With MLB’s Opening Day just around the corner, we provide our choice for 10 breakout players in Fantasy Baseball 2016.
By Dustin Shull
Last season, first-year guys such as Carlos Correa, Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, and Kyle Schwarber burst onto the scene and did more than their part to satisfy the happiness of fantasy players.
It does not necessarily have to be a first year guy that can have that breakout year, as Nolan Arenado made us wait until his third year to show everyone that he could hang with the best of the best.
Are these guys in this list going to hit 42 homeruns and drive in 130 RBIs? I would venture as far to say no, but that does not mean that it will hurt you to take a chance late and hold onto some of these guys.
You just might luck out and steal the next Arenado.
Here are our 10 breakout Fantasy Baseball players for 2016:
Pedro Alvarez
Never much of an average hitter, Alvarez is still a solid 25-30 homerun and 70-80 RBI contributor.
After spending his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, he moves to the hitter friendly Camden Yards and should see those numbers achieved or better. Baltimore has plenty of pop in their lineup and adding Alvarez only makes the offense a little scarier.
The only thing that hurts Alvarez is that he is going to be in the AL East where competition can be fierce, and Boston and New York now sport two of the best all-around pitching staffs in baseball.
He should be fine though, as he will serve as the Orioles everyday DH, so wear and tear of playing the field will not be an issue.
If you miss out on a top 1B/Utility guy, you can feel pretty good snagging Pedro in the later rounds. Some drafts may even see Alvarez go undrafted. If that is the case in your league, stash him!
Miguel Sano
Sano is one of the MLB’s quickest stars on the rise.
After only appearing in 80 games of his rookie campaign last season he managed to hit 18 homeruns and drive in 52 runs. He does strikeout at a high rate, but he is also still very young and never got to play a game in Triple-A. Although Sano is a high-risk high-reward player, he knows how to get on base and is about to make his rise as one of the top players in baseball.
You can rest easy if you pass on the top names and choose to go with Sano as your starting right fielder.
The downside is that he is not surrounded by a lot of offense in that Twins lineup, but I would not be surprised if he manages to elevate himself into the 30 home run 100 RBI club by the end of the season.
Michael Conforto
Conforto looks to open the season as the Mets everyday left fielder and should be solid contributor to a team with high hopes to be in the mix again for World Series contenders.
In a short sample size of 56 regular season games and 12 playoff games, he showed his ability with the bat hitting a respectable 9 homeruns and a .270 average. He struggled to get things going in the post season, but that is expected with a first year guy on the biggest stage.
Conforto lucks out in an offense with a plethora of talent around him, and a team that is still pumped after making an unlikely run into the World Series last season.
Expect him to be in the 20/70 range, but also don’t be surprised if he exceeds those numbers. Don’t reach and take him too early, you can get him around the 18th round.
Jung Ho Kang
Kang is someone you can more than likely get later on because others might be worried about the tibia plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear that resulted after Chris Coghlan’s takeout slide last September.
Again, a high-risk player, but you cannot avoid a nice average and on base guy that can fill in at 3B or SS. Shortstop being a position that isn’t so deep, grabbing Kang in the later rounds could end up being a huge steal. He has nice pop in his bat, so he should be sitting in the realm of 20 homeruns and 60 RBIs while adding a very nice average or on base percentage, depending on how your league is set up.
Make sure to have someone to fill in for the time being if you want Kang to be your starter, as he will not return until sometime around the end of April.
It does look promising for Kang though as Adam Berry of MLB.com reported that Kang took part in five innings at third base in a Minor League game for the Pirates.
Joey Gallo
One of the best hitters in the minors, Gallo blasted 40 homeruns in 2013 and bested that in 2014 by hitting 42.
He debuted for the Texas Rangers last season and displayed the power he had been flashing in the minors right away. He homered, drove in four runs, and crossed the plate three times. He struggled to stay consistent throughout his time with the Rangers and strikes out a little more than one would like, but the talent is there.
If Gallo can figure out how to swing for contact more, and feel out a more consistent approach at the plate, he could easily be in the 30/100 range and could really help out your team. He will be more of a stash and wait player for now, but is bound to break out at some point.
Jonathan Schoop
Baltimore has been trying to find a staple at second base since the days of Brian Roberts. Schoop could be that guy to finally fill that void.
He is sneaky powerful (15 homeruns) and has gotten better at making solid contact. Through his first 56 plate appearances he has three homers and nine RBI while batting .358.
Although he struggles to keep an attractive on-base percentage and doesn’t walk very often (nine walks in 86 games), fixing those issues will help him enjoy a nice fantasy year as he has plenty of support from Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, and Matt Weiters.
Schoop could be another late round guy to help round out your team or have a stash for an injury scenario. I like to think that he will be someone that you will want to plug into your lineup regardless.
Kyle Hendricks
Hendricks is a ground-ball pitcher with great command. He isn’t a flamethrower, but his control and consistency make him hard to make contact with. Strikeouts and wins should be something that Hendricks will be able to give you throughout the year.
He sported a 3.95 era last season in 32 starts, which is nothing to be ashamed of when you are pitching in the NL Central with the Cardinals and Pirates.
Having the potent offense backing him up, will likely make him even more appealing to have on your fantasy roster as he will have more than his fair share of run support. He was having in incredible spring only giving up two runs in 14 innings and should carry that into the 2016 season.
He did finally have a bad start when facing the Angels, Hendricks gave up six runs, while four were earned through 5 2/3 innings. Every pitcher has their day, so even with that poor outing, I still look for Hendricks to be a nice commodity to any fantasy roster.
Don’t wait around too long to grab him as he will not be available long.
Starlin Castro
Yes, Starlin Castro is coming into his seventh full season and he has always been a very solid player for the Chicago Cubs, but his change of scenery to the hitter friendly Yankee Stadium should fare well for him and his numbers should rise.
Castro will drive in a nice amount of runs, but don’t expect a lot of them to come via the long ball. His average is the thing that is all over the place and can be hard to predict.
New York is one of the toughest places to play in and hopefully his move to second has no effect, but it should not be much of a change since he played at Wrigley for the first part of his career.
I ultimately look for him to be fine though and should become a fan favorite in the Bronx as he gets more comfortable in his new digs.
Taijuan Walker
If you are like me, and I am sure you are, you took Walker early last year thinking that you were getting a top notch starter.
I now feel your pain, also feeling sorry you went through the frustration as well.
I am going to give him another shot and say this is the year he does show out and become that guy that he has been hyped up to be. As with some of the other players, Walker is only 23 and as expected he is going through some growing pains. He has top notch stuff and can be an elite fantasy pitcher.
If he can get his other pitches down and not only rely on the hard stuff, he will be the pitcher we have been wanting to see. If this season turns out to be a repeat of 2015, I promise he will be left off of this list next year.
We can only wait so long for him to achieve his potential.
Maikel Franco
If I had to pick just one breakout player for the 2016 season, Maikel Franco would be hands down my number one pick every time.
He may find himself not being very selective, but he makes up for it, and then some with his power. He had 14 homers and knocked in 50 runs in 80 games last season before it was cut short due to a non-displaced wrist fracture. If you need proof that he can hit, then just take a look at his spring training stats; .302 BA, 8 HR, and 19 RBIs.
As with Sano, the one thing that could hurt Franco is the fact that Philadelphia has little to no offense which will make it easier for pitchers to avoid throwing to him.
Being on a team rebuilding, Franco should be a focal point of that core for years to come. Expect Franco to be a household name in the near future.