To begin our 2023 fantasy baseball sleepers and Busts series, we will focus on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have players like Zac Gallen, Christian Walker, and Ketel Marte, whom fantasy managers know to select early. However, they also have some solid fantasy baseball sleepers worth considering, too. Let’s discuss three of them now.
Arizona Diamondbacks Sleepers and Busts for 2024 Fantasy Baseball
Draft Day Sleepers
Jake McCarthy, RF
Jake McCarthy struggled in 2023, and the truth is seen in his stats. In 99 games played, the outfielder had two home runs, 16 RBIs, and a .243 batting average. For a contact hitter, his batting average was particularly underwhelming. However, even if he suffered a sophomore slump in 2023, he is a sleeper candidate to take a chance on in fantasy baseball this year.
McCarthy showed his high potential during his first full season in 2022. He had eight home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .283 batting average in 99 games. This solid season allowed him to finish fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Now that the new season is almost here, he will soon have a much-needed clean slate. Given how well he did as a rookie and his high upside, he is one of Arizona’s top sleepers, even after his tough 2023 season.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B
Eugenio Suarez is one of the Diamondbacks’ sleepers to consider drafting. After a tough season at the plate with the Seattle Mariners, he now has a fresh start in Arizona. In 162 games last season, the 32-year-old had 22 home runs, a .232 batting average, and a career-high 214 strikeouts. As a result, some may be hesitant to pick him up this season, but they should not be fully against it. He is a clear bounce-back candidate heading into the new season.
Before his 22-HR campaign this past season, Suarez had 31 home runs or better in four of his previous five seasons. With the move to the desert, he absolutely has the potential to get his home run numbers back up. Sometimes, players thrive when given a change of scenery, and Suarez certainly should now that he’s joining a rising Diamondbacks team. Thus, he’s among the top sleepers who warrant consideration from fantasy managers.
Alek Thomas, CF
One last sleeper from the Diamondbacks who should also be considered this year is Alek Thomas. The 23-year-old outfielder had a fairly quiet regular season in 2023, posting nine home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .230 batting average in 125 games. However, he made a big impact for Arizona during their playoff run. He had four home runs in 17 games. His most important one helped secure the Diamondbacks’ big Game 4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
After his impressive playoff run, Thomas’ goal is to build on it during the 2024 season. At 23 years old, he is still plenty young enough to get better. Thus, he’s another notable Diamondback sleeper to consider adding this year.
Draft Day Bust
Brandon Pfaadt, SP
While the 2023 Diamondbacks season will go down as a success, the same can’t be said for Brandon Pfaadt’s rookie season. Heading into the campaign with high expectations, the 25-year-old struggled mightily. In 19 games, he had a 3-9 record to go along with a very high 5.72 ERA. The elevated ERA is not too surprising when you see that he gave up 22 home runs in just 96 innings.
Pfaadt has the potential to become an effective starter in the majors, but his propensity to give up the long ball is too hard to ignore. His improvements during the playoffs may have some people viewing him as a breakout candidate and inflating his draft day value. Pfaadt could be a nice late-round flier but as anything more than that the risk of a huge blow-up makes him a very dangerous buy in 2024 fantasy baseball.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.