He's a Tier 3 closer with a higher upside if he lands the job. 31/12/2022 WBSC Baseball World Rankings: Japan remains as world No 1 men's baseball programme. 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. Make sure your ratios are protected before drafting him for saves. There's a younger player who might ve even more electrifying than Turner with a ton of upside to boot. 12m ago Detroit Free Press. His Statcast page is filled with red in every area except barrel% and sprint speed. 1 - 50. March 2, 2023. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., took a step back in 2022, which was expected once he got out of the bandbox parks of Dunedin and Buffalo. 2023 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 - D3baseball He should give fantasy teams consistent production from a position where that is almost impossible to find. While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. 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). SP. He is an appealing SP4 for fantasy staffs. 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. While the fifth-year player probably isn't going to gift fantasy managers with double-digit steals, Guerrero can keep four categories and all ratios afloat, allowing you to build around that foundation. Fantasy managers can draft him with confidence. He is a top OBP guy and his ratios have one of the highest floors in baseball. Texas 3. At the end of the day, he is still Mike Trout, for better or worse. Even accounting for some increase in ERA, his xFIP last year was 3.30, so the underlying metrics don't suggest extreme regression. He famously broke the A.L. Chisholm should enter his age-25 season healthy, though he will probably lose SS eligibility in most formats. Projections for the 28-year-old look similar to this stat line, though he will have a boosted lineup ahead of him to knock in with the re-signing of Brandon Nimmo, return of Francisco Lindor, and anyone else Steve Cohen decides to add to his luxury tax mountain. His strikeouts were down, but so were his walks and ERA. Short of that, though, he is a solid choice in the ninth round, particularly in OBP leagues. He may not duplicate his .325/.407/.511 line again, his three-year average of .312/.415/.563 says that range is possible with his elite skills. 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 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. Once you have good fireballers on your roster, Montgomery can fill in and hopefully garner a couple of wins with a great Cardinals offense and top-5 defense supporting him. Carroll's upside is in the 30/30 range, and he should have no trouble sticking as the everyday centerfielder with his plus-defense. 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. His oWAR of 5.4 was eighth in the NL overall and first for catchers by a wide range, and he is in the 86th percentile in sprint speed among ALL players. on February 20, 2023 Baseball America's high school team rankings are selected through a poll of representatives from the National High School Baseball Coaches Association. Both San Francisco and New York balked at Correa following a physical that reportedly raised concerns about his ankle injury and how it would hold up in such long contracts. His GB% of 33.5 and LOB% of 82.8 contribute to his excellent ratios. 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. Yes, he clogs your Utility spot, and it can be frustrating to manage him in weekly leagues where he can only start as one or the other. He should enter 2023 as the clear-cut closer in St. Louis, and if he continues to throw in the triple digits as often as he did last year, he can shore up your saves category while helping your ratios and strikeouts. 2023 fantasy baseball rankings: Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis and more If you drafted Lucas Giolito in 2022, chances are good you spent a great deal of time debating whether or not to drop him, trade him, or hold. Trea Turner cashed in on his elite speed/power combination and signed an 11-year, $300 million contract to join the reigning National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. He hit 16 homers, his most since 2019, but he only stole 18 bases, a severe drop off from the 47 he snagged the year before. After starting 27 games in 2021 and 30 in 2022, Bassitt can be counted on for 175 solid innings and somewhere in the 3.70/1.18 ERA/WHIP. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Starting Pitchers He will always strike out a high percentage of batters (32% last season), but his health is a question mark so expect him to miss some time if you draft him. His BABIP and LOB% are both due for regression, and his xFIP was 3.53, so it's important to temper expectations in those departments. Once again, Jacob deGrom is the pitcher on the board with the wildest range of outcomes possible. At the age of 21, he didn't take many walks and struggled with strikeouts, but these numbers should improve based on his profile in the minors. The Orioles seem dedicated to giving their prospects every opportunity to succeed, which boosts Mullins's value in the runs category. His Statcast suggests a propensity to strike out but every other metric is promising for Ward to be a solid roster add, especially in leagues with five outfielders. 