Top 150 Hitters For Fantasy Baseball 2024: Week 17 – 7/24

There hasn’t been a ton of action since the last time the list came out, but that doesn’t mean I can’t mess with these rankings!

• 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.
• 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 five 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 (available for PL Pro members). 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!

 

Read The Notes

 

• 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

 

• No changes at the top. These three guys are definitely my first three off the board in standard formats.

 

Tier 2

 

• As I mentioned last week, Juan Soto is the one who would enter the top tier in alternative formats like points or OBP.
• Gunnar Henderson has been mildly slumping over the last ten games after keeping his 15-game rolling wOBA north of .350 for an astounding 50 straight games.
• Elly De La Cruz has been on base 20 times in his last ten games, with more than half of his hits going for extra bases. He’s swiped six bags in that stretch as well, and while the strikeout rate is still fairly high (28.3%), the double-digit walk rate makes it more than passable. Elly had a stretch where he made pretty poor decisions, but he’s entirely bounced back from that. It goes without saying, but an Elly De La Cruz that makes good decisions with any kind of consistency is an Elly De La Cruz that could be in consideration for a top overall pick in category leagues as early as 2025. Consistency is the name of the game, though, and it’s the only thing holding him out of the top five.

 

• Trea Turner has been a monster since getting healthy, posting a 176 wRC+ and 10 home runs in just 29 games. His 26 runs scored in that stretch is the highest mark in baseball, and he’s in the top-10 for RBI (26) during that period as well. The steals aren’t what they used to be, though he has swiped two bags in July, and even if the stolen base totals fall short of 25 (which has never happened in any season where he’s played at least 70 games), he’ll more than make up for it with the counting stats, power, and ratios.

 

Tier 3

 

• I’ve still got Freddie Freeman as a top-two first baseman, but it’s a whole lot closer now than it was at the start of the season. The three home runs in July are promising considering that he has been lacking in that department for much of the season, but he’s not hitting line drives quite as often as he usually does and that’s “hurting” the batting average (in that he’s not hitting over .300). Could that correct itself? It’s likely. Until it does, though, he’ll sit just a little lower in the rankings. The fact Freeman isn’t running like he did in 2023 is also a bummer, but he still could get to double-digits.
• Austin Riley has been striking out way more often than usual in July (35.7% of the time, to be precise), but I’ve not no reason to believe it’s more than a minor glitch. The pop is still there and he’s taking some walks, so perhaps the time away with his family will reset whatever was causing the swings and misses.
• There’s only one second baseman in the top 20, and it’s Ketel Marte. He remains on track for 30 home runs and 10 steals to go with an average that should sit somewhere around .290 to .300, and he’s got a shot at both 100 runs and 100 RBI – something he fell short of in his rabbit-ball-fueled 2019. This Arizona offense can be maddeningly inconsistent, but Marte has been their rock all season.
• My only beef with Jarren Duran is that it’s hard to remember which name gets two r’s and that I spent 10 minutes trying to get confirmation on whether to use an apostrophe in this sentence (also it turns out I could do it several ways but I chose this one because it’s my article and I can do whatever I want and also because the Chicago Manual of Style said it was a good idea). I guess you could also complain that he has just two steals this month, but much of that is due to a slew of tough matchups for steals (the Rockies, Dodgers, Royals, A’s, Yankees, and Marlins are all in the top-12 in catching would-be base stealers, with Miami being the only one who allows a lot of steals). Expect the steals to come back in short order.

 

Tier 4

There is an average net change of +3 in this tier.

• Anthony Santander is first on his team in RBI, second in runs scored, second in home runs, and is one of only four Orioles with a strikeout rate below 20% (min. 100 plate appearances), and he’s like ninth in fantasy coverage. Sure, his profile is pretty straight-forward and it’s not like he was available off the wire in most leagues, but we should take a moment to appreciate the fantastic production that a guy who was drafted well outside the top-100 has provided.
• A guy like Josh Naylor with above-average contact ability and power should probably have a better batting average than his .236 so far, but the groundball rate has creeped back up close to 50% which makes maintaining a useful batting average a difficult task, especially for a guy who doesn’t hit that many line drives. I’m hoping we see a bit more of the guy we saw in April (and to a lesser extent, May) soon, because if we don’t I’ll have to slide him down a lot further than I did in this update.

