10 Fantasy Baseball Assets to Buy in Dynasty and Keeper Leagues Before Opening Day
Michael Conforto, New York Mets
Michael Conforto is the more traditional fit of what we're looking for as a player to buy in dynasty. He's got the talent, but the New York Mets don't have a spot to play him. Time to make some offers.
The Conforto owner in your league likely has him for a reason, knowing his pedigree as a guy who has hit no matter where he has been. However, given the potential caps on his short-term value, he may not fit the profile of team they're rolling out. This provides you an opening to at least see what the cost is.
Conforto's up to 542 plate appearances in the majors, nearly a full season of data. In that time, he has a 40.3% hard-hit rate and 42.5% fly-ball rate, the marks of a legit power hitter. Of the 299 hitters to top 500 plate appearances in the past two years, only 11 have a hard-hit rate above 40.0%, and only six of them simultaneously hold a fly-ball rate of at least 40.0%.
Here's that list, along with their strikeout rates over this time.
| Past Two Seasons | Hard-Hit Rate | Fly-Ball Rate | Strikeout Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giancarlo Stanton | 45.7% | 43.9% | 29.8% |
| David Ortiz | 43.9% | 43.0% | 14.6% |
| J.D. Martinez | 42.0% | 40.2% | 26.1% |
| Miguel Sano | 41.3% | 44.3% | 35.8% |
| Chris Davis | 40.8% | 43.6% | 32.0% |
| Michael Conforto | 40.3% | 42.5% | 23.6% |
Of the six players on the list, only one has a lower strikeout rate than Conforto, and he's a future Hall of Famer. This is a guy you're going to want on your squad.
Even if the Conforto owner knows this is a good time to buy, last year's poor results may have soured them on his future. Again, you don't want to low-ball them on a player held in Conforto's regard, but his long-term outlook is still tremendous.
