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 prefer Player X, 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 over 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 can 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 below!
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
- Mookie Betts has looked healthy and ready to go after his long IL stint.
- Elly De La Cruz continues to battle some growing pains. The nice thing about Elly is that even when he’s slumping, he still steals bases and hits the ball hard when he does make contact. Elly dominates fastballs of all varieties but still needs a bit more time to master the offspeed and breaking stuff, which is very normal and not at all a cause for concern or a damper on his upside.
Tier 3
- I’m hoping that the return of a few big bats in the Dodger lineup will give Freddie Freeman a boost. It’s been a disappointing season for Freeman in that he’s only the fifth-best first baseman so far in 2024 and he’s been a top-two first baseman for each of the past five seasons or so. There’s still a chance Freeman ends up in the top 2 by season’s end, and he’ll remain an early-round pick in 2025 drafts due to the incredibly high floor.
Tier 4
- Julio Rodríguez hasn’t hit a home run or stolen a base since his return, but the fact that he’ll reportedly be ready to play the field by this weekend suggests he’s almost 100%.
- Pete Alonso looks likely to fall short of 40 home runs after getting there in both 2022 and 2023, but 35 is well within reach as he heads toward free agency. His improved power in the second half is closer to the Alonso we expected coming into the season and is the production level that I expect for the rest of the season (though I could do without the 34.6% strikeout rate he’s carried so far in August).
- Adley Rutschman is too good of a hitter for this slump to continue much longer.
Tier 5
- Corbin Carroll has been one of fantasy’s best hitters over the last two weeks, though it’s not as though he’s made a major change. Many of his underlying metrics still don’t quite align with the guy we saw last year, but regardless, we know Carroll is supremely talented and is swinging a hot bat. In my experience, it’s best to just roll with it and see what happens instead of overanalyzing this odd path to success as there’s always a chance that he returns to full form on the surface and underneath by the time I try to come up with a prediction of the future.
- Alex Bregman just hit his 20th home run of the season, and while the counting stats have been somewhat disappointing as a whole, they’ve been a bit better in the second half. Bregman has struggled against lefties so far this season, but I think that’s just a fluke as this has not really been an issue up to this point in his career.
- As with Freeman, I am expecting the return of two key pieces of the Dodger lineup to give Teoscar Hernández a boost.
Tier 6
- Steven Kwan isn’t hitting for average in August, which stinks, but he already has four steals this month with more walks than strikeouts, so I’m not going to complain too loudly.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has been a revelation in the second half, so far posting a 151 wRC+ with a .328/.364/.555 line. His six home runs in August are as many as he had in June and July combined and reaffirms that Vinnie’s power upside is around 23-25 home runs in a full season. The home run floor is probably somewhere around 18-20, which ends up being a pretty tight band, but that’s just because we have a very good idea of what Pasquantino brings to the table.
- Brent Rooker has come back to earth in a big way in August, but it’s not like we expected him to hit another 11 bombs this month like he did in July. It doesn’t help his counting stats that the A’s have returned to earth with him, as they have been the 18th-best offense in August by wRC+ after being the very best offense in baseball by that metric in July. Rooker has solidified himself as a valuable power hitter, but like many power hitters, expect his overall contributions to be very up and down.
Tier 7
- Alec Bohm is having the best season of his career in most categories (except home runs), though his overall ceiling is tied to lineup position and how often the guys around him can get on base due to the limited pop, lack of speed, and some reliance on BABIP (though the improved hard-hit rate helps negate that a bit). Bohm’s 85 RBI are good for the ninth-highest mark in baseball (tied with Sal Perez), thanks to the contributions of Schwarber, Harper, and Turner, and as long as those guys are performing, Bohm can stay somewhere between 40 and 60 in these ranks.
- Adolis García is surging back into our hearts and I love it. He’s hitting .362/.412/.596 with an 184 wRC+ over his last 12 games with 16 combined runs and RBI to go with three home runs and a stolen base. The risk of the bottom falling out again is very real, of course, but Adolis has the talent to keep this up for a while before the pendulum swings back the other way again.
