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) – Healthy Acuña never leaves this spot.
2. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS, KC) – I keep wavering on Witt Jr. vs J-Rod, and given the choice in a recent mock, I talked myself into Witt Jr. because of his higher stolen base upside and his ability to put more balls in play.
3. Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) – What if Julio doesn’t start slow in 2024? Would it be that surprising if he unlocked something that made him the clear number two guy in fantasy?
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. In points leagues, I would strongly consider him as early as the second pick.
5. Freddie Freeman (1B, LAD) – He’s going to get 250+ combined runs and RBI and is my clear top first baseman in batting average formats (Freeman is first in OBP too, but it’s closer).
6. Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) – I am not even mildly concerned about the 31.6% strikeout rate this spring.
Tier 2
7. Aaron Judge (OF, NYY) – Spring stats don’t matter for Judge, but health does. A clean bill of health for the full spring would have likely pushed him into that top tier, but there’s just enough risk to make me hesitate.
8. Shohei Ohtani (UT, LAD) – Ohtani hit several deep fly balls, including more than one that would have left other parks. Regardless of the scandal around him, he seems locked in.
9. Juan Soto (OF, NYY) – There’s a path to Tier 1, and it’s seeing Soto show off enough power to prove he can get to 40 home runs.
10. Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI) – THE BAT and ATC would put him in Tier 3, but the upside is way too high for me to do that.
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) – His recent batted ball profile could hold him back, but getting the ball in the air more would unlock his Tier 1 upside in a hurry.
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 so far this spring means 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 hot spring is hopefully a sign that he’s ready to stop the bleeding in terms of year-over-year power.
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) – Harris II looks strong this spring and has shown off both power and speed over his 15 games. 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 walking, 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 the strikeout rate should stay below 30% and the home run total should get above 30 during the regular season, 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) – LuBob is still healthy and that’s all that matters. The spring numbers aren’t good, but the strikeouts are down and that’s more exciting to me than a strong triple-slash would have been.
29. Bo Bichette (SS, TOR) – Batted ball direction in spring is mostly random, but if Bichette found a way to pull the ball more, he could get back to 25+ home runs for sure.
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 still healthy and that’s what matters.
Tier 5
32. 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 seven home runs, one steal, and solid walk-to-strikeout ratio this spring just make me even more excited.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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. In OBP formats, he’s in Tier 3.
36. Gunnar Henderson (3B/SS, BAL) – Instead of the original plan of leading off, it appears Baltimore will bat Gunnar third meaning more RBI and I suppose fewer runs scored.
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) – Still healthy.
39. Mike Trout (OF, LAA) – I will take an ugly but healthy spring for Trout as a good thing and you should too.
Tier 6
40. 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. Move him up a tier in OBP.
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. 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).
43. 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.
44. 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.
45. 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.
46. 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.
47. 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).
48. 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.
49. 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.
50. Nico Hoerner (2B/SS, CHC) – The mild drop isn’t due to his rough spring, but instead the fact that so much of his overall value is tied up in stolen bases. He’s only really going to be a plus in three categories (runs, batting average, and steals), making Hoerner more of a needs-based pick or than anything else, especially in H2H category leagues where steals and batting average are wildly variable from week to week.
51. Will Smith (C, LAD) – Even if he doesn’t play quite as much as the other top catchers, there’s a very clear path to leading the position in RBI.
52. CJ Abrams (SS, WAS) – There’s some data out there to suggest that spring stolen base numbers have some stickiness, and Abrams has the speed to steal 60 bags.
Tier 7
53. J.T. Realmuto (C, PHI) – Exactly one catcher is capable of putting up a 20-20 season and it’s this one.
54. 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.
55. Spencer Torkelson (1B, DET) – He looks lost at the plate in Florida, but I still believe in the 40 home run pop.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. Josh Jung (3B, TEX) – Jung appeared in a minor league game recently and should be good to go to start the season.
59. 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.