 

Tier 5

There is an average net change of +5 in this tier.

• Luis Robert Jr. is always going to be streaky due to his aggressive nature at the dish, but those streaks would be a lot more fun if he was literally anywhere but the South Side. With the trade deadline looming, I am often asked which players stand to gain the most from a specific move, and for the most part it’s the players who get a new role due to their teammate being traded. In the case of LuBob (who I mostly featured because I think the graphic with the White Sox colors is fantastic, thanks J.R.!), the player with the most to gain is Robert Jr. himself. The White Sox are the worst offense in baseball by a decent margin, having scored just 321 runs on the season with a 76 wRC+. Amazingly, the fWAR of the team is -4.1, a feat that is extremely difficult to accomplish in half a season (in 2023, the Rockies had a -1.2 fWAR but managed to finish just north of zero). I expect the batting average issues to correct on their own as he gets some more line drives out there, and his ability to play centerfield (and any other outfield position) should make him attractive to a few contenders who have holes in the outfield (like the Dodgers, Phillies, Guardians, and Yankees). I’m not predicting that LuBob will be traded, necessarily, but if he is it would be a boon to his fantasy value regardless of where he ends up.
• Corbin Carroll moved up two weeks in a row! He’s still sitting against some lefties (he’s sat in three of the last six matchups with a southpaw starter on the other side), but he has four home runs, five steals, and 27 combined runs and RBI in his last 15 games (albeit with a fairly putrid batting average and OBP) and any sign of life is good enough for me to slide Carroll up a little. There is still a premier talent in here, Carroll just needs to find a way to unlock it again.

 

Tier 6

There is an average net change of +6 in this tier.

• CJ Abrams continues to frustrate, especially on the basepaths where he is just 16 for 26 in attempts after going 47 for 51 in 2023. On a team that even has Jesse Winker stealing bases, Abrams has been a huge disappointment so far. It’s hard to move him too far down, though, as he’s a guy who can hit for a high average with some pop and tons of speed for extended periods.
• Obligatory mention that Oneil Cruz is doing fun stuff.
• Matt Olson falls again and will continue to do so until we see something positive. It’s one thing to slump, it’s another to be one of the worst fantasy contributors over the last few weeks.

 

Tier 7

 

• George Springer looked miserable all season but then this happened:

 

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. is another player who would benefit greatly from a move to a contender, as the Marlins have been almost as bad as the White Sox offensively.

 

Tier 8

 

• Welcome back, Luis Rengifo! While it wasn’t successful, it was good to see Rengifo attempt to swipe a bag. He should be a valuable asset who can do a little bit of everything all over your roster.
• Anthony Volpe gets a big bump after a strong showing since coming out of the break, with three doubles, a home run, and two steals over five games. I still firmly believe Volpe can be a high impact player over the rest of 2024 and would encourage folks to try and scoop him where they can. No one has run away with the leadoff job in the Bronx and Volpe can easily reclaim that role if he keeps putting the ball in play.
• Thank you for affirming my faith in you, Ezequiel Tovar. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games today and now has five home runs to go with it. He’s highly aggressive, and as I always try to point out, aggressive players tend to be highly prone to streaks. Regardless, Tovar now has 17 home runs through 100 games and is on his way to a 25 home run season with close to 80 runs and 80 RBI and a solid batting average. The streaks will drive you nuts, but the overall return is worth it.
• Welcome back, J.T. Realmuto. He seems to have settled back into the fifth spot in the lineup, which doesn’t really hurt or help his overall value compared to hitting second (unless you’re in a points league, but the change is marginal).

