Fantasy Baseball 2013 Breakout Players

Stars to be this Season-Players Taking that Next Step[caption id="attachment_16183" align="alignleft" width="258"] In case you didn't notice, we were pretty good last season.[/caption]   The co-hosts of the RotoInfo.com Fantasy Baseball "Box Score Baseball"podcast combine forces to provide you with a slew of Fantasy Baseball insight. In this article the fellas provide you with a few players who look ready to solidify their Fantasy value in 2013, and possibly beyond. (Items in blue/purple are links).

Michael Pichan's choices:

Mets 1B Ike Davis:

Ike Davis hit 27 home runs after June 10th. In addition, Ike hit the most home runs of any first baseman post All-Star Break (20). The left handed hitting Davis will need to improve his batting average vs LHP as he batted only .174 vs LHP in 2012. In addition, it is safe to say that Davis will be able to improve on his .188 BA at home in 2013. One thing in Davis’ favor is that he missed most all of 2012, so any struggles at the plate could be a result of that missed time, but even then he still hit 32 home runs.

Rockies C Wilin Rosairo:

Like Ike, Rosario flashed his power in 2012 hitting 28 home runs, to lead all catchers despite playing only 117 games. Rosario finished the season in the top 10 amongst catchers in runs, home runs, runs batted in, slugging, and stolen bases again despite only playing in 117 games. You have to love Rosario’s home park of Coors Field and imagine what Rosario will be able to do if he sees more playing time in 2013.

 

Athletics SP Jarrod Parker:

Parker was a very highly touted prospect, before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2010, since then he has steadily shown improvement, highlighted by finishing 13-8 in his first full season in the major leagues. Parker still has room for growth as he flashed the ability to strike out eight or more batters per nine in the minors, but only struck out about seven per nine in his rookie season. Some may say his breakout year was last year, but it seems that the overall consensus is that Parker will regress this season, I disagree and look forward to cashing in on his discounted value this season.

Bretsky's Choices:

Cardinals 1B/OF Allen Craig

Over the past 2 Seasons per 162 games

Admittedly, Craig’s 194 games played over that span is third on the list by a wide margin, but that does not take away from the fact that this guy has put up nearly identical slash lines to two of the most well-regarded sluggers in the game. Though I typically find it difficult to trust anybody with two first names, Allen Craig deserve consideration as a top-40 player on his performance over the past two seasons and if he does finally manage to stay on the field for 150+ games, well then you have yourself a first-round talent for a bargain basement price.

Diamondbacks OF/3B Martin Prado

After falling back a bit in 2011, Martin Prado, rebounded to hit over.300 last season, making that 4 of his past 5 years achieving that mark. The Braves utility man ended with a final .301-81-10-70-17 line, give you a little bit of everything with multi-position eligibility. Prado makes the jump to Arizona after being a part of the trade sending Justin Upton to Atlanta. The Diamondbacks are flush with outfielders so Prado’s primary duties will likely be limited to work at the hot-corner, but a move to the hitter friendly Chase Field should provide a solid offensive boost to the underrated Prado. The average and speed should be steady and a run at 20 home runs may be within reach in that hot, dry desert air.

Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks

The .230-85-21-63-16 final line is not really all that impressive, Weeks managed to provide some mighty nice category juice with 21 taters and 16 swipes on the year. The best part is, as most of your league-mates were prepping for their fantasy football draft, Rickie decided to start playing baseball. His numbers in the second half speak for themselves, and it’s not like we haven’t seen this guy do it over the course of a full seasons before. Injuries seem to be a constant concern with Weeks, but the upside is certainly worth a gamble at a weak position.

  

Remember, to keep up with all player news, all the time, be sure to bookmark RotoInfo.com and follow them on twitter @RotoInfo_com and follow Wayne here: @BretskyBall and Michael here:@FantasyNomad

Be sure to check out the new "Fantasy Recommendations" that now come attached to Player News items, which will help you make sense of how the player news effects your Fantasy decision making.

Link to iTunes: Box Score Baseball Podcast