2023 Preview: Kansas City Royals
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Kansas City Royals. Also,
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX
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2023 Preview: Detroit Tigers
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Detroit Tigers. Also, check
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX
You can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one-time discounted price of $30 or Join the FullTime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month, or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!
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2023 Preview: Cleveland Guardians
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Cleveland Guardians Also, check
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX
You can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one-time discounted price of $30 or Join the FullTime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month, or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!
This week only, use PROMO: SHAWN23, for an additional 15% off any package!
2023 Preview: Chicago White Sox
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Chicago White Sox Also,
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX
You can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one-time discounted price of $30 or Join the FullTime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month, or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!
This week only, use PROMO: SHAWN23, for an additional 15% off any package!
2023 Preview: Toronto Blue Jays
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Toronto Blue Jays. Also,
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX
You can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one-time discounted price of $30 or Join the FullTime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month, or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!
This week only, use PROMO: SHAWN23, for an additional 15% off any package!
2023 Preview: Tampa Bay Rays
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Tampa Bay Rays Also,
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read either of the two unlocked outlooks here:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – BOSTON RED SOX –NEW YORK YANKEES
You can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one-time discounted price of $30 or Join the FullTime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month, or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!
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2023 Preview: New York Yankees
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Up next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: New York Yankees.
To get an idea of what you’ll be diving into, you can read the two unlocked Team Outlooks below!
Boston Red Sox
To read the rest, you can either buy all the Outlooks as a downloadable for a one time discounted price of $30 or Join the Fulltime fam with a Monthly, 6-Month or Annual Membership which includes everything we do for ALL SPORTS!This week only, use PROMO: SHAWN23, for an additional 15% off any package!
2023 Preview: Boston Red Sox
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Next, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Boston Red Sox. Also, check out Shawn’s extensive breakdown of his unique FPGscore, which gives you a huge edge over the competition. Plus, you’ll learn more about other advanced metrics like Average Hit Rate (AVH) and Contact Batting Average (CTBH.) 2023 Boston Red Sox Twice over the past two seasons, the Red Sox have been the cellar dwellers in the AL East. They no longer have the foundations of aces to compete for a World Series title, and Boston has seen some of their best bats move to other teams over the past few seasons. Last year, they slipped to 25th in ERA (4.53), with a lower ranking in the bullpen (33-33 with a 4.59 ERA, 39 saves, and 627 strikeouts). Michael Wacha (3.32 ERA with 104 strikeouts over 127.1 innings) was their only asset in the starting rotation. Their pitching future lies in the development of Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck. In addition, the Red Sox need Chris Sale to pitch like an ace or move him to a contender for some developing arms. James Paxton should prove to be a value after missing all of 2022 with his recovery from TJ surgery. When rebuilding a major league team, it makes no sense to spend on offense when your pitching isn’t ready to contend. Boston slipped to ninth in runs (735), 20th in home runs (155), and ninth in RBIs (704). They only stole 52 bases (26th). Their best assets came in batting average (.258 – 3rd) and doubles (352 – 1st). The Red Sox lost SS Xander Bogaerts to the Padres, and OF J.D. Martinez signed with the Dodgers. Boston gave 3B Rafael Devers an 11-year contract extension worth $331 to be the face of their franchise. In the offseason, they added 3B Justin Turner, SP Corey Kluber, CL Kenley Jansen, and OF Masataka