Bryce Krispies

The more I read about this guy the more I am reminded of a rookie named Dustin Pedroia. Wish the Padres would cut the cord on the Ian Kinsler / Greg Garcia experiment and give this dude the job.
This just in the top 10 outfielders under 30 are really, really good. Not much in the way of surprises here. These guys represent the 1-10 OF’s and I plan on going through 40 for these under 30 fellas. Mock drafts are going full blast and Spring training has begun. As we go through March there are bound to be surprises, injuries and disappointments. For the most part spring training for hitters is 2 weeks too long so a lot of these every day starters don’t see a ton of playing time as the teams want to see what they have depth wise.
When you are at your draft or auction you’ll want to get at least one of these guys to anchor your outfielders. Think of this list as Prime aged Tier 1 OF.
For me it is a must to have a top third baseman on my fantasy teams just as much as having a top first baseman. I think of them as powerful bookends to my middle infielders. If I only have one of those book ends with a fringe player at the other, my lineup seems off. Kind of likely walking around with only one shoe on. This season I’m looking for Arenado or Bryant as my top 2 choices for the hot corner unless Manny Machado is eligible to play 3B in your league then there are 3 . Jose Ramirez to me stands alone in my tier 2. Rendon-Gallo my tier 3 players are great for CI and Utility spots in my eyes.
I suppose when 9 out of every 10 starting shortstops are under the age of 30 you have to be a pretty elite defender to hold that job past the slightest sign of decreased ability. Not many guys can hang on like an Ozzie Smith or Omar Vizquel. That being said I cant honestly say that i would be displeased having any of the 10 players below as my starting short stop this year It used to be such a wasteland of mediocre offensive stats once you got past the first tier of players years back.
If I must i’d say …
Tier 1: Machado-Turner
Tier 2: Seager-Bogaerts
Tier 3: Gregorious-Story
My top 10 list and projections are below.
Seems everyone was saying that second base is such a deeply talented position for 2018. There is lots of talent but the gap between the first tier and the rest of the best is huge. It kinda feels like being on a game show where there is a giant car sized prize box in front of you. You must decide whether to take the $15,000 cash prize or whats in the box. Now because the box is the size of a car there is a chance of the contents being a Jaguar or at least a Kia or something. Ignoring the odds that it could also just be a giant turd sandwich, you pick the mystery box. The crowd of senior citizen hecklers in the studio audience made you succumb to their peer pressure.
If your opting for a tier one kinda guy just be sure you believe you are getting what you paid for. Altuve is the only “unicorn” at this position.
Here are my top 10 players under the age of 30 at second base.
In 2018 there will most likely be that mad rush to get the top guys at first base. There is a drop off after the Goldschmidt, Votto, Rizzo, Bellinger and Freeman. While I do believe investing in a top man at first base is a smart move there is also a budding group of young talent that would make me very happy to fill a Corner Infield or Utility positions early to cash on on some of these high ceiling hitters.
In points leagues i am all over Josh Bell who plays everyday with his almost equal BB-SO percentages. Bell hit 26 HR and 90 RBI in his rookie season withe an AVG of .255. He has the capability of being a future 30 HR 100 RBI guy and with such a low k rate a .300 AVG isn’t out of the question.
Wil Myers, Matt Olson, Rhys Hoskins are studs as well and have the ability to be great contributors to your team.
Here is the list of my top 10 first basemen under 30 who are great assets to your lineups.
With Buster Posey now crossing over to the wrong side of 30 there is a changing of the guard at the top of this list. The physical toll it takes on the body to be a starting catcher these days it makes so much sense to play it safe and find a young starter who will not run out of gas come July (Hopefully).
No matter what fantasy format you play in catcher can be one of the most frustrating positions on your team. Lets set aside the bumps, bruises and injuries, Lets even set aside the whole take 1 or 2 days off a week. The delema I have always faced is how much to invest in a catcher. Just last year i drafted Cameron Rupp for $1 and thought i would get good power value for an every day guy. After suffering through his first few months of lackluster performance I was lucky that I was able to scoop up Mike Zunino before others caught on to his revival season.
If you are to invest in the top tiers like a Gary Sanchez, Buster Posey or Willson Contreras There is a level of comfort that brings but your paying a lot of money that would probably provide more production if spent on a everyday player from a less taxing position. Pick your poison i guess. I suppose its just best to look for an in his prime starter for a good team that comes a a decent value and hope for the best.
Here is my list of top 10 catchers under the age of 30.
Chris Archer has the talent to be in the top 5 pitchers discussion. When you only throw 2 pitches the hitter has a 50/50 shot at guessing the next pitch. Too many times I have seen him have that here it is hit it as he throws a 95mph+ fastball down the middle of the plate.
A surprise to not many is most hitters in the majors can put that fastball 450′ in the centerfield seats.
The Brewers are trying to pry him away from the Rays. If they can get Domingo Santana back they should make that trade right away!!
After finishing my projections stats for second basemen, there were 2 players that I believe will greatly increase their value in 2018. These are early rankings so as we’ve been seeing with the likes of Dee Gordon moving to Center Field this information can change by the day. That being said there are two players i’d like to bring up as early we can never do enough studying to perfect next years wish lists for your fantasy teams in 2018.
Javier Baez – Cubs – After showing off his stellar defense at the WBC early in 2017 Baez went on a bit of a slow start with the bat in Chicago. Once it became apparent that Ben Zobrist had begun to show his age it was only a matter of time till Javier was handed the reigns to a starting gig at second base. His lightning quick bat speed has already shown glimpses of that “light tower power”. If Baez is to receive a bump in plate appearances we will surely see a spike in his power numbers and that would likely mean a promotion from batting eighth to somewhere around 5-6 in that prolific Cubs batting order. This means an increase in counting stats. Strike outs will likely always be part of his game but, even in points leagues his PPG avg will still be top 5 at the position. My projections for 2018 are: .270/90/28/90/12
Jonathon Villar – Brewers – Villar had a breakout 2016 season when he produced a .285/92/19/63/62 stat line. A lot of fantasy owners took notice and took Villar early in their drafts to lock down the stolen base category while showing he could produce in all other categories at a middle infield position. 2017 was the second year in a row where his stats showed a decline on a Brewers team that does not excite as many owners as it did in years past. Here is a chance to buy low on a player that is only 25 years old and has not shown a decline in any peripheral hitting stats. My projections for 2018 are: .275/71/15/52/43