10 Fantasy Baseball Assets to Buy in Dynasty and Keeper Leagues Before Opening Day
Tommy Joseph, Philadelphia Phillies
The other prototype for a dynasty player to buy is one entering a different situation than what they had the previous year. Tommy Joseph is one the verge of becoming the Philadelphia Phillies' every-day first baseman after sharing duties with Ryan Howard last year. Giving this guy a full complement of plate appearances could reap some major fantasy benefits.
Joseph's full-season marks of a .257/.308/.505 slash with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate are solid across the board. He got even better as the season went along, though, making it seem as if there was some respectable in-season improvement.
| In 2016 | Strikeout Rate | Walk Rate |
|---|---|---|
| First Half | 24.7% | 3.7% |
| Second Half | 18.9% | 8.6% |
This is all while rocking a 36.6% hard-hit rate and 45.1% fly-ball rate. In a launchpad like Citizens Bank Park, that is a ton of bang for your buck.
Because of the team on which Joseph plays, it's not likely that he'll cost you an arm and a leg to net. The Phillies have prospects coming up the pipe, a number of whom play corner-infield spots. That's a threat to Joseph, and we need to consider that when trying to spin a deal for him.
The flip side is if Joseph mashes in the big leagues, he's going to be playing somewhere, whether in Philly or with another squad. Based on his numbers last year, that's a distinct possibility. It's good to be cautious when proceeding, but Joseph's value is likely to be higher on May 1st than it is April 1st.
