Top 150 Hitters For Fantasy Baseball 2024: Week 9 – 5/29

One thing that keeps coming up in this article is the lack of depth at third base. The pending returns of several injured players (Jung, Lewis, Muncy, etc.) will help, but  until then it is rough out there, especially when you consider the struggles of guys like Riley, Bregman, Arenado, Hayes, and Burger. Positional scarcity is mostly talked about on draft day, but 2024 has been a great example of how it can become an issue during the season even when a position was considered fairly deep in the spring.

 

• 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

 

• The only real change was flipping Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. It’s nit-picking, I suppose, but I made the flip because of Judge’s upside, which we know is a 50+ home run juggernaut with great ratios. Soto’s floor is probably higher, but even in the new park his reasonable home run ceiling is probably closer to 40.

 

Tier 2

 

• Matt Olson seems to be turning it on, which will eventually justify his top-10 ranking despite the slow start.
• José Ramírez is having one of the best months of his career, with 11 home runs, four steals, and a whopping 54 combined runs and RBI over 26 games with more walks than strikeouts and a .296/.375/.704 line. It’s exactly what folks hoped for after a fairly lackluster April.
• Julio Rodríguez is having his second hot streak of the month, but this time with a bit more power and a lot more speed. Another week or two like this and I might feel comfortable sliding him back into the top tier. This feels a lot like 2023, doesn’t it?
• Fernando Tatis Jr. is still hitting the ball hard and isn’t hitting too many grounders despite the recent slump, which makes it feel more like some bad luck than an indicator of something more serious.
• Rafael Devers and Gunnar Henderson didn’t change in rank, but they did move up a tier as they continue to be red hot in the month of May.  It helps that both are third basemen as well, because those of us who have needed to skim the waiver wire for third basemen can tell you just how brutal it has been. Having an elite third baseman feels like a significant advantage right now.
• Corey Seager is setting the world on fire of late with 11 home runs in his last 19 games (including the one he’s hit today) which is quickly offsetting the painful start to the season. He’s smashing the ball (100.4 average exit velocity over the seven games heading into today) and reinforcing the notion that nothing was ever really wrong apart from a normal, run-of-the-mill slump.

 

Tier 3

There is an average net change of +1 to all players in this tier.

• Speaking of normal, run-of-the-mill slumps, that’s what I think we are seeing with Marcus Semien.
• I love that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .382 with a .466 OBP this month, but it’s slightly tempered by the 50% ground ball rate and by the fact he still has just two home runs in May. Even during a hot streak, it’s hard to see a path back to 30 or more home runs unless he gets the ball in the air more frequently.
• Adolis García has been cold for the last four games, but his aggressive nature makes him prone to streaks and slumps. Nothing to see here.
• CJ Abrams has zero steals over his last 20 games, which is concerning, though the root cause may be that he also has just one walk over that stretch as he’s reverted back to being an extremely aggressive hitter. Abrams seems to be heating back up with 12 hits over his last 10 games, but it notably comes with zero walks and an awkward .276 OBP that is seven points lower than his .286 batting average.
• Austin Riley is back on the diamond after a long delay that somehow wasn’t an IL stint, so while his numbers still look bad, at least he’s healthy (hopefully).

Tier 4

There is an average net change of +1 to all players in this tier.

• Michael Harris II is apparently the leading candidate to lead off now that Acuña is out for the season, and that could be a huge boon to his counting stats, especially if this offense heats up like it should.
• Ozzie Albies still hasn’t looked like the player he was the last few seasons, but the upside and talent make it difficult to drop him much further than this tier for now.
• Josh Naylor had a little bit of a slump for a few series, but nothing helps you get back to hitting quite like a trip to Coors. His 15 home runs so far are just five short of the career high he set back in 2022 and put him on track to hit 30 (or more) if he can play most of the season. It’s worth noting that 122 games is his personal best at the major league level so some missed time here and there should be planned for.

 

Tier 5

There is an average net change of +4 to all players in this tier.

