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With just a day until 2024 Opening Day, Dalton Del Don delivers his fantasy baseball predictions for every MLB team — here's the National League below, and you can go here for the American League!
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2024 MLB season]
Fantasy and real-life predictions for the NL East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card)
3. New York Mets
4. Miami Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves
Spencer Strider has one of the best pitching seasons in years and wins the Triple Crown and Cy Young awards. There's a bigger gap between his fantasy value and the No. 2 pitcher than Ronald Acuña Jr. and the next best hitter in 2024 … Austin Riley leads the league in RBI, but Ozzie Albies doesn't quite live up to his lofty ADP … Jared Kelenic, who hasn't hit a home run in his last 238 plate appearances (including spring), loses his job … Marcell Ozuna might have the lowest ADP ever for someone coming off a 40-homer, 100-RBI season … Michael Harris II hits .300 and goes 25/30 in a comically loaded Atlanta lineup that leads MLB in runs scored … Raisel Iglesias leads the league in saves, while Chris Sale's 150 innings are enough to finish as a top-15 fantasy starter … AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep are two of the best midseason fantasy adds in 2024, when the Braves win the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper’s power returns further removed from elbow surgery, resulting in MVP votes … Kyle Schwarber has an MLB-high 45.5 K% in spring training, so another sub-.200 batting average could be in store … Bryson Stott takes a step back and disappoints fantasy managers … Aaron Nola has a better fantasy campaign than Zack Wheeler … Orion Kerkering becomes Philadelphia’s full-time closer in September and into the playoffs.
New York Mets
Brandon Nimmo is a fantasy bust, but Starling Marte is a sleeper who returns to stealing 35+ bags ... J.D. Martinez flirts with 100 RBI yet again, while Harrison Bader is the most affordable 15/25 player in fantasy drafts … Edwin Díaz returns to form, but New York's rotation is a major weakness … Luis Severino makes a comeback and emerges as the Mets' ace, although it's a low bar to clear.
Miami Marlins
Jazz Chisholm, who's given up his daily McDonald's routine, goes 30/30 and is a second-round fantasy pick in 2025 … Jake Burger finishes among the league leaders in homers, and Nick Gordon takes over an outfield role and is a popular waiver wire add … Luis Arráez hits .315 with 10 combined homers and steals, making him a loss at ADP … Miami would have one of the league's best rotations if healthy, but injuries struck hard during spring … Jesús Luzardo and A.J. Puk are also threats to spend time on the IL this year, but both are highly effective when on the mound. Puk is a former top prospect with a career 28.8% K% who's fanned 23 batters over 13.2 innings this spring (1.25 FIP). His Yahoo ADP is 235.1 over the last week … Tanner Scott loses the closer's role, with Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi sharing duties afterward.
Washington Nationals
CJ Abrams became just the third player in MLB history to hit 18 homers and steal 47 bases at age 22 or younger last season. His BABIP was also about 80 points lower than it was in the minors. Abrams doesn't have an impressive batted-ball profile, but he should be treated as a top-30 fantasy player anyway. Abrams has a better fantasy season than Corbin Carroll in 2024 … James Wood and Dylan Crews are both starting in Washington's outfield by September … Hunter Harvey leads the team in saves … MacKenzie Gore breaks out, but he's the only Washington SP who provides fantasy value from the last-place Nationals.
Fantasy and real-life predictions for the NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
Seiya Suzuki is a top-15 fantasy outfielder, but Cody Bellinger is a bust ... Christopher Morel goes 30/15, while Yan Gomes is curiously an afterthought even in two-catcher fantasy leagues despite being one of the few at his position who doesn't hurt batting average … Nico Hoerner shouldn't be drafted ahead of Gleyber Torres or even Andrés Giménez, yet he goes rounds earlier … Shota Imanaga emerges as Chicago's ace and is a top-25 fantasy starter … Cade Horton and Ben Brown are both must-adds in fantasy leagues once they are called up … New manager Craig Counsell leads the Cubs to a division title in a highly competitive NL Central.
Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz goes 20/50 and is a first-rounder in 2025 fantasy drafts … Christian Encarnacion-Strand is a dark horse to win the home run title thanks in part to playing in the league's most favorable park for power … Jonathan India goes 20/20 and is one of the best MI values at draft tables … Nick Lodolo emerges as Cincinnati's ace and crushes his ADP, but Alexis Díaz fails to repeat last year's success … The Reds dealt with injuries and suspensions during spring, but they have the upside to make a deep postseason run if things break right.
St. Louis Cardinals
Victor Scott II became a must-add in all fantasy leagues after making the Opening Day roster, and he's capable of stealing 50 bases as a rookie if St. Louis gives him the opportunity … Masyn Winn is a deep fantasy sleeper ... The Cardinals' rotation is filled with No. 4 and 5 starters, and Ryan Helsley may be used in high-leverage situations more than his fantasy managers would like … Both Fangraphs and PECOTA project St. Louis to win the NL Central, but this roster falls just short in a tightly contested division.
