Opening Day is just four weeks away so now is a great time to kick off the 2018 Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch Report.  The purpose of this article is to identify the players whose fantasy value is rising or falling based off recent production and role within their respective teams.  As we find ourselves just a week or so into spring training, let's take a look at some veteran players who should find themselves with rising and falling stocks as we head towards opening day.

 

Rising Stock

Jason Kipnis 2B, CLE- The veteran infielder entered 2018 with a lot of questions after coming off an injury plagued 2017 season which saw him hit a career low .232 with 43 runs, 12 home runs, 35 RBI and six stolen bases over 90 games.  There was some thought that Kipnis could have been traded during the offseason, but he has remained with Cleveland and is healthy to begin the spring.  It’s important that we do not get caught up in spring training statistics but Kipnis has already homered three times in eight at bats.  He currently has an average ADP of 254 and is ranked as the 26th second basemen.  I find that those are huge drops for a player who in 2016 hit .275 with 91 runs, 23 home runs, 82 RBI and 15 stolen bases.  Kipnis is somebody fantasy owners should have on their radar as a player that could be in for a bounce back season and he will likely be hitting towards the top of one of the league’s best lineups.

David Price SP, BOS-  2017 was a lost season Price as he appeared in just 16 games, making 11 starts for the Red Sox due to injury.  Upon his return from injury Price found himself in the bullpen where he was nearly unhittable and helped the Red Sox lock down the AL East title down the stretch.  Entering 2018, Price is expected to be the team’s No.2 starter behind Chris Sale and has said all the right things in camp so far and from all reports is looking to be in great shape.  In 2016, Price’s first season in Boston, he went 17-9 with 228 strikeouts over 226.5 innings.  His 4.05 ERA was a career high but that was largely due to a slow start to his season.  Price currently has an ADP of 108 but this was a pitcher who has the talent to be a top 15 starter in fantasy.  Price is another player that has the upside to be a big bounce back candidate for fantasy owners at his ADP.

Adam Duvall OF, CIN- I understand that a .245 average isn’t exactly appealing and that the Reds are not expected to be that good this season, but Duvall has still averaged 32 home runs and 101 RBI over the last two seasons and in my opinion deserves a better ADP than 155.  For 12-team standard leagues that means Duvall is going somewhere around the 12th round.  For comparison Khris Davis is going nearly 70 picks ahead of Duvall and the two have very similar numbers with the obvious exception that Davis is averaging 10 more home runs a season.  A few more home runs hit by Duvall and a few less homers hit by Davis could lead to these two having similar fantasy outputs at a huge ADP discrepancy.  I’ll be looking to target Duvall where I can this season at that value.

 

Falling Stock

Yoenis Cespedes OF, NYM-  Oh the injuries are already starting up with Cespedes who missed all but 81 games last season due to various ailments. Already in camp Cespedes is dealing with shoulder soreness that has kept him from playing the field so far.  Now Cespedes has been able to DH while dealing with this shoulder soreness so the problem is not exactly serious but with a guy like Cespedes fantasy owners should be cautious.

Marcus Stroman SP, TOR- Stroman has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and has been shutdown for the time being which puts his status for Opening Day in jeopardy.  The Blue Jays starter got some good news that there is no structural damage to his shoulder after getting results from an MRI and the team has stated they are not too concerned, but as a fantasy owner you have to at least be cautious.  Stroman enters 2018 coming off a career year which saw him go 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA while pitching 200 innings for the second straight season.

Matt Carpenter 1B, STL- Carpenter is dealing with a sore back that has kept him out of action for the Cardinals so far in camp.  Carpenter has been one of the more consistent fantasy players in recent seasons but last year’s .241 batting average was a career low.  Both Carpenter and the team do not seem too concerned about his current back ailment however with older players a tweaked back is something that can not only linger but also pop up during the season with just one swing of the bat. Like the two players listed above, this injury is something worth watching as you near your fantasy draft and especially opening day.