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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Under-The-Radar MLB Free Agent Sleepers for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Despite the free agent frenzy that happened before the lockout, there are still a number of significant free agents left on the board, both in real life and fantasy. Hitters like Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber will draw the headlines, as will pitchers like Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and rightfully so. However, there are several under-the-radar free agents remaining who could help out not only your favorite MLB team but also your fantasy team.

Finding undervalued players in drafts is essential to building the foundation of a competitive fantasy roster, and under-the-radar free agents fit the bill as undervalued free agents to a tee, especially because some may be coming off what could be deemed as down seasons.

Undervalued players in drafts take on even more prominence in deeper leagues when the player pool shrinks. Regardless, they’re the kind of players you want to draft.

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

 

Tommy Pham, Outfield

The outfield corner of the free-agent market saw some significant movement prior to the lockout, with Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Chris Taylor, and Avisail Garcia all inking multi-year pacts.

Still, there are a few big names left in Castellanos, Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Michael Conforto. Those free agents are being taken much higher than Tommy Pham in fantasy drafts at the moment.

Remaining Free Agent Outfielders Ranked By ADP, Per NFBC

  • Nick Castellanos: 60.28
  • Kris Bryant: 88.76
  • Kyle Schwarber: 123.75
  • Michael Conforto: 186.84
  • Tommy Pham: 270.22

Pham is coming off a bit of a down year at the plate. The 33-year-old hit .229 with a .340 on-base percentage, 15 home runs, and a 102 wRC+ in 561 plate appearances for the Padres. Following a pandemic-shortened 2020 season in which he logged a 79 wRC+ in 125 plate appearances, Pham isn’t exactly entering free agency on a statistical high note.

But he shouldn’t be drafted that far behind those outfielders. He should also be able to outperform that ADP by a decent margin this year. Because a deeper dive into the numbers suggests a much different story.

The most obvious number in looking at Pham’s decrease in production is the BABIP. The outfielder sported rather high BABIP numbers early in his career, including a .368 and .342 during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, respectively. Those, as it happens, were two of Pham’s most productive seasons. For reference, he hit .306 with a .411 on-base percentage, 23 home runs, and 25 stolen bases in 530 plate appearances during the 2017 season. During the 2018 campaign, he batted .275 with a .367 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, and 15 stolen bases in 570 plate appearances. Not bad.

What was bad, or at least bad for Pham’s production, was a rapidly decreasing BABIP. It finished at .253 during the pandemic-shortened season and topped out at .280 last year.

And while it might be easy to just point to the BABIP and exclaim “positive regression is coming” in terms of fantasy production, it might just be true with Pham. Because while the BABIP has gone down, many of Pham’s contact metrics have stayed decidedly above average. In other words, he’s more or less making the same contact at the plate, he just doesn’t have the results to show for it.

The veteran’s xwOBA, xwOBAcon, hard-hit rate, and chase rate metrics have all stayed relatively consistent.

Dating back to 2017:

  • His xwOBA has yet to dip below .350 in a single season, 2020 included.
  • His xwOBAcon has dipped below .400 just once.
  • His hard-hit rate has hovered between 43% and 50%.
  • His chase rate has risen above 20% just once when it was 20.3% in 2020.

In fact, Pham’s barrel rate actually trended upwards in 2021, after logging barrel rates of 7.9% and 7.3% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Pham’s barrel rate finished this past season at 10%, right in line with his barrel rates of 2017 (9.3%) and 2018 (10.1%).

So that was certainly a positive.

It is worth noting that Pham’s fly-ball rate jumped significantly, at least relative to his standards, climbing to 31.6% in 2021. Before this season, Pham hadn’t topped a 29% fly-ball rate since 2016, when he logged 183 plate appearances for the Cardinals. The launch angle went up to 7.6 too. It hadn’t finished in that range since, you guessed it, 2016.

None of those metrics are exactly fantasy scoring stats, but they point to a potential turnaround on the horizon for the veteran outfielder. Pham looks like a promising fantasy bounce-back candidate.

That being said, you could make the argument that the outfielder doesn’t need to bounce back at all, he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and the production should improve.

Here are two of Pham’s seasons.

