If you don’t know the drill by now, I am handing out monthly Most Valuable Player awards at every position for fantasy baseball each month. Average draft position plays a factor here, as players who were expected to be elite at the beginning of the season will not be recognized for being, well, elite (sorry, Shohei, I still love you). Instead, this list highlights those who have provided value exceeding what was anticipated based on their draft position.
Here are my picks for June’s fantasy baseball Most Valuable Players at each position.
Catcher: Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants
Bailey was almost entirely off fantasy radars coming into the 2023 season, having played the duration of 2022 at High-A Eugene, and with just about average results at that. With injuries to Opening Day starter Roberto Pérez and fellow first-round pick Joey Bart, the Giants turned to the switch-hitting Bailey, who has excelled as their new regular backstop. He led all catchers in June fWAR, slashing .316/.346/.553 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in.
First Base: Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds
With the return of Joey Votto to the Reds’ lineup, Steer has seen some playing time in left field and needs just one more appearance out there to pick up outfield eligibility in fantasy. In 112 June plate appearances, Steer slashed .270/.411/.494 with five home runs and 20 RBI. But that’s not all … he also stole eight bases. A rare quality in a first baseman, Steer’s ability to swipe a bag adds significant fantasy value, and it’s about time we start taking notice of the 25-year-old rookie.
Second Base: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
I wrote about Marte last week as part of our risers and fallers column, noting that he has been among the best fantasy second basemen this season. In June, he led all qualified second basemen in home runs (seven, tied with Ozzie Albies), runs scored (30), runs batted in (22) and slugging percentage (.598), and trailed only Luis Arraez in on-base percentage (.442). Marte also walked more than he struck out and reached base safely in all but one June game. After a down year in 2022, Marte was the 19th second baseman on draft boards entering the season, and the return has been excellent.
Third Base: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
I tried to talk myself into a few other players here, but it was always Elly. He likely went undrafted in your redraft league, and if you were lucky enough to grab him off waivers at the beginning of June, you’re surely patting yourself on the back now. He made an immediate impact, slashing .307/.358/.523 in his first month in the bigs, with three home runs, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. He’s big, he’s fast, he hits the ball incredibly hard, and he’s going to wreak havoc across fantasy baseball leagues for years to come.
Shortstop: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds
Let the Reds party continue, and deservedly so. McLain, another guy who was largely off the fantasy radar entering the season, tore up Triple-A Louisville and earned the call to the big leagues in mid-May. He’s done nothing but hit. With 16 extra-base hits in June, including five home runs, he posted a .548 slugging percentage. He recorded a .287 batting average in the month and also scored 20 times, drove in 19 runs and stole three bases. Ideally, he would improve his walk rate a bit, but if he keeps hitting like this then who really cares?
Outfield: Tommy Pham, New York Mets
Pham has been one of the best hitters in baseball during the past month, albeit quietly due to the Mets’ unexpected struggles. In June, he swatted six home runs and stole four bases, providing fantasy production across the board, while adding 15 runs scored and 18 driven in. He slashed .349/.387/.640, good for a 1.027 OPS. Pham was a rare bright spot in what was otherwise a miserable month in Queens and should be rostered in all formats going forward, and yet, he’s only rostered in 13.5 percent of ESPN leagues.
Outfield: Lane Thomas, Washington Nationals
Gone are the days of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto roaming the outfield for the Nationals, but Lane Thomas has been a pleasant surprise for the D.C. faithful. He has very good season-long numbers, but June was his best month. He slashed .340/.374/.640 with six home runs, 17 runs batted in and 21 runs scored. He provided three stolen bases as well. Thomas was a 35th-round fantasy pick entering the season and, despite a slow April, has provided a great return on investment, as his season-long average is .301 to go along with 14 home runs and seven steals.
Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
I’m sort of breaking my own rule here with incorporating average draft position, but Tatis gets an exemption here considering he was coming off an injury and suspension. If you were bold enough to take a chance on Tatis in the first couple rounds of your fantasy draft, you’re more than reaping the benefits now. His June slash line was .318/.400/.591. He hit six home runs and stole nine bases. He scored 23 times and drove in 18. Fantasy baseball is better when Fernando Tatis Jr. is active, and boy, is he active.
Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell, San Diego Padres
This one was easy. Blake Snell started five games in June, all of which were quality starts. He racked up double-digit strikeouts in four of them and a measly eight in the other one. He did not walk more than three batters in a start, which is impressive by Snell’s standards, and did not allow more than three hits in a start, which is impressive by any standards. He gave up three runs in total and his June ERA was an otherworldly 0.87. Snell is on a Cy Young-worthy run and if he continues pitching anywhere near as well as he did in June, he could find himself firmly in the conversation by season’s end.
Relief Pitcher: Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles
Bautista is baseball’s best closer. In June, he struck out an absurd 56.4 percent of opposing batters, and his season K/9 is 18.4. More impressively, he walked absolutely nobody. Bautista has struggled with walks for just about his entire nine-year professional career and suddenly it feels like a non-issue. He posted a 0.84 ERA in June, having made just one “bad” pitch to an opposing hitter in Mike Ford, who squared up a first-pitch 100 mph fastball. Other than that, Bautista’s June was spotless. He will continue getting the lion’s share of save opportunities in Baltimore while providing elite strikeout numbers.
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