Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco already has 652 plate appearances under his belt, despite recently turning 22 years old. He only hit six home runs last season, but he batted .277 across 314 at-bats for the Rays, providing consistency to Fantasy baseball lineups. Franco also stole eight bases in 83 games, suggesting that he could double that total in a full slate this year. Should you be considering him in your upcoming 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts?
There are plenty of young players ready to become 2023 Fantasy baseball breakouts, but some of them will turn into 2023 Fantasy baseball busts as well. SportsLine's model has ranked every player, giving you the 2023 Fantasy baseball advice you need to win your league this season. 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: Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas. Rojas isn't slotted as an everyday positional starter heading into the season, but he has been a steady bat as a designated hitter over the last two years. In 264 games between 2021 and 2022, he has hit .267 with a .746 OPS and has 20 home runs with 100 RBI.
Rojas has also been an effective baserunner, and he stole a career-high 23 bases last season while only getting caught three times. He finished with a career-low strikeout rate in 2022 (19.2%), with his highest walk rate (10.8%) and hard-hit ball rate (36.2%) since his rookie season. Because of all the offensive tools in Rojas' game, the model predicts he will hold as much or better Fantasy value than others with higher average draft positions like Luis Urias, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Gunnar Henderson.
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.