 

Tier 9

 

• In the 16 games since Jackson Merrill’s last home run, he’s hitting .226/.250/.306 just four extra-base hits, four runs scored, six RBI, and a 34.3% strikeout rate. The batting average and strikeout rate should rebound just fine, but Merrill only has a handful of starts where he’s been in the top half of the order and it has crushed his counting stat upside. It seems like an uphill battle to get to 20 home runs and 15 steals, but both are still in reach.
• Colt Keith continues to look like a new man in July, putting up a 14.1% walk rate and 23.9% strikeout rate at the dish while hitting six home runs and hitting .328/.423/.705. Let it ride.

 

Tier 10

 

• I still think Taylor Ward has another gear in him that will be worth rostering, but having just four extra-base knocks in 22 games is brutal. Those in three-outfield formats who want to switch to streaming are justified, but keep him on your watch list.
• Speaking of brutal, Jarred Kelenic had just two hits in the nine games leading up to today (where he has since made it three hits in ten games). The talent remains real and explosive, but continue to expect some very low lows to go with those high highs.
• Andrés Giménez has been pushed down the lineup due to his extended slump, and while I think he can retake a role at the top of the order, his floor has become much lower than originally imagined.

 

Tier 11

There is an average net change of +12 in this tier.

• Brandon Lowe is no longer in a full platoon, and with Yandy on the Restricted List, the offense can’t really afford to lose Lowe’s pop. He’s still a streaky, injury-prone power hitter, but the platoon risk is no longer a consideration for the near future.
• Ben Rice has a green number next to his name mostly due to heavy attrition in this part of the list, but the fact he is still the leadoff man for the Yankees most of the time is enough to keep him falling too far for now. The rise of Volpe looms large, however.

 

Tier 12

There is an average net change of +11 in this tier.

• Bryson Stott has slumped his way into a platoon and out of the top of the order, which would have been tough to imagine back on May 19th when he was sporting a .279/.393/.456 line with more walks than strikeouts which was good for a 140 wRC+. Since then, he has a wRC+ of just 47 and just one home run.
• So Yandy Díaz hits the Restricted List and we have very few details to go with it (which is normal for personal/family issues). I slid him down the ranks considerably due to the uncertainty of the situation as teams don’t have a deadline to reinstate players nor are they required to share any details with us (the Yu Darvish situation is a good example). Hold him if you can, especially in OBP and points leagues, but in standard leagues it could be tough to do so for very long.

 

Tier 13

 

• I love what we are seeing from Juan Yepez, who is showing a reinvented approach at the plate without sacrificing power or contact ability. With Joey Meneses down in triple-A, Yepez should keep starting every day for Washington and at his peak he’s the type of player who could hit 25 or more home runs in the majors with the right approach and opportunity.
• Lawrence Butler remains white hot in Oakland, with 14 of his 25 hits in July going for extra bases including eight home runs. This is considerably more power than we saw from Butler in any stops in the minors, and he wasn’t really setting the world on fire in triple-A this season, but the ball don’t lie. I’m hesitant to push him up too highKeep riding the wave while you can, as there is some legitimate power in this bat even if it’s not eight home runs per month power on a regular basis.
• Jake Burger was once a guy who was inside the top-75, but he just couldn’t keep up the strong discipline we saw in the second half of 2023 and the very early part of this season. That said, he’s taken several positive steps in the right direction of late, hitting four home runs and putting up 18 combined runs and RBI in his last 13 games with acceptable walk and strikeout rates. He will likely always be a volatile contributor, but the power-hitting upside is visible again.

 

Tier 14

 

• Jorge Soler clings on to the back end of the list due to the power we know is in his bat, though you are well within your rights to move on in three outfield formats from a guy who has done nothing of note out of the leadoff spot in San Francisco.
• Rece Hinds remains interesting, but the floor is very low.
• Colton Cowser started against each of the last two lefties the Orioles have faced and is showing some renewed production at the plate over the last week or so with seven hits, a home run, and two steals in his last six games. One would hope that the outfield becomes less crowded in Baltimore before the trade deadline (and that the rotation gets new pieces).
• Noelvi Marte has a better pedigree and more upside than most guys who end up down here, and while he’s been a little better for the last two weeks or so, he’s hanging on here by a thread.
• Jose Iglesias is playing every day now and is really fun. This wave likely won’t last long so let’s just enjoy it with minimal scrutiny.
• I almost removed Alex Verdugo from the list entirely but wanted to give it one more week. I don’t know what I expect to see in a week, but my gut demands it.
• Jeff McNeil is a decent streamer in categories leagues, but his real value is in points. That said, he has nearly doubled his season home run total since coming back from the break and may move up in the order more consistently, which could help him stay on this list for a bit.