• Anthony Volpe hits in front of two of the hottest hitters on the planet, which is a pretty sweet gig for fantasy. He’s as good a bet as nearly anyone to reach 100 runs scored, which pairs nicely with the 20 home runs and 25 steals you can expect from him. The batting average isn’t likely to stay quite this high, but it’ll stay much better than his ratios from last season due to the dramatic improvement in contact both in and out of the zone.
• Manny Machado still isn’t hitting home runs, but at least he has a .317/.364/.463 line over his last 11 games.
• Teoscar Hernández has just one season with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI, but by the end of 2024 it looks like the number will be two. The ratios will be up and down due to the heavy strikeout rate and variable walk rate, but the counting numbers should take all of that sting away and then some.
• Randy Arozarena has always been a bit maddening to roster, but this season has taken it to new heights. On the bright side, Arozarena’s hard-hit rate over his last 12 games is a solid 54.8%, but the 54.8% ground ball rate has made that a moot point. I think some of those groudners will turn back into line drives sooner or later, but expect a bumpy ride on the way to another season with at least 20 home runs and 20 steals.
• Bo Bichette is hitting the ball a bit harder lately and has two home runs over his last seven games, but it’s still hard to shake the feeling that he doesn’t clear 20 home runs this season. The ratios should improve quite dramatically, but the home run and stolen base numbers will feel disappointing.
• Christopher Morel continues to slump without striking out, so I remain hopeful that brighter days are ahead.

 

Tier 6

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

• Oneil Cruz is going to be a roller coaster all season until or unless he gets more consistent with his decision-making skills. The overall result should still be a net positive, but it will likely frustrate head-to-head managers on a pretty regular basis.
• It feels more symbolic than anything, but Corbin Carroll has now dropped out of the top 50 for redraft.

 

Tier 7

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

• Gleyber Torres looks much better of late, so if he’s somehow still on your waiver wire, go scoop him up now.
• Paul Goldschmidt keeps hitting and keeps striking out and I still don’t know how to feel about it apart from feeling much better than I did when he was striking out and not hitting.
• Ryan Mountcastle has been quietly excellent despite not hitting many home runs lately thanks to the counting stats provided by his supporting cast.
• Nolan Arenado continues to not strike out but also not hit, which is an issue but also one that still feels like could resolve itself. I’m not dropping him anywhere, though that’s not a huge challenge lately due to the lack of depth at third base in basically every league I’m in.

 

Tier 8

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

• Maikel Garcia’s ground ball rate will likely keep the home run totals fairly low, but it’s hard to complain about a guy with 10 home run and 30 steal upside with a solid batting average.
• Jordan Westburg continues to look like a 20 home run, 10 stolen base type of player with really nice ratios. A middle class man’s Bichette, if you will.
• Welcome back, Lane Thomas. Here’s to hoping he can steal bases at even half the pace he was on prior to hitting the IL.
• I don’t even know why I try to set expectations for Seiya Suzuki. He’s been either injured or streaky the entire time he’s been in the majors.
• Vinnie Pasquantino’s batting average should improve significantly, but the slugging might not.
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is going to hit somewhere around 20 home runs and bat like .270. Exactly how he gets there will be a mysterious voyage, but he probably will.

 

Tier 9

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

• Ha-Seong Kim and Nico Hoerner have been major disappointments to those who drafted them fairly early in drafts this season, especially considering how rarely either of them are able to get anywhere near the top of the order. Guys who rely on contact and speed as much as Kim and Hoerner lose a lot of value when hitting in the bottom-third of the order. Unless either can work their way into a role change, don’t expect a huge jump in these rankings.
• Ian Happ is heating up again and I wouldn’t be shocked if by the end of the week he was hitting third or forth.
• Brice Turang is hitting just .245 and slugging .367 over his last 15 games, but he keeps a fairly high rank because he keeps running and leading off. I wouldn’t expect the ratios to be anything like they were back in April for the rest of the season, but there’s a real chance that he swipes north of 40 bags when all is said and done.
• I really hope Brenton Doyle can do enough on the road to keep us from benching him. The strikeouts will always be an issue away from Coors, but if he can hit a few dingers and steal a few bags at or near sea level, we’d all be very happy.

 

Tier 10

There is an average net change of +9 to all players in this tier.

• Anthony Rizzo seems to have lost his mojo of late, but he’s still putting a lot of balls in play (albeit mostly on the ground) so I’m not extremely worried quite yet.
• Davis Schneider will be pretty up and down in standard leagues due to the strikeouts, but the OBP will usually be very playable thanks to the high walk rates. Oh yeah, he’ll hit some dingers, too.
• Yainer Diaz continues to disappoint with his quality of contact, and the depth of catcher makes it tough to justify holding out hope for much longer.
• Nathaniel Lowe has been abysmal in his last 11 games (21 wRC+), but this isn’t all that bad of a slump compared to what we saw at the start of 2022 and even earlier this season. I’m more concerned about the upside here than the floor.
• Jackson Merrill has been one of the better rookies this season, but I still feel that his overall upside is quite low due to the limited of power and speed. I’m hoping he can finish out the season with a total of 10 home runs and 15 steals, but with only eight extra base hits (four doubles, a triple, and three homers) through his first 54 games, 10 home runs might be asking a lot.
• The strikeout bug appears to have bitten Jo Adell again, with a strikeout rate of 32.8% over his last 15 games and a whopping 41.7% over his last six. His track record of breaking slumps in the majors is, to be blunt, horrendous, but perhaps this version of Adell can do better.

