Yasmani Grandal (C, LAD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230

CURRENT ADP: 269

ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had such a terrible season at the plate that he was replaced by Austin Barnes in the postseason. A popular sleeper pick at this time last year, Grandal saw his stock drop by doing all the wrong things that terrible batters do. He sliced into his walk rate (8.3% in 2017 versus 14.0% in 2016), increased his K-rate (27% in 2017 versus 25.4% in 2016) and saw his ISO drop from .249 in 2016 to .212 in 2017.

His 2.5 WAR come solely from his defensive value which is derived from his excellent pitch framing, which is useless for fantasy purposes. Grandal is a strong bounce back in 2018, even if he is unlikely to be a top-ten catcher, as he is the "best shape of his life". While Barnes will continue to press him for playing time, look for Grandal to still get 450 or so plate appearances and hit close to 20 home runs.