Before we get started, let me say one thing: Don’t get overly invested in the Statcast player pages and quality of contact metrics quite yet. We are still well short of a meaningful sample (150-200 PA is around when we can start taking significant meaning from those numbers). At this stage, I’d caution against using them for more than a quick check of good or bad luck. There might be something meaningful in that data to showcase ability changes, but it’s nearly impossible to discern being hot and being different with this small of batted ball sample.
Also, Taxi Squad is here! It’s not a comprehensive list of EVERY player to consider, but it should fill in a few gaps who don’t fit in the top 150.
- 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 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. 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
- What if I told you Ronald Acuña Jr. had slumps like this last season? He’s still the first overall pick for me.
- Julio Rodríguez is also going through a slump. Slumps are normal and don’t usually change what we think of a player of this caliber until we start getting to 150+ plate appearances.
Tier 2
- No changes to report here either! Generally speaking, changes to rankings this high would be due to injury or significant change, which I’m not really seeing (at least not to a level where I’m actually concerned yet).
Tier 3
- Adolis García gets a little boost due to the uptick in stolen bases last week. His four steals put him almost halfway to the nine he swiped in 2023, so perhaps Garcia can get to 15 or so by the time the season is done.
- Michael Harris II will get a chance to hit second in the Atlanta lineup while Albies is out for a few weeks, which should give Harris a boost in plate appearances, runs, and maybe even stolen base attempts.
Tier 4
- Mike Trout’s three stolen bases on the season are his most since 2019. Long live the Millville Meteor!
- Speaking of Ozzie Albies here’s to hoping that the toe injury doesn’t linger too long and impact his running ability.
- Over his last eight games (33 plate appearances), Elly De La Cruz has an 18.2% strikeout rate and a 12.1% walk rate. The strikeout rate number is already climbing, but if Elly can keep that overall strikeout rate at roughly 30% (he’s down to 32.9%) and the walk rate at or near 10%, then he should thrive. The batting average should settle around .250 despite the strikeouts and ground ball rates due to how hard he hits the ball, so the 25 home runs and 40 stolen bases don’t even come with a bad ratio (unless you’re in OBP)!
- Oneil Cruz has incredible power (evidenced by the hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era) despite the “blue” on his player page.
- Randy Arozarena’s volatility is on full display. His drop in the ranks is more about how much I like what guys like Elly and Gunnar are doing than it is his slump. Based on the expected stats and other underlying metrics, it looks more like a normal slump mixed with some bad luck.
Tier 5
- A few players fell, but it’s all basically a result of Gunnar and Elly moving up.
- Bo Bichette is hitting a bit better of late, but I still worry that the home run and stolen bases will underwhelm those who took him early in drafts. On the bright side, the two steals over his last five games suggest he can clear his 2023 total of five sometime in the first half.
- Don’t be worried about Kyle Schwarber (someone in our Discord reported he was dropped in a league!). All of this is normal. Schwarber is a feast-or-famine type hitter who goes through hideous slumps followed by incredible heaters. This is the essence of the Schwarber experience.
Tier 6
- William Contreras pulls ever so slightly ahead of Will Smith because Contreras is getting much mroe playing time at DH than I expected because, well, the Brewers really don’t have another guy who they need to get into the lineup. If the increased playing time continues, he could even overtake Rutschman as the top catcher, especially if Contreras finds the power he showed earlier in his career.
Tier 7
- Triston Casas is on quite the heater, but I’m not ready to move him about Paul Goldschmidt yet. That said, I’m encouraged that Casas is hanging in there against lefties and that the Red Sox are batting him fourth regardless of who is on the mount.
- Gleyber Torres is slumping, but he’s still a top-six second baseman and the position looks extremely thin right now.
- It was hard not to pull Cody Bellinger down further in the rankings, but Bellinger is an enigma and I’ve learned to accept that. His batted ball metrics weren’t very good last season and he still succeeded. I’m willing to keep him in the top 50-75 range through April unless things get even worse.
