Top 150 Hitters For Fantasy Baseball 2024: 3/15 UPDATE

It’s time to provide an update based on what we’ve seen and what has happened this spring, so here’s the first Hitter List of the year with 150 players ranked and with comments on everyone in the top 100 and additional comments for each tier for the 50 remaining players.

• As a reminder, these rankings are geared toward a standard, daily, 12-team H2H redraft league, as that is typically the most popular fantasy baseball format. They will only factor in the five standard categories: Runs, RBI, Home Runs, Batting Average, and Stolen Bases.

• 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. My way of evaluating and ranking players has worked out well for 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!

 

Ranking Philosophy

 

To keep things in the same ilk, here are a couple of notes on how I generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:

 

• In 12-team formats, I just don’t see much value in guys who only provide stolen bases. It’s an important category, especially in Roto, but in shallower formats, there are too many other (and better) ways to get the steals you need without sacrificing production in the other categories.

 

• 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.

 

• 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 the website formerly known as Twitter (@ifthechufits) or in the comments!

 

After doing some early drafting and looking at my rankings, I’ve come up with three things I’m going to try to do in every draft. Those three  things are:

 

• 1. Start adjusting your draft board after your very first pick. Every pick comes with inherent strengths, weaknesses, and risks that should be factored into how you value players the next time you’re up to make a selection. Picked a very safe guy in the first two rounds? Then your risk appetite for a player like Royce Lewis or Mike Trout in a future round can be more aggressive. Did you draft a speedy guy like Ronald Acuña Jr. or Bobby Witt Jr. in the first round? Then you might slide CJ Abrams or Esteury Ruiz down (or even off) your board. These rankings can’t make that adjustment for you, but hopefully, they can provide a starting point and highlight certain players who have significant value fluctuations based on roster construction.

 

• 2. The catching pool is very deep. I see at least 14 catchers you can justify drafting at some point in a single-catcher format and a couple after that who you can look at for a replacement if things start sour. This is a huge shift from prior years, and while some of the top catchers deserve a premium, the gap between the top tier and the next two or three tiers is not what it used to be.

 

• 3. Try to get at least one top-15 outfielder, if not two. I rarely provide such specific instructions, but this group of players is insanely talented. If you’re in a 15-team format, you will need to use a first-round pick to secure one of these guys so it may not work out based on how the first round works out, but in 12-teamers you generally have about two rounds to make this happen. There are players with elite upside after this grouping, of course, it starts to get messier in a hurry.

 

• 4. You can wait on second base. Obviously, there are some elite talents who might fall into your lap, but the back end of the top-15 second basemen or so is pretty close together in terms of value, so if you don’t have someone at the keystone in the 10th round, don’t panic.

 

Read The Notes

 

• I took the time to write one on every single hitter in the top 100 (plus a few more for the next 50 guys), so if you’re going to argue (which is allowed and encouraged), at least try to get some idea of why I ranked the player where I did or what I generally feel about them.
• These rankings talk about what I generally project for a player, but these rankings are not projections. They include projections but also take into account performance risk, injury risk, team context, ceiling, and floor.

 

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)!

I also host an AMA in the r/fantasybaseball subreddit every Friday (starting sometime in late March) starting around noon ET that lasts through the rest of the day and into the weekend, so feel free to join the fun and ask questions or make comments.

 

Tier 1

 

1. Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) – Congratulations to everyone who got to use something less than a top overall pick to draft Acuña in that brief window when he was injured and we didn’t know what would come out of it.

2. Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) – Julio’s hot spring just reinforces why he should be a top-three pick in every draft.

3. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS, KC) – Witt Jr. is never going to take walks, but you don’t need him to. The sky is the limit here, and if you want to take him over Julio I won’t try that hard to stop you.

4. Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF, LAD) – The positional flexibility is awesome, as is the potential to score more than 130 runs. He won’t steal a bunch of bases like the guys in the top three, but the counting stats will make him almost (if not equally) valuable.

5. Freddie Freeman (1B, LAD) – Freeman scored 130 runs last season and that was without Ohtani hitting behind him. He’s my clear top first baseman in batting average formats (he’s first in OBP too, but it’s closer).

6. Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) –The Astros lineup is still a good one, and now Tucker will hit cleanup instead of sixth. This could be his best season yet.

