2020 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Second Base – Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP 163)
After signing a 6 year, 24 million dollar contract in 2018, there were many questions about whether the Phillies gave too much money to a rookie that hadn’t proven anything at the big league level. Through one season, the doubters and naysayers would be proven right as Kingery slashed a mere .226/.267/.407.
In 2019, Kingery started figuring things out, raising that line to a more respectable .258/.315/.474 to go along with 19 home runs and 15 thefts for a disappointing Phillies team.
We’re predicting a big 2020 for the 25-year-old Phillies utility man. A 20-20 season (with room to grow) should be well within the realm of possibility, to go along with a bunch of runs hitting atop a stacked lineup in a hitters haven known as Citizen’s Bank Ballpark. If the power-speed mix isn’t a good enough reason to target Kingery, then his position eligibility should be, as Yahoo allows you to play him at second base, shortstop, third base, and outfield. If this year is the year that the former top prospect breaks out, you’re going to want to own stock in him.
Shortstop – Didi Gregorius, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP 212)
If you find yourself without a shortstop deep in your draft, something probably went wrong. Baseball currently in a golden age of shortstops and talent isn’t hard to come by. If however, you are looking to take a flier on a guy few expect to have a big season, look no further than Kingery’s teammate Didi Gregorius.
When the New York Yankees acquired Didi from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014, the fans and media anointed the shortstop as Derek Jeter‘s successor. Early on, he didn’t disappoint, posting 4 solid seasons for the Bombers. Unfortunately for Didi, an injury-plagued 2019 ended up costing him his job, as the Yanks let him walk in favor of Gleyber Torres as part of their youth movement.
Enter 2020, where the Philadelphia Phillies took a 14 million dollar gamble on Gregorius, who is looking to prove that there are no lasting effects from his Tommy John Surgery. Despite the negatives, there are still lots of reasons why you should take a flier on Gregorius as a deep sleeper. For one, Didi is still only 30 years and not so far removed from multiple seasons of 25+ home runs and 85+ RBIs. Secondly, he is going to get the opportunity to hit in a lineup that features Bryce Harper, Rhys Hopkins, and JT Realmuto to name a few. Thirdly, Gregorius’ glove is so good that Joe Girardi will have a tough time removing him from the lineup, even if he does struggle. With RBI opportunities plentiful, and the right situation Didi should be very driven to prove the doubters wrong in with a bounce-back 2020.