Dodgers' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez and More
Discussing the top fantasy hitters from the Los Angeles Dodgers as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to start looking at options on a team–by-team basis.
We’ve covered the Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers) and Oakland Athletics so far, and now it’s time to jump over to the National League and a loaded Los Angeles Dodgers roster. We’ll split the draft preview into two stories again, starting with the hitters here.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Hitters
There are eight Los Angeles hitters currently going inside the top 190 picks, according to the FantasySP Average Draft Position chart.
The top player is Mookie Betts, who is second on the list, but with an ADP of 4.25. Betts has position eligibility at second base and in the outfield, so he’s an extremely popular pick early in drafts.
In 2023, Betts capped the season with a .307 average and .408 on-base percentage. He had 179 total hits, including 80 extra-base hits (39 homers). Betts drove in 107 runs, scored 126 times and stole 14 bases.
He should hit atop the Dodgers’ lineup this season, and if he can continue to get on base at a strong clip, he’s going to score a ton of runs, and maybe lead the league in that stat. Even hitting atop the lineup, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and post another huge fantasy season.
Betts is my ideal No. 2 pick in redraft leagues and my ninth pick in dynasty initial drafts. It’s hard to find a more well-rounded player, and the position versatility is a huge bonus.
Freddie Freeman is the next Dodger off draft boards, ranking seventh with an ADP of 8. I like him around pick six in redraft leagues.
Freeman played in 161 games last season, finishing with a .331 average and .410 on-base percentage. He had 90 extra-base hits (29 homers) among his 211 total hits. Freeman drove in 102 runs, stole 23 bases and scored 131 runs.
He should hit second in the lineup, between Betts and Shohei Ohtani. There’s probably no better spot in a batting order in the entire league. Freeman should be in store for another monster season as a result.
Speaking of Ohtani, he’s ranked 10th and has an ADP of 12.88. Ohtani is my sixth pick in dynasty leagues and eighth pick in redraft leagues. He is expected to only be a hitter for this season, returning to his two-way stardom in 2025.
In 135 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season, Ohtani hit .304 and got on base at a .412 clip. He had 151 total hits, including 78 extra-base hits (44 homers). Ohtani drove in 95 runs, stole 20 bases and scored 102 times.
I’m curious to see if the extra emphasis on his hitting will lead to even better numbers across the board. There’s a little concern that the injury will affect him as a hitter, but the potential for massive numbers outweigh that.
Catcher Will Smith is the next Dodger hitter, ranked 47th with an ADP of 51.58. Austin Barnes will serve as the top backup.
Smith played in 126 games last season, posting a .261 average and .359 on-base percentage. He had 42 extra-base hits (19 homers) among his 121 total hits, drove in 76 runs and scored 80 times.
Smith is widely viewed as a top-four fantasy catcher, and could easily finish as the top one by the end of the season because he’s hitting behind Betts, Freeman and Ohtani. He plays in a lot of games and has solid numbers across the board, so there’s really a lot to like.
Newcomer Teoscar Hernandez is ranked 156th with an ADP of 140.68.
The outfielder joins the Dodgers after a solid season with the Seattle Mariners in 2023. Hernandez played in 160 games, posting a .258 average and .305 on-base percentage. He had 57 extra- base hits (26 homers), 93 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 161 total hits and 70 runs scored.
While he’ll likely hit at or near the bottom third of the order, he’ll get plenty of RBI chances, and should score plenty of runs as long as a player or two behind him can deliver on a somewhat consistent basis. I see a lot of value in drafting Hernandez near his current ADP mark, with the chance to be a big draft steal if all things click.
Next up on the ADP list is Max Muncy, who’s ranked 167th and has an ADP of 146.87. He’s expected to hit fifth in the order.
Muncy is a boom-or-bust hitter. He hit for a .212 average, but clubbed 36 homers and drove in 105 runs a season ago. He got on base at a strong .333 clip, posted 102 total hits and scored 95 runs - it’s crazy how good his numbers are with that average (the benefits of a stacked lineup around you).
If you can live with the low average, Muncy is a solid fantasy asset deeper in drafts. He probably would be best utilized as a utility player, or backup 3B. You could target a contact hitter as a starter and then get Muncy for your homer numbers.
James Outman is next up, ranked 217th with an ADP of 162.33. The outfielder will likely hit either sixth or seventh, with Hernandez in the other spot.
In his first full big league season in 2023, Outman played in 151 games. He had a .248 average, .353 on-base percentage, 120 total hits, 42 extra-base hits (23 homers), 70 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and 86 runs scored.
Hitting behind all the big names will afford him a ton of RBI opportunities, and if he can continue to get on base at a similar clip, the chance for stolen bases and runs will be there. He’d be perfect filling your first reserve outfielder role, and could probably be played in a utility spot a bunch this season.
Gavin Lux is the last Dodger hitter to appear on our ADP chart. He ranks 254th and has an ADP of 175.33.
Lux missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL. The last time we saw Lux, he was delivering a career best season in 2022.
Lux had a .276 average, .346 on-base percentage, 33 extra-base hits (six homers) across his 116 total hits, 42 RBIs, seven stolen bases and 66 runs scored that season. He played in 129 games.
There’s definitely some risk involved with drafting Lux, but that late in drafts, it’s not as big of a deal. If he can return to his pre-injury self, he’s got the chance to be a major steal, even while hitting near the bottom of the lineup. He could fall into a platoon if he can’t hit lefties.
There’s only one starting spot that we didn’t cover, and it’s one in the outfield. Jason Heyward, Manuel Margot and Chris Taylor could all be options at that spot, and the team could also slide Betts to RF, which would open a chance for Miguel Rojas to play in the infield. Rojas and Taylor are the ones who could platoon with Lux.
There aren’t many open opportunities for many other hitters to step up (unless there’s some injuries), but the Dodgers also have a decent amount of talent waiting in the minor leagues. This is probably going to be the best-hitting team in the league, so the team’s ultimate success will likely come down to the pitching staff. Check back soon for that story.
#2024-fantasy-baseball-draft