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. Dylan Cease finished second to Justin Verlander for 2022 AL Cy Young and had an outstanding year for a wildly disappointing White Sox team. Assuming Ty France no longer qualifies at 2B, the complexion of his fantasy value changes. Instead, he was swapped to the Twins in January, which should result in more wins with a better lineup, though Target Field will play smaller than loanDepot Park in Miami. Rodon is a great pitcher who will help any fantasy staff but don't overpay on draft day. Ole Miss After winning the College World Series last season, Mississippi State comes. The power decreased (45 HR to 26) but in exchange, his K% dropped, and he landed in the 95th percentile in outs above average. Nobody signed with more teams in the offseason than Carlos Correa. The tools are all there: Robert has good speed, reduced his strikeout rate in 2022, and his expected slash numbers will be helpful to fantasy squads. Be prepared for a letdown if you reach too high for him. Right now, Williams is the clear choice to get the first crack at them and rack up strikeouts for your team while doing so. Walks and home runs will always keep Severino from being in that upper echelon of starters, but he has SP1 ability that can be had long after the studs are gone. Red Sox have top-10 farm system in baseball, per new Baseball America He does allow more hard contact than we'd like from an SP1, but he slots in nicely as an SP2/SP3 as long as fantasy managers account for some regression while drafting. Toronto also helped sort out its overload of catchers by traded heralded prospect Gabriel Moreno to Arizona for Daulton Varsho. The managers who took him were rewarded with more innings, strikeouts, and vastly improved ratios. Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. Zack Wheeler returned from his 2021 Cy Young runner-up campaign and defended his position as a top starting pitcher in fantasy baseball. Willy Adames had the second-most home runs by a shortstop (31) in 2022, finishing only two behind Corey Seager for the lead. He hit 11 homers, stole 18 bases, and slashed .283/.312/.403 in 153 games. Trea Turner, now with the Phillies after signing an 11-year, $300 million deal in free agency. Fantasy managers can expect a course correction in 2023, somewhere in the vicinity of 30+ HR, 110+ RBI, and an elite .400+ OBP. He hit 23 homers with 93 RBI and 93 runs scored while batting smack in the middle of one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. LSU 5. Ramirez ended up with 90 runs, 126 RBI, and slashed .280/.355/.514 while surrounded in the lineup by some young, inexperienced players who matured as the season progressed. 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. What is not of concern are the 81 games he gets to play at Yankee Stadium this year and each one after until 2031, thanks to his 9-year, $360 million free-agent contract. Framber Valdez became Mr. Quality Start in 2022, tossing 201 1/3 innings in 31 starts for the World Champions. He falls into the "walk year" category, so he might outperform his projections. 2023 Preseason High School Team Rankings By Region In 153 innings, the 31-year-old struck out 163 batters and ended the campaign with a 2.82 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Fantasy Baseball First Base Draft Rankings: Points Leagues (2023 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. All of that is to say that the 31-year-old cannot be counted on for exceptional, ace-like numbers. The 23-year-old is projected to have a K-rate north of 30%, and he will certainly boost a fantasy team's strikeout count. He collected 14 holds before the Orioles traded Jorge Lopez at the deadline, after which he notched 15 saves. His sophomore campaign should be a boon to fantasy teams, and he will come at a discount. Kris Bryant in Coors Field was supposed to be a party and instead, the guest of honor got plantar fasciitis and played in only 42 games for the entire year. Witt struggled to get on base, walking away with an OBP of .294 and xwOBA of .313. Sure, he doesn't run anymore, but if you need to shore up your runs and RBI category, you can't really beat the guy in the on deck circle after Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, and Yordan Alvarez get on base. Others receiving votes: Cal Lutheran 53, Pomona-Pitzer 36, Washington & Jefferson 28, Texas Lutheran 23, Randolph-Macon 22, Bethel (Minn.) 21, Augustana 16, Texas-Dallas 14, Wheaton (Mass.) The lack of walks is his calling card, even if he gives up hard contact on his four other pitches. Jose