Physically, Oneil Cruz seems to have everything modern baseball general managers are looking for in a prospect. The owners of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cruz’s Fantasy are hoping he can put together a full offensive season to match his imposing physique this year. Cruz finished last year with a .233 batting average and .744 OPS in 87 games, but has he turned into a top pick in your 2023 fantasy draft prep?
In his first 13 spring practice games, Cruz has cut just .225/.244/.425 with two home runs and six RBI. Many will expect him to be among fantasy baseball’s top breakouts of 2023, but he only hovered around the Mendoza Line for much of the first three months of last season. Before you clock the clock in a 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft, be sure to check out the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Cheat Sheets from the Trusted Computer Model at SportsLine.
Over the past season, SportsLine’s projection model identified several top fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Reds first baseman Joey Votto. The SportsLine team was all over Votto as a fantasy bust from the start after a resurgent 2021 season that saw him drafted as one of the top 12 first basemen in the 2022 fantasy baseball draft. After Votto cut .266/.375/.563 the year before with 36 home runs and 99 RBIs, Votto cut .205/.319/.370 in 2022 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs. He landed in his position outside of the top 45 players and anyone who took SportsLine’s advice avoided a major headache.
Your model is run by the same people who ran the projections for all three major fantasy sites. And the same group shares their 2023 fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets at SportsLine, helping you find fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major websites, are updated several times a day.
Every time there is more MLB news about the updated 2023 MLB schedule or fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates their predictions. Head over to SportsLine now for these tried-and-true fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2023 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Another of the 2023 fantasy baseball sleepers the model is past: Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana. He signed a one-year, $6.7 million deal with Pittsburgh during the offseason, entering his 14th season as a first baseman and designated hitter. Santana showed some improvement over the past year over 2021, although he finished with an average of .202.
The 36-year-old brings much-needed vigor to the Pittsburgh lineup, hitting 19 home runs each of the last two seasons. Santana has a high ceiling, hitting 34 homers in 2016 and 2019 and hitting nearly 100 runs in both campaigns. He’s undervalued due to an underperforming 2022 campaign, but SportsLine’s model predicts he’ll outperform first basemen like Ryan Mountcastle and Rowdy Tellez.
Top 2023 Fantasy Baseball Breakouts
One of the fantasy baseball outbursts of 2023 that the model jumps on: Diamondbacks left fielder Corbin Carroll. The No. 2 in all of baseball competing this season recorded 115 appearances on the MLB record in 2022. He didn’t disappoint with a .260/.330/.500 split and converted that into an 8-year, $111 million contract, making the 22-year-old the youngest drafted player in MLB history to have a nine-figure contract has signed.
Carroll had 24 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 93 minor league games last season and has a legitimate 30/30 potential. He’s expected to beat the leadoff for Arizona, which means he could see nearly 700 PAs and rack up plenty of other stats with all those opportunities. In the 2023 fantasy baseball rankings, he ranks in the top 15 in the LF, ahead of established vets like AJ Pollock and 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler.
Top 2023 fantasy baseball busts
What players should avoid, the model located Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. Pasquantino was a strong call-up from Double-A last season and had offensive splits of .295/.383/.450 in 72 games with the Royals. That’s cemented its place this season, and the hype train is charging ahead at full speed, having hit .333 in just a handful of games this spring.
Young players making a splash in their first full MLB season only to fall behind is a regular theme in baseball, and Pasquantino is sure to struggle through some breaks. Outside of Salvador Perez, there aren’t many proven at-bats in the Royals’ lineup, and Pasquantino may not score with runners in goal position as often as others at his position. His potential to hit a wall and retire at some point this season is also why the model favors other players drafted after him, such as Christian Walker, Ty France or Josh Bell.
How to Find Proven 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings
SportsLine’s model is also high on a surprise starting pitcher, finishing in the top 10 of its position rankings. This player hardly comes off the board in the top 125 picks but is expected to outperform starters like Aaron Nola, Shane McClanahan and Brandon Woodruff. That choice could mean the difference between winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who that is here.
Which 2023 fantasy baseball busts, breakouts, and sleepers should you target or fade into your designs? Visit SportsLine now to get the 2023 fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all based on the model that Joey Votto called the disappointing season, and find out.