Tier 2

 

7. Aaron Judge (OF, NYY) – Judge is already dealing with an ailment, which isn’t great news, but it looks like his Opening Day status isn’t in jeopardy. This kind of stuff will pop up all season, but the massive power is too much to pass up.

8. Shohei Ohtani (UT, LAD) – Ohtani’s massive spring training stat line (.579/.652/1.053) does tell us something, and it’s that his elbow must be feeling at least a little better these days, eh?

9. Juan Soto (OF, NYY) – Soto’s massive spring training stat line (.429/.478/1.095) doesn’t tell us anything new about Soto’s upside, unlike Ohtani, but it’s still fun to see.

10. Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI) – Carroll’s stolen base upside is massive, though it is worth wondering what the power upside is after the diminishing returns in 2023. I’m still taking the over on 20 homers, but the more I look, the less willing I am to project growth from the 25 he hit last season.

11. Matt Olson (1B, ATL) – Elite production in four categories should continue, and he’s even better in OBP formats.

12. Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF, SDP) – Projections think there are 35 home runs this bat, and while I don’t doubt it’s possible, the high ground ball rates we’ve seen (outside of 2021) make me wonder if the ceiling is a bit lower than that. The speed is real, though, and his athleticism is supreme.

13. Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU) – He’s healthy, so you should be excited. A leap similar to Olson’s in 2023 is plausible if he can play a full season.

14. Bryce Harper (1B, PHI) – It’s good to see Bryce get a decent run in spring training to ramp up for the season. The zero home runs mean very little to me and I’m still thinking he can get to 30 in 2024, and the two stolen bases suggest he’s got another double-digit stolen base campaign in him.

 

Tier 3

 

15. Austin Riley (3B, ATL) – I shuffle up how I rank these third basemen seemingly every day, but the more I do it, the more Riley ends up on top due to that elite power and batting average ability combined with being on by far the best lineup of the three.

16. Rafael Devers (3B, BOS) – Devers doesn’t quite have Riley’s raw power, but the real reason he’s behind Riley is the supporting cast will likely keep the combined run and RBI total lower than Riley’s by 15-20.

17. José Ramírez (3B, CLE) – The poor showing this spring isn’t the issue, it’s that the only thing he’s likely to do better than the other three is stolen bases. Sure, it’s 25-30 stolen bases, but in most scenarios, I’d rather have the advantage in the other four stats.

18. Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) – Slow spring aside, Albies should be in line for another very strong season and is the clear number two second baseman.

19. Pete Alonso (1B, NYM) – I’ve moved him over Vlad Jr. because I think the batting average will bounce back to something over .250 and I think he’s a lock for 40 home runs and 115 RBI.

20. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B, TOR) – The 40 to 50 points of extra batting average isn’t quite enough to offset the 10 home runs and 10-15 RBI Alonso will give me, but it’s very close.

21. Trea Turner (SS, PHI) – I’m still worried about how bad Turner was for a significant chunk of the season (at both the beginning and the end), but he’s looked fine this spring.

22. Corey Seager (SS, TEX) – Zero spring training appearances are concerning for a guy who has always struggled to stay healthy. The upside when he’s on the field is supreme, but it’s hard to be a top-25 player without 140 games.

23. Marcus Semien (2B, TEX) – He gets a boost in points formats due to the sheer number of plate appearances to expect, and that dependability is incredibly valuable.

24. Michael Harris II (OF, ATL) – Batting sixth will help get more juice out of the 20+ home runs and also provide more plate appearances (and therefore more stolen base opportunities). The breakout is coming, I can feel it.

 

Tier 4

 

25. Elly De La Cruz (3B/SS, CIN) – Elly is striking out a lot this spring, but he’s also running and hitting the ball hard. I’ve posted his improvements at the end of 2023 plenty of times, and I still believe he can get back on that path.

26. Francisco Lindor (SS, NYM) – He’s coming off a 30-30 season, which is fantastic, but Lindor is more likely to be a 25-20 guy than repeat his 2023.

27. Adolis García (OF, TEX) – A dismal spring isn’t a great look, but 15 bad plate appearances aren’t all that meaningful. The strikeout rate should stay below 30% and the home run total should get above 30,  and I have to think García could steal more than nine bases this season due to how successful he was.

28. Luis Robert Jr. (OF, CWS) – Luis Robert Jr. is still healthy and that’s all that matters. He’ll be streaky due to his approach, but with good health, it will all balance out in the end.

