With the regular season under a week away, the time to draft is closing, but the sleepers are still available for the picking. The last hitter for XN Sports’ Fantasy Baseball Sleepers series is one player who probably won’t be drafted in most leagues and if you already had your draft he’s most likely sitting on your waiver wire.
Meet second baseman Scooter Gennett.
In the past, second base has not been deep in fantasy baseball. But with the recent burst in offense from second baseman, some fantasy players like to wait on their second baseman. The ultimate punt option for second base in none other than the Milwaukee second baseman. Keep in mind the Brewers haven’t announced who is their starting second baseman, but looking back at Rickie Weeks‘ past is not too promising, and at some point Gennett will be the guy.
Gennett’s average draft position currently sits at a whopping 320, which is undrafted in nearly every single league. He is a good option to select in the last round, or perhaps an early add if you have an injured player eligible for the disabled list.
Of all second basemen with over 200 at-bats last year, Gennett had the highest batting average at .324. Now, he only had 213 at-bats, but that is plenty to see what a guy can contribute. In addition, his final line for the season included 29 runs scored, six home runs, and 21 runs batted in. Gennett also was able to contribute two stolen bases for good measure. Now, that pace will be hard to keep up, but if he did it last season, why not this year?
At that pace, Gennett’s full season statistics would have been around 75 runs scored, 15 home runs, 55 runs batted in and five stolen bases while hitting over .300 (assuming he wouldn’t hit .324 over a full year). The only other second basemen who posted that production were Jed Lowrie, Robinson Cano, Jason Kipnis and Brandon Phillips. If Gennett is named the full-time second baseman for the Brewers he is a must-add in almost any league, but even if he is only going to play in a utility role, having just a few starts a week he is worth a look in deep leagues.
There are no second baseman at Gennett’s ADP who have the capability to put up the same numbers, and the four second baseman mentioned above are being drafted in the first six rounds (with the exception of Lowrie, who is another sleeper for this season).
If Gennett is named the starter, expect him to put up similar numbers as far as production, but the batting average is due for regression. Nevertheless, if he is able to get 500 at-bats, expect 70 runs scored, 12-15 home runs, and over 55 runs batted in. Not bad for a player who is undrafted.
ADP’s are based on data from FantasyPros.com
Stay tuned for the rest of the “Fantasy Baseball Sleepers Series”
