Charlie Blackmon
Fangraphs End of 2015 Fantasy Ranking: #17
For the past two seasons Blackmon has been a solid choice as a fantasy outfielder. Not only was he on the cusp of 20 HR in both of those years (19 in 2014 and 17 in 2015), but he also hit for a relatively high average. However, what really helped Blackmon stand out was his value on the base baths. In 2014 Blackmon stole 28 bases, and last season he ramped up his production with 43.
Blackmon had other factors going in his favor as well. He gets the opportunity to play half of his games in Colorado, and he’s been incredibly dependable. In the past two seasons he’s played in at least 154 games. All of these things led to Blackmon being a fairly safe bet heading in to 2016.
Unfortunately for fans who drafted Blackmon, he’s had an abysmal start to this season. To be fair, he’s battled turf toe which has put him on the DL. Prior to his DL stint his offense was unrecognizable to the player from the past two seasons. He was hitting .185/.241/.333 with 0 HR and 1 SB.
Optimistically fans should hope for Blackmon’s return at the end of April. However, this is an injury that can linger, and will definitely affects his stolen base output. It’s possible that by this summer Blackmon will be producing like fantasy owner’s hoped, but for now he looks like he could be one of the bigger fantasy busts in 2016.
Next: A Struggling Ace in the Desert