Fantasy Baseball: Five rookie hitters to target in 2019

Who are five rookie hitters to target in fantasy baseball for 2019?

So far in this space, we’ve looked at sleepers for hitters and pitchers to target in fantasy baseball for 2019. Now, we are going to move on to rookies, and with that, we’re going to look at five rookie hitters to target in fantasy baseball.

Sometimes, having that rookie phenom or two is what can put your squad over the top. Drafting Ronald Acuna Jr last year was a wise move. Picking up Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani certainly was a help to every squad that was fortunate enough to get them. Picking those guys instead of hoping a certain veteran or two rebound, or find new life with a new team is the prudent move.

Now, with baseball’s ridiculous service time rules, most prospects don’t get called up until mid-April so clubs can get that extra year of service time before they become a free agent. It happened to Kris Bryant. It happend to Acuna last year. Don’t let that sway you from picking against a rookie. You can get someone to hold the fort in that spot before they called up. Think of it as that player being on the DL.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at five rookie bats to keep in mind when you are putting together your fantasy baseball teams in 2019. The first one we have to talk about resides north of the border, who has a father in the Hall of Fame.

Peter Alonso

Speaking of guys with powerful bats, New York Mets first base prospect Peter Alonso is another guy who can absolutely mash. The Mets have had an interesting off-season. On the infield they traded for Robinson Cano and J.D. Davis and signed Jed Lowrie. They still have Todd Frazier, Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario.

First base is still unsettled. Davis, Lowrie, McNeil and Dominic Smith will all have a chance to win the job. However, don’t be surprised if Alonso is their first baseman at some point during April.

Between AA and AAA last season, Alonso hit .285 with a .975 OPS, 31 doubles, 36 homers and 119 RBI in 132 games. Those are big time numbers, especially for a team looking to go for it and needing right-handed power in a lineup with Cano, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto who are all lefty.

Let’s say you’re doing your fantasy baseball draft and you miss out on Paul Goldschmidt or one of the other elite first baseman. You can go with a lower tier guy and stash Alonso on your bench until he comes up, then drop that first baseman you drafted to help fill another need or use them as trade bait to help another area.

Once Alonso gets the call, in a lineup with pieces around him, he could be very productive for the Mets and your fantasy baseball squad.

Eloy Jimenez

The Chicago White Sox rebuild may be reaching a tipping point this off-season. They’ve added Yonder Alonso and Jon Jay along with Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera for the bullpen and Ivan Nova to be a veteran presence in the rotation. Alonso and Jay were added in hopes that Manny Machado would follow his friend and brother-in-law to the Windy City.

They’ve certainly added some interesting bats over the past few seasons in trades, but their most interesting bat may be 22-year old outfielder Eloy Jimenez, who they acquired from the crosstown Cubs in the Jose Quintana deal. If you are looking for an outfielder during your fantasy baseball draft, he may be a nice one to grab and, like Acuna last year, wait a couple of weeks to unleash.

Between AA and AAA last season, Jimenez hit .337 with a .961 OPS, 22 homers and 75 RBI.

The White Sox outfield currently consists of Jay, Daniel Palka (who may be more of a DH type), Adam Engel, Nicky Delmonico and Leury Garica.

Of note, Jimenez was added to the White Sox 40-man roster earlier this off-season. Should they add Machado, they may bring Jimenez up sooner rather than later, once that extra year of team control kicks in.

Victor Robles

If you fail to get Jimenez for your fantasy baseball outfield, can I interest you in another outfielder who probably would have been up much earlier had it not been for injury? Victor Robles has been one of the top prospects in baseball for forever now, but 2019 may be the year that he gets his chance, and he needs to be on your fantasy baseball radar this year.

For starters, Bryce Harper may not be back in a Washington Nationals uniform. The club could easily go with Juan Soto, Adam Eaton and Robles in their outfield, and combined with their pitching staff should be competitive again in the National League East.

In 2017, Robles hit .300 with an .875 OPS, 27 steals and 37 doubles. He was just 20 years old, and it earned him a cup of coffee in the bigs. Last year, in 66 big league plate apperances, he hit .288 with an .874 OPS. He stole three bases and hit three homers.

Robles is going to offer you power and speed, and, like the others on this list, you may not have to wait until late April or May to use him on your fantasy baseball roster.

Francisco Mejia

Getting production out of your catcher position is one of the hardest things to figure out in fantasy baseball. Outside of the top tier, it can get pretty bleak pretty quickly, especially considering they will usually miss a couple games to rest.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

You can go without a catcher. I’ve done it before, however, you may want to consider grabbing Francisco Mejia as your backstop if you miss out on the Gary Sanchez, J.T. Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal echelon.

Mejia hit .293 with an .809 OPS, 30 doubles and 14 homers in the minors last season, and once the Padres acquired him, he was given a chance to compete with Austin Hedges for the catching position. It should be that way this year, barring any trades.

Mejia certainly has the offensive talent, he just needs the chance. Even if that is at a different position, he’ll still be catcher eligible for fantasy baseball purposes, and that’s what you need to be concerned about.

Having a stud rookie on your fantasy baseball roster can really be a boost for your club. They are someone you may not have to pay a premium for, but can give you a ton of value. These five fall into those categories.