Spring training numbers can be difficult to interpret heading into 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts, as batters face a wide range of talent. There can still be some useful data though, such as Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu hitting .342 with a double and a home run through his first 38 at-bats. He struggled to make hard contact at the end of the 2022 season before rehabbing a toe injury in the offseason. Is LeMahieu one of the 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers?
LeMahieu has only hit more than 15 home runs in a season once in his career, but power is still a necessary component to being a serviceable hitter. If his late-season form from 2022 carries over this year, he would likely be one of the 2023 Fantasy baseball busts. Before finalizing your 2023 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last season, SportsLine's Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman.
Edman had a 2022 Fantasy baseball ADP well outside the top 100 but the model predicted that he'd outperform that draft position. The result: Edman posted new career-highs in home runs (13), RBI (57) and stolen bases (32) while slashing a respectable .265/.324/.400 to finish as the third-best second baseman in Fantasy baseball. Anybody who followed its advice and picked up Edman late in their Fantasy baseball drafts received a huge power boost in their Fantasy baseball lineups.
The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.
Any time more MLB news comes out about the updated 2023 MLB schedule, free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers
One of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is high on: Orioles left fielder Austin Hays. He played a career-high 145 games last season, racking up a career-best 134 hits at a .250 clip. Hays has hit a combined 38 home runs over the last two campaigns to go along with 62 walks and 131 RBI.
He hit .333 through his first 14 Grapefruit League games this year, with four of those hits leaving the yard. Hays added 10 RBI and scored six runs, confirming the assumption that he will open the season as Baltimore's starting left fielder. He is currently being selected behind Ian Happ, Corbin Carroll and Chris Taylor in average drafts, but SportsLine's model has him ranked ahead of those left fielders.
Another of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is all over: Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas. He is expected to handle most of the workload at shortstop for Los Angeles this season following Gavin Lux's season-ending injury. Rojas was acquired in a trade with Miami in the offseason after hitting .236 with six home runs and 36 RBI last year.
The 34-year-old has been viewed as a defense-first player throughout his career, but the stacked Los Angeles lineup could potentially lead to his most productive season as a hitter. He withdrew from the World Baseball Classic in a mutual decision with the Dodgers now that he is the team's primary shortstop. SportsLine's model thinks he is well worth a late-round pick, ranking him ahead of Ezequiel Tovar and Nico Hoerner, who both have an earlier ADP.
How to find proven 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings
SportsLine's model is also high on a surprising starting pitcher who lands in the top 10 of its positional rankings. This player is barely going off the board in the top 125 picks, but is projected to outperform starters Aaron Nola, Shane McClanahan and Brandon Woodruff. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So which 2023 Fantasy sleepers should you target in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Tommy Edman's big season, and find out.
