Fans of fantasy baseball, have you seen the calendar? It is the end of January! There is excitement in the air! Pitchers and catchers will report to spring training very soon! To get fantasy managers ready for the season, Belly Up has already begun producing articles on various fantasy subjects. Expect that to continue throughout the season. The last article was Fantasy Baseball Sophomore Standouts. One reader stated it would be of great value to have something written about the second-year players who will step up in 2023 from what they did as a rookie. Challenge accepted! Because of that request, I present this fantasy baseball rising sophomores. Let’s get right into it!

Jose Miranda, 1B/3B, Minnesota Twins

Truth be told, Jose Miranda doesn’t have to rise much to provide excellent value to his fantasy owners. Miranda has shown that he will be in the lineup daily, having appeared in 125 games as a rookie in 2022. He checked a lot of boxes at the plate, hitting .268-15-66, with a .325/.426/.751 slash line. His 66 RBIs were third, his 25 doubles were tied for fifth and the homers were ninth most among rookies. Further, he had 119 hits, which was sixth.

Unlike most young hitters, Miranda doesn’t need to improve upon his strikeout rate nearly as much as his peers, as he had 91 in 444 at-bats. As evidence, Michael Harris had 30 fewer at-bats than Miranda, but struck out 107 times. It would be nice if he increased his walk rate from last year, as he had only 28 in 483 plate appearances. If Miranda can maintain his .307 BAbip or even increase it, he will certainly be a valuable member of any fantasy team.

However, what makes him even more valuable is his versatility, as he qualifies at first, third and as a DH. He can be moved around a lot in a fantasy lineup and that is always a tremendous boost to a manager. Further, he should be in a pretty good hitting lineup in Minnesota and will have plenty of RBI and run scoring opportunities. Fantasy Pros has him ranked as the 18th best first baseman, but the versatility he has will push his value above that. While on the clock in the sixth round, if Miranda is present, make the leap and select him.

Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers

Without question, when it comes to young players, few possess the excitement of Josh Jung. For him to make an impact on any fantasy roster, all he needs to do is cut down his massive strikeout rate. That is clearly evident from his 39 strikeouts in just 98 at bats in 2022. It also doesn’t help that he only walked in four of his 102 plate appearances. Of course, he is extremely inexperienced as a major leaguer and those figures will improve with playing time.

In 2023, Jung will get every opportunity to earn that playing time with the Rangers. Barring injury, Jung will be in the Texas starting lineup from the outset of spring training and throughout the regular season. When it comes to power, Jung has that in spades, as evidenced by his 30 homers in 602 minor league at-bats. Additionally, Jung has shown that he can handle himself well at the plate with a .311 minor league batting average and .919 OPS.

In points leagues, Jung is a bigger risk than other types of fantasy leagues because of his strikeout risk. Even in that format, though, he will have value for a player that can be drafted in later rounds than a lot of other third baseman. In fact, Fantasy Pros has him ranked 20th at third, despite his inexperience.

If he can cut down the strikeouts and put up the power numbers he showed in the minors, Jung will return massive value to any fantasy manager that takes a chance on him. Taking that chance is a highly recommended action on this fantasy baseball rising sophomores edition.

Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Baltimore Orioles

As late season callups go, few had the fanfare that Gunnar Henderson did in 2022. Henderson had just 116 major league at-bats last season but posted a .348/.448/.788 slash line. He also hit .259-4-18 and scored 12 runs. As with the other young players in this article, Henderson strikes out too much, as he had 34 in 116 at-bats. Unlike Jung above, however, he has a better idea of the strike zone, as he walked 16 times in 132 plate appearances.

In the minors, Henderson has shown that he can do it all, with 37 home runs and 40 stolen bases. His .378/.488/.866 minor league slash line shows what he is capable of. Fantasy managers won’t have to wait until late in the season to have him in their lineups this time around, as he will be on the major league roster from Opening Day onward.

Just like most of the other hitters listed here, Henderson had a strikeout problem as a rookie. In 116 at bats, he fanned 34 times, a 25.8 strikeout percentage. As with everyone else in this article, he will get that percentage under control with playing experience. In a full season, expect Henderson to have around 20 home runs and over 80 RBIs. No question, that is excellent for a middle infielder.

To be sure, Henderson’s versatility only adds to his value. FantasyPros has him as the 17th rated shortstop and doesn’t even include him on the third base rankings.  It is the prediction here that Henderson will outperform what is expected of him and will be a solid value for anyone that drafts him in 2023.

Christopher Morel, INF/OF, Chicago Cubs

When it comes to versatility, no player, either young or old, has more of it than Christopher Morel. Coming out of his rookie season, Morel qualifies at every fantasy position except first, pitcher and catcher. In leagues that have middle and corner infield slots as well as the traditional positions, that versatility can’t be overstated. He will be in the lineup in some capacity practically every day. Without question, that has tremendous value on a fantasy roster. Of course, a player has to have an impact bat in order to accomplish that value.

However, there should be no such worries in 2023 when it comes to Morel. In 113 games, he had 16 homers, 47 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. His .308/.433/.741 slash line shows that while he has room for improvement, he can handle major league pitching. Just like almost every other hitter profiled on this fantasy baseball rising sophomores edition, Morel needs to cut down the strikeouts. He had 137 in 379 at-bats in 2022. Just like every other young hitter listed here, Morel will improve upon that rate this season.

