Opening day is just around the corner, and it's officially fantasy baseball season! One of the most crucial parts of winning your fantasy baseball league is finding the hidden gems buried down the draft board. Today, we'll be looking at the top 10 sleepers for the 2024 fantasy baseball season.
10. Jarred Kelenic - OF, Atlanta Braves
Jarred Kelenic has recorded a hit, this is not a drill. pic.twitter.com/NugY2Cjtqh
Jarred Kelenic was brought in to the Atlanta Braves organization this offseason as part of one of Alex Anthopoulos' many sneaky deals he's become known for. The hype around Kelenic has died down quite a bit since he first entered the league in 2021 but I'm projecting him to finally have that big breakout season we've all been waiting for.
Now Kelenic has started Spring Training not too great as he's only hitting for a measly .067, but it does appear that the Braves are working with him to change his stance slightly with him lowering his hands as they've done in the past with Ronald Acuña and Michael Harris II.
The two biggest factors in this pick are as follows, Truist Park ranked just inside the top ten last year for MLB Park Factor, a stat that shows how hitter friendly or pitcher friendly a park is. The other factor is that the Braves will yet again this year have a top 5 offense in the league and Kelenic should slot in very comfortably.
Projected Stats: AVG: .252, HR: 22, RBI: 61, SB: 14
9. Hunter Brown - P, Houston Astros
Hunter Brown, 85mph Curveball and 98mph Fastball, Overlay pic.twitter.com/38wKEFnTew
Hunter Brown easily had one of the more unluckier seasons from a pitcher last year. Brown carried a .330 BABIP and home run per fly ball rate of 21.0% across an otherwise decent season.
I expect the right handed flamethrower to bounce back this year and adjust well in his sophomore season. The Houston Astros will look to keep their place as a perennial World Series contender behind their young pitching staff and could easily see Brown jump to a top three spot in the rotation.
Projected Stats: 160 IP, 13-9 W/L, ERA: 3.65, 183 K
8. Jackson Chourio - OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Jackson Chourio today:
3-for-3
2 2B
1 RBI
1 R
He’s hitting .304 in the Cactus League pic.twitter.com/DPhB4u5Xdl
Jackson Chourio is the certified "way too early" pick for this list. The Milwaukee Brewers number one prospect could easily not get called up till late in the year or not at all and at the same time could start opening day with the potential for a 20/40 or even 30/30 season.
Across his last 57 games in Double A and Triple A ball Chourio had a statline of .324 AVG, 11 HR, and 21 SB. The potential is there and the Brewers already know that, as this offseason they handed out a healthy $80 million extension to the 20 year old.
This is going to be the hardest statline to predict as Chourio is the only one on this list that has yet to see time in the league but all the tools and signs are there for me to confidently say, even if it's not this year, Chourio in the near future may be a top player in baseball.
Projected Stats: AVG: .261, HR: 16, RBI: 68, SB: 30
7. Tyler O'Neill - OF, Boston Red Sox
Tyler O'Neill muscles one over the seats in left! ? pic.twitter.com/orizEb5Vjr
Tyler O'Neill is one of the best athletes in baseball today. He signed a one year prove it deal with the Boston Red Sox this offseason that could turn into a major steal.
O'Neill has been up and down for the past two years dealing with injuries but i'm betting on him to bounce back in a major way this year. Fenway's short left field should boost a lot of his stats and he should have a consistent spot in the top of a rebuilding Boston order.
Projected Stats: AVG: .255, HR: 31, RBI: 74, SB: 14
6. Bobby Miller - P, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bobby Miller, Wicked Breaking Ball. ? pic.twitter.com/3vEb4gQXfj
Everyone can see that Bobby Miller has some of the most electric stuff in the game. The 6'5 pitcher has a bright future for the Los Angeles Dodgers already stacked team and is set up for a big season.
In Miller's rookie season he put up a solid 11-4 record with a 3.77 ERA. With the addition of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a returning Walker Buehler, I predict Miller to hold a comfortable spot in the back half of the rotation in what should be a very successful year for the Dodgers.
Projected Stats: 150 IP, 12-5 W/L, ERA: 3.68, 142 K
5. Gabriel Moreno - C, Arizona Diamondbacks
Throwing from the knees:
Good internal rotation leads to strong external output.
Gabriel Moreno pic.twitter.com/mWqCA2zARB
The 24 year old Gabriel Moreno quietly had an elite season last year for world series runner up Arizona Diamondbacks. Now I do think Arizona may regress some as a team this year but that should not affect any of the great work Moreno can do.
His slash line of .284/.339/.408 was a very welcome surprise for the Dbacks and I don't see his production waning at all this season barring any injury. Expect Moreno to rack up stats this year with stars Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte hitting in front of him.
Projected Stats: AVG: .287, HR: 11, RBI: 61, SB: 8
4. Lane Thomas - OF, Washington Nationals
#FantasyBaseball
Such a sneaky draft option this year is Lane Thomas. Last year he went 28 HR/ 20 SB and a .267 average. 120 ADP? Drafting him in as many leagues as possible.
Today went 1-3, hits a single at 110 MPH EV and has another batted ball at 101.6 MPH? pic.twitter.com/9By0aJNTUS
To put it simply, Lane Thomas is a very underrated player on a very bad team. The Washington Nationals could end up flipping Thomas this year or it may just be another solid season while the Nats likely finish last in the NL East yet again.
The Nationals have the 6th best park factor in baseball and Lane should continue to hit for solid power numbers and decent average.
Projected Stats: AVG: .270, HR: 29, RBI: 81, SB: 21
3. Chris Sale - P, Atlanta Braves
Chris Sale, Wipeout Slider. ? pic.twitter.com/hLgyTe2mcf
Chris Sale is probably the biggest wildcard of this list mainly because of his injury history. Regardless, if the Atlanta Braves get a healthy Sale this year it could spell big problems for the rest of the league.
Sale clearly still has some nasty stuff as he posted elite numbers last year in chase %, K%, and xBA. If Sale can have a full season this year, the run support alone should turn into a borderline elite season for the future hall of famer.
Projected Stats: 155 IP, 14-7 W/L, ERA: 3.48, 174 K
2. Gavin Lux - 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Absolute Audio Gold!
Couldn't agree more with Rick Monday! Gavin Lux has done everything this organization has asked him to do & will continue to. And, this is what a "real" team does, they support each other. One of the reasons I LOVE being a Dodgers fan. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/DHLSm4kVE1
Coming off an ACL tear last season may dissuade people from taking Gavin Lux too early in fantasy but I don't expect the knee to bother him really at all. The Los Angeles Dodgers have an insanely stacked team this year so there also won't be too much pressure on Lux to perform.
In 2022 Lux posted a very solid .276/.346/.399 line and with the previously mentioned stacked Dodgers roster I'm projecting an even better 2024. I'm not sure where exactly he'll slot into the batting order but either way his production could be borderline all star.
Projected Stats: AVG: .276, HR: 12, RBI: 56, SB: 9
1. Cole Ragans - P, Kansas City Royals
Cole Ragans, 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/IaGac1q66m
The biggest obstacle for Cole Ragans in the 2024 season has nothing to do with him but the team he's on. The Kansas City Royals are simply just not good and that fact alone will make Ragans fall in the draft.
Ragans has already showcased some of the nastiest stuff in the league posting above average and borderline elite xERA, xBA, and K% in his first full season for the Royals. I don't expect that to change anytime soon and the only reason he can't go as high as some of the other top pitchers in the league is that he will not get much run support from the bottom 5 ranked Royals offense.