- Marcell Ozuna picked up where he left off in 2023 even more than projections thought he could. He’s probably not going to hit more home runs than the 40 he hit last season and I would still put the number closer to 35, but Ozuna is a heckuva hitter and the fact he’s not eligible at any position does not matter much to me.
Tier 8
- Josh Naylor is hitting the ball well, though it’s the 11.4% walk rate that really stands out to me. Naylor has always been an aggressive hitter who puts a lot of balls in lay, and if these 70 plate appearances of a double-digit walk rate are a sign of things to come (he’s spiked this high of a walk rate before but hasn’t been able to sustain it) it could be a very interesting season. We saw some elevated rates from Naylor at the end of last season too, so as more plate appearances go by we can get a better idea of what to expect going forward.
- I’m not too worried about Spencer Torkelson yet as he’s getting the ball up and pulling the ball and the plate discipline is good.
- Christian Yelich is going to miss some time with back trouble, which is of course a huge bummer. That said, we knew this was a risk and there’s no indication that this is an extended absence.
Tier 9
- The time has come for Anthony Volpe, who is now the leadoff man in the Bronx. He already has three steals in his first six games at the top of the order (his first three came over an 11-game stretch), and he also started taking more walks (again matching the total he had in his first 11 games). Volpe’s power and speed give him a top-30 hitter upside, especially if he can keep the strikeouts down (even 25% is fine). Volpe almost certainly won’t keep hitting 30% line drives, but hopefully, that regression is offset by hitting fewer balls up the middle and taking more advantage of the pull field.
- You are allowed to be excited about Tyler O’Neill, who seems to have avoided a trip to the IL and should be back this weekend after having a concussion. The risk with O’Neill is simple to understand — he has missed nearly half of the last two seasons due to injury (and also some benching due to poor performance). The health risk isn’t going to go away any time soon, but the power is very real and he could certainly get to 30 knocks if he plays in 130-140 games. I am not counting on double-digit steals even though it wouldn’t be THAT weird if it happened, and even without the steals, O’Neill could be threatening the top 50 by May.
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand is off to a slow start but things are starting to pick up. He remains locked into the three-hole for the Reds and it shouldn’t be long before the ball starts leaving the yard. The Statcast data suggests CES has been incredibly unlucky as well, for what it’s worth.
Tier 10
- Jake Burger has a core injury, which is rough, but it sounds like this is more on the mild side as he tried to play through it. Burger could be back at around the end of the month, and while the production had slowed down considerably, I’m still bullish on Burger and still see a path to 30 home runs (though it’s a tougher path than it was a week ago).
- Taylor Ward’s history of extended slumps and also of injury has me a little hesitant, but this also isn’t the first time Ward has torn the cover off the ball. This is a definite hold for me, and if someone thinks they’re selling at the high point, I’d see what it could take to acquire him.
- Things have not been looking up for Nick Castellanos, though inconsistency was an issue last year as well and the numbers still came through. I’m not worried or dropping yet in most formats, but in a 10-teamer I could see it happening based on what’s on the wire.
Tier 11
- The plate discipline looks strong for Wyatt Langford and he’s starting to make more contact so just be patient with him. He has nearly as many plate appearances in the majors as he did in double-A and triple-A combined, so it’s not much of a surprise that he needs a little time to find his footing. Langford is doing very well so far, given his circumstances.
- Jonathan India is taking walks, which is exactly what he needs to do to keep the leadoff job. The hits will start to fall soon, and Statcast thinks he’s been wildly unlucky, especially in the batting average department (I mean seriously, how does a guy with a 32.6% line drive rate have a .169 batting average?!).
- Ezequiel Tovar is striking out too much for my liking, and basically, all of his production was in that home series early in the month. That said, if he can carry a .284/.347/.478 line when only a third of his games have been in Coors, then maybe the floor is a little higher than I previously believed.
- Masataka Yoshida fell a spot, but I’m actually encouraged by the fact that he stayed in the lineup against the last few left-handed starters. The power is probably capped at 15-17 home runs and he doesn’t figure to add much to your stolen base totals, but the sum of the parts should still be a rosterable player in 12-team and deeper leagues, especially in a points format.