 

Rank	Hitter	Position	Change
1	Shohei OhtaniT1	DH	-
2	Aaron Judge	OF	-
3	Bobby Witt Jr.	SS	-
4	Juan Soto T2	OF	+1
5	Gunnar Henderson	3B, SS	-1
6	José Ramírez	3B	-
7	Elly De La Cruz	3B, SS	-
8	Bryce Harper	1B	-
9	Trea Turner	SS	+7
10	Yordan Alvarez T3	OF	-1
11	Rafael Devers	3B	-
12	Freddie Freeman	1B	-2
13	Pete Alonso	1B	-1
14	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B	-
15	Marcell Ozuna	DH	-
16	Austin Riley	3B	-3
17	Francisco Lindor	SS	+1
18	Ketel Marte	2B	+4
19	Corey Seager	SS	-2
20	Jarren Duran	OF	+5
21	Adley Rutschman T4	C	+2
22	William Contreras	C	+2
23	Christian Yelich	OF	-2
24	Jose Altuve	2B	-4
25	Alex Bregman	3B	+3
26	Steven Kwan	OF	+5
27	Riley Greene	OF	+3
28	Anthony Santander	OF	+9
29	Kyle Schwarber	OF	+9
30	Bryan Reynolds	OF	+9
31	Josh Naylor	1B	-5
32	Marcus Semien	2B	-3
33	Luis Robert Jr. T5	OF	-
34	Will Smith	C	-7
35	Christian Walker	1B	-
36	Teoscar Hernández	OF	+4
37	Lane Thomas	OF	+6
38	Manny Machado	3B	+4
39	Willy Adames	SS	+6
40	Corbin Carroll	OF	+10
41	Ian Happ	OF	+5
42	Spencer Steer	1B, 3B, OF	+5
43	Randy Arozarena	OF	+5
44	Brandon Nimmo	OF	-3
45	CJ Abrams T6	SS	-13
46	Seiya Suzuki	OF	+3
47	Ryan Mountcastle	1B	-3
48	Oneil Cruz	SS	+4
49	Salvador Perez	C, 1B	+9
50	Paul Goldschmidt	1B	+3
51	Matt Olson	1B	-17
52	Brice Turang	2B, SS	+8
53	Logan O’Hoppe	C	+8
54	Jordan Westburg	2B, 3B	+2
55	Yainer Diaz	C	+9
56	George Springer T7	OF	+14
57	Alec Bohm	1B, 3B	-6
58	Jonathan India	2B	+7
59	Isaac Paredes	1B, 3B	-5
60	Willson Contreras	C	+6
61	Brenton Doyle	OF	+14
62	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	OF	+6
63	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	OF	-6
64	J.D. Martinez	DH	-1
65	Alec Burleson	1B, OF	+6
66	Jackson Chourio	OF	+12
67	Luis Arraez T8	2B	-8
68	Ryan McMahon	2B, 3B	-6
69	Adolis García	OF	-14
70	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B	-1
71	Luis Rengifo		+UR
72	Anthony Volpe	SS	+25
73	Brent Rooker	OF	+21
74	Ezequiel Tovar	SS	+7
