By Rudy Ropp
We here at RotoProspects have been publishing weekly-updated rankings for two years with one voice, but there are differing philosophies being considered from three distinct personalities behind closed doors. As we look ahead to who we expect to potentially make moves up the rankings in 2024, we’re sharing who each of that trio are going to bat for and why.
I’m Rudy Ropp, co-founder of RotoProspects and the custodian of our Top 500 Prospects. My fantasy baseball journey started in 1985 playing Strat-O-Matic and I noticed how exciting Reds outfielder Eric Davis was in terms of power and speed potential, so I loaded up on his rookie baseball cards for 25 cents and drafted him in my first rotisserie league in 1986. That’s when Davis broke out with 27 homers and 80 steals, following up with 37 dingers and 50 swipes in 1987. Then I was selling those rookie cards for $25 each and cashing checks for finishing in the money in my first roto league.
Ever since, the holy grail for me has been power-speed youngsters with huge upside. In my home dynasty league, this led me to claim Mike Trout the day he was drafted and trade for Mookie Betts as he was reaching Boston. Needless to say, I’ve done pretty well with that strategy, winning 6 league titles in the past 11 years and finishing out of the money only once (does 2020 really even count?).
And I can’t forget the pitchers who have helped me win titles during that stretch, namely Jacob deGrom and Spencer Strider. With those two names, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what pitching stat I’ve long made my top priority – K/9.
So when choosing a hitter and a pitcher from each team as my picks to click in 2024, I focused on HR/SB for offense and K/9 for pitching with their 2023 stats in parentheses.