- A few weeks of Rhys Hoskins mostly confirms that not much has changed in terms of what to expect. 30 home runs is probably the very top end of the projection, but 25 should be very doable if he stays healthy, which is a very big “if” considering he’s missed significant time in three of the last four seasons.
Tier 12
Starting in this tier, there is roughly a net +10 to all rankings due to attrition (mostly from injuries)
- As a general note, in a standard 12-team league and especially those leagues that don’t utilize a middle infield or corner infield and/or only require three outfielders, the value of players from here out is highly dependent on what your roster actually needs. Position eligibility and specific category contributions will drive how you prioritize these players almost as much as their overall talent/upside.
- The increased walks might be kind of interesting for Alec Bohm, though it wouldn’t change much in terms of his projections for standard leagues, even if he kept them up.
- Lots of players fell down or out of the ranks in this range due to injury and attrition, which is why there’s a weird spike in the net change for players starting with Jeremy Peña, who did deserve a boost with all the sweet sweet contact he’s making. He should be able to beat the 10 home runs he hit in 2023 (15-20 is more like it) and he’ll steal double-digit bags, too. I anticipate an extended slump here and there, but if this strikeout rate stays anywhere near the 12.8% we’re seeing right now, perhaps Pena can skip the long slumps altogether.
- Josh Lowe is starting a rehab assignment, so stolen base help is coming for those who have been patient. I’m curious how the Tampa lineups will look when he’s back, though, and am really hoping he isn’t coming back to a platoon.
- Ryan McMahon is off to a hot start, but we’ve seen hot streaks from McMahon before only to be followed by brutal cold spells. McMahon is an accumulator who will play every day and put up about 20 home runs and 140-150 runs and RBI, give or take 10 or so based on how well the Rockies hit as a whole. If he was an outfielder, McMahon would be further down this list, but being eligible at second and third base makes him a very appealing stop-gap for those who have lost guys like Jung, Lewis, Albies, and others.
- Zack Gelof still can be a 20-home run and 20-stolen-base guy, but the plate discipline will camp his upside significantly unless it improves. The strikeouts are probably always going to hover around 30% based on his minor league track record, but I’d really like to see Gelof boost that walk rate to 10% or better to ensure he gets chances to steal bases consistently.
Tier 13
- Lars Nootbaar isn’t the leadoff man, but he’s been in the lineup for both righties and lefties, so I’m not that sad about it because he’s hitting third. I actually moved him down relative to the players around him, but the massive attrition in this range still means he’s two spots higher than before.
- It has been a strange season for Jorge Polanco, who in his last 10 games has a 25.6% walk rate, 27.9% strikeout rate, and a .219 batting average despite a .919 OPS. Regardless, Polanco is batting third for the Mariners (which will result in more RBI once J-Rod breaks his slump).
- Thairo Estrada is stuck in the bottom half of the order and that deflates his fantasy upside considerably compared to hitting second. Fewer plate appearances, fewer runs scored, fewer smiles.
- Mitch Haniger makes a dramatic entrance to the list, and I had been skeptical for the first two weeks. Haniger makes an appearance now because I’m willing to accept that a healthy Haniger (which we have seen exactly twice) can be a 25 home run hitter, and if the higher walk rate holds he might not hurt your ratios. Further, he continues to bat fourth (and sometimes second) for the Mariners, which should lead to a decent number of runs and RBI.
- Bryan De La Cruz falls a bit here, but those in deeper formats who want a low-risk guy with a decent floor might push him up within this tier due to his consistent playing time and contributions, even if they are fairly unspectacular.
- Seiya Suzuki will miss about four weeks with a core injury, and it’s not the first time he’s missed significant time with this type of issue. I’m not overly concerned with how he’ll look when he’s back, as the real question is whether it can really be four weeks as these core injuries do have a tendency to linger.
- Michael Busch and the Cubs will face nothing but lefties for the rest of the weekend, so let’s see how often the Cubs let him hang in there against southpaw starters. Busch has feasted the last few weeks, but 12 of the 13 starters they faced were right-handed. It’s a big test for the overall fantasy upside, and he’ll jump up if he plays three of those four games or so. Heck, even two would be nice.
