The Major League Baseball season has come down to the final 10 or so games and with that, we have moved on to the recap portion of the season. I hope for many that this is a pivotal week for finishing near the top of the standings, but for some, we are already looking forward to 2023.
We will recap hitters, then pitchers and go over where we were wrong and right and use those lessons for next season.
I will try to avoid the players that were expected to perform in the “Three Up” portion. We all know New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was supposed to be a stud this year and he delivered.
Three Up:
1. Seattle Mariners Outfielder Julio Rodríguez — The 21-year-old caught the baseball world by storm this season due to his combination of power and speed. The youngster parlayed his big rookie season into a contract extension that could keep him in Seattle through 2034. The American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner is hitting .280 with 27 home runs, 73 RBIs, 81 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. Unfortunately, Rodríguez has suffered some injuries, including his current battle with a lower back strain. After being drafted as the 186th hitter in 2022, Rodríguez will find himself in the first couple of rounds in 2023.
2. St. Louis Cardinals Infielder/Outfielder Tommy Edman — Power is always something we want in fantasy baseball, but the ability to be elite in other categories while maintaining position flexibility is extremely valuable. This is what Edman has provided fantasy owners this season. Even though he only has 13 home runs, the 27-year-old ranks fourth in baseball with 31 steals and 13th in runs scored with 93. Edman has also hit a very respectable .261 while being eligible in the infield and outfield. According to ESPN Player Rater, Edman is currently the 22nd-ranked hitter this year. That is impressive considering he was drafted as the 71st hitter back in March.
3. Atlanta Braves Shortstop Dansby Swanson — Rostering a player that plays every day and helps in every category even if not elite in any is extremely underrated. Swanson enters the final games of the season hitting .281 with 22 home runs, 92 RBIs, 94 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. Swanson has also played 153 games. That model of consistency goes a long way in winning championships. Having a player we can count on showing up is huge.
Three Down:
1. Minnesota Twins Outfielder Byron Buxton — Showing up is half the battle in winning fantasy championships, which is the opposite of what Buxton does. I’ll go more in depth in “Where I Was Wrong,” but the simple truth is that we just need to avoid players who can’t stay on the field at all costs. I don’t care how talented they are. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen when it came to Buxton.
The outfielder had an amazing first month, finishing with a .271 batting average and six home runs. However, like every season, the injury bug hit and Buxton will now fail to play 100 games. The 28-year-old has only played 100 games once in his career. Buxton is easily a top-10 talent in baseball but has just not been able to showcase it during a full season. The outfielder was drafted in Round 4 back in March, so he burned a lot of fantasy managers this year.
2. Boston Red Sox Infielder Trevor Story — Injuries happen, but it’s what a player does when he’s healthy that really matters. For Story, it was a rough first season in Boston. The infielder not only failed to play 100 games but really struggled when he was on the field. Story hit a career-low .238 with only 16 home runs. Story didn’t hit his first home run until May and only finished with more than three home runs in a month once. Injuries definitely played a part, but Story wasn’t productive when he was on the field and will enter a crucial 2023 season at the age of 30. The infielder was drafted in Round 3 of many drafts.
3. Boston Red Sox Designated Hitter J.D. Martinez — There’s a reason why the Red Sox will finish in last place and a lot of it has to do with Story and Martinez. The 34-year-old lost all of his power. He has hit just 12 home runs, his lowest full-season total since 2013. Martinez was drafted as the 54th hitter back in March, so many expected him to at least provide power despite that lack of positional flexibility. That was not the case this year. It will be hard to trust an aging player like Martinez in 2023.
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