Fantasy baseball sleepers 2023: 1 from each MLB team to target
Opening Day in Major League Baseball is closer than you think.
So if you’re prepping for your 2023 fantasy baseball season, now’s the time you’re starting to think about sleepers, some of whom you might have seen playing in spring training.
And that’s what this list is for: A collection of sleepers from around the American and National League, 30 of them to mark on your cheat sheet for your upcoming draft.
Of course, they may not end up being sleepers by the time you’re drafting. We’ll still list them here and hopefully, they’ll continue to be well-kept secrets as the first day of the season approaches:
I like taking some shots at some cheap 1B options later in drafts, so I’ll throw a pick at him for sure.
Is it worth betting on him after he struck out 204 batters just to seasons ago? Why not, right?
A team that never spends big on free agents hands the ex-Phillie a large contract. Hmmm. Given what we know about Rays pitchers thriving, I’d want to bet on him to do well after they gave him $40 million.
Dude swiped 35 bags last year. Cheap steals in the later rounds? Absolutely!
He’s probably going to start the year on the IL, but when he comes back, he could put up some decent speed and power numbers.
Does he count as a sleeper after the year he had last year with 18 dingers? Probably not. But I’ll still put him here and remind you that he has catcher eligibility and that’s huge.
A post-hype guy if I ever saw one. He pitched decently last year and could be better as a starter.
He showed flashes with the Reds and a change of scenery could boost his value.
Have you noticed he’s had an ERA of 3.38 or lower in each of his last three years? Hmm.
He only played 36 games last season. The year before? He knocked in 106 runs. I’m intrigued.
He’s been dealt a bunch but we know this: He has speed, he’s playing on a bad team which means he could play a lot, and he’ll come cheap.
I know everyone’s all in on him as a sleeper, but looking at the situation – pitching for the defending champs – you get it.
Not the best of call-ups for him last season, but maybe he learned something in 26 games and five homers.
It’s been an awful tenure for him after the Angels handed him a massive contract. But maybe he’s healthy? And at the price you’ll pay, isn’t it worth a shot?
Another post-hype guy who was all the rage in drafts just a year ago. This is the perfect time to take a flier and see if 2023 is the breakout year for the former top-10 prospect.
You may have to wait, especially given his most recent injury. But given the potential – he had a 2.68 ERA in 2019 – he could be worth it.
EVERYBODY is putting him on a sleeper list. With 13 homers in 115 games last season, there’s good reason for that. The power is there.
Double-digit dingers and swipes? He did it last year. And now he’s playing in a very hitter-friendly park.
You know what’s fun? Waiting to take a guy who was very recently considered among the best prospects in all of baseball. He’s just 21, which means his rookie-year struggles aren’t a big deal at all.
With eight dingers and seven stolen bases in 72 games last season, he’s a deep sleeper who could end up with double digits in both categories.
The preseason hype is going to turn the slugger from sleeper into a possible breakout star, but if you’re reading this and see he’s dropping in your drafts, queue him up fast.
He underachieved last year for the Mariners, but his line in 2021 was .305-24-71. Hmmm.
It’s been a while since he was NL MVP. Since then he’s fallen WAY off. But I like buying into the change of scenery now that he’s no longer in L.A. and maybe the lack of the shift will help?
Remember when he was among the top prospects? Feels like a while ago. But check out last year’s numbers: 138 Ks in 159 IP and a 3.91 ERA. He’s got room to grow, even on a middling Pirates team.
One of my favorite things is to draft Giants starting pitchers, especially those who had a sub-4.00 ERA and could end up with double-digit wins.
Try to ignore last year’s numbers with the Blue Jays. It was just two seasons ago that he had 21 dingers and 84 RBI. The year before? A .308 average. At the price you’ll pay, it’s worth seeing if he’ll bounce back.
With Xander Bogaerts at short, he’ll play a lot at second, and I like his all-around abilities at his ADP, and maybe he’ll actually break out with the increase in playing time.
He hasn’t swung a bat at all after a pinkie fracture, but when he does, you’ll see that he’s going to have a chance to break out in the middle of a packed lineup. He’s a solid bet to be a Rookie of the Year candidate.
The hype for the 21-year-old is justified, assuming he wins the job in spring training. He can hit for power and steal bases, and obviously playing in Colorado helps a ton.
