Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
The unfortunate truth is that supply and demand come into play through the draft process, as there is simply a finite amount of resources available at each position. That being said, it is important to have late-round draft targets at each position that can exceed their expected value.
These first basemen are outside the top 20 for the position. Which means it’s around round 13 to 15 in 14-team leagues.
Joey Meneses, Washington Nationals
A player with a minor league career showed up last summer for Washington, and all Menses did was hit. In 56 games, Menses hit 13 home runs while driving in 34 and hitting .324.. His BABIP was .371, so we can reduce his batting average to about .260 and still feel comfortable.
Before reach Triple-A in 2018Menses previously did not show much power, but he also had other 20 home runs in 96 games at Triple-A last season before being promoted, so it shouldn’t have been a complete shock that he made it in MLB. Menses had a ISO of .239, a barrel rate of 9.9%, and a hit rate of 47.1% last year, so I was doing a strong contact. Its average launch angle of 9.9 doesn’t sit well with us, but there are about 25 home runs here. The fact that Washington seems to have no problem giving him Menses playing time is also a good thing, as he should have plenty of opportunities to runs batted in again in the middle of your lineup.
DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees
We generally look for more power in our first baseman and LeMahieu probably has more value in the other infield positionsbut it’s hard to miss the flexibility that offers. Allows you to attack other spots in your lineup.
LeMahieu was dealing with a toe injury at the end of last season, but so far this spring, all systems seem to be in order for the veteran he’s always been reliable. In a full list of at-bats, we won’t get more than 15 home runs, but He’ll hit around .270 with a walk rate (12.4% last year) close to his strikeout rate (13.1%), making him an OBP Asset.while getting a decent number of RBIs and runs scored.
Wil Myers, Cincinnati Reds
It’s true that Myers’ price tag has risen now that he’s signed with Cincinnati. It is clearly based on two factors; myers stay healthy and the benefit you receive from Great American Ballpark.
After stealing eight bases in 2021, Myers picked up just two stolen bases in 77 games last season (he had 16 through 2019), so we know the ability is there on some level, but at this point if we get a number of bases double digit steals, that would be a nice bonus, it’s not something that’s really weighted. Instead we look for a campaign of .260/20/65/65 of Myers knowing that the greatest obstacle will be the games playeds and very likely could exceed those marks. In leagues where there is depth on the bench, it’s certainly a good idea to draft Myers, as he the production will be when he is in the field.
Jared Walsh, Los Angeles Angels
Walsh’s price is quite different from a year ago, and while it’s not necessarily unreasonable, it could very well represent a buying opportunity. Walsh hit just .215 and struck out 30% of the time in 118 games.. After the season, Walsh underwent surgeryappears to be fully healthy in 2023.
One year after Walsh chit 29 home runs while driving in 98 runsthat boiled down to 15 and 44 in 202, and maybe we can split the difference this season? Although there was decline, Walsh still had a barrel rate of 9.5% and a strong hit rate of 42.5%the highest of his career, so it was not all bad for him.