As of this writing, FantasyPros has him rated 28th at third base, one spot behind Yoan Moncada. There should be no question in anyone’s mind that Morel will have significantly more value that Moncada in 2023. His versatility alone demands it. Morel is a player that can be drafted in the later rounds and his manager can expect to receive significant value for doing so. Don’t let him slip too far in your draft, regardless of format, and don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

Jake McCarthy, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

If the second half of last season is any indication, Jake McCarthy will ascend higher than any other player profiled here. He made the club out of spring training, but for a while, it seemed the Diamondbacks forgot he was on the roster. McCarthy only had two hits in April, nine in May and six in June. Then came July and Arizona indeed discovered he was in their dugout. There was a stretch in which McCarthy had a hit in six of seven games and he finished the month with hits in four straight.

In August, he was in the starting lineup and remained there to the end of the season. He finished the month by homering in consecutive games. When all was said and done, McCarthy hit .283-8-43. with a .342/.427/.769 slash line. The aspect of his game that really stands out, though, is his speed. In only 99 games, McCarthy raked up 23 stolen bases and was caught only three times.

With the new rules going into effect in 2023, expect 40+ steals from McCarthy. It shouldn’t need to be pointed out by now that this youngster had a swing and miss issue last season, with 76 in 321 at bats.  However, as a left-hand hitter, he will be positively affected by the shift ban and that strikeout rate will decline. Expect his batting stats to rise as well. McCarthy probably won’t be much of a power hitter, but that speed can’t be ignored. In the ninth through 11 rounds, McCarthy will return significant value. Add him to the team, regardless of format.

Reid Detmers, SP, Los Angeles Angels

When it comes to rookie pitchers and excitement, none can top Reid Detmers. In his sixth start of the season against Tampa Bay, Detmers didn’t just pitch a shutout. No, he pitched a no-hitter, becoming just the 25th rookie in major league history to accomplish the feat. Of course, that was his highlight for the season, but not the only excellent start he had.  In fact, Detmers started 14 games in which he allowed two runs or fewer.

For the season, Detmers started 25 games and finished with a 7-6 record with a 3.77 ERA. Further, he struck out 122 batters in 129 innings and had a 1.209 WHIP. Detmers’ stats suffered a bit toward the end of the year, as he allowed four runs in three of his five starts in September. Such a stumble could be expected of a young pitcher but shouldn’t be nearly as big a concern as he grows stronger and gains experience.

In order to make the move from good to excellent pitcher, Detmers must cut down on his 3.2 BB9 rate. Clearly, he can do just that, as he had a 2.6 BB9 rate in the minors. His SO9 rate in the minor leagues was an insane 16.1. In the majors, Detmers has an 8.5 SO9 rate. If he can kick up the SO9 and squelch the BB9 ratios, he will be a front-line pitcher in 2023.

Currently, Fantasy Pros ranks Detmers at him ranked at 63 for starting pitchers. That’s way off the mark in my estimation. The recommended action on this fantasy baseball rising sophomores edition is: when you are on the clock in the late rounds, search for and pick up Detmers. You will be glad you did.

Roansy Contreras, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Next, while FantasyPros seemingly needs to have a magnifying glass to know who Detmers is, no such problem exists for Roansy Contreras. At present, they have Contreras ranked as the 81st best starting pitcher going into 2023. In 21 games and 18 starts in 2022, Contreras put together a 5-5 record, a 3.79 ERA and a 1.274 WHIP. In 95 innings, Contreras struck out 86 and walked far too many batters with 39. That translates to an 8.1 SO9 and a 3.7 BB9.

As with Detmers, if Contreras can improve his walks per nine ratios, he will be a topflight pitcher. His 2.6 BB9 minor league rate indicates he can significantly upgrade that particular stat. As for the SO9, it was 8.8 in the minors, indicating not much improvement should be expected in that category.

Even so, with his 7.8 hits9, if he can walk less than three batters per nine innings, he should be a target for any fantasy manager searching for pitching in the later rounds. Certainly, targeting him is the recommendation here.

Nick Lodolo, SP, Cincinnati Reds

When it came to fanfare for Cincinnati rookie pitchers entering 2022, Hunter Greene was the focus. However, when all was said and done, Nick Lodolo was the Reds’ highlight of the season. Without question, his win-loss record won’t convince anyone of that, as he went just 4-7. Look beneath the surface, though, and it is clear that Lodolo is a pitcher to target in 2023. In 103.1 inning pitched, Lodolo struck out 131 batters, which equates to an eye-popping SO9 average of 11.4.

Additionally, in 19 starts, Lodolo fashioned an excellent 3.66 ERA, which is remarkable considering he had an obscene .322 BAbip against him. Just like the other young pitchers discussed here, Lodolo had a problem with free passes as he walked 39, which comes to a 3.4 BB9. As if that wasn’t wild enough, he also hit 19 batters, which led the league. Undoubtedly, Lodolo will get that problem under control, as he only had a 1.5 BB9 in the minors. He also only hit eight batters in three minor league seasons.

FantasyPros feels that Lodolo will be an excellent pitcher in 2023, as he carries a 38 ranking among starters, one behind Greene. In the end, if I am on the clock and both of these pitchers are available, the clear selection to me is Lodolo.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball rising sophomores edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!