29. Bo Bichette (SS, TOR) – Bichette can provide strong contributions in counting stats and 25 home runs, but I worry about how much he’s stepped back in stolen bases over three seasons. I think it’s more likely he hits 30 home runs by pulling more balls and getting them in the air than it is for him to steal 20 bags.

30. Randy Arozarena (OF, TBR) – The Rays say they want to be even more aggressive on the basepaths as if they weren’t the most aggressive team in 2023. I’ll take it though, especially if it means a return to 30 steals like we saw in 2022.

31. Jose Altuve (2B, HOU) – He’s been healthy enough to log a full spring training and that’s enough for me to lift him into this tier.

 

Tier 5

 

32. Royce Lewis (3B, MIN) – With great stats this spring, I think all I need to do to justify my excitement is link these three charts again.

33. Kyle Schwarber (OF, PHI) – He’s looked awful this spring, but Schwarber looking awful for short stretches is completely normal. He’s going to smash 45 or more home runs with a bad batting average and that’s exactly what you may be looking for. Move him up at least one tier in OBP.

34. Oneil Cruz (SS, PIT) – I guessed that the Statcast data on Cruz would get people excited when they remembered he could clobber the ball, and here we are. I’m a huge Oneil fan and the four home runs, one steal, and lovely one-to-one walk-to-strikeout ratio this spring just make me even more excited.

35. Gunnar Henderson (3B/SS, BAL) – He’s the undisputed leadoff man at this point and his increased aggression at the plate hasn’t come with more strikeouts.

36. Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) – Participating in and watching many drafts, I’ve realized that everyone who picks Reynolds is pretty happy about it. Take that for what it’s worth.

37. Manny Machado (3B, SDP) – The Padres lineup gets uglier by the day, making a return to 100 runs and 100 RBI more and more challenging.

38. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (OF, MIA) – Jazz hasn’t hurt himself yet, though he hasn’t set the world on fire this spring. I care less about the spring performance than the health, though, just to be abundantly clear.

39. Mike Trout (OF, LAA) – I will take an ugly but healthy spring for Trout as a good thing and you should too.

40. Christian Yelich (OF, MIL) – Yelich got a late start to Grapefruit League action but he’s been playing. The batted ball results have been poor since everything has been on the ground, but it’s a tiny sample. Just stay healthy, Yeli.

 

Tier 6

 

41. Alex Bregman (3B, HOU) – Bregman’s 2023 closely resembled his 2023 in just about every way, and I expect 2024 to be yet another re-run (not that it’s a bad thing). 20-25 home runs, 180-200 combined runs and RBI, and a .260/.365/.450ish line can be penciled in now and probably gone over in ink by next September.

42. Nico Hoerner (2B/SS, CHC) – If you need speed and a second baseman, look no further. I don’t expect a bump in the power production, though the runs scored should stay relatively similar thanks to the return of Bellinger.

43. Christian Walker (1B, ARI) – I’ll respectfully take the over on his projected home run totals of 28 and 29 and the 91 and 93 RBI totals from ATC and THE BAT (respectively).

44. Adley Rutschman (C, BAL) – He’s my top catcher thanks to the fact he hits second for a good team and has a truly elite hit tool at his position.

45. Paul Goldschmidt (1B, STL) – I don’t think Goldy will be worse than 2023, and in fact, I think the batting average, OBP, and counting stat totals will improve even if he doesn’t return to 30 home runs.

47. Nolan Arenado (3B, STL) – Similar to Goldy in that I think the counting stats improve even without a return to 30 home runs, though the batting average probably stays about the same.

48. Nolan Jones (1B/OF, COL) – The 20-20 season and .297 batting average were awesome, but the track record suggests the 20 steals and .297 batting average were a touch dubious. Coors should keep that batting average pretty high, though, and a 25 home run, 15 stolen base season would be pretty sweet as well.

49. Gleyber Torres (2B, NYY) – For fantasy purposes, it would have been nice to hear Torress locked in as the leadoff man in front of Soto and Judge, but it sounds like he’ll be in the middle third of the order. It may hurt his counting stats just a bit compared to being at the top, but there should be plenty of RBI to go with his 20-25 home runs and double-digit steals.

50. Dansby Swanson (SS, CHC) – Swanson should compile a good number of runs and RBI while hitting 22-25 home runs and stealing close to 10 bases hitting in the heart of the Cubs’ lineup, and the batting average could improve if he keeps walking more than 10% of the time as he did in 2023 (which he has done so far this spring).

