Right now, Williams is the clear choice to get the first crack at them and rack up strikeouts for your team while doing so. He will turn 33 in May, and we have been waiting for him to show signs of decline; instead, he just keeps on keeping on. Montgomery is never going to strike out a ton of batters, but he maintains good ratios and has started 30+ games in the last two years. He struck out 88 batters in 65 2/3 innings while maintaining a 2.19 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Jake McCarthy is a vessel for stolen bases in the later rounds of drafts. By that, we mean that chances are good that Minnesota will use him in high-leverage situations, no matter which late inning that might be. Altuve somehow continues to have some upside while the most solid floor of the second basemen in fantasy drafts. Milwaukee is a pitching-heavy team that will offer plenty of save opportunities. Suzuki struggled to adjust to the different levels of pitching, but he is a prime candidate for a bounceback season. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 catchers Check out how the fantasy baseball catcher position shakes out for 2023 draft season in our expert rankings. He bats in the middle of a stacked Dodgers lineup, driving in 87 runs and swatting 24 home runs. Wander Franco will only be 22 years old when the first pitch of the MLB season is thrown. His K% (25.9) and BB% (7.1) need improvement, but at age 22, he has plenty of time to work on these numbers. Before last season, the fantasy community almost unanimously labeled him a second-year bust, but the 29-year-old responded by improving his slash line across the board. All of that is to say that the 31-year-old cannot be counted on for exceptional, ace-like numbers. He looked lost in a lineup that should have been a bastion of productivity, and fantasy managers everywhere panicked. Pablo Lopez started 32 games for the hapless Marlins in 2022 and threw 180 innings with 174 strikeouts, a 3.75 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP. Anderson hits for a high average and doesn't strike out much, which puts him on base and with great baserunning instinct (81% career success rate). Batters did hit him a little harder when they did make contact, and he had a career-high 1.26 HR/9, but the rest of his Statcast profile still shines bright red. The 24-year-old nabbed 14 saves last season, and he is listed as part of the three-headed Mariners committee with Paul Sewald and Diego Castillo. Julio Rodriguez led the 2022 youth movement throughout MLB, skipping Triple-A to win Rookie of the Year with 29 of 30 first-place votes and electrifying the crowd at the HR Derby in July. Default = Experts with most recent updates. That's the bad. Beyond that, Semien has played in 155 games or more in six of the past seven seasons (excluding 2020). He stands at 6-foot, 190 pounds with premium athleticism on the mound. Bautista is a Tier 2 closer worth targeting in drafts. Tyler Glasnow was having an outstanding season in 2021 before requiring Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old will give fantasy managers six innings in most games, and he will anchor your SP ratios to sit in the 2.70/1.05 range. He gives up more HR than fantasy managers would like (1.22 HR/9 last year), but he balances that with a 9.24 K/9 and 2.88 BB/9. Acuna should return to his former self with the extra time post-surgery. In his age-29 season, he played 155 games, led the NL in home runs with 46, scored 100 runs, drove in 94, and stole 10 bases. Kevin Askeland Feb 16, 2023 Active baseball coaches with most wins Triston McKenzie reduced his BB/9 from 4.35 to 2.07 in 2022, skyrocketing up fantasy rankings and boosting the pitching staff for any manager who rolled the dice on him. Gerrit Cole demonstrated some decline in 2022, allowing 1.48 HR/9 on his way to a 3.50 ERA and a career-high total in homers allowed with 33. Get complete stats for players from your favorite team and league on CBSSports.com The Tampa Bay Rays . He deserves a high draft pick - just recognize some slight regression may be on the horizon. His primary category contributions are runs (95) and stolen bases (32). The 30-year-old pitched 150 innings after beginning the season on the shelf, and his numbers were markedly improved from his 2021 campaign. Cole will typically pitch into the sixth inning, meaning he qualifies for wins and quality starts more often than not, and the Yankees should win an abundance of games in 2023. Brady Singer is a 26-year-old unfinished product who flashed some excellent skills in 2022. When he returned, he dazzled fantasy managers with his 11.41 K/9 and 3.49 xFIP. In 153 innings, the 31-year-old struck out 163 batters and ended the campaign with a 2.82 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Gleyber Torres hit 24 HR in 2022, 15 more than he managed in 2021 while using an increased launch angle and a 10.7% barrel rate. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. He only played in 119 games due to a rare and persistent back injury that will require more rest days going forward, even when healthy. Even accounting for some increase in ERA, his xFIP last year was 3.30, so the underlying metrics don't suggest extreme regression. The Yankees were the best team in Defensive Runs Saved, which furthered his effectiveness. While he is not an SP1, he carries a lot of good assets as an SP2 for 2023 and can be expected to finish in the general vicinity of 2022's numbers. The issue for fantasy managers is that he hasn't been durable, crossing the 150-game mark only once in his entire career. He'll make it worth your patience. The good is that he hits the cover off the ball when he does make contact, sitting in the 97th percentile of HardHit%. While his chances of repeating 40+ saves are low, he enters the season as THE guy in Boston and should be one of the Top 10 closers off the board. Prospect Rankings. Injury-averse fantasy managers missed out on Zac Gallen's first healthy season in 2022, which saw him start 31 games and throw 184 innings. So, go subscribe to the Fantasy Six Pack YouTube channel and turn on notifications to get an alert each time a new video is released!. Boston ranked 30th in 2019, one year after winning 108 regular-season games and a World Series title. News. The first overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft responded with four homers, 12 runs, 18 RBI, and one stolen base while carrying an xwOBA of .338. Therein lies the problem, of course. *Rankings for 2023 Grad and younger are available to Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports and Scout subscribers. Zack Wheeler returned from his 2021 Cy Young runner-up campaign and defended his position as a top starting pitcher in fantasy baseball. His fifth season in MLB saw a slight decline in hitting stats (34 HR, 95 RBI, .273/.356/.519) (and yes, that was a decline). While he may not hit 30 bombs again, he is a middle infielder who will protect your slash line and should land in the 25/75/75 range in counting stats. He struggled with the Padres, slashing .236/.388/.390 with only six homers and 16 RBI in 52 games, but he also took a trip to the NLCS. Valdez has more value in fantasy leagues where quality starts are a category because his pitching repertoire lends itself to more groundouts than strikeouts. It will be very important to keep track of where Happ is batting in the revamped Cubs lineup. Alex Bregman started 2022 off slowly, but his bat came alive in the second half of the season. In 2022, Sandy Alcantara had Jacob deGrom on speed dial to discuss coping strategies for receiving little to no run support during a dominant pitching season. Schwarber batted leadoff for the vast majority of the season, but the acquisition of Trea Turner will most likely move him down in the order. There is a real chance that Patrick Corbinthe same guy who went 6-19 with a 6.31 ERA in 152.2 innings last seasonis going to be the Opening Day starter for the . Whether he was lost in the Aaron Judge hoopla or continues to squander an incredible career on a terrible team (hint: it's the latter), Trout went about his business as he always has. His K/9 rate dipped to 8.24, but his BB/9 improved from 3.22 to 2.33. Dave Roberts used him strategically as a DH, which gave the 27-year-old 578 plate appearances without him wearing down like catchers often do. Willy Adames had the second-most home runs by a shortstop (31) in 2022, finishing only two behind Corey Seager for the lead. He does not overpower hitters, but they struggle to make good contact against his three-pitch mix. While he may not be a slam dunk high-round pick, his upside makes him worthy of his ADP. Our 2023 fantasy baseball first base rankings for points leagues and H2H points scoring as of March 2, 2023. He may suffer some of the typical rookie issues, but all signs point to a quick adjustment and solid fantasy production. 