Hitter List 4/26: Top 150 Hitters – Week 4 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Hey all, welcome back to the Hitter List! Scott is still away, and I have decided to get a tad spicy with the list. I vow to keep similar virtues and uphold the criteria. Although, fear not…there will be changes.

As the season is still in its incubation phase, we’ve started to get more injuries, prospects are showing up, and the player pool is vastly different than 30 days ago. Rather than start tossing names into the list, or getting too funky, the tiers played a bigger role in this week.

Let’s get some basics out of the way in terms of how to interpret these rankings. None of this stuff should come as any major surprise, but it never hurts to provide background:

I would recommend not paying super close attention to the specific ranks of each player, and honing in more on the respective tiers that they’re in. Each tier represents a grouping of players that I think could arguably perform at a similar level, and/or carry similar levels of risk in terms of injury concerns or playing time obstacles. If Player X is ranked at #55 and Player Y is ranked at #65, but they’re in the same tier, it means that I personally like Player X a lot better, but think there’s a valid argument to be made for Player Y performing just as well.

I take rankings like this as more of an art than a science. Every person’s rankings are influenced by their own biases, strategic philosophies, determinations of risk, and projections. It’s why no two rankings are ever exactly alike. Jon’s way of evaluating and ranking players has worked out well for Jon (and me) over the years, but it might not be a great fit for you. I can’t possibly predict your team’s specific needs, your league mate’s player evaluations, or your current waiver wire, and if I could it’d be weird. In a bad way.

Yes, these ranks vary from the official PL positional rankings that I also developed in the off-season. That’s because these are only mine – no input from others. This is a safe space for me where I answer to no one but myself…and you if you leave a comment.

I’m doing my best to use 5 starts or 10 appearances as the threshold for positional eligibility. I have not included presumed eligibilities based on likely new positions, but once those eligibilities are earned I’ll add them in. This is just a maintenance thing and we will update eligibility throughout the season. Feel free to let me know if I’m missing any!

To keep things in the same ilk, here are a couple of notes on how Scott (and myself) generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:

I’ve gotten more level-headed over the years regarding weighing stolen bases, but I still think they’re precious given how rare they’re becoming. Every steal is important, so don’t take those “chip-in” steals for granted. Finding steals at the end of the season can be a dogfight.
If I did want to get some insight on whether what I’m seeing is new or if it’s just normal fluctuation, I’d use my favorite tool—the rolling chart. Our PL Pro members can use the tools in the Hub, which I’ll also reference as appropriate.

No stat is an island and they should all be taken in proper context. For ranking purposes, the primary starting points I use are plate discipline, wRC+, quality of contact metrics (also known as Statcast batted ball data), lineup context, and the skills we can measure using the tools in our PL Pro Tools Hub. I also use various projections (some free, some I buy) and dollar value generators. Unlike Nick, I’ll also look at other rankings as I prepare my own to feel how my colleagues value certain players, positions, or stats. I recommend trying as many of these things as you can until you find what you like.
Positional eligibility, and specifically multi-eligibility, is neat but also isn’t a huge factor in many 10- and 12-team leagues anymore due to the prevalence of multi-eligible players. It’s of more value in deeper contests like the NFBC, or in leagues with limited roster moves (draft and hold leagues, transaction limits/costs, extremely short benches, etc.), but even then the value is fairly situational and context-dependent.

On a similar note, I don’t penalize players for only qualifying in the utility slot. At most, it is a mild inconvenience if a DH-only player is available at a great value and you already have filled your utility spots.
Anyone talented enough to make it to the big leagues can be brilliant or putrid for 50 at-bats regardless of true talent. Heck, it could even last a month with no change in potential or skill. It also could be wildly meaningful. We can’t and don’t know which of these will be true until it’s over, though track record, scouting, and trends give us hints.
If you’d like input on a player or have any feedback, your best bet is to reach out to me on Twitter (@davithius) or in the comments!

Ranking Notes

Check out the Hacks & Jacks podcast featuring Scott Chu and Joe Gallina, which also happened to be a finalist for Best Baseball Podcast of 2021 by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)!

Ronald Acuña Jr. is swiping every base in his path. He needed to get up the ranks.

Aaron Judge tumbles to the four spot. No, don’t worry. He’s still going to finish with an outstanding year but, at the moment, a few others deserve to be ahead. Surely, he’ll go on a heater after reading this and make me look foolish.

Yordan Alvarez notched down one spot. The neck issue is somewhat troublesome. While we await an update, he gets the slightest knockdown.

After the 5/5 night with every hit being of the extra base variety, Adolis García gets bumped up. Boy! He’s been really good and there might even be another level to him.

Will Smith is still not back from his concussion, however, due to how weak the catcher position is, he’s not going anywhere. Once healthy, and back, I’d expect him to jump the other catchers in this glob.

It took a lot of restraint not to move Matt Chapman up. I mean, he’s climbed the ranks quite a ton already. However, last week wasn’t elite and he struck out nine times in 21 ABs. Rather than penalize, he stays where he was last week.

Kris Bryant’s maintaining a .303 BA but it’s awfully hollow. Due to the inadequate Rockies’ offense, the counting stats aren’t there and he’s showing very little power (.146 ISO).

Corey Seager and Michael Harris II keep falling due to injuries. Will they keep dropping? Probably not anymore but both are likely weeks away from taking MLB hacks.

TIER 8

Hunter Renfroe leads off the tier and could make the leap. We’re seeing him striking out less (18.2% K-rate) and walking more (10.1% BB-rate). Additionally, fewer whiffs are aided by making more contact in the zone. The question is, will it stick and for how long?

Nick Castellanos might be unlucky as he’s swatted six barrels and been rewarded with only two HRs. However, he’s making less contact and the SwStr% is right in line with his career.

Don’t let the red minuses fool you, this tier isn’t massive but it’s got talent. Furthermore, it’s led by Masataka Yoshida, who’s been a wrecking ball lately. We knew his plate discipline was very good but now he’s added another element. Power.

Speaking of power, Max Muncy has already crushed 11 bombs. He’s punishing fly balls but only holding a 65% contact rate. Something has to give.

Jorge Polanco is back and showing very little signs of rush. Since returning, he’s collected a hit in each game with five being of the extra base variety. Now, the big question is, will the stolen bases return as well after the injury?

Jonathan India may not be the leadoff hitter for a proficient offense, but he gets the job done. His 21 runs are second in the MLB and he’s getting on base at a .390 clip. Not to mention, his four SBs are already more than his disappointing 2022 season.

TIER 12

Apparently, Jorge Mateo is one of the best players in the MLB now. I think we can all agree that his 58% GB rate and 30% HR/FB rate won’t last. But ride his production while it lasts.

Speaking of the hottest hitters on the planet? Insert James Outman. Coming into the year, we assumed Outman would compete for a platoon spot but he’s been anything other than every day. He’s touting the 16th-best xwOBA in the MLB (.434).

MJ Melendez continues to whiff at a ridiculous rate. It’s hindering his batting average (.178) BIG-TIME! Until he starts making more contact, it’s going to be a BA sinkhole with some thump at the catcher position. Not exactly what you had in mind when drafting.

J.D. Martinez is currently working out a back issue. He’s no spring chicken and that could be a little concerning as it’s not even May 1st.

TIER 14

Javier Báez remains a complete wild card. His K% is under 18% and he’s swinging outside the zone less. Furthermore, his HC% is in line with career norms. The big issue is the type of contact, as he’s showcasing a 60.2% groundball rate.

Bryce Harper has still been seen taking defense at 1B. If he comes back, it’s tough to see him staying outside the top 100.

TIER 15

Ji Hwan Bae has been a pleasant find for speed. Indeed, he’s up to seven swipes on the season but will that be enough to keep the bat in the lineup as his K% teeters near 27%? He’s also grabbed 2B eligibility, which is huge for such a shallow position.

Anthony Volpe has been a fixture atop the Yankees lineup and repaying the slot by getting on base at a .368 clip in the last seven days.

Rank	Hitter	Position	Change
1	José RamírezT1	3B	-
2	Ronald Acuña Jr.	OF	+3
3	Trea Turner	SS	-1
4	Kyle Tucker	OF	-
5	Julio Rodríguez	OF	+1
6	Mookie Betts	2B, OF	+1
7	Aaron Judge	OF	-4
8	Freddie Freeman T2	1B	+1
9	Yordan Alvarez	OF	-1
10	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B	-
11	Shohei Ohtani	DH	-
12	Bo Bichette	SS	-
13	Pete Alonso	1B	+1
14	Rafael Devers	3B	-1
15	Mike Trout	OF	-
16	Austin Riley	3B	-
17	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SS, OF	+2
18	Randy Arozarena	OF	+4
19	Paul Goldschmidt T3	1B	+1
20	Juan Soto	OF	-2
21	Francisco Lindor	SS	-
22	Bobby Witt Jr.	SS	+1
23	Marcus Semien	2B, SS	+1
24	Kyle Schwarber	OF	+1
25	Manny Machado	3B	-8
26	Nolan Arenado	3B	-
27	Matt Olson	1B	-
28	Bryan Reynolds	OF	-
29	Adolis García	OF	+1
30	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	2B, SS	-1
31	Teoscar Hernández	OF	-
32	Luis Robert Jr.	OF	-
33	Cedric Mullins	OF	-
34	Ozzie Albies T4	2B	+1
35	Corbin Carroll	OF	+1
36	George Springer	OF	-2
37	Adley Rutschman	C	-
38	J.T. Realmuto	C	-
39	Daulton Varsho	C, OF	-
40	Will Smith	C	-
41	Eloy Jiménez T5	OF	-
42	Wander Franco	3B, SS	-
43	Xander Bogaerts	SS	-
44	Starling Marte	OF	-
45	Taylor Ward	OF	-
46	Alex Bregman	3B	-
47	Willy Adames	SS	-
48	Andrés Giménez	2B	-
49	Matt Chapman T6	3B	-
50	Dansby Swanson	SS	-
51	Byron Buxton	OF	-
52	Nathaniel Lowe	1B	-
53	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B	-
54	Salvador Perez	C	-
55	Gleyber Torres	2B, SS	+1
56	Tommy Edman	2B, SS, OF	+1
57	Steven Kwan	OF	+1
58	Kris Bryant	OF	-3
59	Carlos Correa T7	SS	+2
60	Christian Yelich	OF	+3
61	Gunnar Henderson	3B, SS	-1
62	Christian Walker	1B	+2
63	Brandon Lowe	2B	+2
64	Michael Harris II	OF	-5
65	Corey Seager	SS	-3
66	Hunter Renfroe T8	OF	+1
67	Anthony Santander	OF	-1
68	Alec Bohm	3B	-
69	Ryan Mountcastle	1B	+1
70	Anthony Rizzo	1B	+1
71	Nick Castellanos	OF	-2
72	José Abreu	1B	-
73	C.J. Cron	1B	-
74	Masataka Yoshida T9	OF	+12
75	Max Muncy	2B, 3B	+1
76	Jeremy Peña	SS	-2
77	Andrew Vaughn	1B, OF	-2
78	Willson Contreras	C	-1
79	Seiya Suzuki T10	OF	+2
80	Tyler O’Neill	OF	-2
81	Eugenio Suárez	3B	-1
82	Ty France	1B, 3B	-
83	Ian Happ	OF	-
84	Nico Hoerner	SS	-
85	Amed Rosario	SS, OF	-
86	Jonathan India	2B	+2
87	Jorge Polanco	2B	+2
88	Thairo Estrada T11	2B, SS, OF	+5
89	Brandon Nimmo	OF	+6
90	Riley Greene	OF	-
91	Jake Cronenworth	1B, 2B, SS	+1
92	Luis Arraez	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	-5
93	Jose Miranda	1B, 3B	-2
94	Sean Murphy	C	-
95	Josh Jung	3B	+1
96	Jeff McNeil	2B, OF	+1
97	Yandy Díaz	1B, 3B	+1
98	Rowdy Tellez	1B	+1
99	Jarred Kelenic	OF	+2
100	Lars Nootbaar	OF	+2
101	Jordan Walker	3B	-22
102	Tyler Stephenson	C	+1
103	T12	SS	+22
104	James Outman	OF	+7
105	Tim Anderson	SS	-5
106	Alejandro Kirk	C	-1
107	Miguel Vargas	1B, OF	-
108	Alex Verdugo	OF	-2
109	MJ Melendez	C, OF	-5
110	Ketel Marte	2B, OF	-1
111	Cody Bellinger T13	OF	-1
112	Brendan Donovan	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	-
113	Cal Raleigh	C	-
114	Nolan Gorman	2B	+2
115	J.D. Martinez	DH	+2
116	William Contreras	C	+2
117	Andrew Benintendi	OF	+2
118	Bryson Stott	2B, SS	+12
119	Brandon Drury	1B, 2B, 3B	-4
120	Josh Bell	1B	-6
121	Ramón Laureano	OF	-1
122	Josh Naylor	1B, OF	-1
123	Isaac Paredes	2B, 3B	-1
124	Joey Meneses	1B, OF	-1
125	Javier Báez T14	SS	+1
126	Triston Casas	1B	+1
127	Bryce Harper	DH	+1
128	Spencer Steer	3B	+3
129	Jake Fraley	OF	-
130	Michael Conforto	OF	+3
131	Ke’Bryan Hayes T15	3B	+5
132	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	1B, OF	-
133	Anthony Rendon	3B	+1
134	Spencer Torkelson	1B	+1
135	Brian Anderson	3B, OF	+2
136	Anthony Volpe	SS	+5
137	Oswaldo Cabrera	OF	+1
138	Austin Hays	OF	+UR
139	Josh Rojas	2B, 3B, SS, OF	+3
140	Patrick Wisdom	1B, 3B, OF	+3
141	Mitch Haniger	OF	-2
142	Jorge Soler	OF	+2
143	Ji Hwan Bae	OF	+3
144	Shea Langeliers	C	+3
145	Wil Myers	OF	-
146	Ha-Seong Kim	2B, 3B, SS	+2
147	Andrew McCutchen	OF	+2
148		3B	+2
149	Joey Gallo	OF	+UR
150	Joey Wiemer	OF	+UR

And here’s the Taxi Squad, presented in no particular order:

Taxi Squad

Hitter	Position	Team	Comment
Akil Baddoo	OF	DET	I’ll be honest, Scott would only let me do the Hitter List if I kept Akil Baddoo in it. Yes, he’s still here!
Brandon Marsh	OF	PHI	Still flexing the elite speed and the bat is showing up.
Kerry Carpenter	OF	DET	Tons of power here and getting playing time…and took Eric Lauer (LHP) deep.
Zach Neto	SS	LAD	Could stick around all year and the SS position is thinning out quickly.
Josh Lowe	OF	TBR	Will get plenty of run with Jose Siri on the shelf. Making the most of his opportunity too.
Edward Olivares	OF	KCR	Kansas City only values him as a 4th OF option.
Jurickson Profar	OF	COL	Leadoff hitter in Coors Field is worth something.
Whit Merrifield	2B/OF	TOR	Splits time between 2B and OF, but still doesn’t play every day.
CJ Abrams	2B/SS	WSH	Making contact is good, but batting at the bottom of the order is not.
Danny Jansen	C	TOR	Not playing as much as many had hoped.
Jonah Heim	C	TEX	Creeping up the batting order and hitting for some power.
Franchy Cordero	OF	NYY	Coming off a hot week but sits vs. LHP.
Ryan McMahon	2B/3B	COL	Strikeout rate is scary.
Trent Grisham	OF	SDP	Now that no one is saying this is the year, does it mean this is actually the year?
Justin Turner	3B	BOS	I expect a repeat of 2022, which is fine I guess.
Francisco Álvarez	C	NYM	Haven’t seen enough to push him up.
Keibert Ruiz	C	WAS	Contact skills are real.
Alec Burleson	STL	OF	Might be stuck in a platoon but HC% is intriguing.
Jon Berti	2B/3B/SS/OF	MIA	He’ll be worth streaming for steals on occasion but otherwise should be on the wire.
Alek Thomas	OF	ARZ	There’s still upside here, but it’s a crowded roster.
David Villar	3B	SFG	Will get second base eligibility soon in some formats, which is nice I guess.
Michael Massey	2B	KCR	Hitting the ball pretty hard, but not much to show for it.
Manuel Margot	OF	TBR	Power and speed are present, but injuries are a regular occurrence.
Gio Urshela	3B	LAA	Might be winning a full-time gig.
Luke Raley	OF	TBR	Keeps playing and batting in the middle of the order.
Alex Call	OF	WAS	Took over the leadoff role and takes plenty of walks.
Rodolfo Castro	2B/SS	PIT	Could see regular playing time with Oneil Cruz on the IL.
Brice Turang	2B/SS	MIL	Looks to be on the large side of a platoon right now, quieting down after a hot start.
Trevor Story	2B	BOS	He’ll be ranked between 50 and 75 when he’s back on the field.
Jose Altuve	2B	HOU	Get well soon, sweet prince.
Travis d’Arnaud	C	ATL	On the IL with a concussion, hopefully he’s back soon.
DJ LeMahieu	1B/2B/3B	NYY	The elevated strikeouts are very strange and disturbing for a guy who has never really struck out much.
Jose Siri	OF	TBR	Hits for power and steals bases, could be a huge upside play for roto.

6 responses to “Hitter List 4/26: Top 150 Hitters – Week 4 Fantasy Baseball 2023”

Chris says:

April 27, 2023 at 11:56 AM

Dave – thanks for this. What caliber of pitcher would you trade for Luis Robert in a H2H Categories league?

Josh says:

April 27, 2023 at 12:08 PM

Hi Dave, just a couple questions because I noticed them right next to each other on the list! I’m curious about your thoughts on Verdugo (very hot start, probably the second best hitter on the Red Sox right now behind Devers) as well as Miguel Vargas (sure the walks are nice but he’s still not hitting and the advanced stats seem to be getting worse by the day). Thanks for the list!

Patrick Vestal says:

April 27, 2023 at 12:15 PM

Jarren Duran didnt even make the taxi squad?

Josh says:

April 27, 2023 at 12:25 PM

Taylor Ward has not been good this year, outside of the first week, is the high ranking the lineup spot or do you believe his underlying metrics point to him being unlucky?

Ben says:

April 27, 2023 at 3:59 PM

All due respect, it feels like a list that has limited use because it doesn’t properly account for how things have clearly changed over recent weeks. As an example, I want Abreu to succeed, but no shot anyone is going to give you Muncy, Bellinger, Kelenic, or Seiya for him any time soon. Bellinger looks clearly transformed and the idea that he’s equal to Brendan Donovan is a hard sell. Ward was hot early on, but he’s a far cry from a top-50 bat IMO. Across the board, drops and rises feel oddly conservative and although it is still April, I feel like we’re at a point where we have enough data to significantly shift valuations.

CJ Adams says:

April 29, 2023 at 3:17 PM

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/yandy-diaz-650490?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

I’m just going to leave this here for you. I have a lot of trouble believing this is the 97th best hitter in baseball.

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Hitter List 4/26: Top 150 Hitters – Week 4 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Dave Swan

6 responses to “Hitter List 4/26: Top 150 Hitters – Week 4 Fantasy Baseball 2023”

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