- Welcome back, Riley Greene! It’s only been two games, but Riley does look a bit rusty still. As soon as he gets in a groove, he should shoot up these rankings.
Tier 8
- Jackson Merrill is quite likely the National League rookie of the year and it is almost entirely thanks to his durability and excellent hit tool. The power surges (nine in the second half of June, four in four days earlier this month) are hard to predict or rely on, but the ratios, counting stats, and 15-20 stolen bases should stay a part of his game. The power ceiling of roughly 20 home runs is probably pretty close to what we should expect in future seasons (his four home runs in August are as many as he had in April, May, and July combined), but players with excellent hit tools will occasionally surprise us and find a level we never anticipated (though frankly, 20 is already a step above what I expected in the spring).
- Randy Arozarena finds himself in yet another slump, only this time the home park is a little uglier and the manager is more likely to push him down in the order than they were in Tampa.
Tier 9
- Wrigley Field isn’t the issue for Isaac Paredes, as this slump started about a month before he was shipped north, and it’s not plate discipline either as he has more walks than strikeouts in his 169 plate appearances since July 1. Most of the issue is that he’s getting under the ball a little too much combined with some bad luck (his .121 BABIP in this stretch is about half of what he usually carries).
- Seiya Suzuki hasn’t stolen a base in about a month, he has just a single extra-base hit in his last 13 games, and the strikeouts are creeping up a little higher than we’d like. He’ll turn it around eventually, but whether that’s in time for your playoffs is harder to answer.
- I still believe in Anthony Volpe.
Tier 10
- J.D. Martinez has been fairly average of late and if you’re in a 10-teamer with just one utility spot, there’s a non-zero chance you might move on to someone who helps fill multiple roles. In most leagues, though, I’m holding.
- Welcome back, Max Muncy! Home runs in each of his first two games back is everything we hoped for and more, and while the batting average will never be terribly friendly, the OBP, power, and counting stats will help you in a big way.
- TJ Friedl has been moved to the middle of the order just in time for him to hit five home runs in his last 13 games. He hasn’t stolen a base in that time, which is odd as he has more speed than power, but Friedl should continue to do plenty for your fantasy team as long as he stays healthy. If it wasn’t for the fact that Friedl has been on five different IL stints since the start of 2023 (three of which have occurred this season), he’d be ranked higher.
Tier 11
- I’m probably too bullish on Josh Lowe as much of this success and playing time might just be because the Rays have only seen two left-handed starters in their last 20 games, but he’s also kept the strikeouts down and, more importantly, has seven stolen bases in his last nine games. Lowe has been a streaky contributor this season (and for his whole career, really), but those hot streaks have been fantastic.
- Ezequiel Tovar’s fantastic run over the summer came to a screeching halt of late as he has a .458 OPS this month and is incredibly hard to watch. This is par for the course for Tovar as he’s an extremely aggressive hitter which lends itself to running very hot and cold, but this cold spell is especially brutal.
- Giancarlo Stanton has been walking more and striking out less since his return from the IL, which is cool, but he’s also hitting .208 and slugging .377, which is not cool. Not knowing what to do, I left him where he was.
Tier 12
- Brice Turang looks more like himself again, which means he’s slapping the ball around and stealing bases by the barrel.
- Michael Harris II is the guy who will get leadoff duties if Soler misses more time (though it sounds like he’s going to be back by the weekend), though he hasn’t done much with the current opportunity.
- Jorge Polanco is still striking out a lot, which is uncharacteristic for him, but the production is there.
Tier 13
- Jake Cronenworth is hitting again (as is the whole core of the Padres lineup), so back up the lower tiers he goes.
- I’m sure folks will want me to have Jake McCarthy higher than this, but I am extremely skeptical that this counting stat production will keep up. In his last 12 games, McCarthy has 18 hits which have turned into 27 combined runs and RBI. That is truly insane production on a per-hit level. The speed and the ratios are a basis in reality but the rest might not.
