35 Bold Fantasy Baseball Predictions

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Last week the Crackerjacks shared their bold predictions for the 2014 fantasy baseball season.

Putting their reputation on the line, they are going out on a limb to give a preview of the upcoming fantasy season. In case you missed it, those bold predictions are collected here:

Mark Trumbo is this year’s Crush Davis.

Mark Trumbo will hit over 40 HRs with over 90 runs and 110 RBI. Trumbo will not hit the .280 AVG mark like Chris Davis did last year. However, the smaller digs in Arizona will help facilitate a growth in his slightly below average BABIP of .273 last season.

All things considered, a smaller ballpark, the shift from AL to NL, Trumbo will only see an increase in his very respectable numbers from last season.

Read 6 more of Matt Schindler’s bold fantasy baseball predictions HERE.

Robinson Cano will be better in 2014 than he was in 2013.

Robinson Cano‘s home/road splits aren’t that drastic through his career and Safeco is not a terrible place to hit for left-handed sluggers. Also, the hitters the Mariners have in 2014 are no worse than what he was around with the Yankees in 2013.

I would have liked Cano a lot more if he stayed in the Bronx this year, with this year’s teammates. But Cano’s been one of the best in the game for a long time, and the change in parks won’t change that.

Read 6 more of Michael Dixon’s bold fantasy baseball predictions HERE.

Carl Crawford will be the most productive LA Dodgers outfielder.

This isn’t as much a boast on his potential as much as a hit on the rest of the outfield. I do think that Carl Crawford will bounce back, but only in the modest 80-15-60-25-.300 range, which is great production for guy that will go extremely late in drafts. I just think he will be the only one competing with Yasiel Puig for the crown of productive outfielders. Andre Ethier will be traded and Matt Kemp will make cozy with the DL, most likely right out of the gate. I do think Kemp will be fairly productive when on the field, but he will not likely see more that 475 at bats.

Ergo, the only guy standing between Crawford and the top outfielder spot is the kid that fizzled last season. I am betting on a sophomore slump for Yasiel Puig and one last hoorah for Crawford.

Read 6 more of Nash’s bold fantasy baseball predictions HERE.

Freddie Freeman Disappoints.

Freddie Freeman is being taken in the 2nd to 3rd round at this point in time. I have him projected for a line of .291, 24 HR, 85 R, and 95 RBI, or my 49th best hitter. Look at his season totals for the last three years and he appears to be a very safe player. So if you tell me he’s worth a third round pick because of that safety, I can buy into it.

But I think people are drafting him expecting a huge leap forward. I don’t see another .319 BA. It was based on a career high BABIP of .371 (he never posted that high of a number in the minors either). His power is progressing, but it would be out of line to draft him expecting a 30 HR season. I like him and I like safety. But is he really that different from Adrian Gonzalez 30 picks later?

Read 6 more of Tanner Bell’s bold fantasy baseball predictions HERE.

Oswaldo Arcia will hit 25 home runs and finish as a legitimate fantasy baseball asset in the outfield.

Being that I’m writing this in sunny Minneapolis, Minnesota, I’m going to share some home-cooked optimism.

Mmmm-mm-mm. Just like mom used to make! Before we put mom into a home, because seriously, you can’t cook fantasy baseball analysis in the oven.

In 2013 Oswaldo Arcia had a 303 ft. fly ball distance that was 14th in baseball. Not bad for a 21-year-old rookie, huh? His home run per fly ball (HR/FB) percentage of 14.7% sticks out as low when you factor in just how far Arcia launched the ball. Is it guaranteed to rise? No. But there is certainly upside there for growth up to about 20% HR/FB. That combined with Arcia’s 40.6% fly ball (FB) percentage would project Arcia out to at least 25 home runs.

Arcia has also demonstrated the ability to hit for higher averages in the minors, but his plate discipline needs to improve first. His 31% K rate is much too high and his walk rate too low.

But he’s always shown vastly better rates in the minors, so it’s reasonable that he inches toward an 8% walk / 25% K rates. I think that happens in 2014 and with Arcia hitting in the meat of the Minnesota Twins lineup, he’ll do well in Runs and RBI as well.

A full profile of Arcia is here.

Read 6 more of Clave Jones’ bold fantasy baseball predictions HERE.

There you go, a sampler of our Crackerjack predictions for 2014. If you click through on all of them you’ll have 35 bold predictions to either give you an edge on draft day or totally drive you over the ledge on draft day.