Diamondbacks' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gourriel Jr. and More
Discussing the top fantasy hitters from the Arizona Diamondbacks 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. We’ve covered several teams already, and 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
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
Now, we’ll take a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks. We’ll break the story up into two parts, beginning with the team’s hitters. Check back for the story on the team’s pitchers.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Hitters
The first Arizona player off fantasy baseball draft boards is Corbin Carroll. He’s ranked 11th overall with a mark of 13.52 on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list.
In his first full season in the big leagues, Carroll had a .285 average and .362 on-base percentage. Caroll had 161 total hits, 65 of which went for extra bases (including 25 homers). He also had 76 RBIs, 54 stolen bases and 116 runs scored across 155 games.
Carroll is mostly known for his speed, but has plenty of pop in his bat. He’ll continue to hit leadoff for a loaded Arizona lineup, giving him plenty of chances to score runs and steal bases. He should still drive in plenty of runs this season.
Carroll is currently the sixth outfielder off draft boards. I like him as pick No. 2 in dynasty leagues and third in redraft leagues, so I’m a bit higher on him than most it appears. He plays nearly every day and is about as well-rounded a fantasy option as there is for the upcoming season.
Ketel Marte is the next hitter off draft boards, ranking 49th with a mark of 54.52.
Marte should hit second in the order after tallying a .276 average and .358 on-base percentage last season. He had 157 total hits, 82 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 94 runs scored. Marte had 157 total hits, 60 of which went for extra bases (25 homers).
Any hitter in this lineup is a great fantasy asset, but Marte is in a prime position after Caroll and before the big power bats. Marte offers some pop himself, and should be a pretty well-rounded fantasy asset again this season. He’s the fourth second baseman off draft boards after scoring the fourth-most fantasy points a season ago.
Christian Walker is next up, ranking 80th with a mark of 81.98.
Walker is expected to hit cleanup after posting a .258 average and .333 on-base percentage in 2023 across 157 games. He had 150 total hits, 103 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 86 runs. He homered 33 times across his 71 extra-base hits.
While Walker’s average lacks a bit, his overall numbers are fantastic, especially for an ADP like he has. He was the fourth-highest scoring 1B last season, so I see plenty of value if you can get Walker near this ADP, or later.
Gabriel Moreno is the next Arizona hitter off the board, coming in 149th with a mark of 143.69.
He’s the team’s starting catcher and is expected to hit third in the order. Moreno played 111 games a season ago, posting a .284 average, .339 on-base percentage and 97 total hits. He had 50 RBIs, six stolen bases and 33 runs scored, while homering seven times across his 27 extra-base hits.
You’d like to see Moreno play in more games, but his numbers were great when he was out there last year. If he can play closer to 130 games and produce a similar average, you are likely going to get a pretty big draft steal. He’s probably one of the last “everyday” starting options at catcher, but if you land Moreno, I’d make sure to have a good backup plan in place in case he plays in a similar amount of games.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is next up, ranking 154th with a mark of 148.05. He’s expected to hit toward the bottom of the order, but be an everyday player for Arizona.
In his first season with the D-Backs, Gurriel had a .261 average and .309 on-base percentage. He collected 144 total hits, homering 24 times among his 61 extra-base hits. Gurriel drove in 82, stole five bases and scored 65 times.
I love the value of getting Gurriel around his current ADP. If his average improves closer to his career mark (.279), his overall numbers should go up across the board. He’s a good final starter in the outfield or first backup option - he’ll likely be in your lineup most days.
Joc Pederson is up next, ranking 288th with a mark of 234.4. He’s expected to serve as the team’s designated hitter, but be in a platoon.
He played in 121 games with the San Francisco Giants a season ago, tallying a .235 average and .348 on-base percentage. Pederson had 84 total hits, 32 of which went for extra bases (15 homers). He drove in 51 runs and scored 59 times.
Pederson should be in the lineup against all righties, but his fantasy ceiling will certainly be capped if he’s sitting or pinch hit for when a lefty is out there. This late in a fantasy draft though, there isn’t much risk involved, so I’m fine taking Pederson around this point. He’s a good backup option, and hopefully he can be plugged into an outfield spot too (instead of just the utility spot).
Eugenio Suarez is the last Arizona hitter to appear on the ADP list, coming in 304th with a mark of 241.89.
He played in all 162 games a season ago with the Seattle Mariners, tallying a .232 average and .323 on-base percentage. Suarez had 139 total hits, with 22 of his 51 extra base hits being homers. He drove in 96 runs and scored 68 times.
Suarez now joins a much better lineup, and batting after the likes of Carroll, Marte, Moreno and Walker, Suarez should have the chance to drive in 100 runs if he can play the full season. There’s not much risk involved in picking him, as he’s likely going to be a bench option for you. There’s a chance he becomes a player you can utilize nearly every day, so Suarez has the chance to be a massive draft steal.
Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo are the team’s other projected starters this season. Thomas is about to turn 24, so he’s a guy to watch on the waiver wire in case he figures things out this season. Perdomo is slated to be in a platoon, likely with Blaze Alexander. Both guys are 24, so they are two more to watch closely on the waiver wire.
Randal Grichuk could form the other half of the platoon with Pederson, while Jace Peterson is a player who can play all over the diamond and be a streaming option when he makes starts.
Tucker Barnhart is projected to be the team’s backup catcher, but likely won’t get a ton of playing time unless Moreno misses extended time.
Jordan Lawlar is the No. 11 prospect in baseball and should play a role for the team at some point this season. He already has some MLB experience, so it might not take long for him to get the call.
The FantasySP team will keep you informed on all the waiver wire options throughout the season, so check back often for those stories.
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