TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ADP Champs or Chumps: Yasmani Grandal & Rougned Odor

Isn't it amazing? We spend the entire offseason hatching grand plans about how we are going to dominate our leagues. No detail is left unexplored. When Opening Day comes around, we are mentally prepared to treat it as the first step in our inevitable march toward fantasy immortality.

Then, a few games are played and all of our preparation goes out the proverbial window. Tanaka got rocked! Stanton didn't hit a homer! My year is over! As much as we seem to enjoy fretting about our stars, we also take more notice of strong performances on Opening Day than we would on some random date in June.

Four different players hit two homers in their club's opener. One of them was a pitcher whose offensive statistics don't matter in fantasy. Another was Khris Davis, who I offered an opinion on during the offseason. That leaves catcher Yasmani Grandal and second sacker Rougned Odor for the analysis below. Let's get started!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources:

 

The Fantasy Jury is Out

Yasmani Grandal (C, LAD) ADP: 147.5

It would be pointless to analyze a one game sample, so I'll use 2016 data until 2017 numbers become more relevant. Grandal's .228/.339/.477 triple slash line in 2016 wasn't spectacular, but 27 bombs in just 457 PAs caught everyone's attention. Grandal always flashed power, but he was more of a 25 homer guy until last year. What happened?

He did a lot to improve his power profile, actually. He hit a few more flies (37.3 percent FB% in 2015, 39.2 percent last year) and made them count with a HR/FB surge (16.3 percent in 2015 to 25.2 percent last year). HR/FB can be difficult to trust, but Grandal's spike seems mostly real. It is easiest to pull home runs, and Grandal pulled a lot more flies (27.1 percent) than he did the previous year (18.4 percent). Statcast also trusts his power, as Grandal's 13.9 percent Brls/BBE ranked 20th in all of MLB last year. He may not have a 25 percent HR/FB again, but Grandal seems to have taken his power game to another level.

Grandal's .228 average last year was poor, but the underlying .250 BABIP may inspire some to bet on a rebound. Don't. Grandal is vulnerable to the shift (.227 when shift was on, .289 when it wasn't), allergic to line drives (17.9 percent career LD%, 16.1 percent last year), and runs like the catcher he is. His career BABIP is .274, and I'd be shocked if it is even that high in 2017. He also struck out 25.4 percent of the time last year, further dragging down his average.

Thankfully, that stat should regress in his favor. Grandal has an excellent eye, posting a 14 percent BB% backed by a 23.3 percent O-Swing%. He is so patient that he frequently watches strike three go by, dooming him to a higher K% than his SwStr% seems to support. Still, his 10.1 percent SwStr% is nowhere near bad enough to sustain a K-rate over 25 percent.

Grandal hit seventh on Opening Day, suggesting that LA's endless depth may rob him of the counting stat opportunities a hitter of his caliber would get on another team. The net result is a talented, yet flawed, fantasy asset. Most of his owners paid for him accordingly, so he gets a Champ tag.

Verdict: Champ

 

Roughned Odor (2B, TEX) ADP: 43.3

I had no idea Odor was this popular on Draft Day. His 33 bombs and 14 steals combined for a nice fantasy package, but his .271 average wasn't special, his .296 OBP was terrible, and his seven CS took a big bite out of his value in leagues that use Net Steals. His 66 percent success rate also means that he probably won't run as often in 2017, especially if Texas stays in the race. If that is the case, all he has is power.

Odor's power seems similar to Grandal's at first. He had a modest increase in FB% (39.7 percent to 42.2 percent) relative to the year before, making most of his gains in the HR/FB department (11.8 percent vs. 17 percent). Unlike Grandal, however, nothing in his profile supports the spike. He pulled an impressive number of fly balls (31.4 percent), but he did that in 2015 too (27.2 percent). Statcast was also unimpressed, as Odor's 8.4 percent Brls/BBE was very meh. The fly ball-heavy profile supports 20 HR or so, but his price requires a lot more to make up for the expected loss of speed.

