Starting pitching is always critical in Fantasy baseball and an unusual preseason will require extra caution with arms in 2023 Fantasy baseball drafts. The 2023 World Baseball Classic is taking place simultaneously to 2023 MLB Spring Training. So, pitchers representing their countries will have some extra stress on their arms with high-leverage scenarios likely in the first WBC since 2017. Thus, which pitchers can handle the additional innings, and which players might you need to avoid in your upcoming drafts?A reliable set of live-updated 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings can help you stay on top of any significant MLB injury news and ensure that you get maximum value from every pick. And they can also help you identify potential 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepers who can dramatically outperform their 2023 Fantasy baseball ADPs. Before finalizing your 2023 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman.Edman had a 2022 Fantasy baseball ADP well outside the top 100 but the model predicted that he’d outperform that draft position. The result: Edman posted new career-highs in home runs (13), RBI (57) and stolen bases (32) while slashing a respectable .265/.324/.400 to finish as the third-best second baseman in Fantasy baseball. Anybody who followed its advice and picked up Edman late in their Fantasy baseball drafts received a huge power boost in their Fantasy baseball lineups.
The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.Any time more MLB news comes out about the updated 2023 MLB schedule, free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.Top 2023 Fantasy baseball sleepersOne of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is high on: Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. The 34-year-old product of the Phoenix metro didn’t make his MLB debut until after his 30th birthday in 2019. But he established himself as one of the most reliable arms in baseball last season by going 13-8 with a 3.33 ERA and 177 strikeouts over 200.1 innings.
Kelly has a five-pitch arsenal that he mixes extremely well, throwing each pitch at least 13.5% of the time and snagging at least 20 strikeouts with each offering. However, Kelly is being drafted at the tail end of the 16th round in 10-team leagues thus far. But the model is expecting another solid season, predicting he outproduces Kyle Wright and Blake Snell, who are going at least 45 picks earlier on average.Another one of the Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023 the model is all over: Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco. Polanco missed the last month of the 2022 season due to a knee injury, but he’s expected to be fully healthy by opening day. He hit just .208 with two homers while dealing with numerous injuries after the All-Star break, but he showed his Fantasy capabilities in the first half of the 2022 season, homering 14 times with a .786 OPS.Polanco has hit at least 16 home runs in three of his last four seasons, which includes belting 33 long balls in 2021. He’s also recorded over 150 hits in two of the last four years, which is a big reason why the model ranks Polanco (13th-round ADP) ahead of players like Tommy Edman and Ozzie Albies, two players being drafted at least three rounds earlier on average.
How to find proven 2023 Fantasy baseball rankingsSportsLine’s model is also high on a surprising starting pitcher who lands in the top 10 of its positional rankings. This player is barely going off the board in the top 125 picks, but is projected to outperform starters Aaron Nola, Shane McClanahan and Brandon Woodruff. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.So which 2023 Fantasy sleepers should you target in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Tommy Edman’s big season, and find out.