Expect more of the same in 2023. The biggest downside is that he most likely does not have OF eligibility in your league, so make sure your UTIL slot is free for him. With a current ADP of 93, the 25-year-old should produce good value for fantasy managers who focus on position scarcity in the early rounds. However, he threw 166 innings, struck out 219 batters, and maintained a 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to finish fourth in Cy Young voting. Jose Ramirez remains criminally underrated, considering his productivity remains fantasy relevant across categories. He pitches for a terrible team in an extremely hitter-friendly ballpark, so there will be growing pains, but if he harnesses his talent, he will be a steal at his current ADP. He should give fantasy teams consistent production from a position where that is almost impossible to find. Really, unless you are playing in a stolen base premium league, Alvarez offers little downside heading into 2023. The annual Fantasy Extra issue of USA TODAY. 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. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. Guys like Edwin Diaz, Emmanuel Clase, Josh Hader and Ryan Pressly are just some of the elite closers who still maintain a stranglehold on their teams' ninth-inning role. 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. A lot of things went wrong for Giancarlo Stanton in 2022. Alexis Diaz is already named the official closer for the Reds, which isn't a testament to his RP prowess, considering Cinci is going nowhere fast. LSU 5. 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. Nola is in the last year of his contract with the Phillies, so he will have plenty of motivation to demonstrate his ability to serve as the ace of any staff. He's another pitcher who will be a nice SP4 or SP5 to add later in drafts to help balance your ratios. He had identical WHIPs of 1.08 and has started more than 30 games in four of the past five seasons (excluding 2020). The 22 home runs came out of nowhere, as he had only 18 in his three-year minor league career. His batting average was .238 which perfectly matched his xBA. If you have the IL spots, his current ADP of around 130 makes sense. 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. Fantasy managers should hope he drops to the sixth or seventh round to maximize his value. He hit 31 HR in 451 plate appearances with 78 RBI. His ERA made the expected leap up to 3.71, but his BB% stayed in the single digits, meaning he may have repaired his proverbial Achilles heel for good. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. Which starting pitchers deserve a first-round grade? He also struggled defensively, which could lead to more time at third base, depending on how Kansas City wants to play him. Jose Altuve's fantasy baseball demise has been prematurely predicted for a couple of years now. 2023 Fantasy Baseball: Top 150 rankings for Dynasty leagues, as determined by value rating system Rankings for those who value the future as much as the present By Scott White Jan 9, 2023. Jorge Polanco had an injury-plagued 2022 which undermined the fact that his stats when healthy were on par with his 2021 season. Fantasy managers need only remember that his days of 30 starts are long gone, and he will have one or two IL stints during the season. The 13.3% HR/FB ratio should correct, and if he maintains an improved K% and HardHit%, he will be an absolute steal at his current ADP. The 28-year-old's numbers were lower than what fantasy managers had come to expect, losing 31 points off his batting average and dropping his OBP from .371 to .325. Willson Contreras signed a 5-year, $87.5 million deal with the Cardinals and will presumably bat in an advantageous position in their lineup. The 31-year-old turned his Statcast page crimson, landing in the 92nd percentile in xSLG and xwOBA, two important categories to show out in. Here we have provided the baseball 2023 players:- Paul Goldschmidt Freddie Freeman Vladimir Gurrero Jose Abreu Pete Alonso Matt Olson Ty France Nathaniel Lowe Luis Arraez Rhys Hoskins Corbin Burnes Justin Verlanders Carlos Rodon Max Scherzer Sandy Alcantara Shohei Ohtani Max. Barlow will still get his fair share of save opportunities, but this smells like a closer by committee to start the season. Giolito is only 28 years old, and his ADP puts him somewhere around the 13th round. Blake Snell pitched exactly the same number of innings in 2022 as he did in 2021, but he slashed three percentage points off his walk rate to lower his ERA and WHIP to fantasy-relevant levels. 2023 600 PA / 200 IP Projections . His homers fell from 31 to 27 as a result, but he increased his runs and RBI by 11 each, and he stole 25 bases to boot. He might be the best SP2 on the board and available in the sixth round in most drafts. Instead, we have reality, and the reality is that deGrom started only 11 games and pitched 64 1/3 innings, both of which are lower numbers than in the truncated 2020 season. a head start on your fantasy baseball research, This should be another exciting season, and our analysts' draft rankings can help you build a potent, championship-worthy team. He should also get to move back to the infield and play 1B now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. Joe Musgrove has been a picture of pitching consistency over the past two seasons, with his stats almost eerily similar. Raise your hand if you cursed at and/or traded Bo Bichette prior to the All-Star Break last season! His primary category contributions are runs (95) and stolen bases (32). 