Yoshida. They signed RP Chris Martin, RP Joely Rodriguez, and 2B Niko Goodrum in minor deals. Boston moved on from SP Rich Hill, SP Nathan Eovaldi, RP Matt Strahm, 1B Eric Hosmer, and OF Franchy Cordero. This season, Boston hopes to be in the wild-card hunt while waiting for their next generation of bats to develop in the minors. However, they can’t compete this year with the Yankees and Blue Jays, and Tampa continues to have a top-tier pitching staff. So, the Red Sox’s next big move will be finding a front-end ace via a trade or free agency. Starting Lineup OF Masataka Yoshida In early December, Boston signed Yoshida to a five-year deal worth $90 million. Over his seven seasons in Japan, he hit .326 with 425 runs, 135 home runs, 474 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 2,759 at-bats. His best asset has been his hit tool and plate discipline (427 walks and 307 strikeouts). Over the past three seasons, Yoshida missed 79 out of a possible 432 games due to various injuries. He projects as a defensive liability with minimal speed. His contact batting average has had a floor of .360 over the previous five seasons, leading to his edge in batting average over this span. Yoshida had been on base more than 45% of the time in 2020 and 2021, but his run rates (32 and 26) over this span don’t project well. Fantasy Outlook: I see a line drive/groundball swing path that will lead to many singles. Yoshida should enjoy using the wall at Fenway, but I expect many of his flies to right field to end up as outs instead of in the stands. His ADP (251) in early January in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship ranks him 57th in the outfield. I only see help in batting average, making Yoshida a four-category drag in the fantasy market. My conservative bar is .290 with 75 runs, 15 home runs, 60 RBIs, and five steals with 500 at-bats. 2B Trevor Story In his first season with Boston, Story missed 68 games, with two stints (wrist and heel) on the injured list. He struggled over his first 72 at-bats (.208/8/0/6), followed by sensational production (.252 with 21 runs, nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and six stolen bases over 107 at-bats). Over his next 32 games, Story lost his approach (43 strikeouts and five walks), leading to a step back in results (.203/20/6/18/3 over 128 at-bats). He hit .340 over his final 50 at-bats, with one home run and eight RBIs. His launch angle (17.8) has been home run favoring six of his seven years in the majors, and Story saw his barrel rate (11.3) rise for the third consecutive season. He has never had a flyball rate (45.2 in 2022 and 44.8 in his career) lower than 42.3%. Over the last three years, his HR/FB rate (13.4, 13.9, and 14.8) failed to match his 2018 (19.9) and 2019 (19.9) seasons with the Rockies. Story continues to have a slightly better-than-league average walk rate (8.1) while giving back all his gains in strikeout rate from 2018 to 2021 (25.1 – 23.4 in 2021) with Boston (30.8). In addition, his bat was an edge at home (.252 with 28 runs, 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, and three steals over 171 at-bats). Fantasy Outlook: Story still checks the power and speed boxes, and he had his best season with the Red Sox in RBI rate (18.6). When in peak form from 2018 to 2020, he ranked in the top 10 for hitters by FPGscore. This draft season, his ADP (81) ranks him as the 46th for batters. To regain his lost value in batting average, Story must clean up his approach and push his contact batting average over .390, something he did each year from 2018 to 2020 (.405, .418, and .395). Injury Update: Story surprisingly had surgery on his right elbow on January 10th. His procedure
2023 Preview: Baltimore Orioles
Legendary fantasy expert Shawn Childs will be breaking down all 30 teams ahead of the 2023 MLB season. This is the kind of deep-diving, advanced information you can only get from FullTimeFantasy. Up first, Shawn’s 2023 Preview: Baltimore Orioles Also, check out Shawn’s extensive breakdown of his unique FPGscore, which gives you a huge edge over the competition. Plus, you’ll learn more about other advanced metrics like Average Hit Rate (AVH) and Contact Batting Average (CTBH.) 2023 Baltimore Orioles Since 1997, the Orioles have made the postseason in three years (2012, 2014, and 2016 while finishing fourth or fifth in their division 19 times. Last season, their pitching staff allowed 267 fewer runs than in 2021 (988), leading to the 18th-ranked ERA (3.97 – 4th in the AL East). Baltimore moved the fence back last year, which was part of their improvement in pitching. The Orioles’ last World Series win and appearance came in 1983. Unfortunately, the Orioles finished 20th in runs scored (674), 16th in home runs (171), and 20th in batting average (.236). In addition, their defense made 91 errors, placing them 20th in field percentage (.985). In the offseason, Baltimore moved on from 2B Rougned Odor, OF Brett Phillips, 1B Jesus Aguilar, IF Chris Owings, and C Robinson Chirinos. They signed 2B Adam Frazier, SP Kyle Gibson, and RP Mychal