Tiered fantasy baseball rankings for each position
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With the fresh fantasy baseball season approaching, Yahoo expert Scott Pianowski put together some tiered rankings that can be used for salary cap drafts, snake drafts, keeper decisions or merely a view of how the position ebbs and flows.
Below, you'll find a preview of each position.
CATCHER
Big tickets: Cal Raleigh, William Contreras, Shea Langeliers, Hunter Goodman
Raleigh’s expected regression season will likely bring him down to something like a .235 average with 40 homers. The Mariners will use him every day, giving him DH time when he needs a defensive rest. Last year was more fun on the road, away from the Marine layer: .267/.380/.619, with 32 of the home runs. The depth of the catcher position keeps me from taking Raleigh in Round 2, while still respecting him as a rankings outlier. FULL STORY >>
FIRST BASE
Big tickets: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Nick Kurtz, Matt Olson, Pete Alonso, Bryce Harper
Guerrero’s production has bounced all over the place through his quirky career, but I have no problem paying up for a three-year average of .293/.374/.485. And this is a guy who comes to play every night, missing just 18 games in the past six seasons. Maybe Guerrero will never become the superstar he was tabbed as a prospect — or the superstar he’s paid to be — but there’s something to be said for a bankable floor. FULL STORY >>
SECOND BASE
Big tickets: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ketel Marte, Maikel Garcia, Brice Turang, Nico Hoerner, Jose Altuve
The re-signing of Cody Bellinger means the Yankees will have a lefty-heavy lineup again, and MLB managers tend to separate lefty swingers to avoid platoon disadvantages. Thus, Chisholm could be batting as low as sixth on Opening Day. But 30-30 commodities don’t fall from trees, and Chisholm still might have a career year percolating as he steps into his age-28 season. He’s worth second-round consideration and a snap-call pick in the third. FULL STORY >>
SHORTSTOP
Big tickets: Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Zach Neto, Trea Turner, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor
In what can fairly be termed an off year, Witt still led the Majors in hits and doubles and was the seventh-most valuable hitter for 5x5 leagues. The Kansas City lineup has an upgraded feel to it, with eight of its primary starters expected to be league average or better. Witt likely hasn’t peaked yet, about to enter his age-26 season. FULL STORY >>
THIRD BASE
Big tickets: José Ramírez, Junior Caminero, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Manny Machado, Austin Riley
Ramírez already has nine toes in the Hall of Fame, and he’s routinely one of the 10 best players in baseball. But you get queasy when you look at the rest of the Cleveland lineup, most of the same names from the team that was 28th in runs scored a year ago. Ramírez is also stepping into his age-33 season, which makes me careful with his stolen-base projection. In short, love the player, hate the setup. I’ll want my first offensive pick to be tied to a loaded offense, and Ramírez won’t have that. FULL STORY >>
OUTFIELD
Big tickets: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Kyle Tucker, Ronald Acuña Jr., Corbin Carroll, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Chourio, Kyle Schwarber, Brent Rooker, James Wood
Note: Ohtani (the batter version) only qualifies at the utility position in Yahoo formats. Pianowski has included him in the outfield
You’re welcome to break the Judge/Ohtani tie any way you like. They’ll obviously go 1-2 in some order in most leagues. Judge is three years older, but Ohtani also carries the strain of his side pitching assignments. Both players are supported by deep lineups behind them. Ohtani’s 59 steals from two years ago proved to be an outlier; he did it for fun once, but probably now recognizes it doesn’t make sense to run that aggressively in the regular season. More than any other club in baseball, the Dodgers start each year with October health in mind. FULL STORY >>
STARTING PITCHER
Big tickets: Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet, Cristopher Sánchez, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hunter Brown, Logan Webb, Logan Gilbert, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale
If you’re open to a high-priced ace but would prefer to start with a hitter, pray that Crochet slips to the second part of your draft. He’s in the prime of his career, tied to a team expected to contend for the playoffs and not reliant on a max-velocity fastball. Crochet will also be helped by his defense — the infield might be in flux, but the outfielders are all excellent, and the catching is also above average. Crochet was a little homer-prone at Fenway but still dominant there, and no one touched him on the road (2.25/1.00). The Red Sox were right to go all-in on Chris Sale once upon a time, and history repeated itself when it cleared out the prospect chest for Crochet last year. FULL STORY >>
RELIEF PITCHER
Big tickets: Edwin Díaz, Mason Miller, Cade Smith, Andrés Muñoz, Jhoan Duran, Aroldis Chapman, Devin Williams
The Dodgers have had a checkered closer history during the Dave Roberts era, so they decided to throw resources at the problem this year and get Díaz, one of the automatics at the position. Díaz’s velocity and strikeout rate have dropped slightly since the patellar injury that cost him the 2023 season, but he’s still popping the gun over 97 mph and striking out batters at an elite rate. Into his age-32 season, it’s too early to worry about skills declining. FULL STORY >>