Milwaukee Brewers
William Contreras goes 50 picks after Adley Rutschman, but he finishes as fantasy’s top catcher in 2024 … Gary Sánchez knocks 25+ homers from the DH spot, while Rhys Hoskins records 90+ RBI … Freddy Peralta is a top-five starter when on the mound but struggles to reach 140 innings … DL Hall looks like the only other intriguing fantasy starter in Milwaukee, as Aaron Ashby’s stuff hasn’t returned since coming back from injuries … The Brewers implement a full-blown committee to close during a rebuilding year.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz goes 30/25 and breaks his record for the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era … Ke'Bryan Hayes has the best season of his career, and Michael Taylor is a deep fantasy sleeper who could approach 20/20 with regular playing time … Paul Skenes and Jared Jones have bright futures, but Mitch Keller is Pittsburgh's only valuable fantasy starter in 2024 … Aroldis Chapman records more saves than David Bednar.
Fantasy and real-life predictions for the NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card)
3. San Diego Padres (Wild Card)
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani goes nuts in a full-time DH role, rewarding fantasy managers who gambled on him … Mookie Betts remains great but regresses some, while Teoscar Hernández hits the most homers of his career and finishes as a top-15 fantasy outfielder … The Dodgers' offense remains absolutely loaded … Tyler Glasnow is currently the league's second-best pitcher who now gets to play in the NL West and for the Dodgers, so he's the No. 2 SP on my fantasy board … Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounces back from a rough first MLB start and finishes as a top-10 fantasy starter, winning the Rookie of the Year award … James Paxton pitches like a top-30 SP in between IL stints, and Evan Phillips records 35 saves … Gavin Stone's ADP saw major helium at the end of draft season, but Emmett Sheehan ultimately replaces him in an absurdly deep LA rotation that also features Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler eventually returning … It's World Series or bust for this Dodgers team.
San Francisco Giants
Jorge Soler hits 35 homers with 95 RBI, while Jung Hoo Lee provides far more value to the Giants than to fantasy managers … Matt Chapman goes down as one of this year's best draft-day values ... Nick Ahmed's glove leads to more starts at SS than former top prospect Marco Luciano, while Patrick Bailey emerged as baseball's best defensive player last year as a rookie (including framing) … Blake Snell finishes as a top-five fantasy starter with the help of Oracle Park and what projects to be a terrific San Francisco defense … Kyle Harrison racks up strikeouts and finishes as a top-30 fantasy starter … Alex Cobb (and eventually Robbie Ray) provide depth, while Keaton Winn, Landen Roupp and Jordan Hicks offer nice upside for San Francisco's rotation ... With a new manager and coming off one of the best offseasons in recent franchise memory, the Giants are poised to return to the playoffs.
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatís Jr. is healthier another year removed from surgeries and wins the MVP award. He should’ve been a top-five pick in all fantasy drafts … Ha-Seong Kim hits 15+ homers and steals 30+ bases again, while Manny Machado bounces back … Tommy Pham signs in San Diego and is added in all fantasy leagues … Yu Darvish and Michael King both finish as top-30 fantasy starters, while Dylan Cease is top-15 … Yuki Matsui eventually overtakes Robert Suárez as the Padres’ closer … San Diego has an incredibly strong front four in its starting rotation that few teams can match if health cooperates, helping the Padres reach the postseason.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Corbin Carroll has just 10 home runs over his last 455 plate appearances since re-injuring his surgically repaired shoulder on June 29. He's a risky top-10 fantasy pick ... Ketel Marte continues to be one of the most underrated fantasy hitters … Arizona used to boost homers, but the humidor continues to suppress power; Chase Field has decreased home runs by 16% over the last three seasons, with only Pittsburgh and Detroit worse … Zac Gallen, who threw the most pitches in a season last year since 2019, posted a 4.03 ERA after the All-Star break and finished with an average exit velocity in the bottom 3% of the league, presents clear bust potential being drafted as a top-10 fantasy SP … Brandon Pfaadt out-pitches Merrill Kelly, and Kevin Ginkel is a top-10 fantasy closer until Paul Sewald returns.
Colorado Rockies
Nolan Jones had one of the 10 highest BABIPs ever last year, including a .434 mark on the road. His ADP looks just as inflated … Brendan Rodgers is a former top-three pick who's finally recovered from shoulder surgery and will benefit from hitting cleanup and in Coors Field (which has increased run scoring an MLB-high 25% over the last three seasons). He has zero career stolen bases, but Rodgers could easily hit .290 with 20 homers and 90 RBI. He's going undrafted in fantasy leagues and would be especially valuable in formats that allow him to be started exclusively at home … Ezequiel Tovar finishes as a top-15 fantasy shortstop, while Brenton Doyle emerges as a popular waiver wire add early on … No Colorado pitcher provides any fantasy value, including the closers who do more harm than good … The Rockies suffer the most losses in baseball in 2024, but at least their home games provide the most run-scoring.
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