- Jung Hoo Lee hasn’t found a way to hit for much power so far, but the fact he’s immediately been able to make contact against major leaguers suggests he will find it sooner or later. I think he’s definitely a threat to hit .300 with double-digit home runs and stolen bases, which may or may not be that valuable to you depending on your roster construction. In points leagues, he’d be up a tier or so.
- Jordan Westburg is ranked above Cowser because second and third base feels a lot thinner and more desperate than outfield, especially in the standard formats that don’t need corner or middle infielders and start just three outfielders. If given a full season (which may be tough with how many prospects the Orioles will want to start jamming into their lineup), Westburg could get to 20 home runs with 10-12 stolen bases and a decent batting line.
- Colton Cowser has launched several home runs lately, which is awesome considering how truly awful his MLB debut went in 2023 (zero home runs and a .115/.286/.148 line in 77 plate appearances). The Orioles outfield is a crowded mess with guys like Mullins and Cowser hitting well in the majors and guys like Kjerstad ripping it up in the minors. It’ll get even messier if Hays finds his groove again, if Cowser’s strikeouts get out of hand, or if other prospects like Norby and Vavra hit their way onto the 40-man roster. Until then, though, Cowser looks like his spot in the lineup is safe. Given a full season, Cowser could hit something like 20-22 home runs and steal double-digit bags with a good OBP, though the batting average is capped by the high strikeout rate (which was also present in the minors).
Tier 14
- Chas McCormick is taking plenty of walks, but little else is going his way. He’s been moved down the order a few times already, and I’m worried that his zone contact issues have come back after he found ways to improve that number in 2023. It’s looking like a very uphill battle to repeat his 22 home runs and 19 steals from last year, and the .273 is an even steeper climb.
- Jose Siri has not hit terribly well lately, but he makes the list because few players have his blend of speed and power. If you are looking for a lotto ticket, Siri is your guy.
- I am stunned at how often the Cardinals have let Nolan Gorman hit third with his 34.3% strikeout rate and .271 OBP, but it’s enough to keep him on this list for a little while longer. The return of Nootbaar seems to have ended his run in the three-hole, though, so we’ll see if he can hit his way into fantasy prominence before Gorman starts feeling pressure on his playing time from José Fermín, who is the complete and total opposite of Gorman in approach and skillset (amazing hit tool, but very little power).
- Jackson Holliday is off to a rough start, but I don’t expect the strikeouts to last (assuming he gets enough chances to work through it). Adapting to the majors requires patience in most cases, even for top prospects. At least he finally got that first hit! And just to be clear, the slow MLB debut does not at all change how you should feel about Holliday long term.
- Jake Cronenworth is a decent hitter with a good lineup spot. I know the batted ball data is super sexy right now, but the sample is tiny compared to the big samples of mediocre batted ball data we have from 2021 through 2023. This isn’t a 25-home run guy. It’s hopefully 16-18 dingers with no speed and disappointing ratios for a guy who strikes out so little.
- Jack Suwinski has plenty of pop, but he’s super streaky and is starting to hit the pine more than I’d like.
- Jordan Walker has sat in two of the last four games and has slid down to eighth in the order. The upside is still strong and he’s hitting more balls in the air, but Walker’s high ground ball rates keep holding him back. A chunk of these grounders should turn to line drives and the fly balls will eventually leave the yard, but I get it if you aren’t waiting around in redraft leagues.
- Josh H. Smith has a really solid hit tool and is better than his first two major league seasons suggest. There isn’t a ton of power or speed here, but there’s just enough of each to make Smith intriguing. He may sit against most (but not all) lefties, but he’ll play more than enough to be worth plugging into your lineup. For example, the only lefty the Rangers will see between now and April 27 is Skubal next Monday. Otherwise, it’s all righties.
- Jake Fraley fell far despite hitting well of late because the Reds are incredibly stubborn and utterly refuse to plug him in against left-handed starters. It drives me crazy.