Season A: 7.9% barrel rate, 45% hard-hit rate, .355 xwOBA, .395 xwOBAcon, 16.4% chase rate, 18.8 K%
Season B: 10% barrel rate, 47.6% hard-hit rate, .350 xwOBA, .401 xwOBAcon, 16.1% chase rate, 22.8 K%
Season A was in 2019 when Pham topped 20 home runs and steals while hitting .273
Season B was in 2021

 

Richard Rodriguez, Relief Pitcher

Rodriguez’s 2021 season was very much a tale of two halves.

In one half of the season, the first half, Rodriguez functioned as Pittsburgh’s closer and functioned quite well. Predominantly throwing his high-spin, four-seam fastball, the 31-year-old pitched to a 2.82 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 22.8% strikeout rate, and a 3.4% walk rate in 38.1 frames for Pittsburgh to go along with 14 saves.

Dealt by the rebuilding Pirates at the deadline for pitcher Bryse Wilson and pitching prospect Ricky DeVito, Rodriguez didn’t have the same success in the second half after switching to the National League East. Sure, his 3.12 ERA wasn’t far off, but just about everything else was.

After registering 33 strikeouts in 38.1 frames for Pittsburgh, Rodriguez punched out just nine in his 26 innings as a member of Atlanta’s bullpen. In part due to the strikeouts drying up, the reliever's FIP soared, finishing at 6.17 in an Atlanta uniform.

This is entirely speculative, but Rodriguez, similar to fellow free agent Brad Hand, seems like the type of a reliever a rebuilding club could take a flier on as a potential closing option, with a view to eventually trading that reliever at the deadline, much in the same way Pittsburgh did with Rodriguez.

Again, that’s purely speculative on my part, but if Rodriguez finds himself in the mix for saves, even on a rebuilding club next season, he’s someone you’ll want to add in leagues where you're searching for saves.

 

Jorge Soler, Outfield

If you’re looking for guaranteed home run production, Jorge Soler is probably someone you want to keep an eye on in drafts.

Soler, after being dealt in July by Kansas City, enjoyed a highly productive stretch run in Atlanta, batting .269 with a .358 on-base percentage and 14 home runs in 242 plate appearances.

The power production was nothing new for the outfielder, who hit eight home runs with a .215 ISO in 174 plate appearances in 2020 and connected on 48 home runs to go along with a .304 ISO in 679 plate appearances in 2019.

The home run numbers alone are enough to make Soler a viable draft target this spring, but a deeper dive into his numbers shows he has the potential to produce at a decidedly above-average rate across the board – not just in terms of home runs, but in terms of getting on base and making quality contact.

Since the start of 2019, just eight players (minimum 1000 plate appearances during that span) have a barrel rate above 14%, a walk rate of 10.5% or better, and a wOBA above .340.

Three of those eight are Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Bryce Harper. Another is Aaron Judge. Joey Gallo and Josh Donaldson have both done it. So too has Kyle Schwarber.

The last member on that eight-man list? That would be Jorge Soler.

Jorge Soler since the start of 2019:

  • 1,455 plate appearances
  • 14.7% barrel rate
  • 10.9% walk rate
  • .350 wOBA
  • 118 wRC+
  • 83 HR
  • .254 ISO
  • .335 on-base percentage

Over time, the numbers certainly speak for themselves.

And while it remains to be seen where Soler will end up, he should continue to produce regardless of the ballpark he plays his home games in.

The outfielder, who has hit 83 home runs since the start of 2019, could be particularly effective playing for a team like the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, or San Diego Padres though that’s all purely speculative. All three have potential needs in the outfield and all three have stadiums that would only help Soler.

Jorge Soler’s expected home runs by ballpark since 2019, per Statcast:

  • Guaranteed Rate Field: 110 home runs
  • Citizens Bank Park: 109 home runs
  • Great American Ballpark: 108 home runs
  • Petco Park: 106 home runs



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kirill Kaprizov1 hour ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Auston Matthews1 hour ago

May Return To Maple Leafs Lineup Next Week
Max Domi1 hour ago

To Remain Out On Sunday
Jakub Vrana1 hour ago

Sits As Healthy Scratch Saturday
Alex Pietrangelo2 hours ago

Remains Out Saturday
William Eklund2 hours ago

A Game-Time Call For Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen2 hours ago

Moves To First Line Saturday
Darnell Nurse2 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Aaron Rodgers5 hours ago