Did I mention he's a batting average risk? Last year's .297 BABIP was close to the league average despite a low 17.6 percent LD% (career 15.9 percent). He also kept his IFFB% under control for the first time in his young career (8.2 percent last year, career 13.7 percent). Both figures could regress, turning him into a .250 hitter before his atrocious plate discipline is even considered.

His 3 percent BB% was horrific, and the underlying 41.8 percent O-Swing% suggests that it is a fairly accurate representation of Odor's ability. His 21.4 percent K% was league average despite this, but his SwStr% (12 percent) was not as fortunate. His aggressiveness at the plate (54.3 percent Swing%) can help him end PAs before he has a chance to strikeout, but this is the kind of profile that surges to an unacceptable K% in a hurry.

Odor hit 5th on Opening Day, the last batting order slot with any real fantasy value. If he hits like I think he will, he'll lose it before June. Heck, Jurickson Profar may even force him to the bench so speedster Delino DeShields Jr. can play everyday. If you own Odor, all is not lost. His two-homer opener should allow you to trade him for value before everyone realizes just how shaky his profile really is.

Verdict: Chump

 

More Player Outlooks




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL

49ers Set to Name Raheem Morris Their Defensive Coordinator
NFL

Raiders Close to Naming Klint Kubiak Next Head Coach
NFL

Cardinals Finalizing Deal to Make Mike LaFleur Next Head Coach
Duop Reath

on the Move to Atlanta
Vít Krejčí

Vit Krejci Acquired by Portland
Breece Hall

Jets Want to Re-Sign Breece Hall, Could Use Franchise Tag
Shohei Ohtani

Won't Pitch in the World Baseball Classic
Darius Garland

Ruled Out Again vs. Portland
Brandon Williams

Exits Early With Lower-Leg Injury
P.J. Washington

Leaves with Head Contusion vs. Rockets
Dario Šarić

Dario Saric Traded to Chicago
De'Andre Hunter

Traded to Sacramento
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Traded to Cleveland
Keon Ellis

Traded to Cleveland
Luis Arraez

Signs One-Year Deal With Giants
Troy Terry

Ready to Return Sunday
Victor Hedman

Set to Return Sunday
Connor McMichael

Out Week-to-Week
Kris Letang

Out for Four Weeks
Nico Hischier

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Jack Hughes

Won't Play Saturday
Linus Ullmark

Returns to Action Saturday
Blake Snell

Dodgers Plan to Have Blake Snell Ready for Opening Day
Paul George

Suspended for 25 Games
Shohei Ohtani

Will be Ready to Pitch to Start the 2026 Season
Francisco Lindor

Won't Play in WBC After Elbow Surgery
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Unlikely to Play Against Miami
Tre Jones

Still Sidelined as Bulls Face Miami
Tyler Herro

Remains Sidelined Saturday vs. Bulls
Norman Powell

Ruled Out vs. Bulls
Jeremy Sochan

Still Sidelined as Spurs Visit Charlotte
Keyonte George

Injures Ankle Late in Loss to Nets
Stephen Curry

Exits Early Against Pistons with Knee Issue
Charlie Coyle

Pots Second Career Hat Trick
Filip Hronek

Expected to Play Saturday
Pavel Zacha

Not Traveling With Bruins
Elias Lindholm

to Miss at Least Two More Games
William Nylander

on Track to Return Saturday
Kris Letang

Misses Practice, Uncertain for Saturday
Evgeni Malkin

Iffy for Saturday
Cade Cunningham

Ready to Rock Friday
Gui Santos

Available Against Pistons
Caris LeVert

Remains Sidelined Friday
Craig Porter Jr.

