Let’s get right to it!
- 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 No. 55 and Player Y is ranked at No. 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 my first three off the board in standard formats.
Tier 2
- Elly De La Cruz will have rough stretches with hitless nights and tons of strikeouts, but please don’t get cute and bench him. He’s capable of hitting multiple home runs and/or stealing multiple bases in any given contest.
- Welcome back Mookie Betts, who will now play the outfield and seems likely to play there enough to bring that eligibility with him in 2025 in most formats.
Tier 3
- Yordan Alvarez is off to a hot start this month and only moves down one space due to the return of Mookie Betts. The counting stats are down due to the slow start and inconsistency of the Houston offense, but I don’t plan to hold that against him for the rest of the season nor do I expect to think of it much in 2025 rankings.
- Welcome back, Julio Rodríguez. It was about as bad of a first game as you could have (struck out in all five plate appearances), but he hit a double in the following game and was looking much stronger right before hitting the. J-Rod remains an elite talent and I would be inserting him straight into my lineup without hesitation.
Tier 4
- Most of these guys moved down only because of Betts and J-Rod being inserted near the top of the ranks.
- William Contreras pulled ahead of Adley Rutschman due to Adley’s continued power outage (no home runs since July 19). It’s still a 1A and 1B situation at the top fantasy catcher ranks.
Tier 5
- Matt Olson has been strong over his last 20 games, hitting seven home runs with 27 combined runs and RBI and a .276 batting average. The strikeouts are still a bit problematic, though he’s improved a bit in that regard over the last week.
Tier 6
- Oneil Cruz is doing all of the right things so far in August, striking out a very reasonable 25.6% of the time while walking 9.3% of the time and slashing .395/.465/.553 with a home run and three stolen bases. His average exit velocity this month is just about 95 miles per hour because, well, that’s what Oneil Cruz can do.
- Alex Bregman is on another heater, the thing is, I knew he was capable of this and that was why he stayed ranked up here even when his performance suggested he should be much lower.
Tier 7
- Jose Altuve is hitting .280 since the Break, but also has just one home run and is 0-2 on stolen base attempts. Altuve should turn it around in short order, but at least he’s providing a solid batting average and a handful of runs scored.
- Cal Raleigh continues to carry the Seattle offense. Sure, the batting average is pretty up and down, but a 21.6% walk rate so far in August gives him a .405 OBP and he keeps piling up RBI, including five of them in his last start on Sunday. He could see even more production with the return of J-Rod and the continued success of the other pieces near the top of the lineup, so even if the bat cools off a bit, the production should still be there.
- Isaac Paredes had been slumping well before he went over to the Cubs, but he’s turning things around quickly with more walks than strikeouts, two home runs, and 12 combined runs and RBI over his last eight games. The entire Cubs lineup is heating up a bit lately, and Paredes should be every bit as good on his new team as he was in Tampa.
- I see ya, James Wood. He has nine extra-base hits in his last 16 games (four doubles, three triples, and two home runs) with 29 combined runs and RBI and even four stolen bases (because the Nationals give everyone the green light). The plate discipline has been phenomenal as well. The sky is the limit for this slugger, though we should be prepared for more slumps as he continues to develop in the big leagues due to his hard-swinging profile.
Tier 8
- Anthony Volpe is struggling again, but my faith remains strong. The talent will win out.
- Jackson Merrill is a really weird hitter to analyze. He hits these home runs in bunches and then has long stretches with no power at all. For example, from June 30 through August 6, Merrill had just one home run and a .287 OBP with a .426 slugging percentage. That stretch is sandwiched by crazy power outbursts, and before June, he had no power at all. Merrill has already exceeded even the loftiest power expectations people had for him coming into the season, and whether he can find any consistent power from now through the end of the season will dictate whether he can start 2025 inside the top 50 hitters.
- Luis Robert Jr. is very hard to watch right now, and if not for the steals, he’d be a complete loss. I mean, he is still kind of is as he’s hitting just .129/.159/.212 since the Break, but he’s hitting the ball fairly hard and deserves better than these results. That is, when he’s hitting it. That 47.7% strikeout rate is about as bad as it could get for Robert, and until that starts turning around, it will be hard to put him in your active lineup over most other players you might be rostering in a 12-teamer. I’m not entirely on board with dropping him outside of desperate situations with strong waiver options due to the talent and physical ability Robert brings to the table, but I do understand the frustration.
