Fantasy Baseball 2019: Where are the First Round Picks Now?

Let’s see where the first round picks are after two months of the fantasy baseball season.

The baseball season is just about two months old. There have been plenty of surprises, both good and bad, this year. The Twins power surge, the Yankees injuries and injuries as a whole, struggling pitchers. They have all contributed to this fantasy baseball season.

But, more importantly, it’s your first-round pick that can have the biggest impact on your team. You invest that pick on someone who you think is going to perform at the highest level. There’s a big risk that goes into that, but the reward is also high.

You assume that a player projected as a first-round pick should perform at an elite level. But, you know what happens when you assume. It doesn’t always end well.

With two seasons in the books, let’s take a look back at the first-round picks and where they are heading into June. The players listed are based on the ADP of ESPN leagues. I went with the first 12 players because 12-team leagues seem to be the most popular.

Mike Trout

Trout was the obvious first overall pick and has been for years. He’s been a lock for 30 home runs and a .305 average. This season, though, has seen Trout come back down to Earth a bit while his surrounding teammates having been the best.

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Trout is hitting .283 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs. Those are good stats but not Trout, first overall pick stats. He’s hitting .250 with one home run and five RBIs. Trout will be fine by the end of the season, it’s just been an average first two months.

Mookie Betts

Whichever player went first, the second owner was going to get the other. In most leagues, Betts fell to the No. 2 spot. This was another safe pick after his .346/32 HR/80 RBI/30 SB line. But, he’s been struggling a bit, especially with power.

Betts has nine home runs , 27 RBIs and a .291 average. He also has six steals and a .400 OBP. Betts is hitting .300 with a home run and three RBIs over the last week. Like Trout, I think Betts will pick up the pace and benefit his fantasy owners.

Christian Yelich

Yelich was amazing last season. He posted career highs in home runs, RBIs, average, hits, runs and steals. He “fell” to third overall because many thought he wouldn’t be able to repeat those numbers.

They may be wrong. In just 49 games, he has 21 home runs, .314 average, 44 RBIs and 10 steals. He’s on pace to his 61 home runs and 127 RBIs. While that isn’t sustainable, his fantasy owners are loving the performance from Yelich.

Yelich just needs the rest of his teammates to pick it up so he can drive in more runs.

Jose Ramirez

After the season Ramirez had last year, fantasy owners were hoping to get even 80 percent of that this year. He had 39 home runs, 105 RBIs, 34 steals and a .270 average.

Unfortunately, the Ramirez they drafted hasn’t been anywhere close to that. He currently has a .209 average with four home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 steals. The speed is there but everything else has fallen by the wayside.

Then again, the whole Indians offense looks bad. Francisco Lindor missed a lot of time. Losing Michael Brantley and not signing Adam Jones didn’t help the outfield situation.

Ramirez is hitting .308 over the last week, if you’re looking for a bright side.

J.D. Martinez

Betts’ teammate is having a better season. He has 11 home runs, 31 RBIs and a .298 average. I don’t think he’ll reach his 43/130/.330 line from last year, which is why he was drafted fifth overall.

Martinez missed a few games early this month and health has been an issue for him. If he can stay healthy, Martinez should start to heat up and crush some more home runs. I don’t think he’ll be worth a first-round pick next season, though.

Nolan Arenado

The Rockies third baseman is having another good season. He should have been drafted a pick or two higher based on his current production. Arenado has 15 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .336 average. He’s on pace for 44 home runs and 138 RBIs, both would be career highs.

Yes, hitting in Colorado helps but he’s hitting for more power on the road than at home, nine to six. Though, his batting average is higher at home, .388 to .291. As the best third baseman in the National League, Arenado was and is a safe first-round pick.

Max Scherzer

The first pitcher drafted is not having his best season. After 12 starts, he has a 3.26 ERA, 1.190 WHIP and a 2-5 record. The last stat is more on the offense than on him. In his five losses, he’s allowed a combined 15 earned runs.

He has 102 strikeouts and 17 walks. Scherzer has thrown seven straight quality starts. While the ratios aren’t what his owners expected but he’s lowered his ERA from 4.45 on April 20 to where it is now.

Chris Sale

Sale is not having the same fortune as Scherzer. He started April off badly, finishing the month with a 6.30 ERA and a 0-5 record. May, however, is looking a little better. He started with four straight games of 10-plus strikeouts.

Sale has a 2.30 ERA, 56 strikeouts, eight walks and a 1-1 record. Though, Sale has struggled against potential playoff teams. He may get 10 strikeouts but allow four runs in the process. I’d be nervous if I owned Sale.

Trea Turner

Turner played just four games of the season before landing on the IL. His owners who drafted him (myself included) were baking on contact and speed, especially the latter. He had four steals to start the season, including a three-steal game.

Since his return on May 17, Turner has a .271 average, four steals, eight strikeouts and four walks. He’s still trying to find his way back but he’s making good contact. The speed isn’t something you should worry about.

The six-week absence from a first-round pick definitely hurt though.

Jacob deGrom

deGrom’s numbers are not like his Cy Young-award season. He has a 3.71 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 77 strikeouts, 18 walks and a 3-5 record. His strikeout numbers are a bit lower than at this point last season with one more walk.

In his last three starts, he hasn’t made it out of the sixth inning and had a pitch count over 100. The Mets offense hasn’t been what we thought it was, giving deGrom more quality starts than wins.

Cody Bellinger

Bellinger played all 162 games last season. He finished with 25 home runs, 76 RBIs and a .260 average. His power dropped from his rookie season but it’s definitely picked back up this year.

After 55 games, he has 20 home runs, 52 RBIs and a .377 average. If it weren’t for Yelich, Bellinger would be leading the NL MVP vote. There may be a comedown but it doesn’t look like it’s coming anytime soon. As the 11th overall pick this year, Bellinger is making the case for himself as a top-five pick next season.

Alex Bregman

Rounding out the first round is the Astros third baseman. He had a breakout season last year with 31 home runs, 103 RBIs and a .286 average. Bregman’s first two months put him on pace to repeat those numbers.

He has 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .270 average. Looking at the players who fell to the second round, Bregman stands out among them. He hits in the middle of a really good lineup and can break 35 home runs by the end of the season.

The only thing he lacks is speed. His two steals for the season aren’t helping is owners. His RBIs could be a bit higher at this point in the season, too.

Next. Fantasy Baseball 2019 Week 9 Waiver Wire Picks. dark

The first round has a couple of interesting picks. The top two are disappointed based on their value. Two of the three pitchers are not at Cy Young form. Luckily, there are still four months left of the season for these players to prove they were worth a first round pick.

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