Red Sox Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Rafael Devers, Nick Pivetta, Masataka Yoshida, Kenley Jansen, Triston Casas and More

Discussing the top fantasy players from the Boston Red Sox as the 2024 season approaches.

The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.

Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. Those articles can be found at the links below:

American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays (hitters and pitchers), Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees

National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks (hitters and pitchers), San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals

Now, we’ll take a look at the Boston Red Sox.

Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!

Top Fantasy Hitters

The first Boston player off fantasy draft boards is third baseman Rafael Devers. According to FantasySP Average Draft Position data, Devers ranks 18th overall with a mark of 19.82.

Devers played in 153 games in 2023, finishing with a .271 average and .351 on-base percentage. He had 157 total hits, 100 RBIs and 90 runs scored. Devers homered 33 times among his 67 extra-base hits.

Devers is currently the second 3B off draft boards - he finished fourth a season ago. I think Jose Ramirez is rightfully the top 3B, but think Austin Riley needs to be second before Devers. I prefer Devers in the late 20s/early 30s.

Outfielder Masataka Yoshida is the second Boston hitter on the ADP list, ranking 103rd with a mark of 107.53.

In his first season in the MLB, Yoshida had 155 total hits, 72 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 71 runs scored. He posted a .289 average and .338 OBP while homering 15 times among his 51 extra-base hits.

He’s a pretty solid third or fourth outfielder, although I’d probably only target Yoshida if you drafted some other OF who can pop some homers. You can sometimes get Yoshida a couple rounds later than his current ADP, and that’s where I’d prefer him if you don’t have many power-hitting OF.

Triston Casas is next up, ranking 112th with a mark of 118.98.

He played in 132 games last season, finishing with a .263 average and .367 on-base percentage. Casas also had 113 total hits, 65 RBIs, 66 runs scored and 45 extra-base hits (24 homers). 

He’s a borderline starting 1B for fantasy purposes. If you are taking him, I’d also want a strong backup plan in place. His ADP has been rising, and I’d prefer him later than his current mark, but only by a round or so.

Jarren Duran is the next Boston hitter, ranking 208th with a mark of 182.6.

Duran played 102 games last season, posting a .295 average, .346 OBP, 98 total hits, 40 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and 46 runs. He homered eight times among his 44 extra-base hits.

Duran had really solid numbers but not playing everyday definitely hurts his fantasy stock. He’s projected to be in a platoon this season, and his current ADP is a little too high for my liking. I’d let someone else take Duran (unless he falls several rounds).

Vaughn Grissom is next, ranking 223rd with a mark of 193.71. He’s dealing with a groin injury, but should be back fairly early in April.

Grissom will be playing his first games in Boston. With the Atlanta Braves organization, he got into 64 games over the past two seasons, finishing with a .287 average and .339 OBP. Grissom has five homers and stolen bases, 27 RBIs, 21 total hits and five runs scored to his name.

There’s always risk involved when taking a player about to embark on his first season as a full-time starter, and the injury concern doesn’t help matters. He’s posted good numbers in the MLB so far, and while he might not match those over a full season, I still wouldn’t mind gambling on him at his ADP. He’s a solid backup option and player who might be startable at an infield/utility spot most of the season.

Trevor Story is ranked 265th with a mark of 221.25.

Story hasn’t played in over 100 games in a season since 2021. He had a .203 average and .250 OBP across 43 games last season. He’s a career .265 hitter, with plenty of pop in his bat and some speed to utilize.

Durability issues allow you to snag Story later in fantasy drafts, but if he plays in a full season, he could be a massive draft steal. I’m not recommending you draft him earlier, but instead to make him a priority in the latter portion of your draft. He should be your backup option at shortstop, and has the chance to start for your team almost all season.

Tyler O'Neill is the next Red Sox hitter on the ADP list, ranking 311th with a mark of 247.5.

He’s been with the St. Louis Cardinals for his entire six-year career. He’s topped 100 games played just once. O'Neill is a career .248 hitter and also has plenty of pop and some speed to use to his advantage.

If he can stay healthy, he’d be another draft steal guy. This late in a draft, he’s worth taking a chance on - with the chance to finish better than a bunch of OF taken in front of him if he plays close to a full season.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Connor Wong and Enmanuel Valdez are also projected starters, with Valdez being projected in a platoon. C.J. Cron and Pablo Reyes are other halves of platoons, while Reese McGuire is the backup catcher to Wong. Wilyer Abreu is a bench option that plays the outfield. Several of these guys are still pretty young, so they are worth watching in case they break out.

Raffaela and Marcelo Mayer are both top-100 prospects, so keep a closer eye on them. Rob Refsnyder could be another outfield option after returning from injury in early April.

Top Fantasy Pitchers

Nick Pivetta is the first Boston pitcher off the ADP list, ranking 136th overall with a mark of 136.02.

He’s the projected No. 1 starter despite having only made 16 starts among his 38 appearances in 2023. Pivetta went 10-9 with a 4.04 earned run average and 183 strikeouts over 142 2/3 innings.

The high strikeout numbers make Pivetta an intriguing fantasy option. He should be able to log more innings if he stays healthy all season, but it’s a mystery what kind of ERA might accompany those other stats. There’s some risk involved with Pivetta, so I’d prefer him at least 20 or so picks later, but if you load up on pitching early, then taking Pivetta near his current ADP makes more sense. 

Lucas Giolito is next up, ranking 155th with a mark of 148.17, but he’s expected to be out for the full season now. You can take Giolito off your draft board - if he makes a late season return, then he’s a waiver wire option.

Closer Kenley Jansen is next, ranking 172nd with a mark of 160.24.

He pitched in 51 games last season, finishing with a 3-6 record, 3.63 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings. Jansen earned 29 saves.

Jansen has been a pretty reliable closer over his career, and if he can stay healthy all season, he should go for over 30 saves. I like taking closers later in drafts, so I like the idea of getting Jansen around his ADP or slightly after it.

Brayan Bello ranks 204th with a mark of 180.58.

He started 28 games in 2023, going 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 157 innings.

Bello should be able to improve most of those marks in his second year in the bigs. He’s likely going to be the team’s No. 2 starter. I like him as a depth SP option for fantasy purposes and think there’s a decent chance he outperforms his ADP.

Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford are the next Boston pitchers on the ADP list. Whitlock ranks 308th with a mark of 246.43, while Crawford is ranked 313th with a mark of 248.

Whitlock made 22 appearances (10 starts) in 2023, going 5-5 with a 5.15 ERA and 72 strikeouts over 71 2/3 innings. Crawford appeared in 31 games (23 starts), tallying a 6-8 record, 4.04 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 129 1/3 innings.

Both guys should be in the rotation to start the season. I think Crawford’s slot is a little more secured, so I’d prefer him between the two. Both are solid depth pieces and don't carry much risk this late in a draft.

Tanner Houck and Chris Martin are the last two Boston pitchers on the ADP list. Houck ranks 343rd with a mark of 271.5, while Martin ranks 347th with a mark of 274.5.

Houck started 21 games in 2023, finishing 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA and 99 strikeouts over 106 innings. Martin was 4-1 with a 1.05 ERA across 55 appearances out of the bullpen, striking out 46 over 51 1/3 innings.

Houck also should be in the rotation, so even though his ERA was not great last season, he’s worth a late pick to see if he can improve this season. Martin should set up Jansen, opening the chances for plenty of holds and a few saves.

Starter Bryan Mata and reliever Liam Hendriks are other pitching options once they return from injury. Mata should be back fairly early in the season, while Hendriks is out until at least August. 

Justin Slaten is a Rule 5 draft pick that could also start at points this season.

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