I swear it’s the right guy in the image this time.
- 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 Brett Ford, 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 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
- As long as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bobby Witt Jr. are healthy, they’ll be in this tier.
- I was almost tempted to make Witt the top of the next tier, and although he is definitely behind Judge and Ohtani for me, I still think Witt is closer to them than he is to the guys below him because of his incredible consistency.
Tier 2
- Corbin Carroll creeps up the list just a little as he continues to show much improved power. The longer he keeps a hard-hit rate above 50%, the higher he can slide up this tier.
Tier 3
- Pete Alonso moves to the top of the tier thanks to plate discipline that continues to impress. While the strikeout rate is creeping up (though still well below 20% overall), the walk rate is going up with it, so I’m not at all bothered. When Juan Soto finally gets grooving, this lineup will be a force.
- What if Kyle Schwarber keeps his overall strikeout rate below 25% and hits above .250?
- Gunnar Henderson remains frustratingly average (in terms of fantasy production); there’s nothing you can do but wait. I’m not trying to sell low, nor am I that interested in benching him.
- Oneil Cruz keeps walking, and I love it. This is a hitter who is figuring it out and raising his floor significantly.
Tier 4
- Jarren Duran needs a boost to reach 15 home runs, but the speed and ratios look as good as ever.
- Julio Rodríguez has cut the strikeouts way down and continues to take plenty of walks. The breakout could be right around the corner.
- Welcome back, Jackson Merrill! I was slow to buy in on the power, but he continues to look like a guy who can 20-25 home runs in a full season, steal double-digit bags, and post an elite batting average.
- Seiya Suzuki is slumping a little bit in terms of strikeouts and counting stats, but he’s still hitting the ball very hard; he’s just making some poorer decisions than usual at the moment. This is just a phase, I suspect, and he’ll rebound quickly.
- Riley Greene is a force and if anyone thinks they’re selling high then take advantage. Once he gets a bit more consistent with contact, he’ll be a star.
Tier 5
- Holy moley, this is a giant tier for such an early part of the list! This speaks to just how much talent there is in the top 50. If you’re in a shallow 10-teamer or smaller, it creates tons of depth but also a whole bunch of difficult lineup decisions.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong isn’t walking at all lately, but when you have nine home runs and 12 steals through 37 games, I don’t care. He’s made huge strides in his ability to make contact, which makes up for his love of chasing pitches out of the zone. There’s nothing happening that makes me think luck is involved with his production, though obviously we can’t expect this type of production all season. What we have learned, if nothing else, is that his ceiling is higher than we thought it would be and that PCA seems capable of keeping his strikeout rate well under control.
- Luis Robert Jr. is the toughest guy in baseball to rank, but it’s much easier when he’s getting on base more consistently, thanks to an incredible improvement in his walk and chase rates, as reflected in his Decision Value below. LuBob might not keep making decisions at this high of a level, but as long as he is above average more often than he is below it, he could unlock a lot more of his potential.
- Zach Neto is near the top of the lineup, and all is right with the world. The offense still stinks, but it certainly is not because of Neto.
- No one wants to pitch to Marcell Ozuna.
Tier 6
- Welcome back, Ketel Marte! Hopefully, these early off days go away soon as he continues to get back to full strength.
- Welcome back, Corey Seager! He picked up right where he left off and should be locked into your lineup until the next short IL stint (which, according to history, is very likely to happen once or twice more in 2025).
- Ozzie Albies would be more interesting if he was hitting first or second, but Atlanta doesn’t seem that interested in letting him.
- Junior Caminero continues to hit too many balls on the ground, but he should figure it out eventually.
- Lawrence Butler did hit a home run, but he did it out of the sixth spot instead of leadoff. If he continues to bat down there, it hurts his fantasy value in a meaningful way.
Tier 7
There is a net gain of +6 for players in this tier
- Over his last 14 games, Yainer Diaz is hitting .315/.327/.519 with six extra-base hits and 17 combined runs and RBI. That’s the guy we thought we were getting on draft day, it just took a while to see him.
