Fantasy Baseball: Mookie Betts numbers could take a hit in L.A

Image courtesy of Kirby Lee/USA Today

Mookie Betts is widely considered to be one of the top five players in baseball but his numbers will take a slight hit now that he has been traded to the Dodgers.

Betts pre season ADP and ranking is reflective of the notion that the move to the Dodgers will effect his production. ESPN and Yahoo both have Betts ranked outside of their top five. He has been a fixture in the pre-season top five fantasy rankings for the past four years.

Betts will hit lead off and while he will have a better supporting cast around him in L.A, the opportunity to drive in runs will not be there like it was in Boston because Dodgers manager Dave Roberts won’t move Betts around in the line up like Alex Cora did at times. The Dodgers line up is deep and can produce top to bottom.

The move to Dodger Stadium also hurts Betts value and potential production. Dodger Stadium is more of a pitchers park so Betts may not hit as many home runs on inside pitches because those hits could be fly balls at Chavez Revine.

Despite this possibility, Betts is still a top fifteen pick and should still go in the first round. It is not out of the question that he hits 25 home runs, drives in 85 to 90 runs and steals 40 bases. Those are quality first round numbers that most owners can live with.

Should you stay away from Betts? Well that depends on where you are picking. If you have a top three pick, don’t draft him. If you are picking four to ten in the first round, Betts is still a good value.

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