2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Platoons you should know plus splits that need to improve
Platoons are important to know in Fantasy because they correlate to playing time. Here are the six most likely platoons and others who should try and improve their splits.
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1 min read
When it comes to Fantasy sports (not just baseball), we think we know it all. Think about it. How many times have you been frustrated that one of your players is stuck in a platoon? Or how about when your starting pitcher gets pulled at 5.2 innings pitched in a quality start league? It happens consistently in other sports, too. In basketball, you find an intriguing per-minute producer but for whatever reason he doesn't earn more playing time. In football, a wide receiver makes a big play and is never seen again. I see you Andy Isabella. Well, get used to it.
The truth is, coaches and managers get paid millions of dollars to do what they do. As much as we hate the Dodgers for constantly platooning their hitters and giving their pitchers random IL stints, it works! They've won 91 games or more in seven straight seasons, finishing atop the NL West in each of those.
Platoons aren't going anywhere and it sucks for Fantasy. Volume is extremely pivotal in this game, regardless of format. In H2H points leagues, more at-bats means more opportunity for Fantasy points. In Roto or H2H categories leagues, four of the five main offensive categories are counting stats.
Platoons affect us most in daily lineup leagues or deeper formats. With daily leagues, you can just stream Joc Pederson against RHP and that's an easy way to get a .920 OPS bat in your lineup. In deeper leagues with weekly lineups, it's important to be aware of these situations. You don't want to play Nomar Mazara in a week where he's expected to face four lefties because he might sit in each of those games.
Here are six likely platoons you should be aware of and eight more players who can take their game to the next level if they improve their splits.
EXPECTED TO PLATOON
While Gavin Lux did crush LHP in Triple-A last season, everything else in his minor-league career makes you skeptical. Last season at Double-A, Lux posted a .738 OPS vs. lefties and .927 against righties. In 2018, it was even more pronounced as he managed just a .467 OPS against lefties at the same level. It doesn't help that the Dodgers have Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor at their disposal. Both carry at least a 111 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. Lux is immensely talented but his playing time seems limited to start.
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Lux's teammate Joc Pederson is the poster-child for platoons. Last season, Pederson finished 11th in the National League in home runs with 36. All 36 of those came against right-handed pitching. In 50 plate appearances against lefties, Pederson managed a .505 OPS with a 30% strikeout rate. The Dodgers are consistently loaded with depth, which means one of A.J. Pollock, Enrique Hernandez, or Chris Taylor will be stepping in for Pederson against southpaws.
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Once considered a top prospect, Nomar Mazara has settled in as a below-average offensive contributor. He's never topped more than 20 home runs in a season despite playing in one of the best hitting environments in Globe Life Park. Part of that is his struggles against left-handed pitching. In his career, he owns just a .130 ISO and a 59 wRC+ against lefties. Roster Resource currently has Adam Engel pegged to be Mazara's running mate.
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Add Tommy La Stella to the long list of random mid-career breakouts in 2019. Last season, at 30 years old, La Stella hit 16 home runs with an .832 OPS in just 80 games for the Angels before a broken tibia ended his season. Most of that damage came against righties as he managed just a .712 OPS and a 91 wRC+ against lefties. The Angels have sneaky depth in the form of Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher. Just last season Fletcher hit .276 with a 10.3% walk rate against left-handed pitching.
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Sam Hilliard was a man among boys at Triple-A last season, posting an .893 OPS with 35 home runs and 22 steals. He was promoted to the Rockies in late August and didn't stop there, hitting seven more homers with two more stolen bases. He can absolutely be a contributor in Roto leagues but does profile as a platoon bat to start the season. While he performed well against lefties last year, he hit just .211 with a .577 OPS against lefties at Double-A in 2018. Considering Ian Desmond is still on the Rockies and posted a ridiculous .977 OPS against left-handed pitching, you should expect a platoon here.
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Jesse Winker probably just is who he is at this point in his career. He can be a plus contributor in batting average while providing modest home runs in a great ballpark. He's also terrible against left-handed pitching. While his career .907 OPS against righties is very impressive, his .543 OPS against lefties is very Joc Pederson-esque. The Reds also have a hidden weapon by the name of Phillip Ervin. Who? Ervin is a 27-year old juggernaut against southpaws. Just last season, he hit .349 with a 1.038 OPS against them.