- If you’re in a categories league and don’t care about speed, you can drop Nico Hoerner. His current value is just where you need speed and also in points leagues due to the balls in play.
Tier 14
- Josh Smith has sat a few times in the last week and I have a bad feeling that the trend will continue until/unless the bat heats up.
- Welcome back, Spencer Torkelson! He’s looked strong in his first few games back and has adjusted his approach in positive ways despite the high strikeouts in the minors. There’s still a high ceiling here and if you need power, there aren’t many better places to look.
- Welcome back, Starling Marte! He’s sat once in the first four games since returning, and playing time is the number one concern on my mind for Marte. If he sits once or twice a week, he moves up due to his speed and contact ability. If it’s three to four times a week, he might not stay on the list at all.
- My patience with Gleyber Torres is almost out. I am sure that moment happened for many of you longer ago, but the constant opportunities to hit in a prime lineup spot around two of the game’s best hitters were hard to ignore.
Tier 15
- I’ll always hold a candle in my heart for Taylor Ward, but you don’t have to.
- Welcome back, Tommy Edman! I’m not entirely sure what the role will be or if he’ll always be the ninth hitter, so let’s wait and see what the Dodgers do with him for a week or so.
- Brendan Rodgers is a solid hitter who is especially useful at home.
- Adrian Del Castillo was hitting well in the minors and is on fire in the majors. Moreno is likely out until mid-September at the earliest, so Del Castillo will get a chance to be the everyday catcher in the desert. Del Castillo showed off major power in triple-A, which was quite unexpected, and it’s hard to know if he can continue to hit the ball hard like that in the majors. He’s off to a good start, of course, other than the high strikeout rate, and he’s certainly worth a stream if you need a boost at backstop.
- Jonah Bride is a slap-hitting corner infielder with a hot bat. I’m not expecting many more home runs, but ratios and counting stats (or at least as many as the Marlins can provide) should continue to be a pleasant surprise.
- Parker Meadows has speed, some pop, and a leadoff job against righties. The Tigers offense has looked better with Greene and Torkelson back, so perhaps there’s something here.
- Paul Goldschmidt is droppable in most leagues, but the track record is so long that it’s hard to drop him off this list entirely.
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
- Francisco Alvarez (C, NYM) — Unable to unlock his prodigious power.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Logan O’Hoppe (C, LAA) — I like the talent but catcher is too deep to wait for a turnaround on a team that seems checked out.
First Base
- Juan Yepez (1B/OF, WAS) — Not walking or hitting for power in August. Not striking out either, though, so at least there’s that.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Michael Busch (1B, CHC) — Platooned and cold.
Second Base
- Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF) — This hurts, but the production just isn’t there and there’s not much underneath the hood to get excited about right now.
- David Hamilton (2B/SS, BOS) — Pure speed streamer in standard leagues right now.
- Connor Norby (2B, MIA) — Called up and put near the middle of the order, now let’s see what he does with it. Watch out for the strikeouts.
- 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) — Mostly a speed streamer.
- Will Wagner (2B, TOR) — Will sit against most lefties but he’s got a decent hit tool and a hot bat.
- Spencer Horwitz (1B/2B, TOR) — Hits near the middle of the order but not doing much with it.
- Eduoard Julien (2B, MIN) — Needs to be more aggressive or make more contact.
Third Base
- Jace Jung (2B/3B, DET) — Worth a scoop in OBP leagues as he’ll walk plenty. Not sure if we see the power right away, though.
- Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN) — A completely lost season but a surge could put him back on the radar for 2025.
- Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET) — Hitting third in Detroit is slightly more appealing now that they’re healthier.
- Coby Mayo (3B, BAL) — He’ll be fine, eventually.
- José Caballero (2B/3B/SS, TBR) — Speedy and streaky slap-hitter who sits two or three times a week.
- Gio Urshela (1B/3B, ATL) — His new team has quickly given him the everyday job with Riley out.
