Fantasy Baseball: Breakout Players and Sleeper Shortstops
In this story:
Value: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds
His success in 2023 between AAA and the majors outperformed his scouting report. His ADP (65 – 38th hitter) was higher heading into last season. I see a pullback in his batting average (in the .270 range) until his approach aligns with his previous success. The Reds gave him 50 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League (.240/12/4/12/1 with 21 strikeouts).
McLain was on a path to a 20/30 season with a high floor in runs and RBIs, but his recovery from shoulder surgery may lead to lower expectations in power. He will gain outfield eligibility in 2025. When doing my first run of the projections, he ranked first at second base by FPGscore and 12th at shortstop, similar to his March ADPs at each position (2B - 4th and SS - 10th) in the NFBC in early March.
Spring Stats (3/10/2025): 7-for-23 with five runs, one home run, three RBIs with one walk and seven strikeouts
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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