The following is an excerpt from the 2015 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is on sale now:

 

What Went Right In 2014

By Ray Flowers

The Giants won the World Series for the third time in five years.

Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher to ever win four straight MLB ERA crowns.

I lost my virginity (well, maybe not. Sorry, Mom).

A lot went right in 2014. Which players saw everything come together in the fantasy game in 2014? Let’s explore.

C - Devin Mesoraco, Russell Martin, Yan Gomes

Drafted as a second catcher in mixed leagues, Mesoraco was a revelation, as he led NL backstops with 25 homers and was second with 80 RBIs. He only appeared in 114 games, which made the numbers even more shocking. His .893 OPS was nearly .040 points clear of Buster Posey. Be wary of the doubling of his HR/F ratio compared to his first three seasons, though. Martin hit .290 with a .832 OPS, his best totals since 2007 and he drove in 67 runners, a 6-year high. He also lived off a .336 BABIP. Don’t forget this guy hadn’t hit .240 the previous three seasons and his total of 11 homers was a four-year low. Gomes built on a solid 2013 with a full season of at-bats. The result was a .278-21-74-64 line. The 120 Ks in 485 at-bats isn’t promising, but in total, what is going on here seems sustainable.

1B - Anthony Rizzo, Adam Lind, Lucas Duda

Rizzo continued to improve against lefties hitting .300 and that led a .286 batting average. He also socked 32 big flies and scored 89 times thanks to a strong .386 OBP. Further growth is still possible for the 25-year-old lefty swinger. Lind hit a career best .321 though he appeared in just 96 games. He was almost entirely kept away from lefties and excelled hitting .354 with a .942 OPS against righties. He made a lot of contact as well with a career best 15.1 K-rate. Duda hit 30 homers with 92 RBIs, really he did. Duda virtually matched his 2013 numbers in BB-rate, K-rate, GB/FB and line drive rate. Even his HR/F was a near match. So why the growth? Playing time, of course. After 318 at-bats in 2013, the Mets let him role for 514 at-bats in 2014. Boom goes the dynamite.

2B - Anthony Rendon, Brian Dozier

Rendon was looked at as a “professional” hitter when he was drafted. He had 98 games to establish himself as a rookie and in year two, he exploded all over the diamond. Rendon hit .287, an expected mark, but it was his overall game that stood out. Mostly, though, he would settle in as a 15-20 HR bat. He hit 21 in his first full season. Double-digit steals were possible too. He swiped 17. He also played 153 games with 128 of those contests coming out of the #1 or #2 hole in the batting order. The result was…

 

More breakout performers at every position are listed in the 2015 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

 

To read more of this article and 179+ more pages of Fantasy Baseball Bliss, get the  2015 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide now. Best of all is that you can get the Draft Guide AND the 2015 MLB Assistant G.M. FREE with a $10 deposit to Fantasy Aces.