- Willy Adames is showing many signs of life over his last nine games, both under the hood and in the box scores, so if you’ve been patient, you’re being rewarded.
- Spencer Torkelson, Ben Rice, and Tyler Soderstrom aren’t quite as productive as they were at the start of the season, but each is doing enough during these times of lower production to deserve a rank inside the top-75. Guys won’t be at their best every single week, and we learn a lot about their floors during these slower periods. For all three of these guys, the floor is looking pretty darn high.
- If Paul Goldschmidt can keep hitting line drives like this, he will be a much more useful player than we envisioned in March. That said, line drive rates can be very fluky, and he’s only kept a line drive rate above 25% for a full season one time – the shortened 2020 campaign.
Tier 8
- Matt McLain’s strikeout rate continues to be far too high. He isn’t making bad decisions, though. McLain’s issue is purely a struggle to make contact when he swings. That’s a trickier beast to slay than decision-making, so I remain concerned about whether his ratios can recover enough to not hurt you. Also, being this bad at contact for an extended period will inevitably lead to prolonged and brutal slumps (or at least it does for just about every other player with this issue).
- I know Michael Harris II is better than his 51 wRC+, but he hasn’t been able to prove it with any consistency. This is the first drop down the rankings, but more may be on the way.
- Brenton Doyle was severely disappointing in his last homestand, so I am hoping this one goes much more smoothly. If it doesn’t, he may be subjected to further drops down this list in short order.
- Isaac Paredes hasn’t found the home run stroke in his home park yet, but it’s coming. I promise. He was built for this ballpark. Third base is incredibly difficult to fill these days, so the options on the wire aren’t likely enticing enough to try and move on, even in shallower leagues.
Tier 9
- Christian Walker takes a tumble as his walk rate remains below average, his strikeout rate remains above average, and he continues to hit too many ground balls. Fixing even two of those things (which isn’t necessarily a given) would have a profoundly positive impact on his production.
- Logan O’Hoppe is shaping into a catcher with a boatload of power and, to put it in a nice way, variable decision-making and contact skills. If either of those two things can stabilize and be average (or better) more often than not, O’Hoppe probably moves up at least one tier.
- Victor Scott II is a solid add for speed, and the ratios should be pretty decent (though not as good as they have been so far). In points leagues or formats that don’t care about steals, VSII might be more of a replacement-level guy, but I have some hope he can take another step forward as long as he keeps taking walks.
- Luis García Jr. has broken out of his platoon (started against three of the last four lefties), and that makes it a lot easier to keep him rostered.
- Jorge Polanco has slowed down over the last week, but also did finally get some action against a lefty and remains committed to strikeout avoidance.
- I don’t know if Maikel Garcia will ever get to 15 home runs unless he makes yet another jump in fly ball rate, but the improved walk rate and strikeout rates make his floor a lot higher.
Tier 10
For those of you in standard 10- and 12-team leagues, this is where you’ll start finding your replacement level at certain positions, particularly outfield and the middle infield.
- Welcome back, Royce Lewis! You know the drill here; he’s capable of looking like a top-50 hitter and is also both streaky and prone to injury.
- Chandler Simpson is having a hard time getting hits to land (mostly because he has absolutely no pop to speak of and hardly hits anything in the air), but he runs. Assuming the contact ability continues to carry him, the ratios should improve to be at least neutral, if not a positive, and his stolen base upside is the highest in the American League, if not all of baseball. If you don’t care about steals or if you are having issues with RBI, he’s not really worth considering.
- Bo Bichette showed promising signs early, but they’ve mostly evaporated. Just a single home run after 36 games (he had zero at the end of April)
- Masyn Winn gets a big lift despite a bit of a slow week because he’s been promoted to hitting second.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has really slowed the strikeout rate down (though he’s still not walking), and the average exit velocity is up over the last two weeks rather considerably, so I was apparently premature in my assessment that he was entirely replaceable.
- Jacob Wilson is batting first sometimes, and winning that job entirely would be a huge win for him, as his profile is more about getting on base and requires some help to turn it into runs. If he wins that role outright, he’d jump another tier.