Ramirez remains criminally underrated, considering his productivity remains fantasy relevant across categories. He also struggled defensively, which could lead to more time at third base, depending on how Kansas City wants to play him. Even though the Giants finished last in defensive runs saved, his high ground ball rate didn't hurt him. He remains worthy of a second-round pick in 2023. In that case, he is a perfect complement to whatever three true outcome player you draft for power. With a stacked Padres lineup and a propensity to collect quality starts, Musgrove checks all the boxes for one of the highest floors in the 2023 SP pool. Pitchers and catchers report this week and Spring Training games are not very far away. 1 overall pick. He is projected as a 15/15 outfielder and worth a look in the double-digit rounds. If you wait on third base, Bregman should be your target. There is your knock on the 32-year-old. His xERA was 3.57 but his xFIP was 4.35. Cristian Javier began 2022 in the bullpen and then started 25 games, bringing joy to fantasy managers' hearts everywhere. 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. While his BB% is higher than we'd like from a truly elite closer, he creates weak contact thanks to a 99-mph cutter. Arizona is on the upswing, but the Diamondbacks are often forgotten about on draft day. 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. It's just every other part of the picture that muddies the water. He limits hard contact, and his 4.09 K/BB ratio is in the upper echelon of the majors. When Cruz did make it to Steel City, he struggled with strikeouts, sitting in the first percentile in K% at 34.9%. Is it new Philadelphia Phillie, Trea Turner, fresh off another 20-20 season? Boston ranked 30th in 2019, one year after winning 108 regular-season games and a World Series title. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for every position Ronald Acuna Jr. appeared in 119 games last year, a significantly higher number than the original projection of a July return from his torn ACL injury. The question becomes what his fourth MLB season will bring. The Official Site of Major League Baseball. Cron hit 22 home runs with a .302 average and .400 wOBA when he played at Coors Field in 2022. He is not projected to be quite as much of a disaster in 2023 - his HR total should creep back above 20 instead of 13 - but a 20/70/70/5 guy with a .260 batting average and low OBP isn't someone you have to reach for in a draft. David Bednar holds the illustrious title of Best Closer on Worst Team heading into 2023. With a K% in the 96th percentile, the 25-year-old will be one of the Top 3 RP without a clear path to saves taken off the board. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings | FantasyPros The question was only how far the fall would be. His .363 BABIP is due to regress so draft him with the knowledge that his batting average may drop 15-20 points. Perhaps that will change in 2023, though he will be playing in one of the least fearsome Boston lineups of his career. In 2022, Kenley Jansen led the NL in saves with 41. His BB% was actually higher than his K%, though there is a good chance this won't hold in 2023. $27 Kyle Schwarber. The beauty of Alonso is that he has all of the power without cratering your batting average (.271 last season). 2 min read We're still a ways away from the first pitch of 2023 Opening Day, but. He missed 52 games due to injury, and his BABIP was a career-low (by a lot) .227. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. The Tampa Bay Rays . But if you play on a platform where he is counted as both at all times, he is the fantasy 1.1, no matter who they give the real-life MVP to. 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. 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. The Baseball America poll is voted on by staff members of the Baseball America magazine. He did cut down on his strikeout rate, but he can be something of a free swinger. 1 is the addition of stolen bases. There is nothing wrong with boring, as long as you don't reach for it. 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. MLB Power Rankings 2023: Are Astros, Yankees or Mets on top? He ended the first half with 14 HR, five SB (out of 10 attempts), and a slash line of .259/.301/.430. Semien is a great, reliable 2B option, which at this point, looks like a very shallow position heading into 2023. In his fourth year in the league, Randy Arozarena hit 20 HR, knocking in 89 and scoring 72 while stealing 32 bases. However, he still offers clear 20-20 potential at the shallower 2B position with the hope he will continue where he left off in 2022. When he makes contact, Arozarena's elite maxEV will allow good things to happen. He had nine NDs, giving up an average of 1.5 earned runs while pitching more than six innings in all but one. He started 31 games, pitched 172 innings, and struck out 205 batters last season, which makes that one of the quietest 200-strikeout seasons in memory. He then incurred a lat injury that cost him a 60-day IL stint and limited his start count to 19. He struck out 192 batters on his way to a 2.54 ERA and sparkling 0.91 WHIP. For most of 2022, Nolan Arenado was in the NL MVP conversation while batting directly behind the guy who eventually won it, Paul Goldschmidt. Just make sure you're not paying for his MVP iteration on draft day. Ryan Mountcastle is an underrated power hitter who fell prey to a narrative that isn't exactly true. 