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With about three weeks of baseball played this MLB season, fantasy baseball managers are likely already surveying their own teams and their league mates' teams for possible buy low and sell high opportunities. For those unfamiliar with the terms, a buy low is a trade for a player who is underperforming but the manager who trades for him expects him to turn things around. A sell high is when a manager has a player who is performing well but perhaps at an unsustainable rate- and the manager trades him for a player expected to bounce back. The two trades work hand-in hand, though for this article, the focus will be on buy-low players.
There have been a few top players picked who haven't quite performed to the level that their fantasy baseball managers hoped on draft day. Here are three underachievers with high upside who fantasy managers can acquire at a discount right now.
3 Fantasy Baseball Buy Lows
3. Tyler Mahle
Tyler Mahle entered the season as the Cincinnati Reds' best pitcher, with Sonny Gray in Minnesota and Luis Castillo on the injured list. The 27-year-old enjoyed a career year this past season while finishing as the SP20 in points formats. Those expecting an ace-like year in 2022 drafted Mahle just outside the top 100 picks on average, thought to be a good price to pay for someone who could be one of the better pitchers on a fantasy staff.
Only, things haven't worked out that way. At the time of print, Mahle owns a 6.88 ERA and awful 11.4 walk rate along with a 1-2 record. However, a closer look at the numbers suggests that the Reds' righty has been getting unlucky. For starters, Mahle owns a 2.99 expected ERA, a statistic that points to a pitchers' deserved ERA based on the type of contact he allows to batters. Not only that, but a bloated .391 BABIP- compared to his .306 career rate- shows that hitters are finding open grass against the Cincinnati starter more than they should, something that should normalize. Mahle, who relies on a four-pitch mix, has the stuff to put forth a much better showing. He has the strikeout stuff to be one of the better fantasy hurlers out there. Go trade for him before he begins to put together better outings.
2. Jesse Winker
Formerly of the Cincinnati Reds, Jesse Winker made his first All-Star team last year while hitting .305 with 24 homers in 110 games played. Winker's strong 2021 campaign was cut short due to an intercostal strain, though fantasy baseball managers couldn't help but feel that the 28-year-old deserved better. A popular pick in 2022 after his trade to the upstart Seattle Mariners, Winker has struggled out of the gate, as he's batting just .159 with zero homers in 19 games.
However, if there's a frustrated manager who rosters Winker, one should take advantage of that. His plate discipline has been fantastic, as evidenced by his above average 13 percent strikeout rate and 19.5 percent walk rate. The Mariners outfielder has actually made himself an even better hitter in 2022, despite what the actual numbers say. Winker ranks in the 70th percentile or better in expected batting average and expected slugging percentage, which are based on his quality of contact numbers. In plain terms, Jesse Winker is hitting the ball hard but doesn't have the numbers to show for it- yet. Go get him before it's too late, as he is bound to put up numbers this year in a stacked Mariners lineup.
1. Bo Bichette
Bo Bichette had a monster fantasy season for the Toronto Blue Jays last year, ranking as the number-two shortstop in points leagues in 2021. 2022 hasn't been kind to the star shortstop, who owns an underwhelming .547 OPS through 19 games. Bichette has started to show signs of life this past week, with a homer and two stolen bases, though the results have been a fa cry from first-round value, which is where many managers selected Bichette.
However, Bichette's hard-hit rate is higher than last year, while his average exit velocity has dropped by just a tick. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays star's groundball rate is at a whopping 62.1, which is a major outlier for his career. It seems that Bichette is in a bit of a slump, with mechanical issues that are easily corrected. Judging by how talented he is, it's safe to say that he'll figure things out.
Hitting in a powerful Blue Jays lineup, Bo Bichette should have plenty of chances to score and drive in runs. Go trade for the Blue Jays star before he breaks out of his early-season slide.
