The Unsung Fantasy Baseball MVPs of 2017

There’s not a single fantasy expert who wouldn’t tell you to pick Mike Trout in the first round of a fantasy draft. Year after year, Trout consistently provides top-tier values in the relevant categories: Runs, RBIs, HRs, SB, and BA. He’s never injured. He’s not just the best player in baseball, he’s the best player in fantasy baseball as well.

But this article isn’t about Mike Trout. It’s not about Kris Bryant, or Clayton Kershaw, or any of the other folks you might draft in the first round. It’s about the folks that you might draft last. They might spend the whole season riding the bench — or they could save your championship hopes.

These are the players who fit well into multiple positions while providing great value, or the pitchers who will provide good fantasy value despite not having a great reputation otherwise. Don’t draft these guys first, by any means: but keep your eye on them as the rounds drag on.

Brad Miller

Miller was a utility man who had never amounted to much in his time in Seattle. While he managed to hit for decent average, he had never managed to find his power stroke. Still, he was capable of playing all of the infield positions (except for 3B) and outfield. That, combined with his average hitting, was what convinced this author to pick him in the very last round of his fantasy league draft.

What a payoff. Miller found his power stroke in a big way in 2016, slugging 30 HRs. The HR count was a career high, as was his RBI and Runs total. His defense was still very bad around the diamond, but his hot bat let the Rays forgive that fault and run him out for 152 games. He appears to have the Rays’ starting 2B job as well, though his position versatility should be intact for fantasy purposes. Overall, Miller was a great pick in 2016, and he looks to repeat in 2017.

Melky Cabrera

Cabrera quietly had a good year at the plate in 2016, which was overshadowed by Adam Eaton’s MVP quality defense and above average bat. Cabrera batted .296 with 70 runs, 86 RBI, and 14 HR in 2016, and Steamer projects him to have a similar performance in 2017.

Look at Steamer projections, one might be tempted to think of Cabrera as a budget Trea Turner: comparable average and power, but less speed. While Cabrera’s lack of power hurts his fantasy value, given how abundant power seems to be in the MLB (104 players hit 20+ home runs in 2016), it shouldn’t be difficult picking someone with enough power to compensate for Cabrera’s lack of pop.

Sonny Gray

Gray fell off of a cliff in 2016, sinking to career worsts in ERA (5.69) and WHIP (1.50) while only pitching 117 innings. The fact that Gray fell so far after placing 3rd in Cy Young voting the season prior is remarkable. Injury hit Gray and hit him hard, and his stat-line reflects that.

As a result of his performance in 2016, fantasy sites are predictably sleeping on Gray — which is what makes him the perfect pickup in later rounds.

Even while injured and struggling, Gray was an effective strikeout pitcher (7.23 K/9) meaning that even if he can’t return to his 2015 form, he can still rack up Ks. But his top-tier upside means that if he bounces back, he’ll be a great sleeper pick with solid wins, ERA, WHIP, and SO.

Addison Reed

While closer Jeurys Familia was busy setting the Mets’ record for most consecutive saves converted, his setup man, Reed, was having an even better season than Familia.

Reed pitched to the tune of a 1.97 ERA with 91 SO in 2016, recording 40 holds in the process, which tied the NL record. In second place was Andrew Miller, who recorded only 30 on the season. Reed has finally achieved “elite” status after struggling with the Diamondbacks and White Sox, thanks to some mechanical fixes. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t sustain this production as well — he pitched to a 1.97 FIP, identical to his ERA.

Of course, he may have been good for Ks and ERA to a fantasy player, but he missed out on the most vital statistic for relievers: saves. However, in 2017, Familia is expected to be suspended for a good portion of the season after a domestic violence incident. The Mets have already indicated that Reed is in line for the closer’s position for next season while Familia is suspended. Should Reed outperform Familia, the two might find their roles swapped. Regardless, Reed will be an excellent pick for the reliever slot.