Tier 9
- Brandon Nimmo is suffering through his second significant slump of the season, and it’s not easy to see a quick path out of this. He’s hitting just .145 and slugging .181 over his last 100 plate appearances, and while he’s walking a healthy 16% of the time, his 29% strikeout rate is quite a bit higher than his norm. Those in shallower 10-teamers who are in desperate fights for their playoff lives might consider moving on if there’s a hot hitter from one of the surrounding tiers available, but if you’re in a deeper format or one with five outfielders, you may be better off hoping for the best and holding on.
- Josh Jung is striking out a lot (36.5% of the time) and has just a single walk in his 52 plate appearances since returning from the IL, and if he can’t make a bit more contact soon, it will be hard for him to stay in the top 100. Jung has the talent to be a top-50 hitter, but injuries continue to derail any progress he makes.
- Jorge Soler should remain in the lucrative leadoff role for Atlanta and it is an ideal situation for fantasy managers. Usually, a player like this is best served in the heart of the order, but with so many strong hitters on this team to take those spots, the realistic alternative for Soler would be hitting around sixth.
Tier 10
- Zach Neto near the top of the lineup is the best kind of Zach Neto and they should have been doing this months ago.
- Jake Burger is on a surge and I love it. He has 15 home runs in his last 30 games with 50 combined runs and RBI and a surprising .328/.293/.759. Sure, the strikeout rate is nearly 30% (29.2%, to be exact), and that suggests that he remains a streaky power hitter with contact issues, but when this type of player is hot it’s very hard to ignore.
- Tyler Fitzgerald isn’t hitting a home run every swing, but he’s continuing to make contact and has cleaned up the strikeouts, thus the move further up the list despite just one home run in his last eight games.
Tier 11
- Josh Smith is off to a slow start in August, but he continues to hit in the top three spots in the order so there’s no real cause of panic yet.
- Gleyber Torres had a real opportunity to be second-in-line for the leadoff role, but he’s let Verdugo assume that role and it’s a bummer. His only advantage over Verdugo in fantasy is that he’s a second baseman and has a bit more home run pop.
- TJ Friedl has speed and is worth a pick-up in most formats, but keep in mind that Friedl has a long injury rap sheet and it has also led to consistency and performance issues from time to time.
Tier 12
- As I mentioned earlier, Alex Verdugo has assumed the leadoff role and that’s pretty exciting for fantasy purposes. You can even move him up a tier or so in points leagues due to his contact-oriented skill set and the extra plate appearances he’ll get.
- As much as I love Matt Wallner, his limited contact ability and issues with left-handed pitching will keep him in a platoon even when he’s raking.
- Alec Burleson is even more likely to get platooned with the arrival of Jordan Walker and his slower performance of late is not helping either.
- Michael Harris II should probably play every day in center field and could quickly rise these ranks, but he looked rough when healthy earlier this season and is almost certainly going to be buried in the lineup, so despite the talent, he’s not necessarily a must-add if available.
- Jonathan India doesn’t have a ton of power or speed, he just makes very good decisions. That limited contact and power can get exploited, though, when pitchers don’t give him much to hit. He continues to make good decisions, but the outcomes of those decisions are not that exciting for fantasy.
- Logan O’Hoppe takes a big tumble due to a prolonged slump and the overall strength of the catchers likely available on the wire.
Tier 13
- Michael Busch will put up decent numbers, but he’s going to sit against every left-handed starter.
- Kerry Carpenter came back early and with a bang, though there’s a slight platoon risk (especially early on while he’s ramping up) and also he’s more of a streaky power hitter than a consistent producer.
- I am incredibly skeptical of Jake McCarthy’s ability to provide crazy counting stats, but the speed is undeniable and the role is solid.
- Joey Bart has been solid when given playing time in Pittsburgh, and while his prospects for a full-time role in 2025 are cloudy at best, he should be the guy for the rest of 2024.