2023 MLB power rankings: Houston Astros No. There is hope that the White Sox have realized that Eloy Jimenez is a designated hitter and will deploy him as such in an effort to keep the 26-year-old healthy. He still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. After signing an 8-year, $168 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson did his best to replace franchise icon Freddie Freeman in one of the weirder series of transactions in recent memory. He only pitched 153 innings; he missed time due to a diagnosis of Raynaud's Syndrome, which affected the index, middle, and ring fingers on his pitching hand. Chris Bassitt is the exact type of high floor/low ceiling starting pitcher that you draft to your roster in a later round and then don't worry about. His .237 BABIP is due for some regression, and his xFIP was 3.77. He isn't going to do anything flashy (8.27 K/9), but he shouldn't do much to harm your numbers. Carlos Rodon celebrated turning 30 by signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees, and it's not hard to see why New York was willing to pay him. 2023 first base rankings: With reigning MVP Paul Goldschmidt, position packs a punch Second base rankings Two players stand out above the crowd at second base . His counting stats should get a boost, batting in one of the best lineups in baseball, and if his home runs correct at all, he will serve as a nice corner infield piece on fantasy squads. He did cut down on his strikeout rate, but he can be something of a free swinger. However, the 25-year-old smashed 30 HR with 107 RBI, 71 runs, and 25 stolen bases in 2022 en route to another World Series win for the Astros. He's going about 80 spots before Jorge Lopez, the actual closer, and handcuffing them isn't the worst idea. While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. Vaughn has underestimated power and maintains a good batting average. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. Scherzer started only 23 games in 2022 due to a couple of oblique issues that kept him on the shelf for a couple of IL stints. 15 TCU and No. The catcher position is notoriously shallow so drafting a guy capable of hitting 30+ homers still ranks as a solid move. He played in 84 games last season, slashing .295/.358/.500 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, and 40 runs. Beyond that, Alcantara threw 228 innings with a 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 207 strikeouts, winning the NL Cy Young with all 30 first-place votes. He led the league in strikeouts with 257 of them in 200 2/3 innings, kept his WHIP at 1.02, and carried an xFIP of 2.77, meaning his ratios were slightly inflated. His glove will keep him in a strong Blue Jays lineup, and his OBP may rise as his wOBA was 38 points higher without the shift. The 153 innings were down from 213 1/3 in 2021, but this is actually encouraging in that the Phillies were cognizant of his usage. While his BB% is higher than we'd like from a truly elite closer, he creates weak contact thanks to a 99-mph cutter. But Lodolo is a strikeout machine (131 in 103 innings) and has the stuff to improve on his rookie numbers with a full season. He struck out 210 batters with a regular-season ERA of 1.75 and a microscopic WHIP of 0.83. With everyday playing time, 2023 could be a big year of growth for the 24-year-old. Our 2023 fantasy baseball first base rankings for points leagues and H2H points scoring as of March 2, 2023. He pitched 185 2/3 innings, striking out 174 batters with a 3.20 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The calendar has now turned to 2023 and that means the Fantasy Baseball season is getting closer every day. Judge is the guy if fantasy managers want to shore up their slugging early. Feb 17, 2023 As a reminder, fantasy baseball rankings aren't as simple as fantasy football rankings. The 27-year-old slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 HR, 76 RBI, and 74 runs scored in 157 games. All said, Turner isn't a unanimous choice for the No. Nick Lodolo arrived on the scene and shortly thereafter hit the IL with a back injury. With no clear-cut SP1 in fantasy this season, Burnes is a solid choice, as he will buoy your pitching categories while pitching in front of a Top 10 defensive team. While his HR total dropped to 21, his runs (117), RBI (100), and SB (13) kept him in the fantasy MVP conversation. He could pop double-digit homers, but all fantasy managers need to care about is that he keeps running well (23-for-26 SB in 2022) and with impunity. He pitched 72 2/3 innings, striking out 77, and maintaining a microscopic 1.36 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. He will turn 26 in May, and 2023 will show us what kind of long-term fantasy asset he may be. Top 100 Keepers for 2023 - Relievers| Starters| Catchers| 1st Basemen| 2nd Basemen| Shortstops| 3rd Basemen| Left Fielders| Center Fielders| Right Fielders Top 200 Dynasty Rankings - 200-176| 175-151| 150-126| 125-101| 100-76| 75-51| 50-26| 1-25 Riley sits in the 95th percentile or higher in HardHit%, xSLG, Barrel%, avgEV, MaxEV, and xwOBA, which puts him in a tiny group of batters who can provide power numbers without destroying your ratios. Be prepared for a letdown if you reach too high for him. His ratios were down across the board, but he improved his K% and BB% and suffered from some bad luck with BABIP. Beyond that, Semien has played in 155 games or more in six of the past seven seasons (excluding 2020). 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. He finished as 1B15 last year, but there is a good chance he could move up the chart with his impending free agency looming. He still struck out 198 batters in 200 innings, but his true value was in his 2.88 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He batted third or fourth for most of 2022, but his skillset reads like a No. Draft him and enjoy. Bautista is a Tier 2 closer worth targeting in drafts. The managers who. Ozzie Albies played in only 64 games in 2022, losing time to a broken foot and then a broken pinkie finger. He is near the bottom of the league in K%, Whiff%, BB%, and chase rate. George Kirby arrived in the majors in 2022 and immediately showed off his meticulous control which led to a 6.05 K:BB ratio. Ke'Bryan Hayes might have some good power hiding inside his offensive toolbox, but if you draft him for steals and batting average help, you'll feel much better about him in your lineup. 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. Someone in your league will reach for him during the draft. Jeremy Pena arrived to Houston and promptly hit 22 HR and stole 11 bases. Fantasy managers are scared because of injury risk or age, but Stanton is going to mash.