January 26, 2019

First baseman Mitch Moreland has always been a source of mediocre fantasy production over his entire career. In 2018 it was much of the same as he clubbed 15 HR, with 57 R and 68 RBI while batting .245. A terrific first half of the season had him elected an All-Star, but a pitiful second half put a damper on his season as a whole. He was going into the break slashing .278/.353/.500 before limping the rest of the way with a line of .191/.277/.322. A knee injury is likely to blame for the left-hander's severe decrease in production. Although he never ended up on the DL, he did miss a few games throughout the second half because of the bum knee. With Steve Pearce remaining in town, the two will platoon for the Red Sox at first base with Moreland riding the pine against lefties. Being on the stronger side of the platoon is helpful, but it will limit his counting stats from racking up while being in the top scoring offense from a year ago. The 33-year-old still has some pop in his bat, so another 15 HR campaign is a sturdy floor but a 20 HR season will be tough to see. Continuing to bat in the heart of the order, a mark slightly above his .251 career batting average is feasible with fewer starts against southpaws, but he's only hit above .260 twice in nine MLB seasons. Moreland is going virtually untouched at a 488 ADP, but a player with more upside is a better option at this price, and he should be off your draft radar unless a preseason injury strikes to Pearce.--Riley Mrack - RotoBaller