 

Tier 11

There is an average net change of +10 to all players in this tier.

• J.D. Martinez is getting more hits lately, but a 5.4% walk rate and 39.3% strikeout rate over his last 13 games has me very nervous about the future.
• Dansby Swanson is back and does not look any better at the dish than he did before he went down. He’s fallen to eighth in the batting order as a result, and considering that most of his value was in his floor and not his ceiling, his ranking takes a dramatic fall.
• Jackson Chourio is striking out again and a much bigger fall may be in order next week if results continue to elude him.
• Tyler O’Neill continues to strike out way too much to have any real hope of being effective. He may be hitting the IL soon for a knee issue, but if he doesn’t, he might have to hit the waiver wire in your league.
• Slap-hitting Brendan Donovan isn’t going to give you much at all in terms of home runs or steals, but a .308 batting average and .400 OBP over his last 16 games should lead to a fair amount of runs scored. His value is highest in points leagues as they’ll give him more credit for the plethora of singles and low strikeout rate, but if you need a plug-in at second base or a ratio boost, you could do much worse.
• Patrick Bailey continues to look strong since coming off the IL, and it was great to see that he appears to be properly recovered from that concussion.

 

Tier 12

There is an average net change of +15 to all players in this tier.

• David Fry plays just enough to be dangerous as a fantasy catcher and is a great streamer at the position. I’d be shocked if he stayed on the list for more than another month or two, but while he’s hot and hitting near the middle of the order he’s a must start (when he starts, that is).
• José Caballero is running enough to stay relevant, but the elevated strikeout rate of late is a bit concerning.
• Abraham Toro is providing a non-harmful batting average and is still leading off, which ain’t too bad for the current state of third base.
• Jeimer Candelario and Jake Burger haven’t been all that good of late, but being a third baseman with a track record is worth a lot these days. If they were outfielders, they’d be on the Taxi Squad. Don’t read too much into those +18s, though, as it’s mostly a result of attrition and injuries for players that used to be ahead of them.

 

Tier 13

There is an average net change of +15 to all players in this tier.

• Masyn Winn was a highly-touted prospect who has played admirably so far in a full-time role for St. Louis after an ugly debut in 2023. His 17-game hitting streak is a strong indicator of the maturity of his hit tool (which was kind of expected), and the sudden outburst of power (five doubles and two home runs) over the last nine games is a pleasant surprise. By 2025, I think Winn could be a 20 home run, 25 stolen base type of player, but this season it might be more like 10-15 home runs and 20 steals.
• Nolan Gorman is hot and while that lasts he’s worth rostering. You’ll probably cut him again in many 12-team contexts when he goes ice cold, but until then you can ride the power wave.
• JJ Bleday continues to do yeoman’s work in the heart of the order in Oakland, though he’s most appreciated in OBP leagues due to the strong decision-making skills and walk rate.
• Wyatt Langford is back and ranked, but how long that lasts will depend on whether he looks any better at the dish compared to what we saw earlier this season.
• Zack Gelof’s five spot drop is even more dramatic when you consider the net change of +15. He just doesn’t seem to have it so far this year.
• Nick Gonzales had a lot of contact issues in the minors and in his first few stops in the majors, but those issues have been mostly absent so far in 2024 which allows him to reach more of his potential. Gonzales is a former first-round pick with plus power that plays really well at second base, and if he can keep that strikeout rate below 30% (25% or better would be ideal with his average walk rates), he could be the type of player who hits 20 home runs with a .250 average over a full season.
• Alec Burleson had a hot streak like this last season that was short-lived, but maybe things can be different this time.
• It’s great to see Colt Keith start to turn weak contact into strong contact, as he has been making contact fairly consistently all year. Quality of contact is a tricky beast to get arms around, especially when going from the minors to the majors, so here’s to hoping it can stick around and give us a glimpse of the 22-24 home run guy with a good batting average we hoped he could be in the spring.