- Brenton Doyle is scary to start on the road, but his pop and speed will play well in Coors, especially if he continues to hit second like he did on Wednesday. Doyle should be able to get to 15 home runs and 15 steals in a full season, but he’ll need to get the strikeouts under control and also maybe walk a bit more to avoid posting horrid ratios like he did in 2023 (.203 batting average and a .250 OBP).
- Everyone is more excited about Jackson Merrill than me and it’s probably because of Baseball Savant’s Statcast sliders and his hot start. The thing is, he seems pretty stuck at the bottom of San Diego’s batting order and he doesn’t have an extra-base hit in his last 13 games (12 starts). He can probably get to 10 home runs and 15 steals, but overall I think it’s uninspiring in 12-teamers.
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.
Catcher
- Danny Jansen (C, TOR) — Returning to action soon and should get the majority of starts behind the dish.
- Iván Herrera (C, STL) — Playing time is down with Contreras back.
- Luis Campusano (C, SDP) — 15 home runs and a good average are still useful at catcher.
- Elias Díaz (C, COL) — Always streamable at home.
First Base
- Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF, MIN) — Likely a strict platoon, at least for now.
- Anthony Rizzo (1B, NYY) — Making contact, but not with power.
- Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL) — It’s a strict platoon and the O’s see three lefties over the next week.
- LaMonte Wade Jr.(1B/OF) — Stuck in a platoon and striking out way more than normal, but leads off.
- Ty France (1B, SEA) — Solid ratios and mostly decent counting stats are there, but power really isn’t.
Second Base
- Brice Turang (2B/SS, MIL) — Lots of batted ball luck so far, but the speed is legit.
- Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM) — The ratios will improve significantly, but the power and speed won’t.
- Colt Keith (2B/3B, DET) — Bad luck and too many grounders so far, but still has 20 home run upside.
- Luis Garcia Jr. (2B, WAS) — Solid points league guy who makes tons of contact with limited power and speed.
- Joey Ortiz (2B/3B, MIL) — Avoided a platoon, it seems, and has 15 home run power if he keeps playing.
Third Base
- Junior Caminero (3B, TBR) — Off the IL and ready for a promotion if the Rays can find a spot for him.
- Anthony Rendon (3B, LAA) — Rewarding LA’s patience with plenty of contact.
- Eugenio Suárez (3B, ARI) — Power, playing time, and bad ratios
- Jose Miranda (3B, MIN) — Limited power, but has been successful in the past.
- Abraham Toro (1B/2B/3B, OAK) — Versatile and leading off for now.
Shortstop
- Masyn Winn (SS, STL) — Getting a bit lucky, but very interesting if he can get out of the bottom of the order and/or keep running.
- Blaze Alexander (SS, ARI) — Still hasn’t started against two righties in a row.
- J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Won’t be in the leadoff spot much longer if he stays cold.
- Zach Neto (SS, LAA) — Stuck batting ninth.
Outfield/DH
- Ceddanne Rafaela (OF, BOS) — 20/20 upside and got a look at shortstop, but ice cold right now.
- Brandon Marsh (OF, PHI) — Strikes out a ton and very streaky, but fine to stream.
- Jesse Winker (OF, WAS) — Unlikely to keep this up all year, but hitting in the heart of the order and hitting well.
- Andy Pages (OF, LAD) — Getting some playing time, but more of a wait-and-see in most redraft leagues.
- Esteury Ruiz (OF, OAK) — Sure, he’s back, but he isn’t starting.
- James Wood (OF, WAS) — Top-10 prospect with plenty of pop but may not be up until mid-summer (or later).
- Byron Buxton (DH, MIN) — One walk, zero home runs, and zero steals with a 35.1% strikeout rate. Droppable.
- Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Walking plenty but has too many strikeouts. If he leads off again, we’ll circle back.
- Mark Canha (OF, DET) — Sneaky and solid OBP play who is now hitting second regularly.
- Joey Loperfido (OF, HOU) — Smoking hot in the minors but that strikeout rate won’t play in the majors.
