Prospect News: Get Your Neto: Panning For Gold In Fantrax ADPs 

Angels SS Zach Neto 39.9

Neto might be paying a price for being on the Angels, and that’s not totally unwarranted given that runs and RBI might be hard to find. Still, he hit 26 homers and stole 26 bases while batting .257 in his age 24 season on a team with little lineup protection. He’s going after a trio of first basemen in Matt Olson, Rafael Devers, and Bryce Harper, and I totally understand that impulse to take the safest bats you can find. I just prefer the five-category contributions of a guy like Neto, who’s going almost ten spots higher than this in the NFBC: 30.37 since March 1 (121 drafts). 

Dodgers RP Edwin Diaz 85.7

Mariners RP Andres Munoz 88.9

I have always battled a bit of closer-centric thinking on draft day, but these guys are the best, and they’re on great teams, and I’m used to seeing the top closers go in the second or third round. I would walk away from this draft room with at least one of them. Padres RP Mason Miller goes first among relievers at 78.5, for what that’s worth. 

Rockies C Hunter Goodman 90

Getting an odd Rockies discount here. Their position players have disappointed in fantasy leagues over the past few years, but this guy batted .278 with 31 homers and 91 RBI. Those are monster outcomes from the catcher spot. He’s going to play every day and feels like a safe bet to hit 25 home runs with 80+ RBI.  

Marlins SP Eury Perez 96.9

Marlins SP Sandy Alcantara 131

Here, fishy fishy fishy. Come here, fishy fishy. With a year to regain their form post injury, these two could be top ten arms at season’s end. 

Braves C Drake Baldwin 131.9

Braves 2B Ozzie Albies 140.3

Orioles SP Trevor Rogers 141.4

I’m trying to get all three of these guys without reaching. Trouble is I really want those hitters, especially with Albies planning to run more and the designated hitter spot newly vacated on days Baldwin needs a mini rest. 

Cubs SP Cade Horton 175.2

Red Sox 1B Willson Contreras 179.1

Horton won 11 of 22 starts with a 2.67 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. If you somehow land around him here because he struck out ‘just’ 97 major league hitters in 118 innings as a rookie, you’re doing pretty good in my book. He’s been going even lower in the NFBC: 194.86 since March 1. 

I like Contreras for a few reasons this year, but the most straightforward one is that I think R+RBI is underrated, and Contreras is going to bat in the middle of a good lineup surrounded by lefties. Fenway is his best home hitting setting yet as a professional. As an unmeasurable piece of this, he’s comfortable at first base now, and he’s always been fueled by the game, the contest, the battle. He didn’t play a lot of games that mattered in the standings for St. Louis. I think he’ll be rejuvenated in Boston and go something like .275 with 25+ homers and 190 R+RBI. 

Pirates SS Konnor Griffin 212

No way he goes this low in any actual leagues drafting now. He’s at 140.9 through 121 NFBC drafts since March 1. 

Reds 1B Sal Stewart 218.8

Nationals OF Daylen Lile 222.8

Cubs RP Daniel Palencia 224.9

What’s going on here? Okay, I know Lile’s not a known guy yet, so big whoop, but Stewart goes about 50 spots higher in the NBFC (174.26). And Palencia? He’s going 120.77 in NFBC. Is it just draft and hold leagues floating closer value that much? Fantrax players hate closers? What gives? 

Cardinals 2B SS JJ Wetherholt 271.4

Thanks, don’t mind if I do. 217.16 in those NFBC drafts since March 1, in case you were wondering. He’s not 2B eligible there yet either, for whatever that’s Werth, which might be artificially suppressing his cost in those leagues, too. 

Orioles C Samuel Basallo 290

Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle 290.3

Sammy B’s all the way up at 169.36 in the NFBC. Some playing time fear among the Fantrax folks, I suppose. Also, they have a lot of ten-and-twelve-team leagues and even quite a few one-catcher leagues cooked into that number, I suspect.  

Kevin McG is at 242.21 in the NFBC since March 1. Kinda surprised it’s not higher, but I guess he doesn’t read as a big power or speed asset even if he claims a job. I think his juice is a little undersold as people tend to stress the high floor when presenting his profile. 

I’ll pick up where I left off here and head for deeper waters next week. 

Thanks for reading!