Tier 8
60. 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.
61. 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.
62. 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.
63. 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.
64. 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.
65. 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.
66. 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.
67. 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
68. 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.
69. 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.
70. 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.
71. 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.
72. 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.
73. 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.
74. 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.
75. 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.
76. 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 and there is more than one potential timeline where it’s even better.
77. Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX) – I don’t doubt the talent, I just have been burned enough to know that I need to hedge just a little, especially on a guy in his second year in pro ball.
78. 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.
79. Evan Carter (OF, TEX) – It’s encouraging to see his spring strikeout rate resemble his minor league track record instead of the very elevated rate we saw in his debut.
80. Ian Happ (OF, CHC) – Happ is back in spring games, which is a good sign, and his path to boring and steady production is very clear.
81. Max Muncy (3B, LAD) – The poor man’s Schwarber.
82. 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.
83. 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.
84. Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF, CHC) – Morel will get the chance to play every day and hit fourth in this lineup. There’s plenty of risk here due to the extremely inconsistent decision-making and contact ability he’s shown, but there’s plenty of power and a bit of speed to chase, too.
85. 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.
Tier 10
86. 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. For starters, he needs to keep the ball off the ground.
87. 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.
88. Ha-Seong Kim (2B/3B/SS, SDP) – I really wish they’d let Kim bat leadoff as it’s the best place for him to reach his fantasy potential. Batting fifth or sixth is less than ideal.
89. Bryson Stott (2B, PHI) – There are plenty of steals to be had here, as many as 10-15 above most projections.
90. Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL) – If I felt that he could stay healthy and keep this leadoff job all season, Mullins would be 15+ spots higher.
91. 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.
92. Alec Bohm (1B/3B, PHI) – The high floor and low ceiling isn’t all that exciting, but it’s dependable.
93. Masataka Yoshida (OF, BOS) – If you need an excellent batting average with decent counting stats and can tolerate a bit of risk due to how hard he fell off in 2023, then you’ve found it.
94. Jackson Chourio (OF, MIL) – He still 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.
95. MJ Melendez (C/OF, KCR) – As just an outfielder, Melendez falls at least 20-30 spots, but there’s still upside here as just an outfielder as Melendez has legitimate power that could make him more than relevant.
96. 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.
97. Taylor Ward (OF, LAA) – I keep getting sucked into the upside we see when he’s healthy.
98. Jordan Walker (OF, STL) – Walker doesn’t have the same prospect shine he did last season, but if he can find a way to keep the ball elevated (which he hasn’t done much this spring) then he would quickly remind us why he was a top prospect.
99. Jonathan India (2B, CIN) – The injury to McLain not only opens up clear playing time for India but also the leadoff spot for this lineup that despite a plethora of injuries should still be pretty exciting.
100. Anthony Volpe (SS, NYY) – Volpe has kept the spring strikeouts down and has swiped a few bags.
Tier 11
Rhys Hoskins could be a nice value if you missed out on some of the top first basemen. J.D. Martinez has a team and a role now, but he also still has some injury and consistency concerns. Projections absolutely love Logan O’Hoppe, and I have a lot of trust issues with Sean Murphy after his intense collapse last season. Every projection system I use is telling me that Ryan Mountcastle is likely to get back to 22-25 home runs.
101. Jarren Duran (BOS, OF)
102. Rhys Hoskins (1B, MIL)
103. Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL)
104. Eloy Jiménez (OF, CWS)
105. Zack Gelof (2B, OAK)
106. J.D. Martinez (DH, NYM)
107. Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B, CIN)
108. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF, ARI)
109. Logan O’Hoppe (C, LAA)
110. Sean Murphy (C, ATL)
111. Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR)
112. Chas McCormick (OF, HOU)
113. Tyler O’Neill (OF, BOS)
114. Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL)
115. Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL)
Tier 12
I recognize that Trevor Story has more upside than Edouard Julien, but in reality, I’ve passed on Story and waited a few rounds for Julien in several drafts. Matt Wallner has the potential to be a 25-30 home run bat with a decent batting average, he just needs to overcome his team’s fondness for platoons. Jack Suwinski would be up two tiers in an OBP ranking. The Tigers fan in me wants to move Parker Meadows up more after the strong spring and his chance to keep the leadoff job indefinitely, but he’s young and inconsistent, so for now this feels about right.
