Fantasy Baseball 2016: 10 Hitters Who Will Bust Out as Must-Have Stars – Bleacher Report

You could argue, convincingly, that Mookie Betts already busted out in 2015.

The Boston Red Sox outfielder hit .291, after all, with 18 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 145 games. But it’s a testament to the height of Betts’ ceiling that it still feels like he’s just getting started.

The big news for the Red Sox this winter was the offseason additions of potential game-changers like ace David Price. 

The continued emergence of Betts, however, might do just as much to pull Boston out of the AL East cellar.

Among Betts’ many boosters is David Ortiz, who is about to begin his farewell tour with Boston and has anointed Betts as an heir apparent. 

“He’s going to be one of the best players in the American League,” Ortiz said, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. And, he added, Betts could eventually land a $250 million contract. Heck, maybe Big Papi is angling for a second career as a super agent.

That kind of praise doesn’t feel like hyperbole, though, when you put Betts’ early production in context, as Over the Monster’s Matt Collins did:

After shooting through the minors, the now-23-year-old has already accrued 867 plate appearances and has produced a .291/.348/.471 line, good for a 120 OPS+. He’s one of just 31 players in the expansion era (since 1961) to start his career with at least 750 plate appearances through his age-22 season and put up at least a 120 OPS+. He also had a top-50 age-22 season in that same span by OPS+, and the 17th best age-22 season by Baseball-Reference’s WAR. Clearly, he’s a very special player is what I’m trying to say.

There are outfielders with more raw power and outfielders with more blinding speed. But if you’re looking to solidify your fantasy roster with a player who can basically do it all, you can’t do much better than Betts.

All statistics current as of March 8 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.