Braves Max Fried: Potential fantasy sleeper in 2018?

Max Fried was a surprise promotion last season by the Braves. But, the youngster impressed in his short stint with the club. Could he be a fantasy sleeper in 2018?

Like his fellow minor league mate, Ronald Acuna, Max Fried is one of the many highly regarded prospects in the Atlanta Braves rotation. While the Braves offseason is off to a horrible start, there is still plenty to be excited about in their farm system. Could Max Fried be the next in line to be a fantasy sleeper in 2018?

Max Fried gets lost in the shuffle among the plethora of Braves’ prospects, yet may have the biggest upside of them all. Armed with a fastball that can reach 96 mph, a devastating 12 to 6 curveball, and a slider/slurve that comes out of the same arm slot, Fried already has the raw stuff to be an elite arm.

Fried’s path to the majors last season was a surprise considering the ups, downs, and struggles that he has gone through since 2014. Last season, between AAA and AA, he posted an ugly 5.54 ERA/91 K/.45 WHIP over 21 starts.

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In 2016, he managed a solid 3.93 ERA during his third stint at A ball, but blisters had slowed his progress during that season and crept back up last season as well in the minors.

Yet, the Braves promoted him anyway.

Partly because they wanted to limit his innings, he was on pace to easily surpass his career-high 103 innings last season. Atlanta allowed him to make four starts, but he made most of his nine appearances in relief.

In 26 innings of work for the Braves, Fried posted a 3.81 ERA/22 K/12 BB line. It is a small sample size, but his 18% LD, 65% GB, 17% FB contact rates were solid as well.

Fried’s fantasy value is of course tied to him cracking the starting rotation. Looking at the Braves’ staff, outside of Julio Teheran, if he is not dealt, there is no one in the staff completely locked in. With Fried’s stuff and the way he dealt once fully healthy last season, he is certainly one of their best rotation options.

His command needs work, he did not walk more than three batters in any of starts last season for Atlanta, but the curveball has so much break it can be hard to harness at times.

He started to flash a changeup more as he rose the minor league ranks, but once in the majors started to focus on just a fastball/curveball mix. With finally a healthy offseason awaiting him, he should be able to hone it more, allowing him a three-pitch mix.

Next: Mets Noah Syndergaard: Fantasy rebound coming in 2018?

The delivery is smooth, the raw stuff is solid, and he appears to have a great opportunity to crack the rotation. In a loaded farm system, it is easy to see why he could be overlooked. But, astute fantasy owners need not ignore or forget about Max Fried heading into drafts in 2018.