 

Rank	Hitter	Position	Change
1	Shohei OhtaniT1	DH	-
2	Bobby Witt Jr.	SS	-
3	Kyle Tucker	OF	-
4	Mookie Betts	2B, SS, OF	+1
5	Aaron Judge	OF	+2
6	Juan Soto	OF	-
7	Freddie Freeman	1B	+1
8	Elly De La Cruz T2	3B, SS	+1
9	Matt Olson	1B	+2
10	Bryce Harper	1B	+2
11	Yordan Alvarez	OF	+2
12	José Ramírez	3B	+6
13	Julio Rodríguez	OF	+1
14	Fernando Tatis Jr.	OF	-4
15	Rafael Devers	3B	-
16	Gunnar Henderson	3B, SS	-
17	Corey Seager	SS	+3
18	Pete Alonso T3	1B	+1
19	Marcell Ozuna	DH	+3
20	Marcus Semien	2B	-3
21	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B	+4
22	Adolis García	OF	-1
23	CJ Abrams	SS	+1
24	Austin Riley	3B	-1
25	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	OF	+2
26	Kyle Schwarber T4	OF	+4
27	Michael Harris II	OF	+1
28	Jose Altuve	2B	+3
29	Francisco Lindor	SS	-
30	Ozzie Albies	2B	-4
31	Josh Naylor	1B	+3
32	Alex Bregman	3B	+1
33	William Contreras T5	C	+2
34	Adley Rutschman	C	+2
35	Will Smith	C	+2
36	Anthony Volpe	SS	+8
37	Manny Machado	3B	+4
38	Christian Walker	1B	-
39	Teoscar Hernández	OF	+9
40	Jeremy Peña	SS	+5
41	Cody Bellinger	1B, OF	-2
42	Randy Arozarena	OF	-10
43	Bo Bichette	SS	+12
44	Ketel Marte	2B	-2
45	Christopher Morel	2B, 3B, OF	-2
46	Oneil Cruz T6	SS	-6
47	Christian Yelich	OF	+4
48	Anthony Santander	OF	-1
49	Bryan Reynolds	OF	+3
50	Jarren Duran	OF	+3
51	Corbin Carroll	OF	-2
52	Salvador Perez	C, 1B	-2
53	Andrés Giménez	2B	+1
54	Isaac Paredes	1B, 3B	+3
55	Taylor Ward T7	OF	+3
56	Gleyber Torres	2B	+5
57	Riley Greene	OF	-1
58	Bryson Stott	SS	+1
59	Brandon Nimmo	OF	+3
60	Willy Adames	SS	+3
61	Alec Bohm	1B, 3B	+3
62	Luis Arraez	2B	+3
63	Paul Goldschmidt	1B	+21
64	Ryan Mountcastle	1B	+11
65	Nolan Arenado	3B	-19
66	J.T. Realmuto	C	+6
67	George Springer T8	OF	-
68	Maikel Garcia	3B	+12
69	Ezequiel Tovar	SS	+9
70	Jordan Westburg	2B, 3B	+9
71	Yandy Díaz	1B	-5
72	Lane Thomas	OF	+UR
73	Bryan De La Cruz	OF	+4
74	Seiya Suzuki	OF	-5
75	Nick Castellanos	OF	-2
76	Jake Cronenworth	1B, 2B	+7
77	Spencer Torkelson	1B	-1
78	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B	-10
79	Thairo Estrada	2B, SS	+13
80	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	OF	+7
81	Ha-Seong Kim T9	2B, 3B, SS	-11
82	Nico Hoerner	2B, SS	-22
83	Luis García Jr.	2B	+6
84	Ryan McMahon	2B, 3B	+6
85	Jorge Soler	OF	+6
86	Ian Happ	OF	+19
87	Brice Turang	2B, SS	-1
88	Wilyer Abreu	OF	+9
89	Matt Chapman	3B	+4
90	Brenton Doyle	OF	+14
91	Danny Jansen	C	+12
92	Jurickson Profar	1B, OF	+4
93	Lars Nootbaar	OF	+6
94	Alex Verdugo	OF	+8
95	Anthony Rizzo T10	1B	-10
96	Brent Rooker	OF	+11
97	Zach Neto	SS	+17
98	Starling Marte	OF	+10
99	Davis Schneider	2B, OF	+18
100	Yainer Diaz	C	-26
101	Nathaniel Lowe	1B	-13
102	Josh Smith	3B, SS, OF	+9
103	Jackson Merrill	SS, OF	-8
104	Jo Adell	OF	-10
105	Spencer Steer T11	1B, 3B, OF	+1
106	Tyler Stephenson	C	+10
107	J.D. Martinez	DH	-7
108	Giancarlo Stanton	OF	+11
109	Daulton Varsho	OF	+12
110	Luis Rengifo	2B, 3B, SS, OF	+13
111	Dansby Swanson	SS	-30
112	Tommy Pham	OF	+10
113	Logan O’Hoppe	C	+11
114	Dylan Moore	2B, SS, OF	+11
115	Jackson Chourio	OF	-6
116	Tyler O’Neill	OF	-45
117	Brendan Donovan	2B, OF	+25
118	Wenceel Pérez	OF	-
119	Cal Raleigh	C	+9
120	Patrick Bailey	C	+27
121	Carlos Correa	SS	+11
122	David Fry T12	C, 1B	+22
123	Mike Tauchman	OF	-11
124	Ceddanne Rafaela	SS, OF	+13
125	Iván Herrera	C	+13
126	José Caballero	2B, SS	-13
127	Abraham Toro	2B, 3B	-7
128	Connor Joe	1B, OF	+18
129	Jesse Winker		+UR
130	Jeimer Candelario	1B, 3B	+19
131	Jake Burger	3B	+19
132	Max Kepler	OF	+7
133	Masyn Winn T13	SS	+UR
134	Nolan Gorman	2B	+UR
135	JJ Bleday	OF	+UR
136	Wyatt Langford	OF	+UR
137	Zack Gelof	SS	-4
138	Justin Turner	1B, 2B, 3B	-4
139	Nick Gonzales	2B	+9
140	Colton Cowser	OF	-4
141	Alec Burleson	1B, OF	+UR
142	Colt Keith	2B, 3B	+UR
143	Willi Castro	3B, SS, OF	-16
144	Josh Bell	1B	-4
145	Jake Meyers	OF	+UR
146	Sean Murphy	C	+UR
147	TJ Friedl	OF	+UR
148	Edouard Julien	2B	-13
149	Shea Langeliers	C	-20
150	Alex Kirilloff	1B, 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.