- Andy Pages has now hit second and fourth in consecutive games for the best offense in baseball. That gets you moved up the list in a hurry.
- Wilyer Abreu has a cool set of red sliders on his Baseball Savant page, but it doesn’t really change the fact that his history suggests he is a notoriously streaky platoon bat and that so far in 2025, we haven’t seen anything that Abreu hasn’t done before.
- Geraldo Perdomo broke out of his slump much faster than I expected and keeps taking walks at an amazing rate. The power and speed numbers won’t blow you away, but he continues to look like someone much different than the guy we saw in 2022 and 2023, who wasn’t fantasy relevant.
Tier 11
- Welcome back, Tyler Stephenson! He’s played every day since being activated, alternating between catcher and DH, which means he could quickly move up this list thanks to the extra volume compared to other backstops.
- The fact that Taylor Ward is now replaceable in 12-teamers makes me sad, but these slumps are just too deep and too long to wait out.
- Nolan Arenado is looking like he may have shifted into a pure contact-driven hitter, which means he can be a ratio boost
- Nick Kurtz is starting to walk more and strike out less. That’s the first step.
Tier 12
- The Yankees don’t seem like they are prioritizing playing time for Jasson Domínguez. He has a lot of upside and should be held in deeper leagues (especially keeper and dynasty), but in redraft, he’s fairly easy to replace.
- Alec Bohm’s third base eligibility makes him harder to replace, but batting at the bottom of the order instead of the middle, as he did in years past, saps a ton of potential from his ceiling and floor.
- Roughly 25% of Noelvi Marte’s production has come against position players forced into pitching or in Coors. We need to see him produce with consistency against, like, real pitchers.
- Dylan Moore is back and eligible basically everywhere. He’s not a must-add, but if you’ve got a very shallow bench, he can be a replacement-level player for almost your entire lineup.
- Trent Grisham has been leading off for the Yankees, which makes him instantly relevant.
- You can drop Michael Busch. He’ll likely be worthy of addition later on, but he’s a part-time player at a position that has become loaded with talent.
- Jackson Holliday has shown some signs that he’s figuring things out, such as improved plate discipline and a 171 wRC+ over his last 17 games. If you’ve been streaming at second base, you might as well take a chance on the guy formerly known as baseball’s top prospect.
- This is a critical homestand for Michael Toglia, and if it goes poorly, I’ll likely be dropping him off the list entirely. All that power is worthless if you can’t connect.
- If you expected this out of Dane Myers, you should start buying lottery tickets.
- Colt Keith hasn’t been playing against lefties, but three home runs in his last six games have my attention, as does the fact that he’s walked as much as he’s struck out in his last 45 plate appearances.
- Marcus Semien survives one more week, but he is not a must hold for me. I just don’t see a return to being a top-100 hitter, even if he starts making more contact and leads off again.
- Hyeseong Kim has a ton of speed and is a streamer if you need it, though I expect he gets sent down once Tommy Edman returns.
Taxi Squad
Players are listed in no particular order. This list is not every single interesting guy out there, but a running list of players who either almost made the list or who have been topics of interesting conversation.
Catcher
- Carson Kelly (C, CHC) — He’s unlikely to get the necessary playing time to be relevant, but when he does play, he’s been fantastic.
- Miguel Amaya (C, CHC) — See above.
- Joey Bart (C, PIT) — Has some nice stretches for the Bucs after leaving the Giants and is a solid streamer when the matchups work out.
- Alejandro Kirk (C, TOR) — Points league catcher.
- Dillon Dingler (C, DET) — The injury to Jake Rogers makes Dingler the everyday catcher for at least a little while.
- Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — We will probably see stretches where he reminds everyone he can hit the ball hard, but he’s replacement level.
- Austin Wynns (C, CIN) — The ratios are cool, but the fact he plays twice a week is not.
- Drake Baldwin (C, ATL) — Plenty of promise here long term, but the playing time isn’t enough for single-catcher leagues.
- Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI) — Points league catcher.
- Keibert Ruiz (C, WSN) — Points league catcher.
