Baseball is baaaaaaack…almost. But it’s never too soon to start talking about it, especially when you’re talking about fantasy baseball. The Dodgers may have had the best offseason and have the best roster, but their players’ fantasy values have dropped like a ton of bricks off the Golden Gate bridge. The White Sox players, however…wait, no. Their value is about as low as Jose Altuve is tall. Some major free agents still have not signed, and depending on where they go their value could skyrocket or drop. If they wait too long to sign, watch out for injuries. So, let’s go position by position and talk about sleepers, don’t drafts, and top tier players. Each position group will mention ESPN’s rankings of the top 20 players in that position for points leagues, but I may mention a few players not in the top 20. I’ll start by mentioning the top tier talent, then move to sleepers, and conclude with do not drafts. Beginning with the catchers we have:
- William Contreras
- Adley Rutschman
- Yainer Diaz
- Will Smith
- Salvador Perez
- Cal Raleigh
- Francisco Alvarez
- Shea Langeliers
- JT Realmuto
- Willson Contreras
- Keibert Ruiz
- Tyler Stephenson
- Gabriel Moreno
- Austin Wells
- Logan O’Hoppe
- Alejandro Kirk
- Sean Murphy
- Jonah Heim
- Connor Wong
- Ryan Jeffers
Top Tier: Catchers have a very short top tier list that contains William Contreras and Adley Rutschman. William, not to be confused with Willson, had a slash line of .281/.365/.466, with an OPS of .831 and 23 homers. Adley hit .250, with a .318 on base percentage and a .391 slugging percentage. He also had 19 home runs and a .709 OPS. I put him with Contreras because the Orioles are moving in their left field wall by 9-20 feet, which should increase Rutschman’s home run production.
Sleepers: Two catchers stand out as clear sleepers on this list: Logan O’Hoppe and Willson Contreras. O’Hoppe, ranked fifteenth above, had a .244/.303/.409 slash line with 20 homers and a .712 OPS. However, before his injury, he was one of the best hitters on the Angels. This is going to be his breakout year. Willson Contreras, while ranked tenth, has the potential to be a top five catcher this year. With his positional move to first base, he should avoid injury and hover around his 2024 slash line of .262/.380/.468 and 15 homers with a .848 OPS. Yes, I will also mention Willson in the first base rankings.
Do not drafts: I have one player that you should avoid like Woodruff Road during rush hour. Sean Murphy. Please, do not draft him. I don’t know why he’s even on the top 20 list. He splits time and had a .193 average last year (whomp, whomp, whoooooomp).
First Baseman
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- Freddie Freeman
- Bryce Harper
- Matt Olson
- Josh Naylor
- Pete Alonso
- Luis Arraez
- Christian Walker
- Vinnie Pasquantino
- Cody Bellinger
- Salvador Perez
- Spencer Steer
- Jake Cronenworth
- Yandy Diaz
- Tristan Casas
- Jake Burger
- Paul Goldschmidt
- Nathaniel Lowe
- Michael Busch
- Andrew Vaughn
Top Tier: Guerrero, Freeman, and Harper are all top tier, and clearly the top of the chain at first base. Guerrero had a slash line .323/.396/.544 and 30 homers with a .940 OPS. Freeman hit .282 with a .378 on base percentage and a .476 slugging percentage. He also hit 22 homers and had a .854 OPS. Harper had another outstanding year, hitting .285 with a .373 on base percentage and a .525 OPS. He had 30 homers and an .898 OPS as well. Freeman, however, may start to struggle with injuries, so be careful drafting him too high in the draft.
Sleepers: Jake Burger, who had a .250 average and 29 homers, was traded to the Texas Rangers this offseason. This should give him more RBI potential and more support in the lineup, which should also result in him getting more pitches to hit. Cody Bellinger could also have an amazing year with the Yankees short porch.
Do not drafts: Paul Goldschmidt. Yeah, yeah, he’s in Yankee Stadium with the short fences. But he’s 37 going on 50. He had arguably the biggest fall-off of his career last year and with age comes injuries. I would even go as far to say to draft Ryan Mountcastle over him.
Second Baseman
- Ozzie Albies
- Ketel Marte
- Marcus Semien
- Jose Altuve
- Nico Hoerner
- Luis Arraez
- Matt Mclain
- Jonathan India
- Brendan Donovan
- Gleyber Torres
- Jake Cronenworth
- Jackson Holliday
- Maikel Garcia
- Jordan Westburg
- Xander Bogaerts
- Brice Turang
- Andres Gimenez
- Luis Garcia Jr.
- Connor Norby
- Bryson Stott
Top Tier: There is one clear cut top tier second baseman. No, it’s not Albies (I don’t know why he’s number one). It’s Ketel Marte. Last year, he had a .292 average, 36 homers, a .372 on base percentage, a .560 slugging, and a .932 OPS. Those stats are far and away the best at the position.
