10 Bold Fantasy Baseball Predictions

by
Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Here are 10 crazy, wild, yet possible, fantasy predictions for the 2016 MLB season:

Edwin Encarnacion will lead the majors in HR and RBIs

Encarnacion is the most underrated hitter in baseball. Ever since he switched his batting stance and swing after 2011, he's been one of the best hitters in the game. From 2012-2015, he's averaged 38 home runs and 106 RBIs in 142 games per season.

Encarnacion, who happens to be in a contract year, hits cleanup in a loaded Blue Jays lineup. As the DH, he has the potential to hit 45 bombs and drive in 125 runs hitting in the home run-friendly Rogers Center.

Kris Medlen will post a sub-3.00 ERA

From 2012-13, Medlen was one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League, going 25-13 with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He then had a second Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2014 and the majority of 2015.

Most pitchers don't fully find their groove until their second season returning from Tommy John. Don't be surprised if Medlen returns back to his 2012-13 form pitching at spacious Kaufman Stadium with the best defense in baseball behind him.

Gerardo Parra will be a top-10 fantasy OF

Here's three examples of how Colorado's Coors Field can change a hitters' career:

Stat Michael Cuddyer Justin Morneau Drew Stubbs
BA as Rockie .307 .316 .273
Career BA Prior .272 .277 .239
OPS as Rockie .886 .850 .799
Career OPS Prior .794 .829 .691

Unlike Cuddyer and Morneau, Parra is in the prime of his career. He'll be 29 this season and is coming off career-highs in homers and RBIs while falling 0.4 points short of a career-high in OPS.

Jose Reyes will be the highest-scoring fantasy SS

The big question with Reyes is a looming domestic violence suspension from MLB, which will likely lead to him being drafted late. If there's no suspension, Reyes could return to being a triples champion while hitting over .300 and swiping more than 30 bases.

Carlos Gomez will join the 30-30 club

A 40-40 season may be out of reach, but 30-30 is within striking distance for Gomez. He's already had four seasons of 30-plus steals, but has never surpassed 24 home runs in his career.

Gomez, a right-handed hitter, will have the luxury of playing 81 games at Minute Maid Park this season. Right-handed hitters have made a living hitting home runs down the 315-foot left-field line.

Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg will rack up a combined 550 strikeouts

Last season, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke combined for 501 strikeouts - the most by a teammate tandem since 2002, when Arizona Diamondbacks starters Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling combined for a ridiculous 650 Ks.

Scherzer totaled 276 strikeouts last season, and it's very likely he repeats that feat in his second year with Washington.

Strasburg is the key cog in this prediction. If his 10.4 SO/9 average remains the same, he would need to log 237 innings to reach 275 Ks. Strasburg is due for a dominant season and has the pitching arsenal to get it done.

Chris Colabello will record 100 RBIs

In just 360 plate appearances last season, Colabello hit .321 with 15 long balls and 54 RBIs. With a full season under his belt as Toronto's everyday first baseman, Colabello could easily drive in 100 runs with OBP machines like Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Encarnacion in front of him.

Colabello is an aggressive hitter with the ability to spray line drives all over the diamond. The seven-year veteran of independent baseball is out to prove 2015 was no fluke.

Paul Goldschmidt will be a fantasy bust

Goldschmidt is being taken anywhere from first to fourth overall in fantasy drafts. He's a great hitter, but being taken as a top-three pick requires a monster season.

The lack of protection in Arizona's lineup makes it unlikely he launches north of 35 dingers. If you have the third pick, you're better off taking the best pitcher on the planet in Kershaw, or Giancarlo Stanton and his unlimited ceiling. A good fantasy first baseman can easily be had in the middle rounds.

Matt Kemp will be drop-worthy

Kemp enjoyed a moderately successful first season in San Diego, slashing .265/.312/.443 with 23 homers and a surprising 100 RBIs.

With Justin Upton hitting behind him all of last season, Kemp had a licence to be aggressive. The protection and his uncharacteristically high batting average with runners on base inflated his RBI total.

The 2016 Padres lineup looks like a Triple-A outfit. Kemp will now be protected by the wrong Upton brother, along with other replacement-level players. Let someone else draft Kemp in your league.