75	Wyatt Langford	OF	+4
76	Josh Smith	3B, SS, OF	-2
77	J.T. Realmuto	C	+UR
78	Cal Raleigh	C	+4
79	Nick Castellanos T9	OF	+4
80	Jesse Winker	OF	+5
81	Nolan Arenado	3B	+8
82	Christopher Morel	2B, 3B, OF	+5
83	Matt Chapman	3B	+7
84	Heliot Ramos	OF	-8
85	Mark Vientos	3B	+7
86	Jurickson Profar	1B, OF	-13
87	Jeremy Peña	SS	+15
88	Nico Hoerner	2B, SS	+15
89	Jackson Merrill	SS, OF	-5
90	Colt Keith	2B, 3B	+16
91	Byron Buxton T10	OF	+10
92	Tyler Stephenson	C, 1B	+18
93	Ceddanne Rafaela	SS, OF	-7
94	Taylor Ward	OF	-22
95	Tyler O’Neill	OF	+19
96	Jarred Kelenic	OF	-16
97	Joey Ortiz	2B, 3B	+7
98	Andrés Giménez	2B	-31
99	Lars Nootbaar	OF	+8
100	Jeimer Candelario	1B, 3B	+15
101	Brendan Donovan T11	2B, OF	-1
102	Jake Cronenworth	1B, 2B	-3
103	Francisco Alvarez	C	+2
104	Andrew Vaughn	1B	-9
105	Michael Busch	1B	+12
106	James Wood	OF	+12
107	Brandon Lowe	2B	+37
108	Ben Rice	C, 1B	+3
109	Bryson Stott T12	2B	-21
110	Rhys Hoskins	1B	-2
111	Ryan O’Hearn	1B, OF	-2
112	Joc Pederson	OF	+1
113	Dansby Swanson	SS	+15
114	Zack Gelof	2B	+10
115	Spencer Horwitz	2B	+11
116	Patrick Bailey	C	+11
117	Brandon Marsh	OF	+12
118	Yandy Díaz	1B	-25
119	Justyn-Henry Malloy	OF	+19
120	Masyn Winn	SS	+1
121	Ha-Seong Kim T13	2B, 3B, SS	-5
122	Nathaniel Lowe	1B	-26
123	Xander Bogaerts	2B, SS	-11
124	Bryan De La Cruz	OF	+6
125	Maikel Garcia	2B, 3B	+6
126	Gleyber Torres	2B	-1
127	Juan Yepez	1B	+16
128	Lawrence Butler	OF	+5
129	Shea Langeliers	C	+5
130	Masataka Yoshida	OF	+5
131	Sean Murphy	C	-12
132	Zach Neto	SS	+10
133	Jake Burger	1B, 3B	+UR
134	Jorge Soler T14	OF	-43
135	Ryan Jeffers	C	-12
136	Xavier Edwards	2B, SS	+9
137	Rece Hinds	OF	-
138	Eugenio Suárez	3B	+8
139	Colton Cowser	OF	+UR
140	Michael Toglia	1B, OF	+7
141	Noelvi Marte	3B	+7
142	Jose Iglesias	2B	+UR
143	Gavin Lux	2B	+UR
144	Alex Verdugo	OF	-46
145	Miguel Andujar	OF	+UR
146	Max Schuemann	SS	+UR
147	Nick Gonzales	2B	+2
148	Willi Castro	2B, 3B, SS, OF	-16
149	Andy Pages	OF	-9
150	Jeff McNeil	2B, OF	+UR