Shortstop
- Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN) — Versatile, speedy, and consistently inconsistent.
- Paul DeJong (SS, KCR) — Power streamer.
- 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.
- Orlando Arcia (SS, ATL) — Plays every day, but runs extremely hot and cold (and mostly the latter).
Outfield/DH
- David Peralta (OF, SDP) — He’s hot and getting playing time, but I don’t expect it to last.
- Ramón Laureano (OF, ATL) — Soler’s return will complicate his playing time but he’s hot and on a good team.
- Lane Thomas (OF, WAS) — An unbelievable fall (for fantasy purposes) as Cleveland is sitting him at least twice a week with no particular rhyme or reason to it.
- Nolan Jones (OF, COL) — Hot stint at triple-A does not move me. Playing time and performance concerns.
- Jo Adell (OF, LAA) — Always worth watching because of what he can do when he’s hot, but he’s not right now.
- 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.
- Joey Loperfido (OF, TOR) — Looks a little better lately, if you’re in a deep league.
- 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.
- Kyle Stowers (OF, MIA) — Looks like he’ll sit against most southpaws for now.
- Eloy Jiménez (DH, BAL) — Regular playing time remains unlikely.
- Max Kepler (OF, MIN) — A fine replacement-level guy when you need some pop.
- 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) — The walks are cool but nothing else is.
- Brandon Marsh (OF, PHI) — Cold and hits near the bottom of the order.
IL Stashes
This section has been expanded to include players who may be on your radar for 2025
- Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI) — Points and OBP catcher who can provide ratios and a bit of counting stats with single-digit power and speed.
- Endy Rodríguez (C, PIT) — Former top-20 prospect with a plus hit tool. Should be the primary backstop in 2025.
- Patrick Bailey (C, SFG) — Completely fell apart in August. Droppable but a fringey streamer who is dependent on BABIP.
- Christian Walker (1B, ARI) — Core injuries are tough to gauge. Hoping he’s back for September.
- Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B, CIN) — Droppable unless you’ve got an open IL spot.
- Anthony Rizzo (1B, NYY) — Not expecting an impact in 2024 but should play somewhere in 2025.
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B, CIN) — Solid 2023 followed by abysmal 2024. Power is legitimate, though.
- Ketel Marte (2B, ARI) — Hopefully a short stint on the IL.
- Ha-Seong Kim (2B/3B/SS, SDP) — Unless you need speed or have a free IL spot, you might just drop him.
- 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.
- Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT) — Expected weeks-long absence means he’s droppable in 10- and 12-teamers.
- Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN) — Should be more consistent with more playing time, should be relevant in 2025.
- Ronny Mauricio (2B/SS, NYM) — 20/20 upside in 2025, but the aggressive approach could cause problems.
- Austin Riley (3B, ATL) — For fantasy purposes, this ends his season.
- Bo Bichette (SS, TOR) — He’ll be out multiple weeks and if my IL was full with top-75 guys, I’d probably cut him.
- Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) — Good signs so far. Could be back by the end of the month.
- J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — He’s still showing the power from 2023, but
- Trevor Story (SS, BOS) — I’m not interested for 2024 but he’s under contract until at least the end of next season and will get looks when healthy.
- 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) — Just kidding he’s done.
- Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — Done for the year.
- Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) — Not surprising in any way but still a bummer. Should be back by early September
- Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Likely out for the season.
- Heston Kjerstad (OF, BAL) — Not relevant for 2024 but he’ll be someone to watch for in 2025.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Obviously, he’s a drop in redraft leagues. Still top-5 in dynasty.
- Esteury Ruiz (OF, OAK) — When allowed to play, he will steal bases.
- Kris Bryant (OF, COL) — He’s on the books until 2028 and will play when healthy.
- Andrew McCutchen (OF, PIT) — Makes good decisions and is useful in OBP, but will he give it another go in 2025?
- Jung Hoo Lee (OF, SFG) — I’m not too worried about the shoulder issue impacting him in 2025. Solid points league potential.
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