Sleepers: Nick Gonzales is my biggest sleeper candidate for the second baseman. After getting an opportunity to play every day, he played well for the last two thirds of the season, hitting .270 with 7 homers. Not eye-popping numbers, but with another year of experience he could be a top 12 second baseman going into next year.
Do not drafts: Jonathan India is the only do not draft for me this year. After getting traded to the Royals, India is going to have to deal with the deep Kauffman field walls, which is a major difference from the hitter-friendly Reds stadium. Power numbers should drop, and if India continues to hit under .250, his fantasy numbers will be rough.
Third Baseman
- Jose Ramirez
- Rafael Devers
- Alex Bregman
- Manny Machado
- Nolan Arenado
- Austin Riley
- Isaac Paredes
- Alec Bohm
- Junior Caminero
- Royce Lewis
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- Matt Chapman
- Maikel Garcia
- Max Muncy
- Luis Rengifo
- Mark Vientos
- Jordan Westburg
- Jake Burger
- Joey Ortiz
- Eugenio Suarez
Top Tier: Jose Ramirez is the clear-cut, top third baseman this year. Ramirez had an average of .279, 39 homers, 41 stolen bases, a .335 on base percentage, and an .872 OPS.
Sleepers: Mark Vientos should have a great year this year, assuming Pete Alonso doesn’t sign back with the Mets (Update: Pete Alonso has since signed for the Mets). He should start everyday, and he has already shown he can be a force in the lineup for the Mets. Last year he had a .266 average, 27 home runs, a .322 on base percentage, and an .837 OPS. Connor Norby also might be worth a late round pick, as he hit well towards the end of last season. Josh Jung has potential to be a great hitter for the Rangers, but injuries have kept him off the field. If he stays healthy, he could be a 30 home run threat.
Do no drafts: Royce Lewis. I know, I know, when he’s healthy he’s one of the best hitting third baseman in the game. The problem is his health. If he hasn’t shown you yet, he cannot stay healthy. First he tore ACL in the minors, then he had a multitude of other injuries throughout last season.
Shortstop
- Bobby Witt Jr.
- Mookie Betts
- Gunnar Henderson
- Francisco Lindor
- Corey Seager
- Elly De La Cruz
- Trea Turner
- Willy Adames
- Jeremy Pena
- Matt McLain
- Carlos Correa
- Dansby Swanson
- CJ Abrams
- Masyn Winn
- Xander Bogaerts
- Bo Bichette
- Anthony Volpe
- Xavier Edwards
- Oneil Cruz
- Tommy Edman
Top Tier: The two top tier shortstops this year are Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson. Witt, who had his best year by far last year, had a .332 average, 32 homers, a .389 on base percentage, and a .977 on base percentage. Henderson, who also had a career year, had a slash line of .281/.364/.529 and 37 homers. He also had an OPS of .893.
Sleepers: Ezequiel Tovar had an unexpectedly great season last year, and he should continue to hit well at Coors Field. He hit .269, with 26 homers, a .295 on base percentage, and a .763 OPS.
Do not drafts: One player I don’t trust at all is CJ Abrams. At the end of last year he got sent down to Triple-A because of an off-field related issue. So, unless he matured by 5 years this past offseason, I doubt he will help your fantasy team.
Outfield (Top 60)
- Aaron Judge
- Juan Soto
- Mookie Betts
- Kyle Tucker
- Yordan Alvarez
- Corbin Carroll
- Steven Kwan
- Fernando Tatis Jr.
- Anthony Santander
- Ronald Acuna Jr.
- Jackson Chourio
- Jackson Merrill
- Julio Rodriguez
- Jarren Duran
- Ian Happ
- Wyatt Langford
- Brendan Donovan
- Bryan Reynolds
- Spencer Steer
- Brandon Nimmo
- Michael Harris II
- Christian Yelich
- Jung Hoo Lee
- Jurickson Profar
- Seiya Suzuki
- Cody Bellinger
- Alec Burleson
- Lawrence Butler
- Randy Arozarena
- Riley Greene
- James Wood
- George Springer
- Adolis Garcia
- Taylor Ward
- Teoscar Hernandez
- JJ Bleday
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
- Nick Castellanos
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- Mike Trout
- Dylan Crews
- Parker Meadows
- Oneil Cruz
- Brenton Doyle
- Tommy Edman
- Jake McCarthy
- Kerry Carpenter
- Jorge Soler
- Lars Nootbar
- Wilyer Abreu
- Colton Cowser
- Alex Verdugo
- Andrew Benintendi
- Lane Thomas
- TJ Friedl
- Willi Castro
- Matt Vierling
- Heliot Ramos
- Cedric Mullins
- Sal Frelick
Top Tier: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez are at the top of the outfield class this year. Judge had a slash line of .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and a 1.159 OPS. Soto had a .288/.419/.569 slash line with a .989 OPS and 41 homers.Tucker had a .289 average, 23 home runs (he only played for half of the season), a .408 on base percentage, and a .993 OPS. Alvarez had a .308 average, 35 homers, a .392 on base percentage, and a .959 OPS.