Another update: Hitters who appear to be out for an extended period of time will end up in the Taxi Squad until they return to the roster.

 

Catcher

• Luis Campusano (C, SDP) — 15 home runs and a good average are still useful at catcher.
• Elias Díaz (C, COL) — Always streamable at home.
• Connor Wong (C/2B, BOS) — Makes a ton of contact and is getting batted ball luck, but can fill in for you when the matchups are right.
• Gary Sánchez (C, MIL) — Sure, why not?
• Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — A fine fantasy catcher, but with so many producing there’s not a need to hold onto a slumping one unless there’s a lot of upside.
• Mitch Garver (C, SEA) — Overdue for a hot streak but too much talent out there to keep waiting.
• Jonah Heim (C, TEX) — He’s been putrid at the plate recently and his history of being mediocre is a lot longer than his history of being good.
• Keibert Ruiz (C, WAS) — Love seeing the multi-hit games, a few more and he’ll hit the List.

First Base

• Jonathan Aranda (1B/DH, TBR) — Part-time player with full-time ability.
• Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL) — It’s a strict platoon. Stream against righties and nothing else.
• Ty France (1B, SEA) — The situation is decent and the playing time is secure, but he’s just a streamer in most 10- and 12-team leagues.
• Andrew Vaughn (1B, CHW) — Well, that little hot streak was fun.
• Mark Canha (1B/OF, DET) — Mostly valuable in points leagues.
• Carlos Santana (1B, MIN) — The hot streak is over and he’s moved into a part-time role.
• Gavin Sheets (1B/OF) — Kind of intrigued by the walks but the hot streak seems driven by line drives that are likely to fade away soon.

Second Base

• Jonathan India (2B, CIN) — We will take a look again when or if he ever makes it back to the leadoff role.
• Brendan Rodgers (2B, COL) — Streamable when in Coors.
• Orlando Arcia (2B, ATL) — Valuable when he’s hitting, but the cold streaks are long and brutal.
• Vidal Bruján (2B/OF, MIA) — Has elite speed, no power, and an opportunity.

Third Base

• Junior Caminero (3B, TBR) — Struggling lately and I worry a call-up won’t lead to immediate playing time.
• Tyler Freeman (2B/3B/OF) — Decent prospect with a good hit tool and some speed but very limited pop.
• Coby Mayo (3B, BAL) — There’s no room for him but the power and plate discipline (prior to 2024) is exciting.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/OF, TOR) — Low upside, but eligible all over and playing a lot.

