Fantasy baseball: 2020 Colorado Rockies fantasy preview

2020 Colorado Rockies projected starting lineup:

David Dahl, CF (.302, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 4 SB in 374 AB)
Trevor Story, SS (.294, 35 HR, 85 RBI, 23 SB in 588 AB)
Charlie Blackmon, RF (.314, 32 HR, 86 RBI, 2 SB in 580 AB)
Nolan Arenado, 3B (.315, 41 HR, 118 RBI, 3 SB in 588 AB)
Daniel Murphy, 1B (.279, 13 HR, 78 RBI, 1 SB in 438 AB)
Ryan McMahon, 2B (.250, 24 HR, 83 RBI, 5 SB in 480 AB)
Raimel Tapia, LF (.275, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 9 SB in 426 AB)
Tony Wolters, C (.262, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 0 SB in 359 AB)

There’s a ton of fantasy goodness in this lineup. Arenado is likely a top three pick. Some even have him above Trout, and it’s hard to dispute that. Blackmon and Story are both first round picks. For me, Story is the second SS off the board. Blackmon is at worst the third OF off the board.

Pay attention to the schedule when it is finally announced. If Colorado plays more road games than home games, adjust the rankings accordingly. Arenado and Blackmon are the only ones that have similar road splits.

McMahon is going late in drafts, and he’s a fairly cheap 20 homers at a position that thins out quickly. He was even starting against some lefties by the end of July last year. He’s not being pushed for at bats and could have an even better season.

Dahl and Murphy are others that are going later in drafts. Murphy is likely in for another year of platoons with either Josh Fuentes or Tyler Nevin, but he’s still decent for your CI slot when at home if you have daily lineup changes. Dahl is a good pick if he sticks batting leadoff. He could score 100 runs even in a shorter schedule.

Tapia had a strong spring and top prospect Sam Hilliard did not. However, Tapia has had plenty of chances to stick and he’s been unable to lock the job down. Hilliard smacked seven homers in 77 at bats for the Rockies last year after launching 35 in 500 at bats for AAA Albuquerque. He’s worth a flier in the middle rounds since he may end up with this job very soon. Tapia’s leash is non-existent.

Prospects to watch:

If Nevin, the son of former major leaguer Phil Nevin, gets the call, he is an interesting pick up. He has shown some pop in the minors, but his average took a dive at AAA last year. He will have to earn his way up, but Fuentes is 27 and hasn’t stuck yet. Nevin will have his chances if he tears up AAA pitching.

There’s a chance that Brendan Rogers is at worst a platoon guy with McMahon. McMahon is still the one to own for now, but Rodgers is the top prospect in the Colorado organization for a reason. This guy can hit and he’s no slouch defensively either.