The fantasy draft season is upon us and all of the chatter out there revolves around which player to take in the first round of the 2016 draft. However, most fantasy owners know that the picks made late in the draft are usually the ones that make the difference between raising flags of victory and checking out in July. In this article we will review 2016 fantasy baseball draft value picks in the outfield. So, for those fantasy owners that are looking for the late round value in 2016, may I submit the resumes of two players that may just fit the bill?
2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Value Picks: Outfield
Melky Cabrera
Melky Cabrera is entering his twelfth season in the majors, so the title of breakout candidate really does not apply. Yet Cabrera appears to be going late in the early drafts, with an ADP outside of the top-250 players. Cabrera has not been a major threat for power lately, as he has only averaged ten home runs per season over the past three years, and he has not shown the ability to be a threat on the base paths, averaging just three stolen bases per season during the same period.
He has, however, reminded fantasy owners season after season that he is a proficient major league hitter. In that same three-year period, as a part of the Blue Jays and White Sox, he has delivered a .283 batting average, driven in over seventy runs, and scored over seventy runs per season. He has been making solid contact and owns a hard hit ball percentage of over 30.5 in that time, and continues to spray the ball across the entire field.
Although 2015 was a bit of a step back for Melky in terms of fantasy performance, the underlying metrics indicate he is poised to produce another solid season in 2016. He is likely to bat at the top of the White Sox lineup this season, and has the potential to make fantasy owners that grab him late very happy in 2016.
Brandon Moss
Moss is entering his first full season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has a shot at getting the start at first base. He has a long track record of being a serious power hitter, which he developed by delivering three straight seasons of over twenty home runs while a member of the Oakland Athletics. In 2013, he hit thirty. He started the 2015 season with the Cleveland Indians and had his struggles after having off-season hip surgery. After a late-season trade to the Cardinals, Moss began showing signs of improved plate discipline, which was an issue for him in Cleveland, but had a very low .285 BABIP, which depressed his numbers overall.
Although Busch stadium is not known as a hitter’s park, Moss has proven he can drive the ball, with a hard hit rate north of 37% over the past three seasons. Indicators point to Moss returning to a form that more closely aligns with his 2014 season, provided that he is fully healthy. Moss qualifies in most fantasy leagues at both first base and outfield, which adds roster flexibility value. With his current ADP well outside of the top-300 players, fantasy owners may be able to grab twenty-plus home runs at an extreme discount by drafting Moss.
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