Xander Boegarts, SS, BOS
Boegarts has been one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this season and has by far been the top fantasy SS in 2015 according to the ESPN player rater. While he does boast a .324 BA, his 7 HR's and 10 SB's are not quite as spectacular, so it's a bit surprising that he ranks as the elite of his position. On the other hand, Yunel Escobar currently ranks 2nd among shortstops so it hasn't exactly been a deep pool. Regardless, Boegarts' value has primarily been tied to his excellent BA, which has been a result of an 8% decrease in K% but also a ridiculously high .376 BABIP. His high GB% has led him to 30 IFH's (5th in MLB) and he has also vastly improved in hitting to the opposite field, so the high BABIP is not a total fluke, but it is still unlikely to be repeatable. In addition, the improved K% is backed up by only a slight improvement in contact rate, so it remains to be seen how much of his gains will carry into 2016. A .280+ BA for Boegarts going forward seems realistic, and that may be enough to keep him as a top-10 SS, but I wouldn't count on another run at a batting title.
Chris Davis, 1B, 3B, OF, BAL
Davis homered twice in game 2 of a doubleheader on Wednesday giving him 45 homers and 112 RBI on the season. He has had an impressive comeback season this year, improving from his .196, 26 HR disaster of 2014 to once again be of the elite power sources in baseball. I'm inclined to say that the current version of Davis is more accurate than what we saw last year, as his 2014 BABIP seems to be an outlier and he also missed time that season due to suspension. 35-40 homers and a .250 AVG seem to be reasonable expectations for Davis heading into 2016.
Albert Pujols, 1B, LAA
I doubt many people expected Pujols to approach 40 homers this season, and he's done exactly that. At the same time though, his BA sits at a career low .241. His numbered have declined greatly since July 1, as he has slashed .217/.276/.388 with 14 dingers since that point, after hitting .265/.332/.558 with 24 HR's through the season's first 3 months. His power totals in the 2nd half are more in line with what he's produced in recent seasons and are more of a reasonable projection looking forward, but I wouldn't expect his average to remain this low. Pujols has remained an excellent contact hitter, but has suffered from a major-league low .215 BABIP. Granted, his BABIP has declined in recent seasons and his 16.4% LD% is a career-low, but his previously lowest BABIP is .258 and his .607 BA on line drives is nearly 100 points lower than any other season of his career despite no significant change to his Hard%. Overall, an average in the .260 range with 25-30 HR's are fair expectations for Pujols if he stays healthy in 2016.
Marcus Stroman, SP, TOR
Had Stroman not miraculously returned for the end of the 2015 season, he probably would have been an afterthought in 2016 drafts as a potential ace who hasn't pitched in over a year. Now that he was able to come back and go 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four September starts before the conclusion of the season, he most likely has left a good taste in fantasy owners' mouths and it will be interesting to see how he's viewed next spring. On the one hand, he seems to be improving with every start, increasing his K total in each start, and culminating in his 8 inning, 8 strikeout performance against the Orioles on Wednesday. On the other hand, the 6.00 K/9 and 7.8 SwStr% that he posted this season are below average, and he is far from being a proven ace. Stroman has a lot of upside, but I don't think I would rank him among the top tiers of pitchers when there are more proven options around.
Rich Hill, SP, BOS
Hill has come out of nowhere to strike out 10 batters in 3 consecutive starts, giving him a 1.17 ERA and a 30:2 K:BB rate through 23 IP this season. On Thursday, the southpaw will be facing a Yankees team that has struggled with a .231 team avg. and .692 OPS in September entering Wednesday's game and regularly carries a lefty heavy lineup. While it's hard to know how long this hot-streak will last for Hill, he's clearly on a roll right now and is worth a shot as a very cheap SP2 option. Value Play DraftKings Salary: $4,300.
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