Fantasy Baseball: Target These Mariners Late in Your Draft

We are in the midst of Fantasy Baseball draft season, with a majority of leagues drafting this weekend or next. Every owner should be looking for impact late in the draft, and the Seattle Mariners have a few interesting options.

Before we begin, let’s get one obvious thing straight, right out of the gate: Don’t be a homer. Love the Mariners as much as you want, but don’t try to build a team around them. Sure, if you happen to get Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano at a good spot, it’ll be fine. But like a fantasy football team having too many guys from 1 team, if they get shutout, so do you.

However, there is a difference between being a homer, and using you specific team knowledge to your advantage. You know the Mariners better than most, so take advantage. These player are going after the 150th pick in ESPN leagues, but could be useful pieces to you.

Remember, you can’t win the league in the draft, but you sure can lose it. But if you take smart, calculated risks, you can set yourself up nicely for the year to come.

Ryon Healy 1b/3b, ESPN ADP 224.5

In some formats, Ryon Healy is going completely undrafted. For our purposes, I would feel good about spending my 22nd round pick in an ESPN standard. Healy is not sexy, but should be solid in 4 of the 5 categories: batting average, home runs, runs, and RBI.

There is still some upside in Healy’s game, as he is just a year removed from hitting .305. Now, he will hit in a better lineup, with a better home ball park, and get everyday AB’s at first base. The dual eligibility is another added bonus.

Healy is a rare late round pick with a relatively high floor that still poses a high ceiling. When drafting Healy, you should feel good about getting a .270 average with 25 homers, as well as between 70-80 in both runs and RBI.

Healy’s age, along with his minor league and major league track record, make him an excellent fit for your 1B/3B spot.