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Christian Villanueva - 3B - Padres
To classify Villanueva as overlooked in spring drafts would be a massive understatement. He wasn’t even on the radar. In NFBC drafts, he ranked 998th according to average draft position. The former Cubs’ prospect spent eight seasons lamenting in the minor leagues before a 12-game audition with the Padres at the end of the 2017 campaign in which he clubbed four home runs. He has continued to show off that impressive power stroke in 2018. Through his first 17 games, he’s slashing .333/.438/.741 with six long balls and 14 RBI. Obviously, he isn’t going to continue at this pace, but he’s talented enough that he should be owned and started in most mixed leagues, at least until he starts to cool off.
Jed Lowrie - 2B - Athletics
Okay, raise your hands, who had Jed Lowrie leading all of baseball in hits and RBI on April 21? Anyone? Anyone? Lowrie was at least drafted in most 15-team mixed leagues, sporting an ADP of 429 before the season. That was simply due to the fact that he was slated for everyday at-bats with the A’s and was likely to hit near the middle of a weak lineup. He has come out of the gates on fire though, slashing a robust .372/.426/.640 with six homers and 22 RBI. This is a guy that hit just 14 home runs in the entirety of the 2017 season. He’ll continue to have value based on his lineup position and everyday role, but don’t overspend thinking you’re getting this superstar production for the rest of the season.
Joey Lucchesi - SP - Padres
The 24-year-old left-hander wasn’t even supposed to be in the Padres’ rotation to begin the season, but was forced into action once Dinelson Lamet went down with an elbow injury at the end of spring training. He was never considered a top prospect, though his minor league numbers were mighty impressive. Through his first four starts in the big leagues, it has been more of the same. He owns a stellar 1.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 25/4 K/BB ratio across 21 ⅔ innings. He looks like he could have staying power and is especially strong as a streaming option for his home starts.
Jose Martinez - 1B - Cardinals
Jose Martinez didn’t come completely out of nowhere, but to date he has absolutely crushed his early season projections. Martinez got some love from the fantasy community this spring, but still owned an ADP that sat around pick 250 overall, which put him in the 17th round of 15-team mixed leagues. So far, he has crushed that expectation, slashing .358/.443/.567 with three homers, 16 RBI and an 8/10 K/BB ratio. He’s always shown strong skills at the plate and should have no trouble being a steady and consistent performer throughout the season.
