Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, or Noelvi Marte. At best, .250 with 65 runs, 20 home runs, and 60 RBIs.
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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