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Fantasy baseball 2018: Finding ADP value on ESPN, CBS and Yahoo

By Gavin Tramps

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Zack Cozart #2 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by Billy Hamilton #6 of the Cincinnati Reds after hitting his second home run of the game during the fifth inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on September 15, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 4-2. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Zack Cozart #2 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by Billy Hamilton #6 of the Cincinnati Reds after hitting his second home run of the game during the fifth inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on September 15, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 4-2. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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Here are 10 players whose ADP is significantly different between the platforms.

The consensus fantasy baseball ADP on FantasyPros is an excellent tool when preparing for your draft, but to exploit the values available on draft day, you need to know which players are overvalued or underappreciated on your platform. There are surprising differences between ESPN, CBS and Yahoo.

Brewers’ third baseman Travis Shaw enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 with 31 home runs and 101 RBI. Although third base is deep, his value is far greater on Yahoo (ADP 124) than CBS (76).

Staying with Milwaukee, shortstop Orlando Arcia quietly hit 15 home runs with 14 stolen bases, giving value which is only appreciated on ESPN (175). You can get him many rounds later on CBS (217), and he is almost a forgotten man on Yahoo (349).

Another shortstop who splits opinion is the Angels’ Zack Cozart. As well as hitting 24 home runs last season, the 32-year-old posted career-highs in all three elements of his .297/.385/.548 slash. He will add 3B-eligibility within the first couple of weeks, but you need to reach to draft for him on CBS (191) compared to ESPN (212) or Yahoo (279).

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In general, Yahoo appears to overvalue veterans (or maybe the other two platforms undervalue them). Robinson Cano and Evan Longoria both hit 16 fewer home runs last year than in 2016 but their draft day price remains higher on Yahoo than then other platforms.

Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera is another veteran overvalued by Yahoo (71), but you can wait a few more rounds to get him on ESPN (122).

At the other end of the experience scale, 21-year-old Rafael Devers hit 10 home runs with .891 OPS over his 58-game taste of Major League action. This included a mind-blowing .384/.430/.767 slash line over an 18-start stretch. His ADP on ESPN (115) is excellent value, giving you the opportunity to wait for a couple of rounds before drafting him compared to CBS (73) and Yahoo (85).

With an ADP of 37, the ESPN market is buying into Justin Upton’s ability to repeat his 2017 campaign of 35 home runs and 109 RBI. You don’t need to reach for him on CBS where he is going much later, at around pick 60.

As one of only three players with 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a batting average over .300, Cardinals’ Tommy Pham was a fantasy stud last season. There is no profit on CBS (45) but look out for him being a value pick on ESPN (66) and Yahoo (72).

In contrast, to Pham, there is lots of opportunity for getting a good value in CBS if you want the Rockies’ second baseman D.J. LeMahieu. The 29-year-old has hit .348, double-digit home runs, swiped 23 bags and scored over 100 runs. Unfortunately, they did not occur in the same season, but it points to the potential LeMahieu offers. He has an ADP of 79 on ESPN and 86 on Yahoo, but drops down to 125 on CBS.

The final player to mention with a large discrepancy is the No.1 prospect Ronald Acuna. His ADP is Yahoo (191) and ESPN (158), but he goes much earlier on CBS (105). Out of interest, in the 15-team CBS roto slow-draft in which I am currently participating, Acuna went with pick 85.

Next: Five Spring Training risers

We cannot help it; we are only human. You see the players listed in the ADP of the platform on which you are using, and it is very difficult not to become polarized by that being the approximate order in which the players should be taken. There are bargains to be had if you do your research.

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