With under two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it is time to start talkin' fantasy baseball.
Just like in the kitchen, preparation is key to successfully mastering your fantasy draft, with one of the main ingredients being finding value in the later rounds. In most cases we call these players "sleepers," but not all of these players are fresh faces that we have never seen before. In fact, the majority of the players we find in the later rounds we fine aging veterans on the decline, players returning from injury or players who have been up and down between the minor and majors still trying to find a permanent home. Whatever the case may be, these are the players that could be the difference in bringing home the trophy come September.
Since the term "deep sleeper" can mean a lot of different things, all players discussed in this series will hold an average draft position (ADP) of 250 or higher based off the most recent mock draft results of Fantasy Alarm's own Howard Bender and the Mock Draft Army. If you haven't checked out the Mock Draft Arm series,, be sure to give it a look as Howard continues to assemble some really good ADP information based on a series of mock drafts featuring experts from throughout the industry and fans alike. Now that we laid out the ground rules let's get cookin'...
C.J. Cron, 1B/DH (LAA)
Mock Draft Army ADP: 315.1
After a few injuries hit the Angels early in 2014, Cron burst onto the scene in May to finish the month slashing .329/.548/.877 with 11 extra-base hits (3 HR) and 11 RBI through his first 73 big league at-bats. However, his rise to become an everyday player was short-lived after both his at-bats and production fell in each of the next three months, resulting in a trip back to the minor leagues in mid-August. In all, Cron finished his first big league season slashing .256/.289/.450 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI across 253 plate appearances.
There is no doubt that the Angels' 6-foot-4 235-pound first baseman/DH has the power stroke (22.0 AB/HR) to be an everyday player in the big leagues some day, but his plate discipline will need some work before that day comes. In 2014, Cron owned a four percent walk rate (10 BB in 253 AB), which ranked him among the worst in the league in plate discipline. In fact, only 15 players that reached 250 plate appearances in 2014 showed less patience at the plate than that of Cron.
After examining his career leading up to his Major League debut, it should be noted that his inability to take a walk is nothing new. From 2011-2014 the big righty registered only 80 free passes in 1656 plate appearances between the minor leagues and the Arizona Fall League, which breaks down to a 4.8 percent walk rate. Until he starts to become more selective at the plate, both his batting average and on-base percentage have little room for growth, although his power numbers will grow with more at-bats.
The key for Cron to have a successful fantasy season in 2015 is playing time. For one, he has to worry about losing at-bats to newly acquired Matt Joyce, who will likely receive at-bats against right-handed pitchers in the early going. Second, considering the contract of Albert Pujols, it is hard to imagine he will get much work at first base, outside of an injury to the former MVP. With that being said, it is unlikely he tops his 253 at-bats from 2014, but is only an injury away from seeing regular at-bats on a consistent basis.
Even if his playing time doesn't increase and his plate discipline stays the same, he has the upside to hit 20 home runs if nothing else and at a very cheap price might I add. For now Cron should be viewed as a AL-Only and deep mixed league target in the later rounds with the understanding that cheap power is hard to come by on the waiver wire once the season is underway. Keep in mind, a tandem of both Cron and Joyce may be the way to go if you end up in this situation if daily roster moves is part of your league's format.