- Sean Murphy (C, ATL) — That power outburst was fun, but he sits every third day, and catcher is deep enough that I no longer think he’s above replacement level in 12-teamers.
First Base
- Jake Burger (1B/3B, TEX) — This was an odd move, as this slump is just part of the package for this type of hitter, but he can’t really be held in standard leagues until we know what the plan is for his return.
- Andrew Vaughn (1B, CWS) — The replacement level at first base has changed dramatically since draft day, and Vaughn is firmly below it in too many leagues.
- Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA) — Points league contributor who would need to reinvent himself to hit more home runs.
- Matt Mervis (1B, MIA) — As with many other guys in this part of the article, he’s a free-swinging masher with severe contact issues. The home runs will come and go, and when they go, it will be very ugly.
- Eric Wagaman (1B/3B/OF, MIA) — This contact ability is cool, but this still just feels like a hot streak.
- Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) — The explosion of first base talent makes Mountcastle expendable in 12-teamers.
- Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI) — Walking a whole bunch but also striking out a whole bunch while in a platoon.
Second Base
- Luis Rengifo (2B/3B, LAA) — I’ve waited long enough to see if the steals are coming back. They aren’t, apparently.
- Edouard Julien (2B, MIN) — Back in the minors.
- Travis Bazzana (2B, CLE) — How long will the Guardians stick with Arias and Schneemann at second if the division is as competitive as it was last season?
- Brooks Lee (2B/3B, MIN) — The upside is fairly limited unless he moves up to the top of the order, which I don’t really expect in the near future.
- Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF, TBR) — The production is here, but the strikeout rate is out of control. I don’t trust this.
- Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF, KCR) — Leading off for the Royals sounded like a great gig in March, but the team currently has a 71 wRC+ (worse than the White Sox!) and India himself has an OPS under .600.
- Brandon Lowe (2B, TBR) — Between being platooned, striking out a ton, and not hitting, it’s hard to justify rostering him in 12-teamers.
- Luisangel Acuña (2B, NYM) — He’s sitting more than I’d like to see, but if that gets fixed, he can make it back to the list.
- Trevor Story (2B, BOS) — Still healthy, but looks very rough.
- Gavin Lux (2B/OF, CIN) — The hot streak was cool but also fairly short in the grand scheme of things.
Third Base
- Joey Ortiz (3B/SS, MIL) — Does just enough in four of the five hitting categories to be relevant. If this list were for OBP, he might crack the end of it.
- Matt Shaw (3B, CHC) — No need to hold in 12-team redraft leagues. Shaw could be successful, but quality of contact is a tricky demon to slay.
- Connor Norby (3B, MIA) — Swings hard and misses often.
- Gabriel Arias (3B, CLE) — He’s an aggressive hitter with extreme contact issues in the zone. It’s a tale as old as time and almost always turns out the same way (a streamer when hot and a drop when not).
- Jace Jung (3B, DET) — He’s playing daily and walking a ton, but he’ll need to actually hit before I care.
- Caleb Durbin (3B, MIL) — Solid points league play (if you lose points for strikeouts) as he’ll put a ton of balls in play and he has the upside to steal 15-20 bases, but the power is very limited and it may take some time before Durbin shows decent ratios.
- Max Muncy (3B, LAD) — You can keep holding in deeper OBP leagues if you’d like.
- Cam Smith (3B/OF, HOU) — Back to a part-time role.
Shortstop
- Jordan Lawlar (SS, ARI) — Absolutely raking in the minors but doesn’t have a clear everyday role in the majors yet. Worth stashing.
- Javier Báez (SS/3B/OF, DET) — Don’t look now, but Javy is doing stuff and is not the worst decision-maker in the league. He’s not a GOOD decision-maker, but he’s not the worst.
- Trey Sweeney (SS, DET) — Swinging a hot bat with modest pop and speed with much improved plate discipline.
- Zach McKinstry (2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) — Striking out a lot of late and not walking, which is not great for a player who has a very low ceiling.