 

Taxi Squad

This year, the Taxi Squad will be a handful of players at each position who either are on the cusp of the list or who have been hot topics of late.

Players are listed in no particular order.

Another update: Relevant hitters who hit the IL will end up in the IL Stashes section until they return to the active roster.

Catcher

• Elias Díaz (C, COL) — Plays a lot and has games in Coors.
• Connor Wong (C, BOS) — Ice cold for the last week but still hits in the heart of the order.
• Travis d’Arnaud (C, ATL) — Still some gas left in the tank if you need a second catcher.
• Jonah Heim (C, TEX) — His history of being mediocre is a lot longer than his history of being good.
• Keibert Ruiz (C, WAS) — Points league streamer.
• Bo Naylor (C, CLE) — Has plenty of pop and hitting a bit better of late.
• David Fry (C/1B, CLE) — Might be turning it around slightly?
• Danny Jansen (C, TOR) — Has upside, but I’d rather stream than wait out the slumps in a single-catcher format.
• Kyle Higashioka (C, SDP) — Decent streaming catcher.
• Mitch Garver (C, SEA) — Has power and is batting second, but the results aren’t there.

First Base

• Rowdy Tellez (1B, PIT) — On a wicked hot streak and avoiding strikeouts but this just feels like a hot streak.
• Luke Raley (1B/OF, SEA) — Power and speed that comes with streakiness and contact issues.
• Carlos Santana (1B, MIN) — Streamable in spurts, especially in OBP.
• Spencer Torkelson (1B, DET) — I still believe long-term but he’s not rosterable unless you are in a deep keeper or have an NA slot.
• Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA) — Slappy points league and ratios contributor (unless slugging is one of your ratios).
• Jhonkensy Noel (1B, CLE) — Has power upside, but don’t expect consistency in performance or playing time.
• LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B/OF, SFG) — Will be interested if he gets out of a platoon.
• Dominic Smith (1B, BOS) — Platoon bat who can be serviceable in OBP for short stretches.
• Ty France (1B, SEA) — Listed here because I’m curious where he ends up.

Second Base

• David Hamilton (2B/SS, BOS) — Pure speed streamer in standard leagues right now.
• Jorge Polanco (2B, SEA) — There’s upside here, but he’s looked so awful in a Mariners’ uniform.
• Edouard Julien (2B, MIN) — Back in the majors, albeit in a platoon. He’s far too passive to get me interested right now.
• Connor Norby (2B, BAL) — Can’t stash him unless you have an open NA slot.
• Abraham Toro (2B/3B) — Puts balls in play and this offense has been OK lately.
• Miguel Vargas (2B/OF, LAD) — Minimal role and too passive at the dish. Deep OBP league flyer.
• Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS) — Just needs more time to figure out major league pitching.

Third Base

• Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET)— Hitting third, but this offense is not very good.
• Junior Caminero (3B, TBR) — On a rehab assignment and hit a home run (albeit at the complex level).
• Coby Mayo (3B, BAL) — There’s no room for him but the power and plate discipline (before 2024) is exciting.
• Jake Burger (3B, MIA) — Looking a little better, I suppose.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, PIT) — Has speed and upside, but simply not getting it done.
• Donovan Solano (1B/2B/3B, SDP) — Has regular playing time and versatility, but is more of a jack-of-all-trades than a difference-maker in any specific category.
• Nick Senzel (3B/OF, CHW) — He’s been handed a starting job and has some pop but it’s merely a deep league flyer.
• Gio Urshela (1B/3B, DET) — Decent streamer, especially against lefties.
• Ernie Clement (3B/SS, TOR) — Seems to be the guy who will get time with Bichette out.

Shortstop

• Luis García Jr. (2B/SS, WAS) — He’s slumped his way into a platoon.
• Jackson Holliday (SS, BAL) — Long-term outlook hasn’t changed, but the O’s are in a tough spot
• Paul DeJong (SS, CHW) — Ice cold again, as he is from time to time.
• Nacho Alvarez Jr. (SS, ATL) — Hit tool-only prospect who is getting a look near the top of the order in Atlanta. Should gain eligibility at short within a week or two depending on your settings.

Outfield/DH

There are probably 5-10 more guys at any given time who you could argue belong on this part of the list.

