Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2024: Breakouts from model that predicted Bobby Witt Jr.'s big year

Apr 21, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) on deck to bat at Tropicana Field.

When it comes to the amateur draft, baseball doesn’t get as much attention as its football and basketball counterparts. Thus, it could be difficult to pinpoint which players could be 2024 Fantasy baseball breakouts as we approach Opening Day. With even the top draft picks usually going through the minors before they hit the Big Leagues, this makes it even harder when constructing a Fantasy baseball 2024 draft strategy. Players like Nolan Jones, Edouard Julien and Matt McLain know this all too well as they began last year in the minors before becoming impact rookies.

Your strategy for identifying a Fantasy baseball 2024 breakout shouldn’t just center on rookies, as Luis Robert Jr. didn’t have his breakout season until his fourth year in 2023. What players this year will burst onto the scene and could provide value to your Fantasy baseball lineup? Before finalizing your 2024 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

The No. 1 prospect in baseball entering 2022, Witt displayed some potential as a rookie but also had glaring holes in his game. He hit just .254, had the seventh-worst walk percentage in all of MLB (4.8%) and committed the third-most errors, which limited his playing time. However, the model saw all of these issues as correctable, and Witt didn’t disappoint as a sophomore in 2023. He displayed more patience at the plate and became the first player in MLB history to record 30 home runs, 10 triples and 45 stolen bases in a season, also leading the AL with 11 triples.

The model predicted that he’d outperform more proven shortstops like Carlos Correa and Javier Baez, and anyone who took a chance on Witt in the mid-rounds of their drafts got a multi-category contributor for Fantasy baseball lineups.

The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.

Any time more MLB news comes out about free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.

Top 2024 Fantasy baseball breakouts

One of the Fantasy baseball breakouts 2024 the model is high on: Cubs designated hitter Christopher Morel. Entering his third season, Morel has started each of the last two years in the minors before getting called up in May. He’s seen roughly the same number of plate appearances in each of the last two years and showed nice progression in 2023. He went from 16 homers and 47 RBI in 2022 to 26 home runs and 70 RBI in 2023, while also increasing his OPS by 80 points.

The model foresees another jump from Morel in Year Three, and he should have more opportunities to justify the prognostications. Morel saw time at seven different positions last year, including DH, but one he didn’t play was first base, however, the Cubs gave him a look at that position in winter ball. He projects as an uber-utility man, which should allow him upwards of 500 plate appearances after he saw 429 last season. That’s a big reason why the model has Morel as a top-eight Fantasy baseball DH and ahead of bigger names like Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.

Another of the 2024 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model advises targeting: Tigers center fielder Riley Greene. A first-round pick in 2019, Greene improved his numbers across the board last year, finishing with 11 home runs and 37 RBI across 99 games, while slashing .288/.349/.447. That was despite various injuries, including a mid-season stress fracture in his leg and a late-season elbow ailment which necessitated offseason Tommy John Surgery to his non-throwing arm. However, he should be good to go for Opening Day.

Greene was the No. 4 prospect, per Baseball America, before the 2022 season, and he displayed elite offensive skills in the minors. In his one full season at AA or above, he had 24 home runs, 16 stolen bases and hit over .300. Detroit hasn’t made the postseason in a decade, so a young player like Greene should get all of the opportunities in the world to prove himself on a team not expected to contend. SportsLine’s advanced model has Greene as a top-10 Fantasy CF in its 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings. See more breakouts at SportsLine.

How to find proven 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings

SportsLine’s model is also high on a surprising third baseman who was solid over limited playing time last season, but with a full slate of plate appearances this year, is projected to finish in the top 10 of positional rankings. This player is going outside the top 100 picks but is projected to outperform more established third basemen like Max Muncy and Josh Jung. This pick could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

So which 2024 Fantasy breakouts should you target in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Bobby Witt Jr.’s big season, and find out.