51. Xander Bogaerts (SS, SDP) – He’ll be second base eligible in short order, and while that doesn’t move him up the rankings, it keeps him from moving down.

52. Will Smith (C, LAD) – He’ll finish as a top-three catcher, probably, and even with this little bout of back tightness and the inability to get to 14 starts at DH as he did last year, he should return similar value thanks to the absolute powerhouse of a lineup hitting in front of him (Betts-Freeman-Ohtani).

 

Tier 7

 

53. Cody Bellinger (1B/OF, CHC) – The underlying numbers make it tough to imagine a repeat, but going back to the Cubs makes it slightly more likely, I suppose.

54.  J.T. Realmuto (C, PHI) – Exactly one catcher is capable of putting up a 20-20 season and it’s this one.

55. Ketel Marte (2B, ARI) – Marte looks good this spring and the more I’ve looked at it, the more I believe in his 2024 production.

56. Josh Naylor (1B, CLE) – Durability has been a concern, but a full season from Naylor looks like 22-25 home runs and 90 RBI with a very good batting average based on what we saw last season.

58. Spencer Torkelson (1B, DET) – The ugly spring doesn’t phase me and I still think there’s 40 home run upside here with a .240-.250 batting average instead of the .203 and .233 we saw in his first two seasons.

59. Triston Casas (1B, BOS) – Casas would go up a tier in OBP formats and I think he’s a good bet to get to 30 home runs.

60. William Contreras (C, MIL) – He’s looked strong this spring, and if that strikeout rate stays close to 20 then he could shoot up a tier in short order.

61. Josh Jung (3B, TEX) – Jung is expected back before the end of spring training and I think he could definitely hit 30 home runs in 2024 even if he falls short of 145 games played. The strikeout rate is the number to watch, but I think a second healthy(ish) season helps him find a better groove at the dish.

 

Tier 8

 

62. Anthony Santander (OF, BAL) – Santander should flirt with 30 home runs and 100 RBI, especially if the Orioles meet offensive expectations, and he’ll do it without hurting your batting average. He’s a boring and oft-overlooked outfielder.

63. CJ Abrams (SS, WAS) – Do the three steals this spring suggest that Washington will let him fly right out of the gate? If so, he’d move up a tier pretty quickly.

64. Nick Castellanos (OF, PHI) – The stink of 2022 hasn’t been completely washed away, but he has the ability to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 for the Phillies if he can find some kind of consistency that has eluded him at times the last few seasons.

66. Matt McLain (2B/SS, CIN) – Appearing in a spring training game is a good start, and the pressure to perform immediately is lifted a bit due to the loss of an infielder in Cincy (not that his job was really in jeopardy).

67. Teoscar Hernández (OF, LAD) – He’s hitting the ball well this spring and will play every day for the Dodgers. Both are good signs if you’re looking for a guy who can drive in 100 without using an early-round pick.

68. Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM) – There’s talk that Nimmo may not lead off all year, but his skill set is useful anywhere in the top four spots so don’t worry too much about this kind of chatter.

69. George Springer (OF, TOR) – Springer isn’t hurt yet and now has two straight healthy seasons. He still produces at a high level when healthy and could be a bargain if he falls too far due to his injury-risk reputation.

70. Seiya Suzuki (OF, CHC) – He’s still healthy and is having a normal and complete offseason, so maybe he doesn’t start as slowly as he did in years past.

71.  Yandy Díaz (1B, TBR) – I still am skeptical that Yandy will ever give us more than a month or two of an elevated fly ball rate, which means he’s somewhat limited in his utility on a fantasy roster. Points and OBP leaguers can move him up 10 spots or so, though.

72. Luis Arraez (2B, MIA) – There is no one more likely to win the NL batting title. His extreme batting average limits his value to those who don’t need that kind of boost, but the boost is quite extreme and also comes with decent runs scored totals.

73. Willson Contreras (C, STL) – It’s been a rough spring but he’s a vet so I don’t care. I just hope we can skip the part where the Cardinals feel like jerking him around and saying he isn’t their catcher or something.

 

Tier 9

 

74. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B/3B, CIN) – The playing time path is now present and the power is ready to surge. This guy has 35+ home run power, especially with such a favorable home park.

75. Marcell Ozuna (UT, ATL) – Ozuna has a decent spot in a great lineup, and the fact he’s UT only doesn’t matter. He should hit 30 bombs with good counting stats and a batting average that helps more than it hurts.