Givens, plus took fliers on Jon Lester, Nomar Mazara, and Franchy Cordero. The future of this franchise lies in the development of C Adley Rutschman, SS Gunnar Henderson, 1B Ryan Mountcastle, and SP Grayson Rodriguez. The early over/under total for wins for the Orioles is 75.5, pointing to a step back from the growth in 2022. The top of the batting line looks competitive while needing more power to compete with the best teams in baseball. A significant part of the improvement of Baltimore last season was their bullpen (42-29 with 46 saves and 3.49 ERA over 631 innings). This season, the Orioles need Grayson Rodriguez to hit the ground running if Baltimore wants to push higher in the AL East standings. In addition, they have some young developing arms that need more major-league experience. Starting Lineup OF Cedric Mullins Mullins was a waiver-wire darling in 2021, helping many fantasy teams win league and overall championships. He finished 10th in FPGscore (6.36) for hitters. Last year Mullins finished with almost the same opportunity in at-bats (602 and 608), but he failed to repeat in power despite a higher fly ball rate (43.6 – 41.1 in 2021). His HR/FB rate (7.7) was more than 50% lower than in 2021 (15.5) while failing in a range more in line with his previous career. Mullins saw a sharp decline in his average hit rate (1.561 – 1.781 in 2021) and contact batting average (.326 – .367 in 2021). On the positive side, he continues to have a better-than-league-average strikeout rate (18.8), with a step back in walks (7.0% – 8.7 in 2021). Mullins lost his feel at the plate vs. left-handed pitching (.209/4/15 over 182 at-bats), and the change in dimensions in his home park showed in his stats (.243/10/39 over 296 at-bats – .294/22/37 over 306 at-bats). Despite his regression, he finished as the 23rd most valuable hitter based on FPGscore (5.33) last season. Fantasy Outlook: In the early draft season in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, Mullins is the 33rd hitter drafted with an ADP of 48. I respect his speed while expecting repeated success in runs. However, I fear he could lose some at-bats vs. lefties while understanding the rules changes for shifts should lead to a slight rebound in batting average. I view him as a .265/85/20/60/30 player who falls in a draft range with some more dynamic hitters. C Adley Rutschman Baltimore drafted Rutschman in the first round in the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft. He came into college with a light-hitting swing. His power developed in 2019 (17 home runs over 185 at-bats) at Oregon State, along with his approach (76 walks and 38 strikeouts over 266 plate appearances). After missing development time in the 2020 Covid-19 season, Rutschman handled himself well at AA (.271 over 295 at-bats with 61 runs, 18 home runs, 55 RBI, and one steal). He finished with strength in his walk rate (15.4) while posting a better-than-major ready strikeout rate (15.9). Last year, Rutschman developed a triceps issue in his throwing arm, leading to him missing most of April. He hit .304 over 69 at-bats over three levels of the minors with 12 runs, three home runs, and 10 RBI. After a slow start over 126 at-bats with Baltimore (.206/15/3/9), Rutschman hit his stride over the final 79 games (.276 with 55 runs, 10 home runs, 33 RBI, and three steals over 272 at-bats), highlighted by a bump in production in September (.270/17/5/17 over 115 at-bats). His swing offered emptiness vs. left-handed pitching (.174/9/1/5 over 98 at-bats). He finished the year with an elite walk rate (13.8) and a favorable strikeout rate (18.3). Rutschman hit 12 of his 13 home runs right of centerfield, but many of his hits went the other way. Fantasy Outlook: Based on Rutschman’s average hit rate (1.752), he should have no problem smashing 25 home runs this season. His approach and success at the plate will be much improved in his sophomore year. There is no doubt that Baltimore will give plenty of at-bats at DH to help his fantasy value and production. Rutschman should lead all catchers in runs while chipping in with a handful of steals. In the NFBC in early January, he is the fourth catcher off the board with an ADP of 63. His next step in growth is solving lefties (.350/7/25 over 140 at-bats in 2021 in the minors). Rutschman is in my thoughts with a bright shade of green, but I will struggle to roster him as my second bat if I start my team with a pair of aces. With 525 at-bats, .280+ with 90+ runs, 25+ home runs,
2022 Fantasy Baseball: Baltimore Orioles Team Outlook
