2023 Fantasy Baseball: AL East players to target in drafts

Fantasy baseball analysts Scott Pianowski, Dalton Del Don and Andy Behrens reveal the player they're targeting on each AL East team. The reason behind their selections could be tied to draft value, a star they want to build around or someone they’re going out of their way to take.

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Baltimore Orioles

• Grayson Rodriguez is going to outperform his ADP (183.4) by about 100 picks. Honestly, his draft position should be a national scandal. He’s as close to a sure thing as a pitching prospect can be. I want him. You want him. Everyone should want him. — Andy Behrens

• Kyle Bradish experienced success after changing his pitch mix post-All-Star-break last season and has seen increased velocity this spring, recording a 12:2 K:BB ratio and a 0.67 WHIP over 9.0 innings. It’s not ideal pitching for Baltimore and in the AL East, but at least Camden Yards started to decrease homers dramatically after moving its fences last year. Bradish is a major breakout candidate in 2023. — Dalton Del Don

• Ryan Mountcastle isn’t the buzziest young player in Baltimore, which is why you don’t hear much about his 55 homers the past two years. And while no one throws a parade for a .261 career average, it’s a plus number in today’s offensive environment. We often talk about veteran players who settle into old, boring values; Mountcastle is the rare young, boring value. — Scott Pianowski

Boston Red Sox

• One season removed from leading the National League in RBIs (113) and hitting 38 homers, Adam Duvall has been a value while not being drafted as a top-100 outfielder in Yahoo leagues despite an upgrade in home parks. Fenway has boosted batting average (+11%) and runs scored (+19%) more than any other park in the AL the past three seasons, and it has also increased HR for RHB by 10%. Duvall should be a fixture in Boston’s revamped lineup as the team’s best defensive outfielder by far. I’m also in on Triston Casas. — Dalton Del Don

• Masataka Yoshida has on-base skills and a beautiful swing. Plus, he’s available outrageously late — generally outside the top-200 picks. He’s going to contribute in a significant way in runs and RBIs, with respectable pop. — Andy Behrens

• Ignore Triston Casas’ batting average with Boston last year, and focus on five homers and a .358 OBP in 27 games. He’s ready to be a professional hitter, and though this is the weakest Red Sox lineup in a while, Casas will be slotted in the top half somewhere. — Scott Pianowski

New York Yankees

• Anthony Rizzo knows where his bread is buttered: home games at Yankee Stadium, where he conked 19 homers and slugged .492 last year. It’s no wonder he re-signed with the Bombers. He’s also expected to slot behind Aaron Judge, the obvious catbird seat in the New York lineup. With a Yahoo ADP around 146, you can easily make a par with Rizzo, perhaps a birdie. — Scott Pianowski

• Clarke Schmidt is a former first-round pick who should quickly get a chance in New York’s rotation with Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodón both sidelined. Domingo Germán is another draft day value who’ll open the season as a starter, but Schmidt is going to get an opportunity after impressing with a new cutter that has produced strong spring results. Schmidt had a 26.6 K-BB% in Triple-A last season that would’ve led all starters in MLB, and he’ll likely rack up wins pitching for the Yankees this year. — Dalton Del Don

• As a committed member of the no-early-round-pitchers club, I’ll gladly begin building a staff with Luis Severino outside the top 100-or-so picks. Last year, he struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings with stellar fantasy ratios, which is really all we can ask from any starter. — Andy Behrens

Tampa Bay Rays

• It feels as if the fantasy community is kind of bored by Wander Franco already, even though he’s only 22 years old and still very much an ascending talent. He’ll give you double-digit power and speed totals, and no one should be surprised if he delivers a batting average (well) above .300. — Andy Behrens

• There's a chance Tyler Glasnow throws the same 150 innings or so that he was always going to, but now he's five rounds cheaper in fantasy leagues, thanks to an oblique injury delaying the start of his season. Tampa Bay's manager has said Glasnow will no longer be mad at him for pulling the pitcher early in games, so the injury could oddly help his chances at wins this season. Glasnow has top-three stuff among all starters, gets to throw in one of baseball’s best pitcher’s parks and is just entering the honeymoon period after undergoing Tommy John (not to be confused with Tommy Shelby) — patience will be rewarded in a big way. — Dalton Del Don

• Randy Arozarena is landing 12-25 picks later than Bobby Witt Jr., depending on the room, despite most of the major spreadsheets giving them almost identical projections. Sure, Witt is younger, has more pedigree and has a higher upside. But perhaps the market is underrating Arozarena, too. — Scott Pianowski

Toronto Blue Jays

• Although Whit Merrifield is three rounds pricier in Yahoo versus NFBC, I still see him as an interesting bounce-back candidate. It’s merely an age-34 season, and his offensive game came around after the trade to Toronto (an OPS+ of 118 will do). The Blue Jays have one of the deepest lineups in the majors; this is a destination offense. — Scott Pianowski

• I’ve been landing a lot of Matt Chapman with 3B so tricky this season. He’s being drafted outside the top 10 fantasy third basemen, despite Rogers Centre becoming likely an even more extreme launching pad in the offseason. The park’s new dimensions should especially benefit Chapman. — Dalton Del Don

• If I were the sort of person who targeted starting pitchers in the first third of a draft, I’d be partial to Alex Manoah. He’s a young and hyper-talented arm, already proven, and he’s weirdly priced relative to the other elite starters. — Andy Behrens