- Junior Caminero has tons of ability and has a chance to be the everyday third baseman in Tampa. He could certainly have a run up the rankings like Chourio and Wood have, or to a lesser extent, Holliday (so far), but keep in mind that none have had entirely smooth journeys thus far and every rookie is susceptible to struggles at this level.
- Alex Call is mostly just a slap-hitting speedster who has fallen into perhaps the league’s best situation for that limited skill set by leading off on a team that doesn’t have a ton of other options and who also lets every single player try to steal bases. As with fantasy football, opportunity means just as much as talent, and in the case of Call, it means even more than talent.
Tier 14
- And all of a sudden, Lane Thomas is sitting multiple times a week? I’m not waiting around for results in most leagues.
- Jo Adell is probably just going to flame out again, but if you’re looking for upside, he’s struck out less of late and has more physical ability than most players in this part of the list.
- Christopher Morel is extremely frustrating.
- If Eugenio Suárez was an outfielder, he’d be on the Taxi Squad, but third basemen get a longer leash.
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) — Streamable at home.
- Connor Wong (C, BOS) — Fine streaming 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.
- Sean Murphy (C, ATL) — Playing about half the time now.
- Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — Can’t find a groove.
- Alejandro Kirk (C, TOR) — Points league streamer.
- Freddy Fermin (C, KCR) — Getting some time at DH gets him on my radar. Can provide batting average, but the rest is hit or miss.
- Patrick Bailey (C, SFG) — The BABIP gods have cursed him something fierce.
- Ben Rice (C/1B, NYY) — Just not producing with any kind of consistency, despite the golden opportunity.
First Base
- Rowdy Tellez (1B, PIT) — Streamer when the matchups are good.
- 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) —Striking out too much, but also hitting for power in triple-A. I think he comes up before September.
- Ty France (1B, CIN) — Playing every day so far and hits fourth against lefties.
- Justin Turner (1B/2B/3B, SEA) — Playing regularly with Seattle, but without power he’s just an OBP or points streamer.
- Zach Dezenzo (1B, HOU) — Looked great in a small sample in triple-A and should play most days between first and DH, at least until Tucker comes back and/or Singleton gets hot.
- Deyvison De Los Santos (1B, MIA) — Masher who doesn’t walk much. Not on the 40-man roster but likely sees time in September. Deep league watchlist.
- Luken Baker (1B, STL) — Quad-A guy, mostly, but does have 30 home runs in 98 games in triple-A who could get some time in September or if any DH plate appearances open up. Deep OBP league watchlist.
- Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA) — Back to being a points league play.
- Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL) — He’s great against righties, but he actually sat against one recently and it scares me.
Second Base
- José Caballero (2B/3B/SS, TBR) — Speedy and streaky slap-hitter.
- David Hamilton (2B/SS, BOS) — Pure speed streamer in standard leagues right now.
- Connor Norby (2B, MIA) — Call up does not feel imminent.
- Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN) — Just needs more time to figure out major league pitching.
- Zack Gelof (2B, OAK) — Hasn’t been able to recreate any of the 2023 magic.
- Nolan Gorman (2B, STL) — The juice (aka home runs) ain’t worth the squeeze in most formats.
- Dylan Moore (2B/3B/SS/OF, SEA) — Incredibly streaky and the ratios will be terrible even when he’s hot, but has plenty of speed and a little pop.
Third Base
- Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN) — McLain’s return by the end of the month could be bad news for Marte as EDLC will likely move to third.
- Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET) — Hitting third, but this offense is not very good.
- Coby Mayo (3B, BAL) — He will turn it around, but will it be in 2024?
- Kiké Hernández (2B/3B/SS/OF, LAD) — Playing every day at third base at the moment, but the upcoming returns of Betts, Muncy, and Edman will push him to the bench.
Shortstop
- Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN) — Versatile, speedy, and consistently inconsistent.
- Paul DeJong (SS, KCR) — Power streamer.
- Max Schuemann (SS, OAK) — Cooled off considerably.
- Ernie Clement (3B/SS, TOR) — Seems to be the guy who will get time with Bichette out.
- Jose Miranda (1B/3B, MIN) — In a platoon, which is a bummer.
Outfield/DH
- Victor Scott II (OF, STL) — Desperate speed play at best. Was hitting poorly in triple-A (63 wRC+).
