Keep eye on names moving up draft boards

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ITH limited access to MLB’s spring training 2.0, things haven’t been this quiet since the days leading up to the internet boom.

But some coverage is better than nothing, and those digging deep for news are turning to the limited mock drafts as a way to gauge which players warrant the early attention. Tracking those players who are rising in average draft position (ADP) should give you somewhat of a head start.

The easy ones to spot are players such as Aaron Judge and Yoenis Cespedes. Neither was expected to be ready for the start of the season and both look as if they could be in the lineup for

Opening Day. Judge’s rib injury and collapsed lung have healed. Though we haven’t seen the moonshots we are used to, seeing him climb up draft boards means the rest of the world is encouraged by the progress.

Cespedes may not be at the same place as Judge, but his ever-increasing ADP indicates most believe he can be a fulltime fantasy asset within a few short weeks. The latest reports don’t have him running at fullspeed just yet, as he continues to work himself back into shape after double-heel surgery, but the implementation of the DH in the National League puts him closer to being in the lineup daily.

Other intriguing ADP risers can be found in Colorado’s Sam Hilliard and Washington rookie Carter Kieboom will be the team’s starting third baseman. Hilliard is looking at full-time at-bats in a favorable home park with Ian Desmond opting out and Charlie Blackmon recovering from COVID-19. His recent ADP numbers have him now as a mid- to late-round option, but given his power/speed potential, he could climb even higher.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez seems to have full confidence Kieboom can be a lasting figure at the hot corner, and he Kieboom walks in with shortstop eligibility.

Using ADP as a substitute for rankings may be wrong, but gathering as much data as possible is still your best bet.