Most 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings will put an emphasis on what players did in 2023, which means players who missed all of last year can fall through the cracks. Edwin Diaz, Rhys Hoskins, Walker Buehler and Gavin Lux were all sidelined for the entire season and may be out of sight, out of mind for many when formulating their Fantasy baseball strategy 2024. But Fernando Tatis Jr., who missed all of 2022, showed that a year off won't erode one's skills, so the aforementioned shouldn't be overlooked when constructing Fantasy baseball 2024 lineups.
Finally with a full-time role, Lux has the potential to be a 2024 Fantasy baseball breakout as part of a loaded lineup that also features Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. He also offers positional versatility with eligibility at both middle infield spots and the outfield, so where would be the best time to grab him with one of your Fantasy baseball 2024 picks? Before finalizing your 2024 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last season, SportsLine's Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
The No. 1 prospect in baseball entering 2022, Witt displayed some potential as a rookie but also had glaring holes in his game. He hit just .254, had the seventh-worst walk percentage in all of MLB (4.8%) and committed the third-most errors, which limited his playing time. However, the model saw all of these issues as correctable, and Witt didn't disappoint as a sophomore in 2023. He displayed more patience at the plate and became the first player in MLB history to record 30 home runs, 10 triples and 45 stolen bases in a season, also leading the AL with 11 triples.
The model predicted that he'd outperform more proven shortstops like Carlos Correa and Javier Baez, and anyone who took a chance on Witt in the mid-rounds of their drafts got a multi-category contributor for Fantasy baseball lineups.
The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.
Any time more MLB news comes out about free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2024 Fantasy baseball breakouts
One of the Fantasy baseball breakouts 2024 the model is high on: Nationals DH Joey Meneses. It's hard to think of a 32-year-old as a potential breakout candidate, but Meneses didn't make his MLB debut until he was 30. In his first full season in the majors last year, he had 13 home runs, 89 RBI and a .722 OPS. However, after the year it was revealed that he played the whole season with a knee injury that took place in winter ball. That helps explain why he got off to such a slow start as Meneses had just two homers through his first 80 games before turning things up and hitting 11 homers over the last 74 games.
If Meneses can maintain that second-half production over a full season, then he has 20-home run potential, and he also has a high average to boot as a career .288 hitter across 833 MLB at-bats. Improved health has also allowed him to play first base in Spring Training, which only increases his chances of being in the lineup. The model ranks Meneses ahead of DH Marcell Ozuna, who had 40 homers and 100 RBI last season, so Meneses is a name to remember when scouring for 2024 Fantasy baseball breakout candidates.
Another of the 2024 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model advises targeting: Reds 1B/3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand. In just 222 MLB at-bats last year, Encarnacion-Strand had 13 home runs and 37 RBI with an .805 OPS. He's excelled at every level of his career as he was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year at Oklahoma State in 2021 and was then second in the entire minor league system with 114 RBI in 2022.
Encarnacion-Strand saw most of his time at first base and DH last year, but third base was his primary position in the minors. While five Reds saw more innings at third base than Encarnacion-Strand last year, two of them are no longer on the team, two are at entirely new positions, and one in Noelvi Marte is suspended for 80 games. Thus, a path to a full-time role has opened up with his ability to play both corner infield spots, which the model has taken into account. He's ranked as the No. 14 first baseman per the Fantasy baseball rankings 2024 and is slotted above Triston Casas, despite the Boston first baseman being drafted earlier on average. See more breakouts at SportsLine.
How to find proven 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings
SportsLine's model is also high on a surprising third baseman who was solid over limited playing time last season, but with a full slate of plate appearances this year, is projected to finish in the top 10 of positional rankings. This player is going outside the top 100 picks but is projected to outperform more established third basemen like Max Muncy and Josh Jung. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So which 2024 Fantasy breakouts should you target in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Bobby Witt Jr.'s big season, and find out.