Player profiles, stats and analysis for Baltimore Orioles hitters and pitchers. Shawn Childs – as published on SI. The Orioles have been the cellar dwellers in the AL East over their last four full seasons (fourth over a 60-game schedule in 2020 with a 25-35 record). They won 54 games or fewer in 2018 (47-115), 2019 (54-108) and 2021 (52-110). Baltimore finished a combined 158 games out of first place over these three seasons. Last year, they finished last in the majors in ERA (5.84), which was more than a run-and-a-half higher than the league average. In essence, the Orioles pitching staff gave up two-plus runs a game to the Rays (3.67 ERA) and Yankees (3.74 ERA). In addition, Baltimore allowed the most home runs (258) in baseball. Their offense finished 26th in runs scored (659) with 195 home runs (17th) and 54 stolen bases (25th). On the positive side, the age of their average batter came in at 26.7 (youngest offensive team in the majors). The Orioles signed 2B Rougned Odor, C Jacob Nottingham, C Anthony Bemboom and SP Jordan Lyles in the offseason. The best player lost to free agency was 3B Maikel Franco, who signed with the Nationals. Baltimore has two elite prospects (C Adley Rutschman and SP Grayson Rodriguez) in their farm system. Both players had success at AA in 2021, pointing to their major league debuts coming sometime after May. Shortstop and third base have questionable options in the middle of January, but the Orioles may upgrade those positions via free agency after the lockout ends. The foundation of Baltimore’s offense is built around 1B Ryan Mountcastle, OF Trey Mancini, OF Cedric Mullins and OF Austin Hays. The starting rotation has one pitcher (John Means) of value. Many of their pitching prospects gained some major league experience in 2021, but no arm appeared ready to handle an entire season of starts in the majors. Without improvement in the foundation of their starting staff, the Orioles can’t make a run at even the .500 mark. Baltimore’s bullpen also had the worst ERA (5.70) in baseball while earning 28 wins, 34 losses and 26 saves. They allowed 109 home runs over 666.2 innings with 296 walks and 637 strikeouts. Every role in this bullpen will be in flux again in 2022. Starting Lineup OF Cedric Mullins Mullins helped many fantasy owners win league titles in his first full season with Baltimore. He outperformed his five-year minor league resume (.265 over 2,013 at-bats with 318 runs, 51 home runs, 213 RBI and 110 stolen bases) by a wide margin in batting average (.291) and home runs (30). Before 2021, Mullins never hit more than 14 home runs in any season in the minors. His walk rate (8.7) fell in line with his success in the minors in 2019 (8.9). He lowered his strikeout rate to 18.5%, but it still came in higher than his minor league career (15.2). Mullins had a similar batting average at home (.294) and on the road (.287) while delivering 22 of his 30 home runs in Baltimore. His swing path came in balanced while setting a new top in his HR/FB rate (15.5). He appeared to square up more balls compared to a high number of infield flyouts over 204 at-bats with the Orioles in 2019 and 2020. Fantasy Outlook This draft season, Mullins has an early ADP of 29, making him a much more challenging player to roster. I respect his value in steals, and his approach should come in above the league average. However, he struggled with runners on base (RBI rate – 11), and Mullins would need a lot to go right to repeat his output in power. With an entire season of at-bats, I’ll set his bar at .270 with 80 runs, 18 home runs, 55 RBI and a chance at 35-plus steals. OF Austin Hays Three games into 2021, Hays landed on the injured list for two weeks with a hamstring issue. The same injury cost him another 14 games in late May and early June. Over the first four months of the year, he hit .237 with 43 runs, 10 home runs and 36 RBI over 266 at-bats. Hays found his hitting stroke over his final 58 games (.279 over 222 at-bats with 30 runs, 12 home runs, 35 RBI). His average hit rate (1.800) fell in line with his 2018 and 2019 seasons, but he finished with a weaker contact batting average (.328). Hays handled himself well against lefties (.308 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI over 198 at-bats). His walk rate (5.3) remains in a weak area while posting a better than league average strikeout rate (20.2). Fantasy Outlook Early in his minor league career, Hays had the look of a 30-plus home run hitter with a high floor in batting average. Unfortunately, injuries have cost him development time at the major league level, but his bat did shine with runners on base (RBI rate – 17) in 2021. In addition, he’ll chip in with a handful of steals, and Baltimore should hit him between second and fifth in the batting order this year. Hays looks poised to push over 30 home runs with a sneaky ceiling in batting average. His ADP (207) puts him in buying range while still owning injury risk. 1B Ryan Mountcastle In his first full season with Baltimore, Mountcastle underachieved in batting average (.232) and contact batting average (.320). He hit .295 in his minor-league career over 2,078 at-bats with 70 home runs, 274 RBI and 27 stolen bases, with a much higher contact batting average (.375). He struggled over his 48 games in 2021 (.225 with four home runs, 20 RBI and three steals over 173 at-bats) due to a high strikeout rate (32.1). Mountcastle played well in June (.327/17/9/26), followed by a quiet July (.205/10/3/10). Despite missing 10 days in August, he finished the year with an uptick in power over his final 48 games (.262