Throughout this fantasy baseball season, there have been many players who have had breakout years. A few, such as Mark Reynolds, Aaron Hill, Jayson Werth, and Adam Lind, have been noticed and universally owned. But then there are others; those whose numbers aren’t as mind-boggling as the aforementioned players, but numbers that warrant them being owned in a much higher percentage of leagues. So, this list of the ten most overlooked hitters in fantasy baseball is comprised of players who should be owned in a majority of leagues, but instead, are owned in less than 50%. With the following players, it’s all about value. They might not put up the same numbers as the elite at their position, but they can put up numbers fairly close to it and you won’t have to overpay for the big names. They are, in no particular order…
Casey Blake (49.6%) – Ok, so Blake barely makes this list, but frankly, Blake is a useful fantasy contributor that many seem to overlook. Blake has put up 18+ HR’s and a .270+ BA the past few seasons, and he’s on pace to do so yet again, currently hitting .281 with 14 HR’s, 68 RBI’s, and 66 runs. With those numbers, he’s on pace to hit .280 with 20 HR’s and 90+ runs and RBI’s. Not to mention, Blake is eligible at 1B and 3B. Because of the depth at 1B, he’s not going to be a starter there. But Blake could definitely be a starter at 3B and is an extremely useful bench player. You can plug him in at a bunch of places and he can produce pretty solid numbers.
Kurt Suzuki: The Oakland catcher seems to fly under the radar each season. Granted, he won’t give you the power that a Martinez or McCann gives you and he won’t give you the speed that a Martin gives you, but Suzuki has put up some respectable numbers this season (.276 / 10 / 56), along with 5 stolen bases, which isn’t bad for a catcher.
Denard Span (41.7%) – I will admit, OF is a very deep position, so many people may already have great OF’s. But for those of you who need one more quality OF, look no further than Denard Span. Span’s numbers up to this point are a .305 BA with 70 runs, 6 HR’s, 47 RBI’s, and 19 SB’s. Over a full year, Span would produce a .300+ BA with 107 runs, 9 HR’s, 72 RBI’s, and 30 SB’s. Sure he’s not a HR hitter, but he doesn’t hurt you anywhere and can be a valuable source of SB’s without having to overpay for a guy like Ichiro or Crawford.
Michael Cuddyer: It seems like every Minnesota Twin gets less respect than he deserves. Why should Cuddyer be any kind of exception to the rule? Well, he isn’t. Cuddyer is on pace for about 26 home runs this season, over 90 RBIs, and an average over .280. Guys like Vladimir Guerrero do the same thing and are drafted in early or mid rounds, yet Cuddyer goes unnoticed. Go figure.
Cody Ross (32.6%) – Like the store, “Ross”, this OF will get you the numbers of a big-time OF, but for a whole lot less. Granted, he is a bit streaky, but his overall numbers are still much better than you’d expect. Despite his small stature, Ross has belted 20 HR’s to go along with 66 RBI’s, 63 runs, and a .271 BA. That means that for a full season, Ross would hit about .270 with 27 HR’s and around 90 runs and RBI’s. Again, you could pay a lot more for the big name, but why would you when you can just go to Ross to get similar numbers for a lot less.
Billy Butler (19.8%) – Last year, fantasy baseball analysts fell in love with Butler, but he didn’t produce as he was expected. Now, he’s actually producing, but people have forgotten about him. The one knock against Butler is his eligibility; he’s only eligible at the deepest position in baseball (1B), or the utility slot. Then again, you could do a lot worse for a utility man. This year, Butler has hit .300 with 15 HR’s, 65 RBI’s, and 54 runs. In a full season, Butler would hit .300 with 20 HR’s, 88 RBI’s, and 75 runs. Plus, he’s extra valuable in leagues that count XBH: he’s already stroked 41 doubles in only 119 games, putting him on pace for 56 on the year.
If you’re looking to dig deep in your league, I would suggest looking at any one of these players, depending upon your positional needs. All will give you the value that many big names offer, with a much lower cost for acquiring them. I hope this has been useful to you.
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