13, Hendrix 12, Johns Hopkins 11, St. John Fisher 11, Middlebury 10, Rhodes 10 . From August til the end of the season, however, he carried a 2.43 ERA and returned to his low-walk, low-HR self. Pitchers and catchers report this week and Spring Training games are not very far away. Fantasy baseball draft season is upon us! Daniel Bard saved 34 saves for the hapless Colorado Rockies last year, and they rewarded him with a two-year extension. He has never played fewer than 125 games in a full season, including the six years before the arrival of the NL DH, where he got some extra at-bats on days off. Two IL stints in 2022 are the only thing suppressing McClanahan's draft value in 2023. Realmuto's price. Webb utilized his slider and changeup more last season, which helped to protect his ERA and WHIP. Other bad news includes a Statcast page that is almost entirely blue, meaning he was ineffective in almost every meaningful statistical category during his first season in Philadelphia. He had nine NDs, giving up an average of 1.5 earned runs while pitching more than six innings in all but one. Class of 2023. He is a risky SP2 and would be a much safer pick as a third or fourth starter. Of note, he increased his stolen bases, and this trend could continue in 2023 with the new baserunning rules. Injuries limited Freddy Peralta to only 78 innings in 2022, but he put up elite numbers when he did take the mound. His primary downfall when it comes to fantasy value is his 58.6% ground ball rate, which limits his HR and RBI totals. He had an ERA of 4.90 but an xFIP of 3.66. Fantasy baseball draft season is here now that MLB Opening Day is only a few weeks away, and bet.NOLA.com has positional rankings beginning with first base and third base . He ended with an ERA of 3.19 and WHIP of 1.16, and 174 strikeouts in 180 1/3 innings. He struck out 167 batters on his way to a sub-3.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. As a reward for that performance, he signed a two-year contract with the Mets so he and Max Scherzer can arm wrestle for who gets to call themselves the staff's ace. Additionally, the acquisition of Xander Bogaerts, a more relaxed Juan Soto, and a returning, ringworm-free Fernando Tatis Jr. surround him in the Padres lineup. The only question for fantasy managers is whether or not you believe he can stay healthy. The 29-year-old does not fit the profile of a truly elite closer, but he should collect another 30 saves, securing a good base in 5x5 leagues. He is exactly the type of guy you wait for once you've built up your other categories. When the Yankees traded Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis for an injured Harrison Bader at the deadline, it seemed like somewhat of a baffling move, especially as he tore up the NL Central upon arrival. Fantasy players need to note two important things: (1) The change from pitcher-friendly Oracle Park to hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium will have some elevated effect to his ERA; and (2) Beware of drafting an oft-injured pitcher coming off a career year. . He also now has the security of an 11-year, $331 million contract to stay with the only team he's been on, though whether or not that impacts his performance remains to be seen. He collected 37 saves, while pitching 57 2/3 innings and striking out 85 batters. He missed some time with a right forearm strain; though there were no immediate signs of this lingering issue, it is something to take into consideration. Just make sure you have enough IL slots. His Statcast page is filled with red in every area except barrel% and sprint speed. The other news is that his fastball velocity and K% decreased while his BB% increased. To see all the great stories in this issue, CLICK HERE. Reports also surfaced that he had turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from Washington, and soon, the HR Derby winner headed to San Diego with expectations as big as the contract he turned down. He is an injury risk after playing in 136 last year and only 96 the year before. Cron hit 22 home runs with a .302 average and .400 wOBA when he played at Coors Field in 2022. Torres played a much better second base than shortstop, and he should have a lock on the position. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash. How rankings are created. His ratios were down across the board, but he improved his K% and BB% and suffered from some bad luck with BABIP. The first half of 2022 found him in a terrible lineup, so opposing pitchers walked him 95 times in 436 plate appearances. His xERA was 3.51, but his xFIP was 2.98, which is encouraging for 2023. Recruit's Nat Rank. He started 24 games and threw 153 1/3 innings while maintaining a 3.23 ERA (3.30 xFIP) and 1.14 WHIP. The catcher position is notoriously shallow so drafting a guy capable of hitting 30+ homers still ranks as a solid move. The good . In 2022, Kenley Jansen led the NL in saves with 41. His slash line was impressive at .284/.345/.509 with a wOBA of .366. After the ASB, he hit the IL with a back strain and had four saves, an ERA of 4.44, and a 25:13 K:BB ratio. 2023 Consensus Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings By Fantrax Staff On Feb 14, 2023 Spring has sprung!