RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers. It may be the offseason but we don't stop thinking about fantasy baseball in these parts, especially if you play in a dynasty/keeper league. I am starting a new series on players to grab and stash before the 2025 season. Spring Training or even just offseason analysis could generate buzz on some players that might have finished the year strong or became good buy lows.
As the offseason goes on, these players are sure to get more buzz, and I want to give you an edge. Today, we will go around the infield and discuss some players worth stashing who could see their stock increase in 2025.
Let's get to these players!
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Infielders To Stash for 2025
Tommy Edman, 2B/SS/CF, LAD
A wrist injury that was supposed to be a short injury stint caused Edman to miss the majority of the season. After returning to action on August 19, he has stood out in a big way. The trade to Los Angeles also only helped his value, and Edman is under contract there through next season.
While Edman did slump a bit during the last week of the season, in his first 116 plate appearances back, he slashed a strong .284/.319/.505 with six home runs and five stolen bases. He also added four doubles and a triple. Even though the overall season line was relatively unimpressive with a .711 OPS, Edman chased at the lowest rate of his career and showed his strong contact.
The biggest changes in the batted profile are increased launch angle and sweet spot rate. Edman is not hitting the ball harder, but he is getting to better angles, which has allowed him to hit six home runs in a small sample upon return.
With what he has shown, I would not be surprised to see Edman hit 15+ home runs in 2025 for the first time in his career and steal 25 or more bases, something he has done every full season of his career.
Fast forward to the postseason and Edman has posted a solid .333 average while striking out in just seven percent of plate appearances. He is a great "buy low" for 2025.
Can't stop Tommy. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DDBShB5HUk
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2024
Spencer Horwitz, 1B/2B/DH, TOR
Horwitz has been phenomenal this year and has not gotten the love he deserves. He is not a flashy player but has been really good and valuable to many fantasy teams. Since he got the call in early June, Horwitz has been an on-base machine, but he has really improved in the power department in the last few months.
Since the start of August, Horwitz has eight home runs and a .262/.355/.459 slash. The hard-hit rate has taken a step forward and Horwitz has hit balls at an ideal angle, having one of the best sweet-spot rates in baseball.
The contact skills are highly impressive checking in at an 85. percent in-zone and a 80 percent overall mark. He chases less than MLB average and takes advantage of mistake pitches.
Horwitz is highly undervalued and could make for a great target as someone who won’t cost you much but returns good value, especially in a points or OBP league.
Sean Murphy, C, ATL
An oblique strain on Opening Day caused Murphy to miss the first two months of the season. An elbow injury followed in early June, though Murphy did not miss game action. Braves have also not played him consistently, and in 264 plate appearances this year, Murphy hit ten home runs with a .193/.284/.352 slash.
Murphy has seen a noticeable drop in all power metrics this year. The average exit velocity dipped from 91.5 mph to 88 mph this season. The barrel rate has nearly been slashed in half, from 16.1 percent to 9.6 in 2024.
The most notable is the lack of balls in the air. Murphy currently has a 53 percent ground ball rate, a jump of 13 percentage points from last year. That does not just happen. To me, it looks largely injury-related. The oblique could have caused a slight tweak throughout the year that caused him to keep the ball on the ground more. It is also possible the elbow was not 100 percent.
Still just 29 years old, Murphy should be a major bounceback candidate in 2025 and you can get him at a discounted price.
MURPH MISSILE🚀 pic.twitter.com/BfQJdQG2fX
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 28, 2024
Jake Burger, 1B/3B/DH, MIA
Over the final three months of the season, Burger mashed and was highly productive after a slow start. In those 324 plate appearances from July 1 forward, Burger hit 22 home runs and 15 doubles while slashing .278/.336/.553. He ended the year with 29 home runs, nearly eclipsing the 30 mark for the second straight year.
Burger is still a bit aggressive and chases more than I would like. Ending the year with a 36 percent chase rate, he did improve down the stretch. Burger does makes up for it with his in-zone contact, which was at 84 percent over the final three months.
Burger started lifting the ball much more often and pulling it at a high rate. His 12.3 percent barrel rate is high-end and he posted an average exit velocity and hard-hit rate 80th percentile or higher among MLB hitters.
Burger is prone to run hot and cold streaks like we saw in 2024, but there is plenty of intruige. The tangible change down the stretch create a great buying opportunity on Burger who should be a 30 home run bat again in 2025.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B, CIN
Encarnacion-Strand was another potential breakout heading into 2024 after he smashed 20 home runs in Triple-A and came to the Majors and added 13 more in 241 plate appearances.
It was a slow start to 2024, but Strand was hit by a pitch on his hand on April 27. He returned to the lineup on May 3 before the team realized he had a fractured ulnar styloid in his right wrist. He was placed on the IL, and on June 25, he had season-ending surgery.
Nothing should have changed when thinking about Encarnacion-Strand. He is a hitter who will always run high chase rates, which could lead to a lower OBP. Encarnacion-Strand makes up for it with respectable zone contact. Honestly, there are a lot of similarities to Jake Burger here.
The power is immense and definitely his calling card. Encarnacion-Strand also hits the ball at ideal angles, creating plenty of barrels. I would not be too concerned about the dip in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate this year, given the small sample and injury. To no surprise, he is off to an incredible start in the Arizona Fall League, getting back to game speed. Buy low before it is too late.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand is 2-for-2 with 3 RBI over his first three plate appearances (SF in the 1st). Looking good in his first game of rehab in the AFL. pic.twitter.com/5W9wnUuHOO
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) October 8, 2024
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