Fantasy Baseball 2022: Sleepers, Busts and Final MLB Mock Draft
The 2022 fantasy baseball season comes with a new wrinkle.
The implementation of the universal designated hitter makes a handful of players more coveted in fantasy baseball drafts than they were in previous seasons.
Darin Ruf and Rowdy Tellez earned waiver-wire interest last season because of their slugging capabilities, but they were not always in the lineup for nine innings.
Ruf was hurt by the San Francisco Giants' reliance on lineups heavy with left-handed hitters or right-handed bats depending on the matchup. Manager Gabe Kapler was not shy to pinch-hit from the sixth inning on to help with matchups at the plate and defense.
Tellez displayed positive signs at the plate once he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last season. Tellez could provide power from the first base slot or he could be utilized as a designated hitter. His fantasy stock goes up in either situation.
As always, there are players to avoid in fantasy drafts as well. Most of the players with that designation come into the season with injury histories. Others may have their playing time cut into by the potential arrival of top prospects at some point in the 2022 season.
Final Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft
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1. Trea Turner, 2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Juan Soto, OF, Washington
3. Vladimir Guerrero, 1B/DH, Toronto
4. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland
5. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
6. Bryce Harper, OF, Philadelphia
7. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto
8. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
9. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
11. Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee
12. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta
13. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston
14. Max Scherzer, SP, New York Mets
15. Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets
16. Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
17. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta
18. Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
19. Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox
20. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston
Sleepers
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Darin Ruf, OF, San Francisco
Darin Ruf mashed his way on to the fantasy baseball radar last season.
The San Francisco Giants outfielder hit 16 home runs and recorded a .904 OPS in the surprising season for the franchise.
Ruf's power carries more fantasy baseball value in 2022 because of the universal designated hitter.
San Francisco may still opt to platoon some players in the lineup because of matchups, but Ruf's bat and potential to sit in the DH spot make him less vulnerable to the in-game changes.
Ruf's right-handed bat will be needed in the outfield and at DH since the Giants have Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski, Steven Duggar and Lamonte Wade Jr. all as left-handed bats for those positions.
He should be targeted in the latter rounds of your fantasy draft because of the potential platoons, but he still carries value because of his home-run hitting ability.
Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Milwaukee
Rowdy Tellez could also go through some rotation at first base in Milwaukee's lineup.
The left-handed slugger may split time at first base with Keston Hiura and Mike Brosseau, both of whom have right-handed bats.
The addition of the DH in the National League should help Tellez recover some of the at-bats he would lose in a platoon against left-handed pitchers.
Tellez hit seven home runs and delivered 28 RBI in 56 games with Milwaukee after his trade from the Toronto Blue Jays. He is only a few years removed from a 21-homer season in Toronto, but he could not replicate his 2019 output because of the young depth in the Blue Jays organization.
He should receive ample opportunities to prove his worth in the Milwaukee lineup, and like Ruf, he could be a solid late-round addition in fantasy drafts because of his power.
Busts
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Adalberto Mondesi, IF, Kansas City
Adalberto Mondesi has played more than 100 games once in his MLB career.
The Kansas City Royals infielder was on the diamond for 35 games in 2021 because of injuries.
When he is healthy, Mondesi is solid producer of hits and stolen bases, but he has a track record of not playing an entire season.
Mondesi is expected to begin 2022 at shortstop, but that may not last the full campaign. Bobby Witt Jr. will either break training camp with the Royals or come up from the minors shortly thereafter.
At the moment, third base is the spot left open for Witt, but if he plays well enough compared to Mondesi, Kansas City could make him the everyday player at shortstop, which is his natural position.
Nothing about Mondesi's situation is comforting to a fantasy baseball player, which is why it's best to stay away from him in drafts.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston
Alex Bregman has less support behind him in the Houston Astros lineup now that Carlos Correa is with the Minnesota Twins.
Houston still has Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel and Kyle Tucker to hit behind Bregman, but none of them possess the same five-tool package as Correa.
Bregman's offensive production has been on the decline since he hit 41 home runs in 2019.
The third baseman had a .777 OPS to go with 12 home runs and 55 RBI over 91 games last season.
The OPS numbers are the most concerning. He went from 1.015 in 2019 to .801 in 2020 to .777 in 2021. That, combined with the loss of Correa, make Bregman a less intriguing fantasy baseball prospect than he was in previous seasons.
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