Fantasy Baseball 2020 Sleepers: 4 Hitters Outside the Top 250 Who Will Help Your Team

Today, we will look at four hitters going outside the Top 250 in ADP that can end up providing value to fantasy teams. These hitters should be taken in the final rounds of drafts, and obviously may be cut candidates before April ends. They also have significantly more upside than players with similar ADPs.

**ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros**

Brandon Nimmo, OF, Mets (ADP: 285)

2019 was a lost season for Nimmo, who impressed in 2018 and had many fantasy owners banking on him as a breakout candidate. While 2019 ended up an injury-ravaged nightmare, his main selling point remained intact during the 69 games he managed to appear in. Nimmo, for all his warts, gets on base. He posted a ridiculous .404 OBP in 2018 over the course of 140 games and 535 plate appearances, which is no joke. He hit 17 home runs and stole nine bags; the latter is probably more useful than the former, but both are nice. He’s never been known for power, so his ceiling is probably in the low 20s, and speed-wise, 10-15 swipes is probably the most you can hope for. Nimmo is not a league-winner.

He is, however, a potential big-time sleeper in leagues that use OBP rather than batting average, and a stealthy source of OPS late in leagues with expanded scoring. He posted an .886 OPS in 2018 despite hitting fewer than 20 HRs, and still managed a passable .783 OPS last season despite his wretched injury luck and .221 average. Entering 2020, he appears to be slotted in as the Mets’ leadoff hitter, which could be valuable for runs as well as OBP/OPS.  

C.J. Cron, 1B, Tigers (ADP: 296)

Cron is an unexciting player, but he’s bound to be fantasy relevant if he can stay healthy. Which is a big if, since Cron has never played more than 140 games. His best season was in 2018, when he played in 140 games for the Rays and swatted 30 homers with 74 RBI. This year, he could have similar numbers only with greater RBI opportunity as an unquestioned middle-of-the-order hitter for the Tigers. Detroit has a lowly roster, and may finish with the worst record in baseball. Despite that, it’s a major league club, and runs will be scored. Aside from the current, busted, broken down version of Miguel Cabrera, there’s not a player in sight that has Cron’s power potential. The opportunity alone makes him worth a shot as a fill-in corner infielder in deep leagues, and he has the added bonus of consistently hitting around .250-.270, meaning there aren’t any categories where he’ll murder you besides steals. Will Cron wind up an everyday fantasy 1B? No. But he can provide value as you deal with inevitable injuries, or if you need to trade corner infielders.

Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees (ADP: 299)

Gardner had a much better than anticipated 2019, hitting a career-best 28 home runs while batting .251 (respectable), stealing 10 bases (useful, if unspectacular) and registering 74 RBI despite largely hitting at the top of or bottom of the lineup. With Aaron Hicks out for a long while, Gardner is entrenched as the Yankees’ starting center fielder, and is expected hit sixth, a strong RBI spot in a lineup this loaded. Like Tauchman, there could be playing time concerns. Should Gardner falter, it’s conceivable that the Yankees could shift Mike Tauchman into CF while using Clint Frazier in left. Gardner has much more history with the franchise though, and is considered a clubhouse leader, so he’s a safe bet for about 550 plate appearances as a floor barring injury. 28 homers from Garnder again is extremely unlikely, but he’s cracked 20+ in two of the last three seasons, so that is bankable as are useful runs and stolen base totals. Gardner is a must-own in deep leagues and five-outfielder formats.

Mike Tauchman, OF, Yankees (ADP: 371)

The “Sockman” was an integral part of the Yankees’ success in 2019 – which I discussed here – but his contributions bear repeating since he’s expected to be the starting left fielder on Opening Day. In 87 games, Tauchman hit 13 home runs and stole six bases while slashing .277/.361/504. He also played stellar defense, which does not show up in fantasy scoring, but could keep him in the lineup once Aaron Hicks comes back.

There’s a lot of competition on the Yankees right now. Hicks will loom after the All-Star break, and they also have Clint Frazier awaiting an opportunity to grab an everyday role. While Tauchman has earned the first crack the Yankees’ have a much larger investment in Frazier. On the flip side, Frazier’s defense was horrific in 2018, bordering on comical at times. That alone could give Tauchman the year-long edge, especially if he continues to build on last season. He’s old (29) for a breakout, but Tauchman was a dual threat in the minors, posting a 16-homer, 16-steal 2017 in Triple-A, and then a 20-homer, 12-steal effort in 2018. He also has the pleasure of hitting in the Yankees’ lineup, arguably the most loaded in baseball. That’ll be good for his run and RBI totals even if he bats eighth or ninth.