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. He countered that by being in the 100th percentile in maxEV when he made contact. Adley Rutschman saw three minor league levels before making his MLB debut on May 21 and subsequently played 113 games for Baltimore. The 24-year-old responded by slashing .329/.370/.521 with 10 HR and eight SB (out of 10 attempts). What Gimenez offers is speed and a little pop at a scarce position in 2023. $30 Randy Arozarena. $29 Luis Robert. His K% was an impressive 32.7, and his BB% plummeted to 8.5 (from 12.9 in 2021). The 31-year-old smacked 22 home runs and stole 21 bases while slashing .276/.342/.478 for the National League Champions. Points Earned. A finger injury derailed his season, but he finished the year strong. Harrison learns quickly in Cactus League debut. He started 32 games, throwing 189 innings and striking out 212 batters. Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez delivered an epic 2022 season, so expect him to be in the running for the top pick in drafts, too. Globe Life Park is a better hitter's park than City Field, but when it comes to deGrom, the only factor that impacts his fantasy value is availability. The Diamondbacks traded Varsho to the Blue Jays in the offseason; Rogers Centre should support another 25-HR, 15-SB season and he could see a bump in runs and RBI with the better lineup around him. He hit 10 HR and stole 20 bases while slashing .281/.327/.410 in 2022, even though he appeared in only 135 games. He turns 37 in August, but he could be a sneaky great pick on draft day. That's the bad. He collected 37 saves, while pitching 57 2/3 innings and striking out 85 batters. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the glow-in-the-dark, neon-colored wild card sitting in every fantasy baseball draft of 2023. 2 JSerra Catholic. Not all was lost, though, as the 27-year-old showed off more of his speed, stealing 14 bases, which was only one less than his 2021 total. NC State 8. 2 starter in Minnesota in 2022, striking out 151 batters in 147 innings, going 13-8 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He is a safe pick in the late rounds of drafts. News. He is in the top 10 percent in maxEV and xBA, and the new SB rules could benefit someone with his speed. Olson played in all 162 games last season, continuing his career of solid durability, so fantasy managers can draft him with the expectation that his numbers will normalize in his second year in Atlanta with a good lineup around him. If you feel the need for pitching speed, Hunter Greene offers you all that and then some. As Mookie Betts enters his age-30 season, there is some expected decline in a few areas (fly ball rate increased but led to a lower ground ball EV/BABIP). If he gets his walks and home runs under control, he could live up to that ADP, but be wary of drafting an "if" guy that high. Fantasy managers shouldn't worry any more than they typically do about his injury risk. The issue for fantasy managers is that he hasn't been durable, crossing the 150-game mark only once in his entire career. Take charge of your health and empower yourself with the knowledge of your own health status. Xander Bogaerts signed an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres in the offseason, joining what should be a top-10 offense in all of baseball. Drafting the 30-year-old is a smart idea if you pick an SP1 with more upside (and more risk) because you know what you're going to get. He still struck out 198 batters in 200 innings, but his true value was in his 2.88 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He began the year on the 60-day IL with a stress fracture in his ribs. 12/01/2023 WBSC launches first-ever Baseball5 World Rankings. When he is healthy, Franco offers all the potential in the world, and if he can get 600 plate appearances in 2023, he could be a league winner with his current ADP of 92. The last time Arenado did not hit 30+ HR with 100+ RBI was in 2014 (ignoring the pandemic-shortened season). Because it's the Rays, it's hard to predict how many innings or how deep into ball games they will let him go, but as long as he is healthy, he could anchor a fantasy staff coming out of the fourth or fifth round. The 28-year-old didn't disappoint, striking out 243 batters while feasting on the free-swinging NL Central batters. Assuming his ADP remains reasonable, he is an asset to your staff.