2022 Fantasy Baseball: 15 Christmas wishes

It’s Christmas time! The holidays are here, and we finally get to spend some quality time with our loved ones. But here at Fake Teams, we can’t stop thinking about fantasy sports, and baseball has a soft spot in our hearts.

That’s why we know what’s going through a fantasy baseball player’s mind. We know what he, or she, is wishing for because we also think about it every day.

Without further ado, let’s see the fantasy baseball player’s Christmas wish list, with 15 items.

I wish for…

1 A full season of a healthy Mike Trout

A calf injury cost Mike Trout more than half of the 2021 season, and we tend to forget just how dominant he is (career 172 wRC+). The fantasy baseball community wants to see him healthy again.

2 At least 150 innings from Luis Severino

It seems like ages ago, but Luis Severino was a Cy Young-caliber pitcher in 2017 and 2018 before injuries took the best of his last three seasons. Expecting 200 innings would be foolish, but 150 are reasonable… right, Yankees?

3 Gleyber Torres to remember how to hit home runs

After hitting 24 homers in 2018 and 28 in 2019, Gleyber Torres has 12 between the last two years. Twelve! His slugging percentage in 2021 was .366. We need the power, Gleybs!

4 Bobby Witt Jr. to make the Royals out of camp

Bobby Witt Jr. is perhaps the greatest position player prospect in the game right now. He hit 33 homers and stole 29 bases between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. He is clearly ready for the Big Show, and we only wish for the Royals to not play with his service time clock and have him at shortstop on Opening Day.

5 Adley Rutschman to be up before June

The Baltimore Orioles obviously want to maximize every little day of Adley Rutschman’s team control, and could delay his promotion in 2022 depending on the new CBA arrangement. Let’s hope he can be up as soon as possible because he has top-5 catcher potential in fantasy right away.

6 Michael Kopech to make the rotation

The Chicago White Sox righty Michael Kopech had a dominant season in relief in 2021 (36.1 K%, 3.50 ERA), but he will compete for a spot in the rotation in 2022. If he wins it, he could be a difference-maker in strikeouts, wins, ERA, and WHIP.

7 Byron Buxton to remain in one piece

Byron Buxton’s upside is tantalizing, and we got a glimpse of it last season (.306/.358/.647, 19 homers, nine steals, a 169 wRC+ in just 61 games). If he can play 150 games, a 40/20 season isn’t out of the question for one of the most talented players in the game.

8 September Jarred Kelenic

As a whole, the 2021 season wasn’t kind to Seattle Mariners’ uber-prospect Jarred Kelenic (.181/.265/.350, 14 home runs, 73 wRC+), but he turned it on in September, with a .248/.331/.524 slash line, seven home runs, and a 135 wRC+. That’s the Kelenic we all want and need on our teams!

9 Zack Wheeler to keep up his stellar form

Zack Wheeler is a good pitcher, but his level of dominance in 2021 is unprecedented. He had career-bests in K/9 (10.42), BB/9 (1.94), ERA (2.78), and WAR (7.3). Keep it up, Zack!

10 Juan Soto to remain awesome

Many people think Juan Soto should have won the MVP award in 2021, with his .313/.465/.534 line, 20 home runs, 111 runs, 95 RBI, and nine steals on a lousy Nationals team. We love you, Soto, and we think you are the chosen Juan. Don’t change.

11 The Pirates to give opportunities to Jared Oliva and Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz only played two games, but impressed with otherworldly exit velocities, while Jared Oliva (.175/.233/.225) was unimpressive over a 20-game sample, but needs more playing time to show his real worth.

12 Jesse Winker to be traded

Jesse Winker (.305/.394/.556, 24 home runs) was stellar in 2021, but the Reds lineup lost Tucker Barnhart and Nick Castellanos, damaging his chances of contributing runs and RBI. A trade to a much better lineup would be ideal for his fantasy prospects.

13 The Giants’ player development and coaching staff to remain on top of their game

The Giants worked their magic with Evan Longoria, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, LaMonte Wade, Darin Ruf, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb, Kevin Gausman, and many more. Let’s hope those player development guys and coaches have a great holiday season and come back strong in 2022!

14 The Dodgers to free Gavin Lux

With Corey Seager out of the picture, Trea Turner could go back to playing shortstop, freeing second base for Gavin Lux if he can win the job in Spring Training. Like Kelenic, he had an underwhelming 2021 (.242/.328/.364 over 381 plate appearances) but had a strong finish (162 wRC+ in September). With regular playing time, he could finally go off.

15 Brendan Rodgers to have a big breakout year

Asking the Rockies to do the right thing with their young players would be a real Christmas miracle. But hey, a man can dream! He slashed .284/.328/.470 with 15 homers in 415 plate appearances. If he opens the year healthy and as the unquestioned starter, we could finally witness his breakout year.