Could Be Placed On IR Or Benched
Jordan Eberle8 hours ago

To Miss At Least Three Months
Matthew Knies8 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Owen Power8 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Friday
John Gibson9 hours ago

Busy In Overtime Loss
Connor Hellebuyck9 hours ago

Sharp in Friday's Victory
Kyle Connor9 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Friday's Victory
Noah Fant17 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Update Coming On Saturday
Brock Purdy18 hours ago

Week 13 Status Uncertain
19 hours ago

Nationals Non-Tender Kyle Finnegan On Friday
19 hours ago

Rays Non-Tender Dylan Carlson
19 hours ago

Rockies Non-Tender Brendan Rodgers, Cal Quantrill
Mike Yastrzemski19 hours ago

Avoids Arbitration With Giants
19 hours ago

Blue Jays Non-Tender Closer Jordan Romano
Dustin May20 hours ago

Dodgers Sign Dustin May To One-Year Deal To Avoid Arbitration
Walker Kessler20 hours ago

Might Return To Action Saturday
Kyle Filipowski20 hours ago

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jordan Clarkson20 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Saturday
Miles McBride20 hours ago

Questionable To Face Jazz
Joel Embiid20 hours ago

To Remain Out On Sunday
Nikola Jokic20 hours ago

Returns To Action Friday
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope21 hours ago

No Longer On Injury Report
Wendell Carter Jr.21 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Saturday
Brady Singer21 hours ago

Shipped To Cincinnati
Jonathan India21 hours ago

Traded To Kansas City
Tre Mann21 hours ago

Listed As Out For Saturday
Torrey Craig21 hours ago

Available Versus Hawks
Nick Richards21 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jarace Walker21 hours ago

Ready To Face Bucks
Ben Sheppard21 hours ago

Misses A Third Consecutive Game
Anfernee Simons21 hours ago

Returns To Action Friday
Ja Morant21 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Saturday
Jerami Grant21 hours ago

Ready For Action Friday
Marcus Smart22 hours ago

Questionable For Saturday
Deandre Ayton22 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Yves Missi22 hours ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Stephen Curry22 hours ago

Available Versus Pelicans
Scoot Henderson22 hours ago

Absent On Friday
Rashod Bateman23 hours ago

Added To Week 12 Injury Report
Vince Dunn23 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Kraken Next Week
TOR23 hours ago

Alexander Nylander Joins Maple Leafs On One-Year Deal
George Kittle23 hours ago

Cleared For Week 12
Jason Dickinson23 hours ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Cam York23 hours ago

Expected To Return Saturday
San Francisco 49ers23 hours ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish23 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy23 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson24 hours ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes24 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Ladd McConkey24 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb1 day ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta1 day ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson1 day ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith1 day ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy1 day ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson1 day ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison1 day ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins1 day ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans1 day ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers1 day ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Sam Darnold1 day ago

Cleared For Sunday
D'Andre Swift1 day ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen1 day ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Shohei Ohtani1 day ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Tabatha Ricci1 day ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan1 day ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Muslim Salikhov1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale1 day ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet1 day ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan1 day ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang1 day ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
Carlos Ulberg2 days ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir2 days ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes2 days ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA2 days ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo2 days ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan2 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Shohei Ohtani2 days ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Cody Bellinger2 days ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
2 days ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chris Sale3 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal3 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat3 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English3 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin3 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg3 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole3 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
4 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers4 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
4 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri4 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
Charles Oliveira5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler5 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva5 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy5 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six

RANKINGS

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

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 12 - DK Metcalf, Courtland Sutton, Jauan Jennings, Noah Brown, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Week 12 is here, and with it, another edition of WR Matchups to Target. Last week was one of our most successful of the season, with two home run DFS picks (3x multiplier on DraftKings salary) in Jauan Jennings and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to go along with two additional hits (2x multiplier). Week 12 brings a […]


Matthew Stafford - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Landmines to Avoid for Week 12 - Matthew Stafford, D'Andre Swift, Mark Andrews, and more

Week 12 in the fantasy football season is a critical juncture. With six teams on bye, options are slim, and managers must make savvy lineup decisions as the playoffs loom.  One misstep—a "landmine" starter who underperforms—could cost you a victory and potentially a playoff berth. This week, we spotlight five players who may look tempting […]


