C
C Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres (71%)
With six hits over his first four games, Campusano is off to a superb start this year as San Diego’s primary catcher. He had a great year last year so this is extremely encouraging to see. Additionally, if his playing time so far is any indication, he could be in for a ton of at-bats in 2024. He is worth considering in all leagues.
C Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (58%)
With Jansen out, Kirk is the definitive starting catcher for the Blue Jays. He and Jansen split time last year but Kirk still had the lion’s share with over a hundred more at-bats. Kirk could be in store for a bounce back this year as the Blue Jays as a team had a bit of a down year in 2023. Since coming up, Kirk has walked about as much as he has struck out and thus gets a significant bump in OBP leagues.
C Austin Wells, New York Yankees (52%)
Wells displayed a very good batted-ball profile last year but one of his issues was a low walk percentage. This year, so far, he has had a great Spring and now has three walks to one strikeout with a couple of hits through his first two games. He was a great prospect and is now the primary catcher for the Yankees, so he makes for a pretty good upside pickup.
C Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies (47%)
Diaz has played a ton over the past three years and should continue to in 2024, even with the Rockies stating that they want to rest him a bit more. He already has three hits in three games played, one of them being a home run. He’s a solid option who plays half his games at Coors.
C Travis D’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves (25%)
With Murphy heading to the injured list D’Arnaud should make for an excellent start for at least the next week or so. It is unclear how bad the injury to Murphy is so it could even be longer. The nice thing is that D’Arnaud is a good hitter anyway, so you can start him with confidence until Murphy returns.
C Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants (25%)
Bailey is a superb defensive catcher but he has also shown flashes of offensive ability at times both in the minors and early last year. The 24-year-old is the primary backstop for San Francisco this year and should have a fairly long leash due to his defense.
C Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox (20%)
Wong is criminally under-owned right now. He is the number one catcher for the Red Sox and had 371 at-bats last year, so fantasy managers can expect him to play a good amount once again this year. He is exceptional at gunning down runners, has gone on some nice hitting runs, and apparently worked with the hitting coach in the offseason. Wong had an exceptional Spring and has three hits through his first two games, so it’s possible that the work he did is paying off.
C David Fry, Cleveland Guardians (10%)
Fry seems like he could be a sneaky good pickup this year. He is capable of being the backup catcher for Cleveland but he can also play first base and in the outfield. He has started the season as the Guardian’s designated hitter and has carried his scorching hot Spring into his first couple of games, slashing .667/.636/.833 with two walks, no strikeouts, and a stolen base. He is available in 90% of Fantrax leagues right now, so he could make for an especially good pickup in deep leagues and dual catcher formats.
Honorable Mentions:
C Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds (60%)
C Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins (38%)
1B
1B Ty France, Seattle Mariners (72%)
France worked hard at driveline in the offseason to improve his hitting and all reports were extremely encouraging. He had a good spring hitting and while he only has one hit over his first two games he could be a great asset this year if the improvements he reportedly made stick.
1B Jose Abreu, Houston Astros (68%)
Abreu is undoubtedly past his prime at 37 and showed some serious signs of further decline last year, but he had a good spring showing and is still hitting 6th in Houston’s lineup. The hope is that he bounces back enough this year to provide solid ratio stats to go along with the great counting stats, even if he is more of a 15-20 home run hitter now.
1B Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels (64%)
Schanuel has superb plate discipline and is the Angels’ primary first baseman this year, hitting full-time in the six hole. He currently has about as much power and speed as his teammate Rendon has passion for the game, but he at least will have ample playing time. He gets a huge bump in OBP leagues, as that is his main draw.
Honorable Mentions:
1B Ryan Noda, Oakland Athletics (43%)
1B/OF LaMonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants (34%)
2B
2B/OF Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers (74%)
Lux is the starting second baseman for the Dodgers against righties and has a good amount of upside, especially in that loaded lineup. He had a pretty good Spring and should get plenty of opportunities to break out this year.
2B/OF Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals (66%)
Donovan is currently the starting second baseman for St. Louis but can also play in the outfield for them, which should secure him even more playing time. He was very solid over 300 at-bats for The Cardinals last year and the hope is that he carries those good ratios forward into 2024 and provides a bit of pop and speed.
