The fantasy baseball season has gotten underway and managers are now looking to make moves and improve their team.
Unexpected players such as Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves and James Outman of the Los Angeles Dodgers have broken out in the first 20 games of the season. Fantasy managers need to be rostering or taking a peak at these two players to improve their teams moving forward.
Sean Murphy
In the 2023 season Sean Murphy has a .274 batting average, 6 home runs, 16 runs batted in, and owns an MLB 7th overall 1.028 OPS.
Murphy is a player I have personally picked up for my fantasy team to replace Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk. Kirk has been ineffective to begin the season, while Murphy has excelled in every area. Murphy, from Peekskill, NewYork, is 28 years old but seems to be hitting a stride in his career.
By the end of last season, Murphy had accounted for 18 home runs and 66 runs batted in. In just 20 games, Murphy has managed to get about a third of his statistics that he had all of last season.
A great start to Murphy’s 2023 season goes to show his game is improving – something fantasy managers should pay attention to. The Braves coaching staff is realizing the value Murphy can bring to the table batting 4th in rotation on a team that puts up a lot of runs.
Murphy is now rostered in over 95% of ESPN fantasy leagues and in the 5% that he is unowned, he should be.
James Outman
In the 2023 season James Outman owns a .301 batting average, 7 home runs, 16 runs batted in, and an MLB 5th overall 1.058 OPS. Outman has been a staple of the Dodgers road play this season, with 6 of his 7 home runs coming on the road.
Outman was a childhood Dodgers fan being from Redwood City, California, and is making the most of his opportunity.
Outman is 25 years old, and this is his second year playing in the MLB. Last season Outman only had 13 at bats but managed 6 hits, 1 homerun, 3 runs batted in, and 2 walks for a 1.409 OPS. Outman has a bright future ahead of him and fantasy owners should take notice.