Outfield/DH
- Roman Anthony (OF, BOS) — He’s the top prospect in a top-heavy Boston system and should get a chance to play at some point this summer.
- Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, MIN) — He’s possibly the most passive hitter I’ve ever seen, and it’s tough to make that work in the majors (especially if you have contact issues), but he hits the ball hard and has a lot of buzz right now.
- Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If he ever hits the ball in the air, I’ll be interested. That is not what is happening as of right now.
- Jake Fraley (OF, CIN) — He’ll find a way to steal 20 bases again and hit .250-.260, but everything else is a crapshoot.
- Trevor Larnach (OF, MIN) — In a full-time role again but production is a little slow still and I don’t think I trust this offense.
- Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SFG) — The definition of a replacement-level fantasy outfielder in 12-teamers.
- Gavin Sheets (DH, SDP) — He’s a platoon bat who has power and contact issues. There are a lot of these guys in the league and he is certainly one of them. All of his stats are essentially from a single night.
- Zac Veen (OF, COL) — The Rockies gave him regular time, but Veen isn’t ready to hit major league stuff yet.
- Michael Conforto (OF, LAD) — Droppable in mixed leagues.
- Jake McCarthy (OF, ARI) — Every time we think we understand his trajectory, it changes dramatically.
- Jorge Soler (OF, LAA) — Batting third is cool but the lack of walks and increased strikeouts are brutal.
- Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Wasn’t hitting all that well in the minors so not ready to buy in quite yet.
- Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) — Love the flair and flash, but not the strikeouts or injury issues.
IL Stashes
Players are listed by position and not by projected value.
- Iván Herrera (C, STL) — Should be back this weekend. Expect him ranked somewhere around 110-120.
- Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — Huge bummer. Injuries and slumps have plagued these early seasons.
- Spencer Horwitz (1B/2B, PIT) — He’ll be in the everyday lineup almost immediately on his return. Has enough plate discipline and contact to be roster-worthy.
- Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B, SDP) — No need to stash him unless you have a deep IL.
- Thairo Estrada (2B, COL) — Should be the everyday guy again when healthy, and while it ain’t exciting, it’s honest work.
- Ha-Seong Kim (2B/SS, TBR) — Should be back by June and ready to swipe bags.
- Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT) — I’m intrigued by the huge step forward he made with his strikeout rates last season.
- Tommy Edman (2B/OF, LAD) — Hopefully won’t be out long and should be held.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B/OF, NYY) — It’s gonna be two months or so, but with third base being such a tough spot to fill, I’d hold.
- Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL) — No longer a hold.
- Tyler Fitzgerald (SS/OF, SFG) — Droppable.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — I think he can quickly make people forget that lackluster 2024. Let’s also not forget that he’s barely 27 and in the prime of his career.
- Teoscar Hernández (OF, LAD) — Must hold.
- Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — Must hold.
- Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Hitting the 60-day IL is rough, but he’ll play when he’s back this summer.
- Giancarlo Stanton (DH, NYY) — We have no idea when he’s even going to begin baseball activities, so he’s only relevant if you have unlimited IL spots.
- Colton Cowser (OF, BAL) — No longer a must-hold in 12-teamers.
- Josh Lowe (OF, TBR) — Oblique strains are always tough, as if being on the Rays wasn’t enough of a challenge in terms of secure playing time.
- Victor Robles (OF, SEA) — Oof, he’s likely out until July. In leagues with a tight IL, he’s possibly a drop.
- Jonny DeLuca (OF, TBR) — Likely to miss two to four weeks, just enough time to make the Tampa Bay roster an even bigger mess than it is already.
- Matt Wallner (OF, MIN) — Hammys are always a little tricky. You don’t NEED to stash him if your IL is full, especially if it’s a format that only requires three outfielders (or four if it’s a 10-teamer).
- Lane Thomas (OF, CLE) — Not a must-hold at this time.
- Austin Hays (OF, CIN) — He’s had an amazing start but also Hays is notoriously streaky with backbreaking slumps so don’t assume he’ll pick up where he left off.
- Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU) — Alvarez is one of the league’s best hitters and will be worth waiting for.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)
