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It is cram week for researching fantasy baseball as we quickly approach Opening Day! If you haven't had your draft yet, we still have time to tell you about some sleepers - so that's what we're doing here!
I've already written about five draft sleepers at other positions, so go check that out if you missed it:
- First Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Third Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
- Outfield Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
Now, let's turn the page to second base and locate another handful of players you can have for very cheap in the draft or even free on waivers that could help your fantasy team in 2023.
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Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
ADP: 273
Donovan is one of those players that can help your fantasy team just because of how many different positions you can play him at. He has second base, third base, and outfield - which is a huge boost in plenty of league types.
That same fact keeps him in the lineup for the Cardinals, who are bound to be one of the better offenses in the league. Donovan makes a ton of contact (84%), walks a lot (13%), and does not strike out (15%). All of that makes him a nice target for batting average and on-base percentage, as well as a decent option for scoring runs even if he does end up lower in the lineup.
The other thing to note is that Donovan has shown some increased power abilities this spring.
Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals
ADP: 344
Garcia has slashed .306/.368/.554 with 21 homers in 364 AAA games over the last two seasons. That performance earned him a call-up to the Majors last season where he predictably played worse with a .262/.287/.409 slash line. The positive side is that the strikeout rate stayed low (20.4%) and he showed us the ability to hit the ball quite hard when he runs into one.
The thing that Garcia needs to improve on is his plate discipline. He's a bit of a free swinger (53.5% swing rate, 40.8% chase rate, both very high marks), and that leads to a low on-base percentage as he does not draw walks and ends up with a lot of weakly hit balls into play.
It's not surprising that a 22-year-old player might be less than prepared to face Major League pitching, so we have to be pretty forgiving of Garcia. The talent is there with a high swing speed and good foot speed as well. Garcia is a high-upside player, and at the very least, he should be able to give you 15 homers and double-digit steals on a bad Nationals team in 2023.
Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals
ADP: 449
Massey has power and speed in his profile. In 830 PAs in the minor leagues since 2021, he has swatted 37 homers and swiped 25 bags. He did that while only striking out 19% of the time and drawing a walk 8% of the time.
In the Majors, of course, he wasn't that good. His strikeout rate came up to 24% and he hit just four homers in 194 PAs while stealing three bases. The good news was a 13% barrel rate and a 72% contact rate. That gives me some belief that Massey could be a 25+ homer guy someday soon.
For standard leagues in 2023, I have my doubts given that he doesn't have a definite starting job and that Kauffman Stadium is a brutal place to hit homers in. Massey probably won't be a breakout stud in 2023, but it's always nice to find a guy that can barrel the ball at a high rate past pick 400.
Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals
ADP: 452
Gorman might be top 20 in the league in terms of raw power. He posted a strong 14.4% barrel rate last season with an absurd 38% fly ball rate. When he was making contact, he was making it count, and evidence for that is his strong 22.4 PA/HR rate.
The problem is twofold. First, he had a bad 33% strikeout rate. Second, he is not even a starter for the Cardinals to start the year. For Gorman to matter in standard leagues, he will need to lower that strikeout rate and somehow find his way into the everyday lineup. It's not super likely to happen, but he's a 30+ homer threat if it does.
Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
ADP: 633
Aranda is the "free" player in this analysis. He almost surely won't be drafted in your standard league. He hit just .192/.276/.321 in the Majors last year with a 26% strikeout rate and only two homers. In the minors, however, he hit .324/.405/.531 with 32 homers and a 20% strikeout rate across 876 PAs the last two seasons.
He will turn 25 this summer, so there's plenty of age-related upside here. The issue is that he doesn't have a starting job right now for the Rays, and there are a ton of different infielders vying for playing time there. If Aranda gets another shot at it, however, his minor league track record shows that he's someone we should at least keep an eye on.
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