116. Nathaniel Lowe (1B, TEX)
117. Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET)
118. Jorge Polanco (2B/3B, SEA)
119. Nolan Gorman (2B/3B, STL)
120. Andrew Vaughn (1B, CWS)
121. Jake Fraley (OF, CIN)
122. Trevor Story (2B, BOS)
123. Steven Kwan (OF, CLE)
124. Edouard Julien (2B, MIN)
125. Brandon Drury (1B/2B, LAA)
126. Matt Wallner (OF, MIN)
127. Jack Suwinski (OF, PIT)
128. Bryan De La Cruz (OF, MIA)
129. Jeremy Peña (SS, HOU)
130. Jung Hoo Lee (OF, SFG)
131. Parker Meadows (OF, DET)
Tier 13
Starling Marte has plenty of upside, but the injury risk is impossible to ignore. Francisco Alvarez has immense power but is also prone to extreme streakiness, making him someone who may appear on the waiver wire more than once this season as managers get antsy. I am terrified of Matt McLain’s shoulder issue, especially after already having an oblique issue and not looking very ready to play when he did get on the field. Josh Lowe’s injury just adds more layers to the unknown nature of his 2024 projection. The upside for a guy with pop and speed is obvious, but the opportunity could be hard to come by. Byron Buxton looks good this spring if you’re feeling lucky. Zach Neto will start at the bottom of the order for LA, but if he jumps to the top spot he’d be much more relevant, even in a bad offense. Esteury Ruiz is really tough for me to get excited about.
132. Luis Rengifo (2B/3B/SS/OF)
133. Ryan McMahon (2B/3B, COL)
134. Starling Marte (OF, NYM)
135. Josh Bell (1B, MIA)
136. Francisco Alvarez (C, NYM)
137. Cal Raleigh (C, SEA)
138. Matt McLain (2B/SS, CIN)
139. Jackson Holliday (SS, BAL)
140. Josh Lowe (OF, TBR)
141. Justin Turner (1B/2B/3B, TOR)
142. Byron Buxton (UT, MIN)
143. Colt Keith (3B, DET)
144. Matt Chapman (3B, SFG)
145. Zach Neto (SS, LAA)
146. James Outman (OF, LAD)
147. J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA)
148. Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM)
149. Carlos Correa (SS, MIN)
150. Esteury Ruiz (OF, OAK)
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)
Good to see Bryce Harper finally make the list
He’s always been here! Big fan and I think a full season of power is coming.
This list is kind of a joke.
Where did you get it from, reddit?
No no, this is purely my own unique blend of audacity and stupidity.
This guy is giving us Joe’s a bad name. Keep up the good work, Scott
No love for Mitch Garver?
Garver and Jonah Heim (and maybe 1 or 2 other guys) would be on the Taxi Squad if I had created one for this article.
Josh Lowe at 140… is this because of the oblique?
Injury + future injury risk + playing time/platoon risk.
I think the list ranking updates are not correct (lots of players showing up as previously ranked)
Yes, that’s something to ignore for this version (but future versions will be accurate).
Maikel Garcia not in the conversation?
In the conversation? Sure. He’d be in the taxi squad if I did one.
Was Max Kepler #151?
He’s a Taxi Squad guy if I had done one. He’s serviceable, but not someone I want to rely on in a standard 12 teamer.
Surprised to see that Moreno didn’t make the list. I feel pretty good about him.
There are a couple catchers who would be on the taxi squad. In points he’d probably have made it. Catcher depth continues to grow!