2023 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Well, the NFL season has now come to end, which means baseball is right around the corner. With the offseason more or less complete, it’s now time to focus on Fantasy Baseball and who you should be drafting on your team.
This year, Vendetta is doing a Fantasy Baseball league with a lot of first-year players, myself included. As it goes in all fantasy sports, there are players who slip under everyone’s radar and become that late pick that wins you the league. While I want to keep some of sleepers to myself, in this article I will attempt to name a few guys you can grab later in drafts who will help you win your league.
Tyler Stephenson — Catcher (Reds)
It seems like the Tyler Stephenson breakout season is always just around the corner, but I’m confident that this will be the year that said breakout year happens.
In a full 2021 season, he had a slash line of .286/.366/.431 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. The biggest issue for Stephenson in his young career has been his ability to stay healthy, but when he is in the lineup, it’s clear the type of production he can give you.
His current ADP is at 174 which has him as the 12th-highest catcher, though if he can stay healthy for the duration of the year, I think he can finish as a top-five catcher and be one of the top sleepers coming from a weak catching position.
Julio Urias — Starting Pitcher (Dodgers)
I know this may be too big a name to truly consider a sleeper, and it’s a fair observation. Julio Urias is one of the top pitchers in the league and has received some Cy Young votes even. Despite this, Urias currently ranks as the 15th-best pitcher according to Fantasy Pros, and it’s because of that ADP that I feel that Urias is still a sleeper going into this year.
This is a guy who is going to be an absolute workhorse in terms of throwing innings which should allow him to compile a lot of stats. Urias has thrown over 150 innings in each of the last two seasons while tallying 20 and 17 wins, respectively. Load management is a big issue for a lot of pitchers, but for Urias, it simply doesn’t exist.
I think he can end up being a top-eight pitcher and surpass some of the older pitchers currently ranked ahead of him like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and even Jacob deGrom.
Ezequiel Tovar — Shortstop (Rockies)
Now, this is a name that may not be familiar to a ton of you right now, but I believe he will be by the end of the season.
Ezequiel Tovar is a 21-year-old Venezuelan who signed with the Rockies back in 2017 and has shot through their minor league system. Last year at the Double and Triple-A level he slashed .319/.387/.540 with 14 home runs and, most notably for fantasy relevance, 17 stolen bases in just 71 games. This play earned him a September call-up, and his elite defense should result in him becoming the everyday shortstop.
Right now, he sits as the 26th-best shortstop according to Fantasy Pros, but I believe he will finish much, much higher. He will be playing in Coors Field, which always helps and should steal over 20 bases. If you are looking for a shortstop later in the draft, look no further than Tovar.
Luis Garcia — Starting Pitcher (Astros)
Luis Garica has plummeted down pre-season fantasy rankings, and for the life of me, I can’t really figure out why. Fantasy Pros has him ranked as the 153rd pitcher, below the likes of Kyle Gibson and Tarik Skubal. When you look at his stats from just last year you can see where my confusion comes from.
Last year, he threw 157.1 innings to the tune of 157 strikeouts with a 3.72 ERA. He was a mainstay in that Houston rotation and should continue with that role this next season. Even if Garcia doesn’t have an elite season and just emulates what he did last year, then he will end up playing much better than that 153 ranking and will certainly be one of the better sleepers this year.
Ramon Laureano — Outfielder (Athletics)
Ramon Laureano is one of those guys in a really weird spot. He definitely has the talent and the raw ability; it’s just always been about staying on the field. Whether it’s been injury or suspension, he just can’t seem to stay on the field for a prolonged period of time, and that certainly makes him a risk going into this season.
But I’m banking on a year where Laureano is able to stay healthy for most of the year and emulate his 2019 season. Fantasy Pros has him as OF No. 53 below guys like Jon Berti and Riley Greene. Laureano is also a threat to steal bases and should see an increase in that department following the recent rule change to the bases. If he can stay healthy, I expect Laureano to greatly outplay that rank of the 53rd outfielder and be one of the better sleepers this year.
And with that, I present to you my five fantasy sleepers for the 2023 MLB season. I know there are plenty of names I didn’t include, and I would love to hear some names you guys think I missed.
I’m confident in all my picks and really feel that they will help you win your fantasy leagues. I obviously can’t predict the future and may be wrong on one or two picks but I’m hoping that’s not the case. But anyway, hope this serves helpful for you all and may we enjoy the beautiful sport that is baseball when the time comes.
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