76. Andrés Giménez (2B, CLE) – The inconsistency was a bit maddening last season, but 15 home runs and 25 steals should be there along with a decent batting average.

77. Salvador Perez (C/1B, KCR) – 23-25 home runs and 80 RBI sound about right for Sal, and while I think the batting average will bottom out eventually, it’s not necessarily going to happen in 2024.

78. Yainer Diaz (C, HOU) – I’d rank Diaz over Perez if I projected the same number of plate appearances, but I don’t think there will be quite as many DH at-bats given to Diaz this season, so the counting stats will lag a bit behind Perez. That said, you should be able to get 20 or more home runs and more counting stats than you’d get from other catchers, plus if there’s an injury or roster shake-up, then we could see Diaz overtake Perez.

79. Bryson Stott (2B, PHI) – I’m higher on Stott than the projections because I still would set the over/under of stolen bases at 30 instead of 20.

80. Riley Greene (OF, DET) – Greene is healthy and raking this spring and I am very excited. This could be a 20 home run, 10 stolen base kind of guy with a .280 batting average.

81. Jake Burger (3B, MIA) – As long as he starts making good swing decisions when the games matter, he’s a very sneaky option at third base who should be available for quite a while in drafts.

82. Jackson Chourio (OF, MIL) – He hasn’t hit a home run yet this spring, but everything else looks good. 20-year-old outfielders in their debut season come with tons of risk, but the 20 home run, 25 stolen base upside is hard to ignore.

83. Evan Carter (OF, TEX) – Despite a two-home run game earlier this spring, I’m still a bit leary of Carter as a 20-home-run bat. That said, he could certainly get close while also stealing 20 bases and hitting for a solid batting average in a strong lineup.

84. Max Muncy (3B, LAD) – The poor man’s Schwarber.

85. Willy Adames (SS, MIL) – I’m willing to accept 2023 as a floor and 2022 as a ceiling, of sorts, which makes this ranking feel about right.

86. Isaac Paredes (1B/3B, TBR) – Mark my words—Paredes will get to 30 home runs and 95 RBI again, and he’ll do it with a usable batting average.

87. Lane Thomas (OF, WAS) – Even after a whole offseason, Thomas’s 2023 still doesn’t make much sense to me, and I don’t like having enigmas in my outfield.

 

Tier 10

 

88. Jorge Soler (OF, SFG) – San Francisco isn’t an ideal landing spot due to the glut of outfielders on the roster who are much better defenders than Soler, the fact the team likes to platoon, and the tough home run environment, but he should play almost every day and hit 30 home runs.

89.  Vinnie Pasquantino (1B, KCR) – He’s looked comfortable at the plate this spring, so hopefully the poor decision-making shown in 2023 was a fluke.

89. Ha-Seong Kim (2B/3B/SS, SDP) – Folks in deep roto leagues will move Kim up their boards for the stolen base upside, but in 12-team formats, it’s not as necessary to do so.

90. Ian Happ (OF, CHC) – Hamstring injuries tend to linger, but a healthy Happ should generally be a top-100 hitter the entire season.

91. Jonathan India (2B, CIN) – He’s healthy just in time to work his way into an everyday role once again, and assuming he’s all healed up, India could be an excellent bargain who provides solid power and speed with good ratios.

92. Spencer Steer (1B/3B/OF, CIN) – Steer may have peaked in 2023, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find value in his bat and versatility.

93. Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, PIT) – Hayes has elite athleticism that he’s failed to unlock in the last two seasons, but 2024 might be different.

94. Alec Bohm (1B/3B, PHI) – The high floor and low ceiling isn’t all that exciting, but it’s dependable.

95. Masataka Yoshida (OF, BOS) – If you need an excellent batting average with decent counting stats and a bit of risk due to how hard he fell off in 2023, then you’ve found it.

96. Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX) – I don’t doubt the talent, I just have been burned enough to know that I need to hedge, especially on a guy in his second year in pro ball.

97. MJ Melendez (C/OF, KCR) – As just an outfielder, Melendez falls at least 20-30 spots.

98. Thairo Estrada (2B/SS, SFG) – He’s still healthy and should get to 15 home runs and 20-25 steals, perfect for shoring up your middle infield if you’ve been waiting on second base.

