The Rotoworld Baseball staff offered their early sleeper picks for hitters and pitchers earlier this month, but now it’s time to look at the other end of the spectrum with our picks for “busts.”
Now, a quick word about “busts.” What does it mean, exactly? Ultimately, it’s a flashy word for a player who is deemed unlikely to live up to last year’s performance and/or their ADP (average draft position) for this year. Call them “busts” if you’d like, but “overvalued” works just fine as well. Either way, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Stay tuned later this week for Rotoworld’s picks for busts on the starting pitcher side of things.
2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Rankings, strategy, sleepers, mock draft results
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FANTASY BASEBALL BUST HITTERS FOR 2025
Willy Adames SS, Giants
Adames has long been one of the better and more underrated infielders in baseball, but I’m not sure I love the fit for him in San Francisco from a fantasy perspective. He hasn’t been a quality contributor in the average category for the last few years, and his swing path and willingness to hit in two-strike counts aren’t likely to see him help in that regard. Oracle Park is also not friendly confines in terms of helping power hitters, and while Adames has been an excellent source of pop, he’s now going to be playing in a home park that had the third-worst Park Factor for right-handed hitters in 2024. And while Adames did steal 21 bases last year, it’s worth noting that he had never stolen more than eight bags in a year prior to 2024, and the Giants were dead last in stolen bases last year. Adames is a quality player, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with him being my starting shortstop to begin 2025; not with so many other solid options available with similar upside and higher floors.
Mark Vientos 3B, Mets
Vientos took over the third base job for the Mets in midseason and finished the 2024 season with a .266 average, 27 home runs and 71 RBI in 111 games. He also hit .327 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 13 playoff games for the Mets. Vientos is exactly the kind of trap fantasy players typically fall for. He’s a good player on a popular team and his production in less than a full season is begging for his numbers to be extrapolated to what’s possible for him in 150+ games. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old third baseman isn’t without his drawbacks. Vientos strikes out…