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SPLITS THAT COULD IMPROVE
Rafael Devers was truly remarkable last season. He finished as a top-10 hitter in both Roto and H2H points. He can take his game to the next level, however, if he improves against lefties. At 23 years old, I don't see why he can't. Devers was dreadful against lefties in 2018, hitting .229 with a .619 OPS and a 51.7% ground ball rate. Last season, he improved those numbers to .269 with a .744 OPS and a 48.5% ground ball rate. If he continues to lower that ground ball rate, he can take another step. And honestly, even if he doesn't, he just showed you what he can do even with subpar numbers against lefties.
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At just 23 years old, Albies has become one of the most consistent second basemen in Fantasy. Just last season, he finished top five at the position in both Roto and H2H points. Oddly enough, however, he's a rare switch-hitter who struggles big time against right-handed pitching. In his career, Albies owns a .982 OPS against lefties and a .744 OPS against righties. All of his minor-league numbers support this data, too. Back in Triple-A in 2017, he posted a .970 OPS against lefties and a .707 OPS against righties. Like Devers, Albies made incremental adjustments from 2018 to 2019 and hopefully builds off that in 2020.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was disappointing last season. There's no way around that. A .272 batting average with 15 home runs isn't going to get it done for Fantasy purposes. It's well-documented that he needs to lift his launch angle in order to achieve his potential. What he also needs to do is get back to mashing against left-handed pitching, and I think he could. Last year he hit just .215 with a .643 OPS against lefties. A look back at his minor-league numbers shows he's usually much better. Across four different levels in 2018, he hit .349 against lefties. The fact that Guerrero performed as well as he did against right-handed pitching last season (118 wRC+) is another reason to buy in for 2020.
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At his best, many believe Matt Olson is somebody who can lead baseball in home runs. Just last season, he hit 36 home runs across 127 games. That's nearly a 46-home run pace over 162 games. What can help take his Fantasy game to the next level is if he improves against left-handed pitching. Olson is a career .254 hitter, mostly dragged down by hitting .232 against lefties. He's not terrible. He keeps his head above water against them, which is why he isn't platooned, but if he does just slightly improve, he could become a Fantasy star.
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Corey Seager is a popular mid-round pick in Fantasy this season and for good reason. He bats in the middle of one of the best lineups in baseball and is a quality player. He's posted an .817 OPS or higher in three of the past four seasons. If he can come anywhere close to his 2017 form against left-handed pitching (.325 BA, .916 OPS), then Fantasy stardom is on the horizon. Seager hasn't been bad against lefties in his career. He's just been consistently better against righties. Don't give Dave Roberts a reason to platoon you, Corey!
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I believe Garrett Hampson is a popular sleeper for two reasons: he plays half his games in Coors Field and he offers a mouth-watering skillset in today's game. Across 1,342 minor-league plate appearances, Hampson is batting .311 with 130 steals and just 25 caught stealing. Outside of last September, he hasn't flashed this upside consistently with the Rockies yet. He needs to prove he can be better against right-handed pitching. In his career against righties, Hampson is batting just .249 with a 30% strikeout rate. With the universal DH coming the National League, now's the time for Hampson.
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A former top prospect, Carson Kelly flashed some of that upside in 2019 with 18 home runs to go along with a 13% walk rate. His 48.7% hard contact rate was also first among all catchers with at least 350 plate appearances. This all happened, however, with a .203 batting average and a .708 OPS against right-handed pitching. Kelly owns lefties but needs to improve against righties in order to get to that next level. It doesn't help that backup Stephen Vogt owns a career 115 wRC+ against righties.
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Over Austin Riley's first 34 games last season, he hit 12 home runs with a .964 OPS. Over his final 46 games, he would hit just six homers with a .534 OPS. Considering there are more right-handed pitchers in baseball, Riley must improve against them. He hit just .215 with a .676 OPS and a 3.6% walk rate against righties last season. There is hope, as he fared quite well against them during his minor-league career. With the universal DH coming to the National League, Riley is a sneaky power source with upside at pick 300.
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