2025 Fantasy Baseball: Jonathan India Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Jonathan India is a post-hype player who comes off a competitive season. If his bat is in rhythm, he'll have a great opportunity at the top of the Royals' lineup.
Jonathan India has his second home run of the night 💪 pic.twitter.com/FBKsd1vHNk
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2024
2B – Jonathan India, KC (ADP – 246.0)
India had the bulk of his at-bats (385) in 2024 from the leadoff position for Cincinnati. He ranked 89th in FPGscore (-0.88) for hitters while coming off the board as the 154th batter in the early draft season. His strikeout rate (19.6) was the lowest of his career, and India pushed his walk rate (12.6) to a new top, inviting another top-of-the-order opportunity.
He struggled on the road (.225/42/4/25/6 over 280 at-bats). His bat faded after the All-Star break (.210 over 224 at-bats with 36 runs, seven home runs, 20 RBIs, and five steals). India was a below-par hitter against right-handed pitching (.237/58/12/44/10 over 392 at-bats).
His exit velocity (87.2 mph), hard-hit rate (36.2), and barrel rate (7.7) almost matched his career averages. India’s contact batting average (.324) has been in a tight range over the past three seasons. When at his best in 2021, he finished 46th in fantasy value in Roto 5 X 5 formats.
Fantasy Outlook: The Royals need a leadoff hitter, giving India an excellent opportunity to hit in front of Bobby Witt. Kansas City plans on giving him at-bats in the outfield, helping his ability to stay in the lineup more often. The downgrade in his home ballpark is a factor in his power expectations. The Royals stole 89 fewer bases than the Reds last season. India is a nice, steady player with some upside if given over 500 at-bats again in 2025. For a fantasy team cheating second base, his bat does make sense for some team structures.
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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