• Heston Kjerstad (OF, BAL) — Two days off out of three games since coming back.
• Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL) — It will be an interesting trade deadline for his value.
• Eddie Rosario (OF, ATL) — Don’t fall for it. He’s a hyper-aggressive hitter who gets hot and then VERY cold.
• Mike Tauchmann (OF, CHC) — His role is still a little unclear as they haven’t faced a lefty since he came back after the break.
• Wenceel Pérez (OF, DET) — Making a little magic again, if you need a streamer.
• Victor Robles (OF, SEA) — He has speed and can make contact, but don’t expect anything else.
• Eloy Jiménez (DH, CWS) — This offense could be entirely unusable in shallow leagues if they trade LuBob.
• Jack Suwinski (OF, PIT) — He’s still the same left-handed streaky power bat he’s always been, which means there will be times he should be rostered.
• Max Kepler (OF, MIN) — A fine replacement-level guy when you need some pop.
• Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If you want a silver lining, he rebounded nicely after his last trip to the minors.
• JJ Bleday (OF, OAK) — He’s more valuable in OBP because of the walks but the rest of the package isn’t that exciting.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, CHC) — Stuck in a platoon, and there’s still some development to be done in the bigs.
• Jake McCarthy (OF, ARI) — Pure speed streamer.
• Jesus Sanchez (OF, MIA) — Hits the ball hard but doesn’t pull it much which kills his home run upside.
• Jo Adell (OF, LAA) — If you’re looking to chase upside, this is a good place to start.
• Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) — There are too many outfield options to suffer these slumps in 12-team leagues.
• Tommy Pham (OF, CWS) — He leads off and that’s about it.
• Angel Martínez (OF, CLE) — He’d be ranked if this was a points or OBP list.
• Mickey Moniak (OF, LAA) — He gets hot from time to time but the contact issues keep it from lasting very long.
• Joshua Palacios (OF, PIT) — Has a little bit of pop and speed, but he’s a deep league flyer at best.
• Miguel Andujar (OF, OAK) — Has the tools to be rosterable, but the margin for error to be relevant in Oakland is super low.
• Matt Wallner (OF, MIN) — Makes good decisions and has tons of power, but the issues with contact and left-handed pitching are holding him back.

IL Stashes

• Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — Almost ready to swing a bat. Will likely be a Top 50-75 player when he’s ready.
• Cody Bellinger (1B/OF, CHC) — He’s likely out for a couple of weeks, and this certainly doesn’t make the power concerns any quieter.
• Jose Miranda (1B/3B, MIN) — This is a huge bummer, but this should be a fairly short stay based on the injury description.
• Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF, MIN) — Droppable in 10-12 teamers.
• Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF, LAD) — He’ll be back in the top tier on return.
• Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) — For fantasy purposes, Albies is out for the season. He’ll be a bounce-back/buy-low candidate for 2025.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/OF, TOR) — Shouldn’t be out long.
• Matt McLain (2B, CIN) — Not back until the last month or two of the season. Droppable if your IL is full.
• Royce Lewis (3B, MIN) — The injury bug will just not let go of this man.
• Josh Jung (3B, TEX) — Getting very close. Will be a top 50-75 player when he’s ready.
• Max Muncy (3B, LAD) — Will likely be a top 75-100 player when he’s ready.
• Bo Bichette (SS, TOR) — He’ll be out multiple weeks and if I only had two IL spots in a 12-teamer that were already full, I’d probably cut him.
• Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) — Tough because the timeline here is super nebulous plus who knows how much the foot issues will impact him on return.
• J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Droppable in all but the deepest of formats.
• Jordan Lawlar (SS, ARI) — He’s out until possibly August. Outside of top 100 on return but worth watching.
• Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) — This thing keeps dragging on but finally getting good news. Top-five player on return.
• Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) — Should be a fairly short stay but the timing is a huge bummer as he was really righting the ship in July (220 wRC+)
• Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF, SDP) — Top-20 on his return, probably sometime in mid-July.
• Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — He should be back this season and should be stashed on ILs. Should be in the top 25-35 on his return.
• Jasson Domínguez (OF, NYY) — Dealing with an oblique issue, and the roster is currently fairly crowded.
• TJ Friedl (OF, CIN) — Constantly battling injuries, should be back by mid-July. Top 80-100 on return.
• Giancarlo Stanton (OF, NYY) — Should be back by the end of July. Top 80-100 on return.
• Michael Harris II (OF, ATL) — No timetable for a return. Top-75 hitter when he comes back, assuming he can reclaim a spot near the top of the lineup.
• Starling Marte (OF, NYM) — I wouldn’t expect him back until early August. Top 100-120 on return as he may sit even more until fully healthy.
• Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET) — Hard to stash if your IL is already full. Borderline top 100 on return.
• Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Makes you wonder if back issues have been an issue all season. Droppable if your IL is full. Outside of top 100 on return.
• Jordan Beck (OF, COL) — Droppable if your IL is full.
• Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Obviously, he’s a drop in redraft leagues. Still top-5 in dynasty.

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