The 2023 World Baseball Classic has started the season off with a bang with dozens of the MLB’s top players participating in the high-stakes international tournament this preseason. However, with 2023 MLB Spring Training being conducted simultaneously, might the high-leverage reps and lack of team-bonding time come back to haunt the WBC players? Fantasy baseball owners across the country are trying to figure out how meaningful baseball taking place this preseason might impact their 2023 Fantasy baseball draft strategy.
And with less than two weeks until 2023 MLB Opening Day on March 30, you’re running out of time to prepare for your 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts. But with a reliable set of live-updated 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings, you can stay on top of all the latest MLB injury news and adjust your strategy accordingly while also identifying 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers who can outperform their 2023 Fantasy baseball ADPs. 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: Rockies designated hitter Charlie Blackmon. The 36-year-old is a four-time All-Star who plays in the most hitter-friendly park in Major League Baseball, and the addition of the designated hitter in the National League has helped extend his career after years of defensive decline.
Blackmon’s numbers last season were a little disappointing, as he slashed .264/.314/.419 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI. But his .304 BABIP was 27 points below his career average so there’s some hope for improvement there. And Blackmon still has the sort of power to potentially deliver 30 home runs or more and that’s why the model ranks him ahead of Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper, who are going at least 80 picks earlier in 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts on CBS Sports.
Another of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is all over: Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor is entering his fifth big-league season, but the No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft is only 25 years old and he’s coming off his best season to date. Naylor slashed .256/.319/.452 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI over 498 plate appearances in 122 games and absolutely tormented right-handed pitching along the way. Naylor slashed. 283/.334/.522 against righties with 19 of his home runs and 68 runs batted in coming with the lefty-righty splits working in his advantage.
Naylor and Josh Bell are expected to be everyday players in 2023, splitting their time between first base and designated hitter, and the former top-100 prospect still has untapped potential if he can even become an adequate hitter against left-handed pitching and continue developing his raw power. That’s why the model ranks him ahead of first basemen like Nate Lowe and Vinnie Pasquantino, who are being drafted at least 50 picks earlier on average.
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.
