Grey and B_Don return to the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast to discuss the happenings from the MLB Winter Meetings. While Grey missed his opportunity to hangout with a Japanese baseball legend, the greatest Japanese baseball legend (maybe just baseball in general), Shohei Ohtani was holding the baseball world captive with his free agency decision when we recorded, so if we sound dumb...More dumb than usual, you know why.
Welcome back to another week of the 2024 Top Keepers series. We've completed our journey around the infield, so now we head to the outfield.
This week the spotlight is on left fielders. It would be simpler to just rank all the outfielders in one big group. However, I am not a fan of leagues that just start outfielders. While there is not a big difference between left field and right field, there is a difference. And playing center field is a very different skillset compared to the corner outfield spots.
With that in mind and knowing there are plenty of leagues that start a left fielder, center fielder and right fielder, I have broken up the positions into three different rankings. But before we get to the top left field keepers, below are the positions that have been discussed previously:
I've mentioned this about sixteen dozen times previously, but here goes sixteen-dozen and one times. There's sleepers ever year who fall into this category: These guys have already broken out, why don't you believe them? Then I have to go about proving what they've already done was solid, and they can do it again. This is James Outman. He already had a great year. Maybe there's just too many outfielders to draft, but I see him being drafted after 180 overall, and I think to myself, "Self, what's going on here?" Besides there just being too many outfielders, the only other reason I can think is people don't trust James Outman. Too easy to get Outman is what you say, incorrectly, and I say, correctly, about his draft price. See what I did there? I'm not sure myself so don't ask me to repeat it. It's gone forever now! Last year, James Outman put up the line of 86/23/70/.248/16 in 483 ABs. Geez, his line already looks like what I'm praying/hoping/please daddy'ing from number two outfielder, forget about where he's going around 3rd to 4th outfielders. Is 86/23/70/.248/16 in 483 ABs really only, roughly, the 45th best outfielder off the board as I've seen? It's a glorious time, but is it that glorious, Gloria, G-L-O-R-I-A? Maybe it is. That's the only excuse for him falling in drafts. I will hear no other! So, what can we expect from James Outman for 2024 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
In our twenty-first episode, Mike Couillard and Jeremy Brewer open by reviewing the latest moves that happened during the MLB Winter Meetings and their fantasy impacts. Then we discuss the release of 2023 Topps Inception plus other exciting card releases happening during this holiday season (53:05). Please, blog, may I have some more?
Winter Meetings? More like Snoozy Meetings! We need more action, which is why I bring you my proposal: Trades are now made with a pitch clock! "Hey, welcome to the Nashville Ramada, the Padres will be discussing Juan Soto trades in the Beige conference room that smells like sausage and onions from last night's wedding that took place there. Padres will be fielding offers for thirty seconds from each team. Pirates, I see you getting ready to offer one of your two catcher prospects. Don't do it. No one wants a catcher. Okay, good luck and may the best team named the New York Yankees win!" That's Rob Manfred adding excitement into the Winter Meetings.
A player doesn’t strike out or not because of where he’s at in the batting order. I start here because I’ve read some thoughts suggesting Jarred Kelenic will be instantly better at making contact simply because he’ll bat lower in the lineup. I’m not saying that’s an impossible outcome; I just think there’s a correlation versus causation conversation there. Even if he does play better in Atlanta, I’m more likely to chalk that up to coaching and reps than I am a number next to his name. Another thing that will make a positive difference is the home ballpark. Lefties face an uphill (up-current?) battle in Seattle, while Truist plays closer to neutral with a little lean toward pitcher-friendliness.
Let’s get a quick look at the particulars.
Seattle gets RHP Cole Phillips, RHP Jackson Kowar, P Budget Relief
Atlanta gets OF Jarred Kelenic, LHP Marco Gonzales, 1B Evan White
Oh, we're only doing sexy fantasy baseball sleepers this year, I see. Who's next Elly De La Cruz? Do you have an Oneil Cruz sleeper in the hopper? Do you have non-sexy Cruzes ready to go? Demand answers from me! Wait, I am me. AHHHHH!!! When did that happen? So, yes -- or YAAAAAAS if George Santos is reading -- Riley Greene is likely a sexy sleeper, but so what? We'll get you some boring eh-eff sleepers soon, don't worry! They can't all be platoon outfielders for the Pirates! Instead, they're corner outfielders for the Tigers. Not since Ron LeFlore has my excitement level been this high for a Tigers' outfielder. Omar Moreno couldn't hold a candle to Ron LeFlore!
My Maserati does 195,
I lost my license, now I don’t drive.
I’m listening to Joe Walsh’s Life’s Been Good, as I write this, and it feels appropriate because fantasy baseball sleepers should have an aura of getting something over on someone else. Please, blog, may I have some more?
1. OF Andy Pages | 23 | AAA | 2024
Pages could be part of the Dodgers’ story in 2024 from chapter one if he can hit a little this spring. Might need an injury or two to break camp but figures to get written into the lineup by the time summer rolls round. Might’ve happened this year if not for a torn labrum that ended his season in June, just one game into his Triple-A career. At 6’1” 212 lbs, Pages features double-plus power, plus patience and a strong throwing arm from a corner-outfield profile. The shoulder injury throws this into question, of course, but if he comes all the way back, he could make an early impact.
I got a trade vetoed by the trade committee.
I traded Bret Baty for two prospects, Jefferson Rojas and Haydn McGeary. I was selling low on Baty, and buying a couple of prospects that I thought would breakout this year. The trade was vetoed, and I'm totally fine with it. I fully expected to have some minor hiccups like this along the way and that's why there's a trade committee in the first place.
