Marlins’ 1B Garrett Jones had crushed RHP over the last few years (Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
Okay, so the Miami Marlins are pretty bad, which makes it difficult to find fantasy value in many of their players, but where there’s a baseball team, there are always some sleepers lurking
While pitching is the Marlins’ strong suit, first basemen Garrett Jones and Jeff Baker should be considered in the very late rounds of fantasy baseball drafts or on waiver wires upon the season’s start.
» Garrett Jones, 1B/OF (current ADP: #394):
Yes, these two newcomers to the Miami baseball scene are pretty far off the fantasy radar, but Garrett Jones and Jeff Baker offer some unique intrigue as a first base platoon for the Marlins.
Neither of the two are sexy “sleepers” in this year’s fantasy baseball drafts, but each have a prowess for hitting specific types of pitchers, and that’s something that could be handy if you’re playing in a roto league with game limits.
The Marlins are the furthest thing from being considered “spenders”, but they went out and signed both Jones and Baker to two-year deals.
Jones is having a rough go of it in the spring so far, but it is expected that both players will compete for the starting first-base job, and at the worst, play in a solid lefty/righty platoon.
Jones is terrible vs. left-handed pitchers, but he absolutely crushes righties. In the past three years, the 32-year-old has hit just four home runs vs. southpaws, but has smacked 54 dingers against right-handers. He had a career-high 27 HR in 2012, 25 of which came off of righties.
Last season, Jones became the first Pirate in PNC Park history to hit a home run into the Allegheny River, which is 443 ft. from home plate:
2014 Projections: .261/.311/.424, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 55 R, 3 SB
Jeff Baker hit .314 vs. LHP last year while with the Rangers (Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports)
» Jeff Baker, 1B/3B/OF (current ADP: N/A):
If Jones is the yin at first base for the Marlins, Jeff Baker is the yang.
Baker is as good at hitting lefties as Jones is bad.
Last season with the Rangers, Baker hit 11 home runs, 10 of which came vs. southpaws. He also batted .314 with a cool 1.073 OPS against them.
Baker’s lefty/righty splits are nearly just as poor as Jones’ are, hitting just .204 with two extra-base hits vs. LHP in 2013.
Garrett Jones and Jeff Baker are perfect players to own in roto leagues, or if you’re an owner in a H2H league who likes to stream players based on matchups.
Jones won’t hit for average (.254 career), but has tremendous power potential, while Baker can hit for average and also offers some sneaky power. Both though, are being paid a fairly decent amount by a spend-thrift team and qualify at multiple positions, which can make them very useful for owners looking to maximize their roster flexibility.
2014 Projections: .272/.320/.418, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 28 R, 1 SB
» Missed any of my earlier picks? Please click here for links to all the sleepers I’ve covered from each team so far.