Devaughn Vele - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

High-Upside Bench Stashes: Weekend Waiver Wire Adds for Week 12 Includes Blake Corum, Trey Benson, Keaton Mitchell, Jaylen Wright, Devaughn Vele, Theo Johnson, and more

Mastering the waiver wire is a crucial skill that can lead you to a fantasy football championship. It's not just about strategically placing your FAAB budget on specific players but also about knowing when to stash players. This dual strategy keeps you engaged and focused on your ultimate goal of winning a fantasy championship. As […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 12 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Include Bucky Irving, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DeVaughn Vele And More

Scott Engel’s Lineup Spotlights on RotoBaller.com feature key players to consider starting every week during the 2024 fantasy football season. “The King” highlights preferred starting options when you are dealing with challenging lineup decisions. The players included in this rundown are based on Scott’s Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available in the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter the […]


Kareem Hunt - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, NFL Injury News

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


Tampa Bay Bucs Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Vita Vea Fantasy Football IDP

Week 12 Team Defense Rankings for Fantasy Football: D/ST Updates for Buccaneers D/ST, Chiefs D/ST, Commanders D/ST, Vikings D/ST, Lions D/ST

If you've struggled to get strong production out of your D/ST and need a few wins to qualify for the fantasy football playoffs, you have come to the right place. Our NFL team's Week 12 fantasy football defense (D/ST) rankings are here to guide you in setting the best optimal lineup. The Broncos, Chiefs, and Vikings […]


C.J. Stroud - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Superflex 2QB Rankings for Fantasy Football: Updates for C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield

With bye weeks and injuries being major factors this week, Superflex fantasy managers will need to dive deeper into the rankings to find the top available options. Our Week 12 fantasy football Superflex rankings (2QB) for 2024 are here to help you navigate close start-or-sit calls and take home a "W" in an important week […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football: Overall Updates Include Courtland Sutton, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard, DeAndre Hopkins

Welcome back to another weekend edition of RotoBaller's overall fantasy football rankings. It's a must-win week for many fantasy managers, so it's time to lock in. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 12 fantasy football PPR rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players like Deebo Samuel Sr., Jameson Williams, Austin Ekeler, Jaylen […]


Rico Dowdle - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football (RB, WR, TE) - Updates Include Jameson Williams, Jayden Reed, Jakobi Meyers, Rico Dowdle, Christian Watson

The 12th slate of the NFL season featured many players out of action via bye week or injury. That said, fantasy managers will need to dig deep into this week's rankings to find the top available FLEX consideration. We're here to help with our NFL team's updated Week 12 fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024. […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: RB Updates Include Bucky Irving, Kareem Hunt, Chuba Hubbard, J.K. Dobbins, Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Somehow, we're already onto the 12th week of the fantasy football season. Needless to say, time is running out to stack wins together, so let's get to crucial start-or-sit decisions with help from our updated Week 12 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, […]


Jauan Jennings - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football: WR Updates Include Josh Downs, Quentin Johnston, Jauan Jennings, Calvin Ridley, Tank Dell

The wide receiver position is volitile, and WRs that aren't clear must-start studs are largley matchup dependent. If you need help with your start-or-sit calls ahead of the important Week 12 slate, we're here to assist with our NFL team's updated Week 12 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024. Let's dig into the rankings […]


Anthony Richardson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL News

Week 12 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football: QB Updates Include Anthony Richardson, Bo Nix, Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff

Early in the 2024 NFL season, quarterbacks struggled in fantasy football due to a regression in passing productions. However, many are picking up steam in the second half of the year. Still, start-or-sit decisions remain difficult when comparing two similar QBs. We're here to help with our updated Week 12 fantasy football quarterback rankings for […]


Will Dissly - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, NFL Injury News

Week 12 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football: TE Updates Include Will Dissly, Cade Otton, Zach Ertz, Jonnu Smith, Sam LaPorta, TJ Hockenson, Cole Kmet

It's make-or-break time for many fantasy managers, as the fantasy football playoffs are quickly approaching. Tight ends are always the toughest offensive position to navigate, so if you need help setting optimal lineups, you can come to the right place. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 12 fantasy football tight end rankings for […]