MLB
Fantasy Baseball: 5 Top-Tier Hitters to Avoid
Christian Yelich won the National League MVP last year and is going in the first round in early drafts, but he could be due for some serious regression this season. Which other top picks should you consider passing on?

Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees

NFBC ADP: 59th

Positional Rank: 2

Draft Round (12-team league): 5th

After a horrible 2018 that he'd soon like to forget, Gary Sanchez still managed to blast 18 home runs a season ago, and he's the second catcher off the board in drafts. Is that the right spot to secure some pop at the catcher spot?

It seems a bit early. While he's sure to rebound from that .186 batting average, a 33-point dip in his ISO (.253 to .220) and a decline in his hard-hit rate (36.9% to 35.5%) make that draft cost tough to absorb.

In addition, Sanchez has to solve right-handed pitching. While he obliterated lefties last year for a .373 wOBA, he posted a 25.9% strikeout rate and mediocre .279 wOBA against same-sided arms in 2018.

Sanchez does provide some interesting power at a hard-to-roster position, but his cost currently seems inflated given the warts we saw a year ago.

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