Joe Mauer will win Comeback Player of the Year

2014 and 2015 have been the two worst offensive seasons of Mauer's career since being called up to the show. Lingering concussion symptoms since 2013 have been the main reason why.

These symptoms have involved occasional blurred vision from sunshine during day games. A new workout regimen that includes stretching drills to loosen neck muscles, eye exercises and a plan to wear sunglasses at the dish could help Mauer regain some of his MVP form.

The Digest

theScore's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit

by theScore Staff
Bob Stanton / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Fantasy baseball season is upon us - and theScore has you covered with the most comprehensive fantasy content offering available. Check back often, as we'll be updating our content offering daily until the season starts.

Positional Rankings

Where does each fantasy-relevant player rank? Look no further than theScore's position-by-position rankings, which include nearly 350 player projections for the upcoming season:

Team-by-Team Fantasy Projections

We provide fantasy projections from three well-respected sources - ZiPS, Steamer and Zeile Consensus - for key players on all 30 major-league teams:

AL East: Toronto | N.Y. Yankees | Baltimore | Tampa Bay | Boston

AL Central: Kansas City | Minnesota | Cleveland | Chicago WSox | Detroit

AL West: Texas | Houston | L.A. Angels | Seattle | Oakland

NL East: N.Y. Mets | Washington | Miami | Atlanta | Philadelphia

NL Central: St. Louis | Pittsburgh | Chicago Cubs | Milwaukee | Cincinnati

NL West: L.A. Dodgers | San Francisco | Arizona | San Diego | Colorado

Mock Drafts

Fretting over which player to pick? Our fantasy baseball experts offer a variety of mock drafts for your perusal (all drafts use 5x5 scoring format):

Fantasy Spotlight

Every major-league team has at least one player whose fantasy outlook is a major point of discussion. Here are some of 2016's most intriguing cases:

AL East: Chris Colabello (TOR) | Starlin Castro (NYY) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) | Chris Davis (BAL) | Steven Souza (TB) | Brock Holt (BOS)

AL Central: Alex Gordon (KC) | Byung-ho Park (MIN) | Francisco Lindor (CLE) | Brett Lawrie (CHW) | Justin Upton (DET)

AL West: Mitch Moreland (TEX) | George Springer (HOU) | Yunel Escobar (LAA) | Adam Lind (SEA) | Danny Valencia (OAK)

NL East: Neil Walker (NYM) | Daniel Murphy (WAS) | Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | Freddie Freeman (ATL) | Maikel Franco (PHI)

NL Central: Randal Grichuk (STL) | Gregory Polanco (PIT) | Kyle Schwarber (CHC) | Chris Carter (MIL) | Devin Mesoraco (CIN)

NL West: Corey Seager (LAD) | Denard Span (SF) | A.J. Pollock (ARI) | Alexei Ramirez (SD) | Carlos Gonzalez (COL)

Fantasy Faceoff

Faced with choosing between two terrific draft options? theScore helps fantasy players answer some of the most difficult 1-on-1 decisions they may face at draft time:

Winning Strategies

Hoping to end that lengthy fantasy championship drought? Looking to extend your title reign? Here are theScore's guides on how to find success in a variety of league types:

Must-Read Fantasy Baseball Lists

Every good draft kit has its share of handy lists - and this one is no exception. Check out theScore's collection of informative and entertaining list material:

  • Preseason Rookie Report
    (Andrew Potter takes a comprehensive look at the top rookies in each league for daily and season-long fantasy purposes.)

Fantasy Baseball Tips and Tricks

Don't even try to walk into your fantasy baseball draft without going through theScore's exhaustive list of fantasy strategy posts:

  • How to Smartly Spend Your FAAB
    (James Bisson examines how to use a season-long free-agent budget, targeting players in leagues which use the FAAB format.)
  • Building a Winner Through Trades
    (James Bisson looks at how fantasy owners can use savvy trading as an alternative - or complement - to scouring the waiver wire.)

Daily Fantasy Strategy

No draft kit would be complete without a handy guide for those looking to give daily fantasy baseball a try:

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