Blue Jays Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Kevin Gausman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Chris Bassitt, Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Toronto Blue Jays 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, Boston Red Sox
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 Toronto Blue Jays.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Pitchers
The first Toronto player to appear on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list is starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, ranking 15th with a mark of 16.84.
Gausman had one of his better seasons in 2023, finishing 12-9 overall but with a 3.16 earned run average across 31 starts. He struck out 237 batters over 185 innings.
Gausman has made over 30 starts in three straight seasons and had a sub 3.50 ERA in each campaign. It’s hard to find that kind of production in fantasy drafts, especially at the SP position. I like most SP about a round later than the ADP ranks show currently, but it’s hard to argue against Gausman at his current ADP - he’s got a chance to be fantasy SP1.
Chris Bassitt is next up, followed by Jordan Romano. Bassitt ranks 89th with a mark of 96.59, while Romano ranks 94th with a mark of 99.76.
Bassitt went 16-8 with a 3.60 ERA last season across 33 starts. He struck out 186 over 200 innings.
Bassitt has made at least 27 starts in three straight seasons, with last year being his highest ERA over that span. I love the value you get back with Bassitt at his current ADP, and think he’s likely to outproduce it - I’d still try to take him right around that spot, instead of drafting him earlier.
Romano is the team’s closer and has also been good over the past several seasons. He went 5-7 with a 2.90 ERA last season, striking out 72 over 59 frames.
I’m not one to draft closers in rounds 5-10, but Romano could definitely be an option if he slips a couple picks back. If he can cut down his losses and ERA a touch, there’s a chance he could challenge for the top fantasy closer spot.
Jose Berrios, the team’s No. 1 starter, ranks 116th overall with a mark of 123.81.
Berrios bounced back in 2023 after a rough go of things in 2022. He made 32 starts last season, going 11-12 with a 3.65 ERA and 184 strikeouts over 189 2/3 innings.
His up-and-down performances the past couple years explain his higher ADP. He’s still a really solid fantasy option near his ADP, and likely will outproduce that value if he pitches a full season.
Yusei Kikuchi is ranked 203rd with a mark of 179.78.
Kikuchi made 32 starts in 2023, going 11-6 with a 3.86 ERA. He struck out 181 over 167 2/3 innings.
That’s great production for a player going in the middle-to-later rounds of a fantasy draft. He’s going far later in drafts than he finished in points leagues last year. I love Kikuchi as a depth arm around his ADP or a round or so earlier.
Alek Manoah is a fascinating fantasy name, ranking 307th with a mark of 245.5. He’s dealing with a shoulder injury that could sideline him until mid-April.
Manoah struggled for a large portion of the 2023 season after great seasons in 2021-22. He had a 5.87 ERA and 3-9 record across 19 starts last season, striking out 79 over 87 1/3 innings.
He’s a big-time bounceback candidate, and the nice thing is, you don’t have to spend a premium pick to get him. Manoah is a perfect example of a “buy low” player who has the chance to be the biggest draft steal if he reverts to what he was a couple seasons ago.
The last Toronto pitcher on the ADP list is Erik Swanson, ranking 344th with a mark of 272.25.
He’s the setup man for Romano. Swanson went 4-2 last season with a 2.97 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 66 2/3 innings.
Swanson is one of the better non-closer fantasy relievers out there. There’s no reason to believe his production will drop off, and he’s a great guy to target if you’re after holds.
Bowden Francis is the projected No. 5 starter to begin the season, although Manoah likely seizes that role when he’s healthy. Ricky Tiedemann is a top-100 prospect on the brink of a call up that could also be the fifth starter - or a fill in for another injured starter.
Top Fantasy Hitters
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the top Toronto hitter off the ADP list, ranking 22nd with a mark of 23.98.
Guerrero regressed a bit in most hitting stats last season, but also played in four less games, which explains some of that. He had a .264 average, .345 on-base percentage, 159 total hits, 94 RBIs, five stolen bases and 78 runs. Guerrero homered 26 times among his 56 extra-base hits.
He’s the third first baseman off draft boards despite finishing seventh in points leagues last season. I think Guerrero is going too early in drafts and should fall at least a round - I’d feel most comfortable getting him around pick 40.
Bo Bichette is next up, ranked 52nd with a mark of 58.71.
Bichette played in 135 games in 2023, tallying a .306 average, .339 OBP, 175 total hits, 73 RBIs, five stolen bases and 69 runs scored. He clubbed 20 homers among his 53 extra-base hits.
If Bichette played in more games, I guarantee his ADP would be higher - his ADP mark has risen steadily since the start of March. He’s the fifth SS off draft boards, and I like that spot because I think he can be a top-five fantasy SS with a fully healthy season.
George Springer ranks 81st with a mark of 84.71.
Across 154 games last season, Springer had a .258 average, .327 OBP, 158 total hits, 72 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and 87 runs scored. He homered 21 times among his 47 extra-base hits.
He’s a really strong third fantasy OF and not a bad second option either. I’d target him around his current ADP, or slightly after.
Daulton Varsho is next up, ranking 206th with a mark of 181.73.
He hit .220 and got on base at a .285 clip across 158 games last season. Varsho drove in 61 runs, stole 16 bases and scored 65 times. He had 116 total hits, including 46 extra-base hits (20 homers).
He provides pretty well-rounded numbers for a later pick in a fantasy draft. I like drafting Varsho when I feel really strongly about my other outfielders because of his lower batting average.
Justin Turner is ranked 217th with a mark of 188.12.
He played with the Boston Red Sox last year, finishing with a .276 average and .345 OBP across 146 games played. Turner had 96 RBIs, scored 86 runs and tallied 154 total hits, 54 of which went for extra bases (23 homers).
While he likely has 1B eligibility, Turner is expected to serve as the team’s designated hitter most games. He’s projected to hit cleanup, which obviously will leave him with plenty of opportunities to be a good fantasy asset. Depending on how many spots you could play Turner at, you could draft him a round or so earlier than his ADP.
Alejandro Kirk ranks 300th with a mark of 240.
The team’s catcher played in 123 games last season, tallying a .250 average and .334 OBP. He had 93 total hits, 24 of which went for extra bases (eight homers). Kirk drove in 43 runs and scored 34 times.
His overall numbers are pretty underwhelming despite a decent average and good amount of games played (for a catcher). Kirk is a bit of a bounceback candidate, but I wouldn’t take him too much earlier than his current ADP. He’s a backup fantasy option at catcher, with upside of starting most days or becoming a trade chip.
Catcher Danny Jansen is also ranked, coming in 342nd with a mark of 271. His numbers are a bit skewed, but he did play in 86 games last season, so he’s still worth mentioning.
Jansen had a .228 average and .312 OBP, with 17 homers among his 32 extra-base hits and 61 total knocks. He drove in 53 runs and scored 38 times.
He is a nice streaming option because of his power numbers, but I’d only draft him in deeper formats. There’s just so many more useful players you could get late in drafts who will play so many more games.
Kevin Kiermaier, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Cavan Biggio are the team’s other projected starters, although Kiermaier and Biggio are projected in platoons with Ernie Clement and Davis Schneider. Nathan Lukes is another projected bench outfielder.
Orelvis Martinez is a top-100 prospect that should debut sometime in 2024.
Several other Toronto players are likely to carve out roles at points during the season, and the FantasySP team will help you identify those players, so keep checking back with us!
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