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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Mid-Round First Base Targets and Avoids in 2020

Analysis of five fantasy baseball first basemen drafted in the middle rounds. Are these 1B players undervalued and potential sleepers to target in drafts?

Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, it would be smart to consider drafting some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns. It is essential to know the player pool so you can take a chance at a spot in the draft that you're comfortable without deviating from your overall strategy.

Today we are looking at some mid-round first basemen for you to consider. Do we think they are draft targets or players to avoid? Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and be one of your later-round draft sleepers? Read on to see our take.

Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2020 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 400+ of our 2020 player outlooks, and many other premium articles and tools, available exclusively in our 2020 Draft Kit.

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

 

Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians

Santana had an outstanding 2019 in his return to the Indians by hitting .281/.397/.515 with 34 HR, 93 RBI, 110 R, and 108 BB. He set career highs in a number of categories including average and runs, and tied his career high in home runs. Santana provides a ton of value at first base because he is able to produce in so many categories. He has been an on-base machine throughout his entire career by never finishing with less than 93 walks in a season. He has also hit at least 20 or more home runs in seven seasons to go along with at least 75 RBI eight times. Last year, he finished as a top-three first baseman overall.

While it may be slightly lofty to expect Santana to equal his numbers from a season ago, his home run and RBI totals should certainly fall within the 25-30 and 75-90 marks, respectively. He is a consistent producer in walks and can certainly be counted on for close to 100 in 2020. He currently has an ADP of 102 and is being drafted as the 10th first baseman off the board. He is an absolute steal at this spot and owners should feel comfortable drafting him here as their top overall first baseman while they add at other more sparse positions earlier in the draft.

--Kipp Heisterman - RotoBaller

 

Miguel Sano - Minnesota Twins

He did not make his season debut until mid-May because of a foot injury during the offseason, but Sano had a career year in 2019. He smashed a career-high 34 home runs and drove in 79 runs in only 439 plate appearances. Due to his high amount of strikeouts (36.3 K% for his career), he will never be a BA asset; however, his double-digit walk rates make him a must draft in OBP leagues. At 6’4” 272 lbs., Sano is a destroyer of baseballs. His average exit velocities (94.4 MPH) and hard% (57.2%) are consistently in the top 1% of the league. If he can stay healthy, 40+ home run seasons are in his future.

With the Twins signing Josh Donaldson, Sano will move to the other side of the diamond, so he should be 1B/3B eligible early in the 2020 season. The Twins lineup is stacked, so expect the 26-year-old to drive in many runs this year. He is currently selected with the 129 overall pick and 19th third baseman off the board, which makes him an absolute steal.

--Shelly Verougstraete - RotoBaller

 

Yuli Gurriel - Houston Astros

Gurriel had his best overall year in 2019 by a wide margin. He hit 31 home runs and tallied 104 RBI and 85 runs, all topping previous career-bests of 18 home runs, 85 RBI and 70 runs. He hit all those new career-best marks while still maintaining the assets that had previously made him a solid fantasy contributor: batting average and low strikeouts. Gurriel has ranked amongst the top three percent of the league in strikeout rate each of the past three years. He's a career .293 hitter and maintained a .298 average last year.

Gurriel's 2019 power increases were certainly unprecedented before last year. His 1.9% barrel rate in 2018 ranked amongst the bottom five percent of the league, yet he doubled that mark to reach a 3.8% barrel rate in 2019. He also increased his launch angle from 11.5 in 2018 to 14.5 in 2019 and increased his airborne exit velocity from 89.7 in 2018 to 91.4 in 2019. Gurriel will almost certainly give you a steady boost in batting average throughout the year, but his 2019 power numbers are risky to chase given his lack of consistent power production before last year.

Gurriel hits amongst a potent Astros lineup, so run and RBI opportunities should be aplenty, but it's more reasonable to expect something in between his 2018 production (13 home runs, 85 RBI, 70 runs in 136 games) and his production last year. He has an ADP of about 114 right now, which is a bit high. Take him if he falls to the 130s.

--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBaller

 

Rhys Hoskins - Philadelphia Phillies

After finishing 2018 with 34 home runs and a .246 batting average, many were expecting further growth from Hoskins. Instead, his peripherals stayed relatively the same, while his average and home runs dropped, causing him to finish 2019 with a line of .226-29-85-86-2. Some are still calling for growth from the 26-year-old slugger, but his underlying metrics suggest that this might be it.

Hoskins' wxOBA was 118th in the league and lower than his xOBA. His xBA was in the fourth percentile, while his xSLG was in the 36th and Hard Hit % was in the 48th. He did experience a three-point jump in his BB%, but his barrel% dropped and pop-up% increased.Overall, there's not a whole lot to be excited about other than the pop and counting stats. He should finish with a line close to .230-30-90-85, but in a league with power aplenty, Hoskins' is too rich at his current ADP of 115. He's more fitting around 130-140 range if you're desperate for power late.

--Eric Samulski - RotoBaller

 

Danny Santana - Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers outfielder Danny Santana had a breakout season in 2019. He hit .283/.324/.534 over 511 plate appearances in 130 games. He had 81 runs, 28 homers, 81 RBI, and was 21-for-28 on stolen base attempts. Santana can play all over the diamond, and his versatility will make him a desirable player on draft day. His wOBA was only .014 points above his xwOBA and ranked him outside the top 50 in over-performers last season. What prospective owners of Danny Santana should look out for is how opposing pitchers attack him in 2020.

Santana saw a fastball on 52.9% of his pitches and hit .300 and slugged .641 off them last year, but saw his numbers dramatically drop when he saw a breaking or off-speed pitch. Against breaking balls, Santana struck out 37.1% of the time, and against off-speed pitches, he hit .268 but only slugged .348. These are potential weaknesses that Santana will have to overcome to remain a great fantasy asset. He is ranked outside the top 120 players right now, but that matches up with his current ADP of 125. Expect another 20/20 season from the utility man and 170 combined runs and RBI. Those results will make him a value on draft day and a desirable target for managers looking to have some versatility in their lineups.

--Euan Leith - RotoBaller

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez4 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk4 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King4 hours ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich4 hours ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram5 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender5 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III5 hours ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington5 hours ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson5 hours ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer5 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams5 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge5 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews5 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones5 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin6 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice6 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep6 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson6 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell6 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao6 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry6 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey6 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt6 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz7 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman7 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford7 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi8 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen8 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick8 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners8 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay8 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López9 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland9 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia9 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti9 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL9 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette9 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus9 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants9 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears9 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger10 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele10 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns10 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals10 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter10 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry10 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips10 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith10 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball10 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter10 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey11 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton11 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant11 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal11 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II11 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons11 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young11 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser11 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo11 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud11 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart11 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba11 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga11 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry11 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown11 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault12 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere12 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn12 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro12 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions14 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans14 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders14 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear15 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins15 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL15 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä15 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway15 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys15 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal15 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy15 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris15 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk16 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth17 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp18 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim18 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood18 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau18 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole18 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith22 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment22 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka22 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov22 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov22 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes22 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]