Sleepers: A ranking of 58 seems a little disrespectful to Heliot Ramos. Last year he had a slash line of .269/.322/.469 with 22 homers and a .792 OPS. I also feel like Teoscar Hernandez will outperform his ranking of 35. Last year he had a .272 average, 33 homers, a .339 on base percentage, and a .840 OPS.
Do not drafts: Alex Verdugo. His free agency has gone on too long, making him an injury risk. I would also warn you about drafting George Springer, as his stats are only going down with age. Finally, I would not draft Randy Arozarena. Seattle is a pitcher-friendly park, and Arozerena’s stats last year were not good.
Starting Pitchers (Top 60)
- Shohei Ohtani
- Tarik Skubal
- Zack Wheeler
- Paul Skenes
- Logan Gilbert
- Gerrit Cole
- Dylan Cease
- Corbin Burnes
- Garrett Crochet
- Cole Ragans
- George Kirby
- Chris Sale
- Pablo Lopez
- Framber Valdez
- Blake Snell
- Sonny Gray
- Aaron Nola
- Luis Castillo
- Logan Webb
- Michael King
- Max Fried
- Freddy Peralta
- Joe Ryan
- Shota Imanaga
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Bailey Ober
- Tyler Glasnow
- Tanner Bibee
- Zac Gallen
- Justin Steele
- Bryce Miller
- Hunter Brown
- Jacob deGrom
- Kevin Gausman
- Hunter Greene
- Carlos Rodon
- Kodai Senga
- Roki Sasaki
- Brandon Pfaadt
- Yusei Kikuchi
- Jack Flaherty
- Jared Jones
- Christopher Sanchez
- Tanner Houck
- Seth Lugo
- Taj Bradley
- Mitch Keller
- Sean Manaea
- Spencer Schwellenbach
- Luis Gil
- Grayson Rodriguez
- Chris Bassitt
- Zach Eflin
- Jose Berrios
- Bryan Woo
- Ronel Blanco
- MacKenzie Gore
- Brady Singer
- Reynaldo Lopez
- Nick Pivetta
Top Tier: Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, and, of course, Shohei. Skubal, the AL Cy Young winner in 2024, had a 2.39 ERA, with 228 strikeouts in 192 innings. Wheeler had a 2.57 ERA in 200 innings, along with 224 strikeouts. Shohei is just Shohei. He had a .310 batting average, 54 homers, 59 stolen bases, 130 RBIs, a .390 on base percentage, a .646 slugging percentage, and a 1.036 OPS. And he can pitch this year.
Sleepers: Where is Shane McClanahan? Where is Sandy Alcantara? Yes, they were injured last year. Yes, it was a major operation. But will these two not be top 60 pitchers this year? I highly doubt it. McClanahan had a 3.29 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 115 innings in his abbreviated 2023 season. He had an even better season in 2022. Sandy Alcantara, he had an amazing year in 2022, where he won the Cy Young. 2023 was a rough season for Alcantara, but he got injured very quickly into the season. 2025 comeback for Sandy.
Do not drafts: Do not draft Bryan Woo and Kodai Senga. They are amazing strikeout pitchers when healthy. The problem is, they never are. I also think that Garrett Crochet will not have as great of a season as projected. Boston’s corner outfield walls are short, and with the fastball-slider combo that Crochet enacts, hitters will be more prone to hit toward the corners.
Relief Pitchers
- Emmanuel Clase
- Devin Williams
- Josh Hader
- Edwin Diaz
- Ryan Helsley
- Mason Miller
- Raisel Iglesias
- Ryan Walker
- Felix Bautista
- Jhoan Duran
- Robert Suarez
- Andres Munoz
- Lucas Erceg
- Ryan Pressly
- David Bednar
- Alexis Diaz
- Bowden Francis
- Tanner Scott
- Justin Martinez
- Nick Martinez
Top Tier: Emmanuel Clase is the best closer in baseball, in fantasy and in reality. He had a 0.61 ERA and 47 saves, much better than any other closer in MLB.
Sleepers: David Bednar and Alexis Diaz. Each closer had a down year after having a great 2023 season. I think that they will both rebound to be top 10 closers in baseball by the end of this year.
Do not drafts: Bowden Francis. Not because he’s a bad player, but because he will probably be a starter. Even if he’s not a starter he won’t get a lot of saves. Tanner Scott is someone I would avoid too because the Dodgers already have a loaded bullpen.
