12 Bounce Back Fantasy Baseball Candidates For 2019

When it comes to a fantasy baseball draft, anyone can select Mike Trout or Mookie Betts. It’s not all that hard to take the best of the best players. What kind of team you will have will likely be determined by the selections you make later on in your draft, so-called value plays.

Part of winning a fantasy league comes down to making certain determinations on players who may not have performed up to expectations last season. What do we make of such players? Was it just one bad year because of injury or something going on in their personal lives, or a sign of things to come? Being right about these determinations will go a long way towards determining your fate in your league. Let’s take a look at players that are looking to rebound in 2019 after a poor 2018.

Catcher

Gary Sanchez | New York Yankees

I’ll be the first to tell you that I hate catchers. They get hit with balls, bats, runners, and have to squat thousands of times during the season. It just leads to so much wear and tear on their bodies. Plus, they generally sit at least one day a week. That being said, Sanchez has to be better than he was last season. This is a 35+ HR hitting catcher waiting to happen. Last season seems to have been derailed because of two things. First, injuries. Sanchez has had some issues staying healthy over the past two campaigns. Second, he became pull happy in 2018. Sanchez was pulling off just about every pitch and no longer using right-field to his advantage. Perhaps he wanted to prove that he could hit the ball as far as Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton could? Sanchez should go back to being a plus hitter this season.

First Base

Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds

Yes, Votto only hit 12 HRs last season in what is one of the best hitter’s parks in the majors. Yes, he will turn 36 years of age during the season. Those are facts and we can’t change them. Votto, for what it’s worth, believes his problem last season was mechanical and also believes he has fixed the flaw. I know, everyone would believe that at this point in spring training, but Votto should rebound this year. The Reds have made additions to their team and that should also help reinvigorate both Votto and the offense. Sure, he might not hit 36 bombs like he did in 2017, but a return to the 25-30 range shouldn’t shock anyone and first-base is nowhere near as deep a position as it used to be.

Second Base

Jonathan Villar | Baltimore Orioles

It’s all about speed. It’s the hardest category to fill in rotisserie leagues. Sure, if you drafted Trea Turner your set, but most of us look to fill the SB category in the middle or late portion of our drafts as we don’t like to select one category players with an early pick. Villar should almost run wild in Baltimore as it’s not like that team has much else going for them. Baltimore will need to manufacture runs any way possible.

Third Base

Josh Donaldson | Atlanta Braves

Donaldson has only played 165 games the past two seasons combined after playing at least 155 games from 2013-16. It’s all about that calf injury for Donaldson. It has hindered him for two seasons and seen him traded to Cleveland and then signed by Atlanta in free agency. Atlanta isn’t the hitter’s haven that Toronto was, but it isn’t Oakland either. Donaldson averaged 35 HRs from 13-16, if, and I realize it’s a big if, he stays healthy this season, 28-30 should be in his reach.

Shortstop

Elvis Andrus | Texas Rangers

The drop from 20 HRs in 2017 to six last season really shouldn’t be a surprise. Those 20 HRs were almost as many as he had in the four seasons prior combined. What is a concern is the drop in steals from 25 to five, this after stealing at least 20 bases in every season of his career. That number can’t all be attributed to injury. Perhaps at 31 years of age (August) Andrus just won’t run as much. Perhaps the fact that he hasn’t had a SB percentage above 80 is playing a part here also. Most teams in the sabermetric area believe you need to steal at 80% or above to make the risk of an out worth it. Andrus hasn’t stolen at that rate since 2013.

Outfielders

David Dahl | Colorado Rockies

This is really all about playing time. It’s hard to understand why Colorado insists on signing free agents (Ian Desmond, Daniel Murphy) when they have ready-made homegrown replacements. If the Rockies just leave him alone and let him get 600 Abs, a fantasy MVP season could very well be on its way. Let’s just hope they don’t re-sign Carlos Gonzalez at some point.

Byron Buxton | Minnesota Twins

Yeah, it’s foolish to rely on Buxton. We have been waiting for him to put it all together over a season for what seems like forever. Let’s take the optimistic approach. You can draft him in double-digit rounds this season and while it’s dangerous to assume this will be the year he becomes MVP, it’s not dangerous to assume that at the very least he should be plus to your stolen bases. Baby steps here.

Max Kepler | Minnesota Twins

I almost put Jonathan Schoop on this list also. It seems I expect big things out of the Twins this season, kiss of death, I’m sure. Like Buxton, Kepler was also once a top prospect that has yet to put it all together. His HRs have gone up for three straight seasons, unfortunately, that power might come with a hit to your average and only a handful to your SB categories. Still, he was a top prospect for a reason, the skills are there and not everyone is able to display those skills early in their career.

Pitchers

David Price | Boston Red Sox

A very strong argument can be made that Price should have been named MVP of the World Series last year. He was that good. The elbow scare he suffered early last season seems to have been overblown. Sure, he has his problems versus the Yankees (would bench him in those games). If he has truly turned a corner and is now comfortable playing in Boston, that MVP he lost may not be the last award he misses out on.

Eduardo Rodriguez | Boston Red Sox

Another Red Sox player on this list, as a fan of the Yankees, that doesn’t make me happy. ERod is another player that seems to have all of the tools to be an ace, but injuries have kept him from reaching that potential. Theoretically, there is no pressure on him. Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Price are all ahead of him in the rotation. The Sox offense will allow him to make mistakes and still not cost his team the game. Worst case scenario, assuming healthy, is he helps you in wins and strikeouts without being a huge minus to your ratios. The best case scenario is that this is finally the year he makes everyone remember why some scouts thought he was an ace in waiting when in the Baltimore system.

Roberto Osuna | Houston Astros

You can think whatever you want about what Osuna did or didn’t do in Toronto last season (suspension for violation of the domestic abuse policy). I for one, as a husband and father of two daughters, think it’s reprehensible, but in fantasy, you need to push all of that noise out the door, especially if you’re playing in a money league. Top notch closers are few and far between in MLB. Osuna will be the closer for a team that could approach 100 wins this season. Would 40+ saves really surprise anyone?

Corey Knebel | Milwaukee Brewers

Sure, I get the worry. Josh Hader is that good and could eventually be a closer himself and Knebel lost the role last season due to injury and poor performance. Well, Knebel figured it out down the stretch and in the playoffs and once again looked like a dominant closer and those worried about Hader should also realize that for the Brewers, they will likely want to keep him in his setup role as dominant relievers who can go more than one inning are hard to find.

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