2B/SS Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers (36%)
Turang is currently the starting second baseman for the Brew Crew and offers sneaky good speed (34 steals at AAA in 2022). He has been unable to carry his good ratio stats from the minors into his major league play so far, but he once again has the opportunity at least to do so to start 2024. He had 3 SB on Saturday.
2B/SS Jose Caballero, Tampa Bay Rays (30%)
Caballero has been working with the hitting coach to add some power to his game. He is the starting shortstop for Tampa and had 26 homers last year, so he could become much more useful in fantasy if he starts hitting more bombs. He gets a bump in OBP leagues.
Honorable Mentions:
2B/SS Amed Rosario, Tampa Bay Rays (48%)
1B/2B/OF Cavan Biggio, Toronto Blue Jays (37%)
3B
3B Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs (64%)
Although he qualifies at third, Busch is expected to play mostly first base this season, as that is where he is most needed. This should afford him a good amount of playing time for Chicago. Although he is already 26 years old this will be Busch’s first full year in the majors if everything breaks right and he’s coming off two very impressive minor league seasons at AAA. He showed off his power this Spring and now just has to carry everything forward into his major league at-bats. It would not be surprising to see him break out.
3B Brett Baty, New York Mets (60%)
Baty is on a short leash with the Mets but he is starting the season as their primary third baseman. He hit better against righties last year and will likely sit against many left-handers, but Baty is another player who could really break out this year if he can improve his plate discipline. He had a good walk rate in the minors and has some serious thump in his bat, which was on display this Spring. Hopefully, he puts it all together. He gets a bump in OBP leagues. He had one at-bat Saturday and smacked a HR.
3B JD Davis, Oakland Athletics (35%)
Davis has hits in both his first two games with a two-homer performance in the second game. Obviously, it’s the tiniest of samples, but it’s certainly encouraging and all five balls he’s hit have an average of 99 mph off the bat. He should get plenty of playing time in Oakland and is certainly worth a look in deeper leagues or as a nice fill-in for any Noelvi Marte owners.
3B Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates (18%)
Triolo is actually the starting second baseman for the Pirates so he should soon gain that eligibility as well. He is a scrappy player who put up very good ratio stats and contributed a little speed last year in his nearly 200 at-bats. His ratios will regress some but he should still offer decent speed to fantasy owners while playing every day for Pittsburgh.
3B Tyler Freeman, Cleveland Guardians (16%)
Freeman is a great defender and has been getting a lot of playing time to start the season. He used to be regarded pretty highly as a prospect and is still just 24 years old, so he could have the opportunity to show what he’s got. He should also gain eligibility in the outfield and potentially other spots in the infield as the season goes on if he plays well.
Honorable Mentions:
3B Trey Lipscomb, Washington Nationals (10%)
SS
SS Tim Anderson, Miami Marlins (61%)
A fresh start on a new team could be just what the doctor ordered. He has 3 hits through two games for Miami, though he is currently batting low in their lineup. That could change quickly if he can keep hitting. Hopefully, he can bounce back this year as last year was the first time since 2018 that he didn’t put up a batting average over .300. He is especially worth consideration in batting average leagues for this reason and should be good for double-digit steals.
SS Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves (52%)
While he is hitting at the bottom of Atlanta’s batting order, The Braves have one of those extremely good lineups where it almost doesn’t matter. Arcia had the best year of his career last year, so he could very well be coming into his own a bit as a hitter. He should be playing most days too, he had three hits in his first game and again on Saturday.
2B/SS Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks (37%)
Perdomo is the starting shortstop for the potent Diamondbacks offense, though he is currently hitting last in the lineup. He showed good plate discipline last year along with some speed and has started 2024 off on a good note, with 3 hits over his first two games. He gets a bump in OBP leagues.
SS Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians (37%)
Rocchio is currently getting a good look at shortstop for the Guardians and is a guy who has received glowing reports all through the minors, though he has yet to really “wow” with his production. He is a patient, hardworking hitter with a high game IQ who can offer owners a little pop and speed if he manages to adapt to this level of play. That is yet to be seen.
Honorable Mentions:
SS Tyler Wade, San Diego Padres (13%)