Out Against Suns
Vinnie Pasquantino

Royals Agree on Two-Year Contract
Jacob Wilson

Signs Seven-Year Extension
Diego Lopes

An Underdog At UFC 325
Alexander Volkanovski

Set For UFC 325 Main Event
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Dan Hooker

Set For UFC 325 Co-Main Event
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev

Returns At UFC 325
CFB

Texas Lands Wake Forest Transfer Sterling Berkhalter
Samuel Ersson

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Pavel Zacha

Exits Early Thursday
Charlie Lindgren

Hurt Versus Red Wings
Jack Hughes

Exits With Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Brad Marchand

Suffers New Injury Blow
Patrick Kane

Becomes NHL's Highest-Scoring U.S-Born Player
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Expected to Miss a Week
Tommy Edman

Will Have Delayed Start to Spring Training, Could Miss Opening Day
Kirk Cousins

Falcons Expected to Release Kirk Cousins
Chase Brown

Working on Extension With Bengals
Michael Penix Jr.

Hopes to be Ready for Week 1
Isaac Paredes

Not a Lock for Opening Day Lineup?
Dalton Kincaid

Doesn't Need Offseason Surgery
Josh Allen

Undergoes Foot Surgery
Josh Allen

on Crutches, Wearing Walking Boot
Corbin Carroll

a Top Fantasy Outfielder After Joining 30-30 Club
Jonah Tong

Won't Pitch in the World Baseball Classic
CFB

Michigan RB Bryson Kuzdzal Withdrawing from Transfer Portal
Aaron Judge

Appears to be Past his Elbow Issues
Bo Nix

Expected to Resume Training in 4-6 Weeks
Michael Penix Jr.

Thinks he'll be Ready by April
Evan Carter

Establishes a Goal to Steal 30 Bases
Edouard Julien

Traded to the Rockies
Cleveland Browns

Browns Hiring Todd Monken as Next Head Coach
Sahith Theegala

Off to Much Better 2026 Start
Gary Woodland

an Intriguing Option at Torrey Pines This Week
CJ Abrams

Giants Offer "Aggressive Pitch" for CJ Abrams
Andrew Putnam

Hopes to Keep Momentum Rolling This Week
Matthieu Pavon

Seeks to Return to 2024 Form at Torrey Pines
Luke List

Still Looking For Birdies at Torrey Pines
Jake Knapp

Faces Stiff Challenge at Farmers Insurance Open
Rasmus Hojgaard

Needs to Play Better at Torrey Pines
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Could Struggle at Farmers Insurance Open
J.J. Spaun

A Steady Option At Farmers Insurance Open
Andrew Novak

Looking For More Success At Torrey Pines
Denny McCarthy

A Wild Card At Farmers Insurance Open
Max Homa

Looks To Keep Resurgence Going At Torrey Pines
Joe Highsmith

Struggling Heading Into Torrey Pines
Wyndham Clark

Looks To Carry Momentum Into Farmers Insurance Open
Tony Finau

Aims To Turn Things Around At Torrey Pines
Akshay Bhatia

Looks to Bounce Back at Torrey Pines
Paul Goldschmidt

Yankees Expressing Interest in Re-Signing Paul Goldschmidt
Bo Bichette

Won't Play in World Baseball Classic
NFL

Bill Belichick Won't be First-Ballot Hall of Famer
Carlos Correa

Won't Play for Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic
Si Woo Kim

Looks to Continue Incredible Run at Torrey Pines
Jason Day

has a Good Chance to Keep Momentum This Weekend
Keegan Bradley

has Good Course History at Torrey Pines
Billy Horschel

Isn't a Great DFS Option at Torrey Pines
Aaron Rodgers

Mike McCarthy Says he Wants Aaron Rodgers to Return
Will Zalatoris

Has a Shot to Challenge at the Farmers Insurance Open
Drake Maye

Expected to be Fine for Super Bowl
Tennessee Titans

Titans Set to Hire Brian Daboll as New Offensive Coordinator
Buffalo Bills

Bills Promote Joe Brady to Head Coach
CFB

Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi Signs with Michigan
CFB

Darian Mensah Reaches Settlement with Duke, Expected to Land at Miami
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Not Drawing Interest on Open Market?
Shedeur Sanders

Named as Pro Bowl Replacement

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP