Hitter List 7/6: Top 150 Hitters – Week 14 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Let’s get some basics out of the way regarding 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 mates’ 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 I generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:

Stolen bases are losing value in a hurry, at least on a per-stolen-base basis. In 2022, zero players stole 10 bases in the first month of the season. In 2023, that number was six. Almost twice as many players picked up three steals in the first month of 2023 compared to 2022. In short, stealing 20 bases in 2023 doesn’t add the value it did in 2022. Steals are much more streamable now.
So what am I doing with that conclusion? Back in 2022 and earlier, a projection of five or 10 stolen bases really mattered as finding those five or 10 steals was not only impactful to the standings, but it was difficult. It still impacts the standings, sure, but it’s no longer difficult. Five or 10 steals in 2022 is more like 10 or 15 steals in 2023 in terms of scarcity and procurement.

If I 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. which I’ll also reference as appropriate. You can also get rolling charts from sources like FanGraphs or Baseball Savant. If you have any questions about how to do that or how to read these charts, reach out to me!

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 tools such as our PLV Hitter Attributes. 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 to 100 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 (@ifthechufits) 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)!

TIER 1

No changes here, and I don’t anticipate making any UNLESS one of the Tier 2 players makes a big push for it or there’s an injury. For what it’s worth, there is no trade scenario I can imagine that would alone be reason to move someone from Tier 2 to Tier 1.

TIER 2

Matt Olson is the big mover here, and he’s just been such a force as part of the high-scoring Atlanta offense. There are maybe three players who have a realistic shot at clubbing 50 home runs this season, and Olson is one of them (along with Ohtani and Alonso).
Marcus Semien has been a bit uninspiring of late (slugigng just .369 in his last 15 games) but I’m not really concerned about it. He’s making plenty of contact and the plate skills are there, and most everything under the hood checks out.

TIER 4

Not much shuffling here either as we go into the Break. Luis Robert Jr. is one of the most explosive talents in the league, but considering he’s never made it to 100 games played in the big leagues, I’m hesitant to move him up too high. The injury risk is extreme, though the potential reward is a top-five fantasy hitter.

NOW we’ve got some shuffling! Christian Yelich has been phenomenal over his last 21 games, hitting .378/.463/.622 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. The three home runs aren’t necessarily eye-popping, but the extra-base power is there and he’s also chipped in four steals (three of which have come in the last seven games). Yelich will probably hit too many grounders to become a truly elite player (unless the rabbit ball comes back), but the skills remain impressive. Back issues could pop back up at any time, but they seem pretty well taken care of at the moment.
As other catchers on the lit struggle with consistency, Sean Murphy continues to be a rock for fantasy managers.
Jose Altuve may not play again until after the Break, but we will have to wait until after action resumes to see how his health truly fares.
We don’t know when Bryce Harper’s power will come back, but we know it’s likely related to his offseason surgery and we know that it will return eventually. At least the ratios are good while we wait. Max Muncy had this issue last season, and his did come back a little while after the break.
Oh Elly De La Cruz, you beautiful, volatile man. I truly mean it when I say that his ups and downs will come on a series-by-series basis, as each team will have different approaches to how they attack him. Teams with a bad plan or just bad pitching in general, like the Nationals and Rockies, will get destroyed, while teams like the Royals, Orioles, and Padres seemed to have the leg up (at least for now). The strikeouts and lack of walks will just be something we have to deal with, and those in head-to-head leagues will find the weekly ups and downs a bit more frustrating than rotisserie managers, but no one has ever doubted that this was a special talent. The interesting stuff, and the stuff we need to know before we can truly judge his long-term value, will really start happening when De La Cruz starts seeing pitchers for the second and third time.

Masataka Yoshida will continue to be a stud in points leagues, but for everyone else, the ceiling may be a little lower than I hoped after just two home runs and a single stolen base in June.

TIER 7

I get asked about dropping Daulton Varsho a lot, and the fact remains that he has been a top-seven catcher on the season and will almost certainly finish as one. There are very few (if any) catchers on your bench who can say the same, and Varsho’s ceiling is definitely higher than anyone on your wire.
Strikeouts are plaguing Josh Jung right now, and I am betting he gets over it and goes on another tear.

TIER 8

All players in this tier started with a +2 to +5 to their ranking

Max Muncy had a decent week and I still have faith that the power will come with better ratios, but I understand if you’re down on him right now.
Yandy Díaz actually fell five spots, but the net gain from other players falling past him kept it to a neutral ranking. He just isn’t getting the ball in the air anymore, and there’s no sign that he’s going to start.
Steven Kwan also took a bit of a tumble, but it’s mostly just because I’ve recalibrated what my ceiling expectations are. The batting average just isn’t where I hoped, and the power never took the step forward that I expected. Hitting .270-.280 and stealing 25-30 bases will only take you so far in the new stolen base environment. The reason he still ranks ahead of other speedsters is the very high floor and the fact he can score 100 runs.

TIER 9

All players in this tier started with a +4 to +5 to their ranking

Alex Verdugo is slumping a bit and never had a high ceiling to begin with, so he falls just a bit.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. may always be a frustrating player, yet he’s still got a chance to finish the season with almost 20 home runs and 25 steals despite likely playing in fewer than 100 games.
Jonah Heim probably deserves to be ranked a bit higher, so don’t be shocked if he jumps up in the next installment.
Byron Buxton is doing Byron Buxton things. If you’re willing to ride this roller coaster, there’s a lot of upside but also a lot of crash and burn potential with both performance and injury risk.
Brandon Nimmo is continuing to be a very weird hitter, striking out far more than ever before but also hitting for power and producing. Is this a new hitter?

TIER 10

All players in this tier started with a +4 to +6 to their ranking

Andrés Giménez kind of looks like the man we saw in 2022, and the more he looks like that, the closer to the Top 50 he can get.
Gunnar Henderson is struggling with consistency, but the upside should keep him somewhere on this list unless the playing time totally evaporates.
Nobody wants Mike Trout to be hurt because that’s bad for baseball. The current timeline is four to eight weeks to recover from that surgery, but he remains a Top-100 player until we know he’s just not going to play.

TIER 11

All players in this tier started with a +4 to their ranking

Orlando Arcia is slumping, but I expect him to recover and go back to being the dependable middle infielder that he’s been all season.
Joc Pederson hasn’t actually changed. I have no idea why it keeps saying he was unranked.

TIER 12

Rankings from here on out are very volatile, so if a move is less 10 spots it likely isn’t something to give much attention.

It’s a massive tier, but an interesting one! Tommy Pham is one of the bigger movers as he continues to produce as a regular in the lineup. His long-term outlook is clouded by his injury history and how unexpected this surge is, but for now we can just enjoy it.
Justin Turner hasn’t actually changed. I have no idea why it keeps saying he was unranked.
I love that Henry Davis is succeeding, and he should be rostered in every league that uses a catcher. Playing in the outfield not only gives him an advantage over other catchers with playing time, but the wear and tear on his body (and mind) that he’d experience putting on the gear and learning to handle a big league staff isn’t going to happen.
Since June 1st, Whit Merrifield has zero home runs and has been caught four times in nine stolen base attempts. Will the Blue Jays continue letting him run as often? So far it seems like no, as he has just a single steal in two attempts over his last 14 games.
TJ Friedl is a guy who keeps producing despite not hitting the ball hard, and unlike guys like Isaac Paredes who succeed using a specific formula (like pulling everything he hits in the air), Friedl has a pretty normal spray chart. It makes me very nervous about ranking him higher than this, but the production has been so good that he’s been locked into the top of a very good lineup.
And now for our featured guy, Ha-Seong Kim. The former KBO star is just a single home run away from the total he put up last season (11), and his 15 steals is three more than he had in 2022. Even if the power fades a bit, Kim’s upside looks higher than ever as he’s been slotted into the top of the Padres’ lineup. I think he has a very real chance to finish the season with 90 runs scored, 15-18 home runs, and 22-25 stolen bases along with an acceptable batting average and good OBP. Some of that upside is contingent on staying at the top of the order, but considering that they used guys like Cronenworth or Profar in that spot for so long, I think Kim will get plenty of run as the leadoff man.

TIER 13

I’ve dropped Giancarlo Stanton in at least one 12-teamer (three outfielders) at time of publishing.
I like Jake Fraley’s skill set more than his teammate Friedl’s, but Fraley has been stuck in too many platoons and suffered too many injuries to move up too high in these rankings.
Oh hey, look at you go, Anthony Volpe! He’s not making better decisions or contact (see below), but at least the results are there. I’m not sure how long they can keep up with this approach, but I’m willing to give the top prospect for New York the benefit of the doubt for now.
Bryan De La Cruz had a pretty lackluster June (80 wRC+), and he wasn’t that good in April, either. Seems like the explosive May is the outlier here.
I’ve dropped Seiya Suzuki in several 12-teamers as well. The ceiling is high, but I’m tired of waiting for it.
Nick Gonzales isn’t striking out nearly as much as I thought he would, and I’m intrigued. Very few players can strike out less in the majors than they did in the minors, so it’s more likely that he falls back to the Taxi Squad than rise in the ranks, but there’s hope.
Colton Cowser is the hot name right now thanks to his call-up, but I’m not so sure that he has the hit tool or power to make a big impact. I’ve ranked him because I know people would ask and also because he was showing good signs in the minor leagues, but I’m fairly skeptical.

And now, once again, it’s time for the Hitter List:

Rank	Hitter	Position	Change
1	Ronald Acuña Jr.T1	OF	-
2	Shohei Ohtani	DH	-
3	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SS, OF	-
4	Freddie Freeman T2	1B	-
5	José Ramírez	3B	-
6	Mookie Betts	2B, SS, OF	-
7	Juan Soto	OF	-
8	Kyle Tucker	OF	-
9	Bo Bichette	SS	-
10	Pete Alonso T3	1B	-
11	Rafael Devers	3B	+1
12	Corbin Carroll	OF	+1
13	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B	+1
14	Adolis García	OF	+1
15	Corey Seager	SS	+1
16	Julio Rodríguez	OF	+2
17	Matt Olson	1B	+6
18	Wander Franco	3B, SS	+1
19	Marcus Semien	2B, SS	-2
20	Paul Goldschmidt	1B	+1
21	Yordan Alvarez T4	OF	-1
22	Aaron Judge	OF	-
23	Luis Robert Jr.	OF	+1
24	Randy Arozarena	OF	+1
25	Nolan Arenado	3B	+1
26	Bobby Witt Jr.	SS	+1
27	Ozzie Albies	2B	+1
28	Trea Turner	SS	+1
29	Austin Riley	3B	+1
30	Francisco Lindor	SS	+1
31	Manny Machado T5	3B	+1
32	Christian Yelich	OF	+6
33	Will Smith	C	-
34	Kyle Schwarber	OF	+2
35	Adley Rutschman	C	-1
36	Sean Murphy	C	+8
37	Jose Altuve	2B	-
38	Bryce Harper	DH	-3
39	Elly De La Cruz	3B, SS	+19
40	Cedric Mullins	OF	-1
41	George Springer	OF	-
42	Nick Castellanos T6	OF	+4
43	Eloy Jiménez	OF	+4
44	Masataka Yoshida	OF	-4
45	Nathaniel Lowe	1B	+3
46	Ketel Marte	2B, OF	+3
47	Jonathan India	2B	+3
48	Daulton Varsho T7	C, OF	-6
49	J.T. Realmuto	C	-6
50	Gleyber Torres	2B, SS	+3
51	Christian Walker	1B	+3
52	Josh Jung	3B	-1
53	Luis Arraez	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	+2
54	Matt Chapman	3B	-2
55	J.D. Martinez	DH	+1
56	Anthony Santander	OF	+1
57	Bryan Reynolds T8	OF	+2
58	Teoscar Hernández	OF	+2
59	Anthony Rizzo	1B	+2
60	Salvador Perez	C	+4
61	Max Muncy	2B, 3B	+6
62	Yandy Díaz	1B, 3B	-
63	Starling Marte	OF	+5
64	Alex Bregman	3B	+6
65	Michael Harris II	OF	+6
66	Matt McLain	SS	+10
67	Steven Kwan	OF	-1
68	Alex Verdugo T9	OF	-3
69	Nico Hoerner	2B, SS	+4
70	Jorge Soler	OF	+4
71	Spencer Steer	1B, 3B	+4
72	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	2B, SS	-27
73	Andrew Vaughn	1B, OF	+4
74	Jonah Heim	C	+4
75	Lane Thomas	OF	+4
76	Ian Happ	OF	+4
77	Byron Buxton	OF	+13
78	Carlos Correa	SS	+5
79	Jeremy Peña	SS	+5
80	Austin Hays	OF	+5
81	Brandon Nimmo	OF	+13
82	Taylor Ward T10	OF	+4
83	Xander Bogaerts	SS	+5
84	Jake McCarthy	OF	+5
85	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	1B, OF	-3
86	Esteury Ruiz	OF	+6
87	Andrés Giménez	2B	+12
88	Josh Naylor	1B, OF	+3
89	Gunnar Henderson	3B, SS	-17
90	Ty France	1B, 3B	+6
91	Jordan Walker	3B, OF	+6
92	Isaac Paredes	1B, 2B, 3B	+6
93	Mike Trout	OF	-82
94	Ezequiel Duran T11	3B, SS	+8
95	Brandon Drury	1B, 2B, 3B	-14
96	Hunter Renfroe	OF	+4
97	Orlando Arcia	2B, SS	-2
98	Dansby Swanson	SS	-11
99	Bryson Stott	2B, SS	+4
100	Joc Pederson	OF	+UR
101	Ezequiel Tovar	SS	+7
102	Leody Taveras T12	OF	+7
103	Amed Rosario	SS, OF	+7
104	Justin Turner	3B	+UR
105	Tommy Pham	OF	+15
106	Christopher Morel	2B, 3B, OF	+9
107	Alec Bohm	1B, 3B	+12
108	Cody Bellinger	OF	+8
109	C.J. Cron	1B	-4
110	Ryan Mountcastle	1B	-6
111	Marcell Ozuna	OF	+11
112	Andrew McCutchen	OF	+1
113	Henry Davis	C, OF	+19
114		OF	+9
115	Maikel Garcia	3B	+6
116	Whit Merrifield	2B, OF	-47
117	Andrew Benintendi	OF	+26
118	TJ Friedl	OF	+26
119	Tyler Stephenson	C, 1B	+15
120	Thairo Estrada	2B, SS, OF	-57
121	Ha-Seong Kim	2B, 3B, SS	+UR
122		1B, 3B	-5
123	Jordan Westburg T13	2B, 3B	+10
124	Lars Nootbaar	OF	+5
125	Brendan Donovan	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	+11
126	LaMonte Wade Jr.	1B, OF	-25
127	Jose Siri	OF	+10
128	Nolan Jones	1B, OF	-22
129	Giancarlo Stanton	OF	-15
130	Jake Fraley	OF	+18
131	William Contreras	C	+7
132	Spencer Torkelson	1B	+8
133	Tommy Edman	2B, SS, OF	-21
134	Yainer Diaz	C	+5
135	Anthony Volpe	SS	+UR
136	Jarred Kelenic	OF	-5
137	Jeimer Candelario	3B	+13
138	Bryan De La Cruz	OF	-45
139	Seiya Suzuki	OF	-13
140	Will Brennan	OF	+5
141	Willson Contreras	C	+5
142	Francisco Alvarez	C	+5
143	Brandon Lowe	2B	+UR
144	Nick Gonzales	2B	+UR
145	Garrett Cooper	1B, OF	+UR
146	José Abreu	1B	+UR
147	Josh Lowe	OF	-22
148	Riley Greene	OF	+UR
149	Kris Bryant	OF	+UR
150	Colton Cowser	OF	+UR

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

Taxi Squad

Hitter	Position	Team	Comment
Ronny Mauricio	2B/SS	NYM	No idea when he comes up, or if he plays every day when he does, but among the most imminent of the top prospects.
Tony Kemp	2B/OF	OAK	He leads off and is somewhat hot right now. If nothing else, he’ll steal some bases.
Kyle Manzardo	1B	TBR	Not sure where he would fit in the lineup every day, and not yet on the 40-man, but would be immediately interesting if called up.
Jose Miranda	1B/3B	MIN	Never had a high ceiling, but could be a useful back-end guy if he heats up.
Tim Anderson	SS	CWS	Could certainly get hot again, but I’m not waiting.
Elias Díaz	C	COL	He’s always stream-worthy at home, but I’m no longer holding him through slumps or road trips.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand	1B/3B	CIN	He’ll be up, but it may not be imminent.
Triston Casas	1B	BOS	Still not walking, which is VERY strange for him.
Mickey Moniak	OF	LAA	He’ll get playing time, but I don’t see him as a difference-maker long term.
Nick Madrigal	2B/3B	CHC	What a bummer. He just can’t stay healthy.
Brandon Marsh	OF	PHI	Too many strikeouts and the lack of contact kills his production.
Mike Ford	1B	SEA	Hard-hitting first baseman with strikeout issues aren’t generally worth chasing.
Kerry Carpenter	OF	DET	Sits against lefties, but has shown promising power.
Dominic Canzone	OF	ARI	Tearing it up in the minor leagues, but the outfield in Arizona is quite crowded.
Jonathan Aranda	2B/3B	TBR	This infield is pretty packed, but Aranda has been quite good in Triple-A.
Blake Sabol	C/OF	SFG	The loss of at-bats in the outfield will be a bummer.
Jake Burger	3B	CWS	I just don’t think he’s going to make enough contact to be more than a streamer.
Colt Keith	3B	DET	He’s been promoted to Triple-A and is by far their best hitting prospect right now.
Cal Raleigh	C	SEA	A streaky power-hitting catcher with more upside than most.
Endy Rodriguez	C	PIT	Henry Davis beat him to the big leagues, which really makes you wonder if Endy gets a shot in 2023.
Akil Baddoo	OF	DET	He’s hurt and I’m still very sad.
Willy Adames	SS	MIL	Just can’t wait any longer for him to snap out of this funk.
Alex Kirilloff	1B/OF	MIN	If the power starts showing up, watch out.

Coby Mayo	3B	BAL	He’s super hot right now, but Ryan Mountcastle’s impending return is a roadblock.
Luis Garcia	2B/SS	WAS	Makes a lot of contact, but his aggressive approach is prone to streakiness.
Rowdy Tellez	1B	MIL	On the IL now.
Drew Waters	OF	KCR	The former Top-100 prospect has contact issues, but also some pop and speed.
Mike Tauchman	OF	CHC	The hot streak seems over.
Eugenio Suárez	3B	SEA	The power hasn’t been there, which means nothing has been there. I’ve kept the faith for a while now, but it’s time to move on.
Miguel Vargas	1B/OF	LAD	We’ve been more than patient—he’s just not there right now.
Eddie Rosario	OF	ATL	Hot and cold is how he’s always been, and the cold is FREEZING.
Paul DeJong	SS	STL	DeJong is a streamer and nothing more.
Keibert Ruiz	C	WAS	Statcast loves what he’s doing, but reality does not.
Jorge Polanco	2B	MIN	A second, more severe hamstring injury is bad news, especially when he was having a hard time getting over the first one.
Brett Baty	3B	NYM	Plays every day, but not hitting.
Royce Lewis	3B	MIN	Oblique issues (and really any core issues) are scary, yo.
Max Kepler	1B/OF	MIN
Harrison Bader	OF	NYY	When is the next IL stint coming?
Ryan McMahon	2B/3B	COL	Hot streak came to a screeching halt. Just a 22 wRC+ over his last 13 games.
Ke’Bryan Hayes	3B	PIT	On the IL with back issues.
Travis d’Arnaud	C	ATL	Streamable catcher.
Nolan Gorman	2B	STL	This funk makes me so sad, and now he’s lost playing time.
Jeff McNeil	2B/OF	NYM	A 1.9% walk rate and 25.9% strikeout rate since June 19th for a guy who never finished a season with a K-BB% above 10 tells me something very weird and bad is happening.
Joey Votto	1B	CIN	Striking out a lot, but hitting in the heart of the order for an exciting offense (for once).
Adam Duvall	OF	BOS	He probably gets hot again at some point, but drop him until then.
Alejandro Kirk	C	TOR	Probably doesn’t need to be kept on your IL if space is limited. The power just isn’t there.
Danny Jansen	C	TOR	Performs well in short bursts, but consistency hasn’t been a strength.
Bo Naylor	C	CLE	Catcher has been a wasteland in Cleveland, so Naylor should get plenty of chances to play.
Patrick Bailey	C	SFG	Stream it while it’s hot.
MJ Melendez	C	KCR	The playing time is useful in two-catcher leagues, but it’s time to move on in one-catcher formats.
David Peralta	OF	LAD	Excellent streamer/DFS play against righties, but will sit against lefties.
Harold Ramírez	OF	TBR	Just not playing enough to be very relevant right now.
Luis Matos	OF	SFG	Just three extra-base hits since his call-up.
J.P. Crawford	SS	SEA	Useful and consistent in deep leagues, but upside is too low for shallow leagues.
Corey Julks	3B/OF	HOU	Hitting well of late, so why not stream him?
Mauricio Dubón	2B/SS/OF	HOU	Slappy utilityman could see plenty of time with Jose Altuve out.
Joey Meneses	1B/OF	WAS	The magic of 2022 seems so long ago, doesn’t it?

8 responses to “Hitter List 7/6: Top 150 Hitters – Week 14 Fantasy Baseball 2023”

Jim says:

July 6, 2023 at 11:09 AM

How Nootbar is still on the List is somewhat surprising and perhaps even negates the rest of the work presented here. Noot has been below replacement level for some time. His playing time might come into question as the Cards continue to Marmol their lineup.

- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 6, 2023 at 3:31 PM
  
  That’s a pretty strong reaction about a guy I have in the last tier, but it’s clear you feel strongly. Nootbaar has hit in the top 3 of the batting order in six of the last 8 games he’s played and seems to be an everyday player for the Cardinals right now. The plate skills remain good, even if the batting average isn’t, so I want to see what he does for another week before knocking him out. I like his upside if he stays at the top of this lineup.
  
D says:

July 6, 2023 at 11:18 AM

If you’re going to drop someone 25 spots like Lamonte Wade Jr, you need to explain why. I appreciate this article every week but we need more analysis on the big changes.

- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 6, 2023 at 3:26 PM
  
  Apologies for missing that one. Wade Jr has 1 HR, 0 SB, and a sub-par .254 AVG in his last 19 games with injuries holding him out of several contests. Wade Jr isn’t really a high ceiling guy to begin with, so in a 12-teamer with just 3 or 4 OF spots, he’s a lot more replaceable than his previous ranking suggested.
  
  - D says:
    
    July 7, 2023 at 11:07 AM
    
    Thank you for the response!
    
Guy says:

July 6, 2023 at 12:40 PM

How is Rizzo still so high? He’s been awful and I’m ready to drop.

- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 6, 2023 at 3:23 PM
  
  It’s been a bad month, but Rizzo was just so good in April and May that I want to see what happens after the break. His track record keeps me patient, but it has been ugly lately.
  
J.C. Aoudad says:

July 7, 2023 at 7:44 AM

Thanks for the clarification!

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

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Hitter List 7/6: Top 150 Hitters – Week 14 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Scott Chu

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