Felix Hernandez and Robinson Cano are the fantasy studs in Seattle, but the lineup is more interesting than usual.
(Note: When a player's fantasy draft status is mentioned - e.g., "he's an SP4" - the number is based on 12-team mixed leagues.)
ALSO SEE: TEAM PREVIEWS ARCHIVES
Key additions: 2B Rickie Weeks, OF Seth Smith, OF Justin Ruggiano, DH Nelson Cruz, SP J.A. Happ
Key losses: 1B Kendrys Morales, OF Michael Saunders
Projected Lineup
Your friendly FOXSports.com fantasy analysts seem to like Jackson (ADP: OF48) better than the masses (OF61). A-Jax didn't play well after his trade to Seattle, but we see a rebound ... Smith and Ruggiano make for a nice platoon, but part-time status limits their value to AL-only leagues, with Smith being the busier player ... Cano's numbers predictably dropped off as a result of his move to Seattle. He's still a top-three fantasy second baseman â or top-one, depending on your taste â but the big power isn't coming back ... Safeco Field isn't as friendly to righthanded power as Cruz's previous two home parks (Baltimore, Texas), but he hit 40 homers last season and was tracking similarly in 2013 before a PED suspension. He'll see some decline, but could still go deep 30 times ... Seager is a Steady Eddie, with three consecutive seasons of similarly solid production ... Morrison could hit 15-20 homers, but you're crazy if you trust him to stay healthy ... Zunino is more likely to see BA improvement (from .199) than an HR decline. He's an interesting option in two-catcher leagues, where his positional ADP is about 16th ... Ackley's 2014 numbers would make him interesting if he was still a full-time second baseman. As a part-time outfielder, not so much ... Weeks gets a change of scenery, and is still eligible at 2B. Too bad he won't play full-time ... Miller had an up-and-down (OK, mostly down) 2014, but gets the Opening Day job due to a Chris Taylor wrist injury.
Projected Rotation
CL: Fernando Rodney
King Felix is the consensus No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw ... Iwakuma's K rate is about average, but he hardly walks anyone and induces plenty of ground balls. He's on the SP2/3 cusp ... Paxton is also a ground-ball guy, and he showed promise in his rookie season despite having it cut short by a lat injury. His early ADP is SP58, which seems aggressive ... Walker was more highly regarded than Paxton a year ago, but his manager didn't seem to like him, and he got hurt, and he didn't pitch all that much. He's still got plenty of talent at age 22, but isn't a can't-miss guy anymore. As a last-round type, he's worth a shot ... Happ isn't very good, but at least he's moving to Safeco. He could provide modest value for AL-only owners.
Rodney still walks too many people, but he saved 48 games last season. We probably shouldn't overthink this - draft him as a top-12 closer.
Sleeper: Paxton or Walker, Walker or Paxton ... let's go with Paxton, as Lloyd McClendon didn't spend most of 2014 practicing tough love on Paxton.
Top prospects
Alex Jackson, OF - Jackson was the sixth overall pick in last year's draft, and has plenty of power. However, he turned 19 in December, so he's a loooooong way off.
D.J. Peterson, 1B/3B - Peterson hit well enough after his promotion to Double A, and had 31 homers across two levels last season. But, he's blocked at third base in Seattle, so a move to first might be necessary. Peterson is MLB.com's No. 50 prospect.
ALSO SEE: TEAM PREVIEWS ARCHIVES
