MLB: Fantasy Sleepers for 2017
By Jason Reed
A.J. Ramos
2017 ESPN Fantasy Baseball Rank: 220
Instead of going in and selecting a dominant closer in the early to middle rounds, the best bet is to let the draft play out and select A.J. Ramos when you can. Ramos is ranked as the 220th best fantasy player for 2017 and the 23rd best closer. Having such a low ranking is genuinely surprising, and with a lot of people being unfamiliar with the Miami closer it may be easier to snag him up. If Ramos can repeat his stint from 2016, his fantasy owners will be laughing with joy.
Last season Ramos recorded 40 saves and only blew 3 attempts. His strike out rate was good at 10.27 per nine, accounting for the 31st best mark out of all closers. His walk rate was a little high, but being a closer you can walk one guy every three outings and still have a 3.00 BB/9. The selling point to me is his amazingly low home run rate. Ramos ranked third in HR/9 out of all closers in baseball. The two guys ahead of him will be guys drafted high – Jeurys Familia and Zach Britton. Ramos’ mark, 0.14, is a great sign as he will not allow the dreaded home run to your fantasy pitching line up.
While Ramos won’t put together the all-around numbers that Familia, Britton, or Kenley Jansen will, he will definitely be a viable alternative. Instead of blowing an early pick on a closer, you could afford to pick up another starter or impact bat. Then, later in the draft when the opportunity presents itself Ramos should be your guy. With numbers as good as that, and a ceiling that can be higher, waiting for Miami’s closer is a smart game-plan.