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)
I like the new taxi squad format. Well done
Thanks! Sorry I didn’t have it prior to now.
What happened to Varsho? He’s heating up and should move up lineup soon.
I had Varsho at 150, tossed in one more guy, and forgot to pull him to the Taxi Squad. Whoops!
While he’s been ice cold, I’m somewhat surprised to see James Outman not included at least in the taxi squad (great addition by the way). It’s mid-April and Outman was being drafted around 150 overall this year. Thoughts?
I wasn’t crazy about Outman in 2023 or the off-season, so I may be the wrong guy to ask. Being in a slump AND being in whag looks like a very firm platoon (even on the better side of it) is a good way to fall off the top 150 in 12-teamers.
The strikeout rates arent helping either. He’s more palatable in OBP leagues but even then, it’s not that exciting unless he gets every day PA.
Your statement regarding Jackson Merril’s XBH is incorrect.
You seem fixated on HR+SB which is of course important, but players who are actually good at hitting can provide plenty of value in other standard categories.
It was true when I wrote it Wednesday afternoon before he hit that triple! Either way, it’s 1 XBH in 14 games.
I agree that guys who have limited power and speed can be solid contributors, BUT it’s EXTREMELY difficult to provide that extra value from the bottom of the order and I don’t see a path to hitting at the top. If he somehow got there, he’d get a boost for sure with the added PA and runs we would expect. I just did a jump like that for Volpe, though he does have power and speed that keeps his floor higher even when hitting last.
Luis Arraez and Ezequiel Tovar have very limited pop and speed upside and I rank them fairly well. Hitting at the bottom of the order for a full season costs a player 120ish plate appearances, and when you’re primarily a ratio contributor, you need all the PA you can get. Additionally, runs and RBI are very difficult to achieve down at the bottom of the lineup, making the climb up the rankings even steeper.
Mike Trout is too low!! That is all. Haha great article, thank you, always look forward to this one.
Yoshida sitting twice in a row against righties as first Devers, then Wong DH. Even Refsnyder got in today. I have a bad feeling.
So they start him against some lefties, then becnh him against righties? That’s sow weird it’s almost supicious.
Didn’t see Stanton anywhere, has he fallen out of favor, batting cleanup in NY would seem a top 150 player (unless I missed him). Quick question on Nico Hoerner, he seems to have picked it up the last week or so, you see him getting back to the top of the order?
Love the list and thank you
I never really ranked Stanton, and if I did, it would have been in the last tier or so. He runs hot for a month or so at a time, but then goes back to being almost unwatchable.
Where would you rank some of the injured players (specifically Nate Lowe)? He’s on my wire and I’m wondering if when healthy, he’d be above Bellinger or Torkelson.
Unlike Nick, I do rank injured players at their present day value (not where they’ll be when healthy). Nate Lowe is 101.
Scott, great work as always.
Jackson Holliday is now 2B eligible in Yahoo and Yainer Diaz is 1B eligible too!
I’d love to see more comments regarding OBP, maybe something like “this one would be a tier above or below in OBP leagues”.
I know this is a standard 5×5 league rank, but one man can dream.
I do try to do this if it is particularly relevant to the players I call out. Generally speaking, if a player has a walk rate above 10%, they can be boosted within their tier, and if it’s like 14%, maybe even more.
I see, Stanton seems like a no brainer for 25-30 HRs in that lineup. I see Nico is batting at the top of the order, be interesting to see if he stays there. He definitely has not been running though, I will have to look and see when he picked it up last year in the SB dept.
Appreciate you buddy, keep up the great work
Thanks! The move to the top against lefties should stick but the love v RHP is because Happ is hurt.
10% and 14%, gotcha.
Thanks for the tip!
I look at Lane Thomas in tier 7 and Jack Suwinski down in tier 14, but it seems like on the surface, both guys have fairly similar numbers. Why does Thomas get so much more love than Suwinski?
In a standard league Thomas will get to similar power numbers because he plays more and also has an extra 35 points of AVG and 10-15 more steals.
I’m curious, why are you so low on Steer?