99. Eloy Jiménez (OF, CWS) – He looks like a healthy man this spring and has a lot more power than he showed last year. Eloy remains an intriguing gamble at the back end of your outfield.

100. Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF, CHC) – A confirmed everyday role would boost Morel up a bit in these rankings, and Craig Counsel being coy about the third base gig doesn’t help us get excited.

 

Tier 11

Anthony Volpe hasn’t shown much pop this spring, but he’s putting the ball in play and has swiped three bags. Ezequiel Tovar won’t light it up in any specific category, but he’ll do just enough of everything to be worth drafting. There’s a lot of concern that Josh Lowe gets platooned, but there’s so much upside if he can play 130-140 games. More playing time for Jeimer Candelario doesn’t make him exciting, it just makes him safer. I’m still a big Edouard Julien fan, and at some point this season I think he can secure at least some plate appearances against lefties and he’d be in my top-100 if this was written for OBP. Trevor Story is having a pretty good spring.

 

101. Anthony Volpe (SS, NYY)

102. Jordan Walker (OF, STL)

103. Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL) 

104. Jarren Duran (BOS, OF) 

105. Nathaniel Lowe (1B, TEX)

106. Zack Gelof (2B, OAK) 

107. Rhys Hoskins (1B, MIL) 

108. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF, ARI)

109. Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL) 

110. Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B, CIN) 

111. TJ Friedl (OF, CIN) 

112. Chas McCormick (OF, HOU)

113. Josh Lowe (OF, TBR) 

114. Sean Murphy (C, ATL) 

115. Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL)

116. Edouard Julien (2B, MIN)

117. Trevor Story (2B, BOS)

118. Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET) 

 

Tier 12

There are several boring-but-dependable names in here with Jeremy Peña, Andrew Vaughn, Jorge Polanco, and Steven Kwan. Their 2022-2023 stats are a very good baseline for what to expect in 2024. I’m still chasing the dream of Taylor Ward being healthy as he’s shown significant upside, but “when healthy” has been all too rare. Jack Suwinski is a good grab if you’re desperate for power and don’t care about your batting average. Esteury Ruiz is not a very good hitter, but will probably come close to leading the league in steals.

 

119. Jeremy Peña (SS, HOU) 

120. Nolan Gorman (2B/3B, STL) 

121. Andrew Vaughn (1B, CWS)

122. Taylor Ward (OF, LAA) 

123. Jorge Polanco (2B/3B, SEA)

124. Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) 

125. Steven Kwan (OF, CLE) 

126. Brandon Drury (1B/2B, LAA) 

127. Jack Suwinski (OF, PIT) 

128. Francisco Alvarez (C, NYM) 

129. Esteury Ruiz (OF, OAK) 

130. Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR)

 

Tier 13

Starling Marte is a guy I’d much rather target for speed than Ruiz, even, and while I rank them close together their ADPs are pretty far apart. Projections are more excited about Logan O’Hoppe than I am, but that’s because they assume he’ll stay healthy. Carlos Correa has been healthy recently, but also quite boring. Cal Raleigh and Gabriel Moreno are very opposite guys and which one you take will be determined by your roster needs.

 

131. Starling Marte (OF, NYM) 

132. Logan O’Hoppe (C, LAA) 

133. Carlos Correa (SS, MIN)

134. Josh Bell (1B, MIA) 

135. Alex Verdugo (OF, NYY) 

136. Cal Raleigh (C, SEA) 

138. Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI)

139. Jackson Holliday (SS, BAL)

140. Justin Turner (1B/2B/3B, TOR) 

 

Tier 14

Byron Buxton remains lightning in a very fragile glass bottle, as does Tyler O’Neill. Colt Keith will likely be a very good player who isn’t exciting for fantasy purposes in 2024. Matt Chapman ended up in a tough home run environment but could be a bounceback candidate. I’m still very intrigued by Matt Wallner’s power and decision-making ability. Parker Meadows showed improvements against breakers in 2023 that could help him keep the leadoff job in Detroit for quite a while.

 

141. Byron Buxton (UT, MIN) 

142. Colt Keith (3B, DET)

143. Tyler O’Neill (OF, BOS)

144. Matt Chapman (3B, SFG) 

145. Bryan De La Cruz (OF, MIA)

146. Matt Wallner (OF, MIN) 

147. Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM) 

148. Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF, STL) 

149. Parker Meadows (OF, DET) 

150. Jung Hoo Lee (OF, SFG)