- Jarred Kelenic (OF, ATL) — Everything that we liked a few weeks ago is gone.
- Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL) — Definitely in a platoon at this point.
- Jasson Domínguez (OF, NYY) — Might see him in September, but it’s a crowded outfield situation.
- Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL) — Is unlikely to play every day even when he is playing well.
- Jesse Winker (OF, NYM) — Clearly going to sit at least half the time.
- Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Has some power and speed, but will sit regularly and lacks anything resembling consistency.
- Hunter Renfroe (OF, KCR) — The offense is humming and he hits near the middle of it regularly.
- Kyle Stowers (OF, MIA) — Looks like he’ll sit against most southpaws for now.
- Andy Pages (OF, LAD) — Droppable in 12-team leagues.
- Wilyer Abreu (OF, BOS) — Hot, but in a platoon and prone to extended slumps.
- Wenceel Pérez (OF, DET) — Making a little magic again, if you need a streamer.
- Eloy Jiménez (DH, BAL) — Regular playing time remains unlikely.
- Max Kepler (OF, MIN) — A fine replacement-level guy when you need some pop.
- Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — He’s up, now let’s see if he gets the ball in the air.
- JJ Bleday (OF, OAK) — He’s more valuable in OBP because of the walks but the rest of the package isn’t that exciting.
- Jesus Sanchez (OF, MIA) Hits the ball hard but doesn’t pull it much, killing his home run upside.
- Jordan Beck (OF, COL) — He’s up, but the strikeouts are really hard to stomach.
- Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) — There are too many outfield options to suffer these slumps in 12-team leagues.
- Andrew Benintendi (OF, CWS) — Slappy leadoff hitter on one of the worst offenses of the modern era.
- Jacob Young (OF, WAS) — Speedsters in Washington have the greenest of green lights.
- Harrison Bader (OF, NYM) — Has speed and some pop with terrible contact and extreme injury risk.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, CHC) — Has speed and is playing, but I have little faith in the bat at this point.
- Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX) — Should stay on the watch list as he could pop at any time, but those fighting for the playoffs can’t keep waiting.
- Brandon Marsh (OF, PHI) — Cold and hits near the bottom of the order.
IL Stashes
- Christian Walker (1B, ARI) — Core injuries are tough to gauge. Hoping he’s back for September.
- Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — Almost ready to swing a bat. Will likely be a top 50-75 player when he’s ready.
- Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF, LAD) — Should be back before the end of August.
- Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) — For fantasy purposes, Albies is out for the season. He’ll be a bounce-back/buy-low candidate for 2025.
- Jordan Westburg (2B/3B, BAL) — A broken hand likely keeps him out of your playoff push, though he may be back in late September.
- Luis Rengifo (2B/3B/SS/OF) — Hopefully he can recover fully by next season.
- Matt McLain (2B, CIN) — Mild setback, but could still be back by the end of the month.
- Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF, LAD) — OK, now you have my attention. If he can be the mostly-regular utility guy, that matters.
- Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT) — Expected weeks-long absence means he’s droppable in 10- and 12-teamers.
- 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) — Good signs so far. Could be back by the end of the month.
- Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) — This thing keeps dragging on. He could be back for September. Top-five player on return.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF, SDP) — Top-20 on his return, but still has no timeline.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B/OF, NYY) — Haven’t heard much on the timeline but if he’ll be back for more than two weeks, I probably want to keep him around.
- Christian Yelich (OF, MIL) — Not sure why everyone thinks he’s out for the year. He’ll be back at some point, maybe even in August.
- Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — Done for the year.
- Riley Greene (OF, DET) — Hoping we see him by the end of August. Top 30 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.
- Tyler O’Neill (OF, BOS) — Hopefully the infection clears up smoothly and he’s back by the end of the month.
- Starling Marte (OF, NYM) — Starting a rehab soon. Top 120-140 on return as he may sit even more than before if Bader remains healthy.
- Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Likely out for the season.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Obviously, he’s a drop in redraft leagues. Still top-5 in dynasty.
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)
Nick – been struggling with a decision for the last 6 weeks or so. Austin Wells or Shane Langeliers. I feel like Austin has more potential in that lineup, but Shane continues to hit bombs and punch in runs. Wanted to get your professional opinion.