Fantasy Baseball: 5 Low-Cost Hitters Who Are Plate-Appearance Assets in Rotisserie Formats

Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

There’s no shortage of hype surrounding the Boston Red Sox, with their juggernaut offense poised to be a stats goldmine in 2017. Yet little of that hype has rubbed off on veteran infielder Dustin Pedroia, who is the 14th second baseman off the board and 118th overall player taken, per the FantasyPros Average Draft Position (ADP) data.

The industry’s collective shrug towards Pedroia is a little surprising, given that the diminutive Boston folk hero figures to bat lead off on what could be the most fantasy-friendly offenses in the majors.

But numberFire’s yearly projections aren’t flinching at the familiarity fatigue and injury paranoia that might be driving down Pedroia’s price. We have him slated for 642 plate appearances in 2017, a top-25 workload across the majors, per our models.

That’s a lot of opportunities for Pedroia to scratch out hits and let the younger Red Sox's bats send him across the plate. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Pedroia compete for the big-league lead in runs scored in 2017.

And since Pedroia’s perennially low strikeout rate and terrific plate discipline make him a strong bet to approach a .300 batting average, those plate appearances could help fantasy owners pad their hitting ratios over the long roto season.

Pedroia’s volume appeal is not lost drafters on the more roto-centric ESPN, where he is going just outside their overall top 90. Even at that price, Pedroia seems like a sneaky, high-floor value pick.