News flash! Turns out that the more players you have on your fantasy baseball team with both power and speed, the better your odds of winning will be. With the new stolen base rules, 30-30 stat lines are more attainable than they’ve been in recent memory. But let’s not forget about the 20-20 players. Forty-eight players stole 20 or more bases in 2023. 102 players hit 20 or more homers. Just 19 appeared in both categories. Obviously, this leaves you with a short list of baseball’s most recognizable players, but there are a few names included that may surprise you.
Lesser known players who went 20-20 in 2023
Anthony Volpe, SS, NYY – Volpe had a quality rookie season in regards to counting stats, despite his horrid batting line. He’s already locked down the SS position with his gold glove defense, and his hitting rates can only improve which will lead to, you guessed it, even more stats! To hell with sophomore slumps! Am I surprised if Volpe joins the 30-30 club in 2024? Absolutely not.
Lane Thomas, OF, WSH – Despite his recent success, I believe he’s being over-valued in drafts. He’s the rare player who doesn’t have a pedigree of sorts, isn’t a young player, but he also isn’t quite a veteran. As a generally risk-averse manager, I’d stay away from him in drafts this year unless he fell considerably. Pump the breaks.
Nolan Jones, OF, COL – Jones’ 20-20 line would’ve been even better had he played a full season. By now we all know he’s a player to target in 2024 drafts after his breakout, but I wouldn’t be so quick to pull the trigger on him on draft day. If he fell, yes, but I’m not paying a 6th or 7th-round pick for a hot 100-game stretch. Ease onto the breaks, we’re talking about a Colorado player.
Much has been written about the group above throughout the offseason, so I wanted to take a look at the players who have a realistic chance to join the 20-20 club this season.
Players who could join the 20-20 club in 2024
Tyler Black, IF, MIL – There is little standing in the way of Tyler Black’s debut for Milwaukee this year. He could even break camp with the team at either second base or third base. He will easily steal 20 bags in the major leagues if he gets even just 300 plate appearances, the question is will his power show up? Last season he hit 18 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. So there is potential here and it won’t cost much on draft day, if anything at all. Keep an eye on what Milwaukee does with their depth chart in the next couple of months.
Jackson Chourio, OF, MIL – 20-20 seems like an inevitability when it comes to a prospect of Chourio’s pedigree. But from a rational perspective, if you put him in the majors right now, I think at worst he is Volpe from last year. That’s why the Brewers (of all teams) gave him the biggest contract for a minor league player ever. He also has a real shot to break camp with the team, but similar to his teammate above, Chourio’s power remains the question mark of the prediction. He’s about as surefire a prospect as they come.
TJ Friedl, CF, CIN – Coming off a breakout year like every other hitter in Cincinnati, TJ Friedl will receive the most playing time out of the Red’s menagerie of outfielders with this one simple trick: He hits lefties! In 110 plate appearances, he put up a .962 OPS. His defense grades out as positive, so I think it’s safe to say he will reprise his role and then some in 2024. Last year his extrapolated stat line was 21 homers and 32 steals, a worthy addition to any roster.
Again, these players are in no way guaranteed to go 20-20, but I think their profile deserves recognition for the possibility.
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.