Shortstop

• J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Not yet showing the improved power from last year.
• Jackson Holliday (SS, BAL) — Long-term outlook hasn’t changed, but the O’s are in a tough spot.
• Jorge Mateo (2B/SS, BAL) — Don’t get too excited as history tells us this is unlikely to last. That said, he’ll steal bases for you.
• Edmundo Sosa (3B/SS, PHI) — Had a nice run against a bunch of lefties but still likely in a platoon.

Outfield/DH

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

• Joc Pederson (OF, ARI) — Interesting in spurts as a power streamer against righties.
• Willie Calhoun (DH, LAA) — Hitting a ton of line drives, which is unlikely to last long.
• Eddie Rosario (OF, WAS) — Extremely streaky and far from reliable. Streamer at best.
• Brandon Marsh (OF, PHI) — Strikes out a ton and very streaky, but fine to stream.
• Andrew Benintendi (OF, CWS) — He’s streamable in most points formats.
• James Wood (OF, WAS) — Top-10 prospect with plenty of pop but may not be up until mid-summer (or later).
• Heston Kjerstad (OF, BAL) —Not the worst use of an N/A slot, assuming you have one.
• Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL) — Hard to recommend him in shallower leagues when he doesn’t play against all right-handed starters.
• Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If you want a silver lining, he rebounded nicely after his last trip to the minors.
• Jonny DeLuca (OF, TBR) — Plate discipline will remain good but has very limited power and speed.
• Will Benson (OF, CIN) — The strikeouts are tough to watch outside of OBP, and I think the Reds want someone more reliable leading off.
• Chas McCormick (OF, HOU) — Meyers seems to have forced his way into the rotation at McCormick’s expense.
• Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) — You can chase the talent, but the injury risk, strikeouts, and prolonged slumps have worn me out.
• Jarred Kelenic (OF, ATL) — Should get a bit more playing time, but not convinced he can do enough with it to be scooped in a 12-team league.
• Adam Duvall (OF, ATL) — He’ll play, but he’s just a streamer who runs hot and cold due to contact issues.
• Jacob Young (OF, WAS) — He steals bases, but the hitting has stopped.

IL Stashes

• Willson Contreras (C, STL) — What a bummer. Should be back within about two months.
• Francisco Alvarez (C, NYM) — We will check back in late summer.
• Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — No clear timetable yet. Will likely be a Top 50 to 75 player when he’s ready.
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B/3B, CIN) — We will check back in June.
• Matt McLain (2B, CIN) — Not back until the last month or two of the season.
• Josh Jung (3B, TEX) — Will likely be a Top 50 to 75 player when he’s ready.
• Royce Lewis (3B, MIN) — Will likely be a Top 50 to 75 player when he’s ready, but the injury threat will still loom large.
• Max Muncy (3B, LAD) — Will likely be a Top 50 to 75 player when he’s ready.
• Trea Turner (SS, PHI) — We will check back on his status in June.
• Rhys Hoskins (OF, MIL) — Should be back in a few weeks, likely ranked around 70-80.
• Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — He should be back this season and should definitely be stashed on ILs. Should be in the top 25-35 on his return.
• Luis Robert Jr. (OF, CWS) — Should be in Tier 3 or Tier 4 when he’s ready to go.
• Steven Kwan (OF, CLE) — We will check back in June. Should be near the Top 75 on his return.
• Nolan Jones (OF, COL) — Rehab is on hold but it doesn’t seem too serious. Buys me some time to figure out where I want to rank him on his return.
• Eloy Jiménez (DH, CHW) — Death, taxes, yada yada yada.
• Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET) — I do not like the words “spine inflammation”. Hard to stash if your IL is already full.
• Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Makes you wonder if back issues have been an issue all season.
• LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B/OF, SFG) — I’d expect him to be back around the All-Star Break. Possibly sooner, but hamstrings are tricky.
• Jorge Polanco (2B/3B, SEA) — Maybe some time to get healthy will help him rebound later this season.
• Jordan Beck (OF, COL) — Unless you have a LOT of IL spots, you likely need to let Beck go in redraft leagues.
• Michael Massey (2B, KCR) — Back issues are seemingly everywhere, and the future impact is notoriously tough to predict.
• Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Obviously, he’s a drop in redraft leagues.
• Josh Lowe (OF, TBR) — I guess both Lowes in Tampa aren’t allowed to be healthy at the same time.
• Xander Bogaerts (2B/SS, SDP) — Tough stash if you’ve already got a loaded IL.

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