He added velocity to his fastball, resulting in a K/9 that jumped from 8.94 to 13.08 and grabbing 19 saves for the Red Birds. He will turn 26 in May, and 2023 will show us what kind of long-term fantasy asset he may be. 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. For those in shallower leagues, 81 games of production aren't quite as enticing. It is somewhat concerning that his K% went up while his BB% went down, but the slight drop in counting stats is projected to normalize back to his 35/100/100 levels. He doesn't take a ton of walks but doesn't strike out much, either. In traditional 5x5 leagues, Garcia can provide value from the fifth round on. A healthy Gallen is a steal at his ADP of 74. While his OBP sat at .317, his xwOBA was .372, meaning that he should see a positive correction to this in 2023. He struck out 192 batters on his way to a 2.54 ERA and sparkling 0.91 WHIP. The 30-year-old comes with some red flags for 2023, however. Arkansas 10. Jhoan Duran falls into the category of "too good to be a closer." Indeed, the 25-year-old came back in late April, immediately began stealing bases, and rewarded fantasy managers who used a high draft pick on him. 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. He hits in the middle of the order behind Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Nathaniel Lowe, all of whom like to get on base. Clay Holmes had two seasons in 2022. Aaron Nola had a wildly unlucky 2021 that most fantasy managers were aware of on draft day in 2022. His K% was an impressive 32.7, and his BB% plummeted to 8.5 (from 12.9 in 2021). When Cruz did make it to Steel City, he struggled with strikeouts, sitting in the first percentile in K% at 34.9%. He continues to have an elite curve ball to match his 95-mph fastball and plays for the high-scoring Atlanta Braves. Draft him and enjoy. Matt Chapman shaved five points off his K% in his move to Toronto from Oakland. The good . Soon we will be talking about Pitchers and Catchers reporting. Still just 25, May has a high upside for 2023, which would make him a steal at his current ADP. Philly has no problem letting their guys run (ranked seventh in SB attempts), and they're not going to lock up their new toy on arrival. An improved offense around him should only boost his numbers in 2023. His sophomore campaign should be a boon to fantasy teams, and he will come at a discount. Harrison learns quickly in Cactus League debut. However, if he stays healthy, he has all the makings of an SP1. He is not as highly sought after as the overpowering, high-strikeout guys above him, but he will provide everything fantasy managers need in a closer and then some. Just beware you'll probably get closer to 500 plate appearances than the preferred 600 with his injury history. He allows weak contact and his xERA sits in the 90th percentile. He is in the 90th percentile and above in nine of 12 categories on Statcast, and even some slight regression in his overall numbers still leaves him in "elite" territory. The good news is that he wasn't as bad as his surface numbers. He will be surrounded by superstar talent in the San Diego lineup, and he will have SS and OF eligibility in 2023, but he probably won't be playing the demanding infield position. If your league is deep enough to stream a 1B based on home/away location, then Cron is a perfectly fine option. But assuming he returns to the 180-190 innings mark, he is well worth the investment. Soto is worth every penny of a top draft pick. 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. In 2022, he appeared in only 114 games, a far cry from the 161 the year before. The 24-year-old responded by slashing .329/.370/.521 with 10 HR and eight SB (out of 10 attempts). The 24-year-old demonstrated patience at the plate with a 13.8% walk rate, which is in line with his minor league numbers. Take the discount and don't look back. 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. Drew Rom. He crushed a career-high 33 home runs while scoring 91 runs and driving in 83. Boston ranked 30th in 2019, one year after winning 108 regular-season games and a World Series title. The rest of his numbers remained stellar. The draft discount would have to be huge to take a flier on him, and chances are good that one of your much more hopeful league mates will take him before he reaches that point. 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. What we really love, though, are his ratios. 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. The biggest plus Andrew Vaughn has going this season is that Tony La Russa won't be there to block his playing time. MLB Power Rankings 2023: Are Astros, Yankees or Mets on top? Yes, that is Timmy Trumpet you're hearing as Edwin Diaz enters the chat. 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. Framber Valdez became Mr. Quality Start in 2022, tossing 201 1/3 innings in 31 starts for the World Champions. Bieber will not dazzle you with an overpowering fastball, and he occasionally gets lit up by hard contact, but his K/BB ratio of 5.50 will provide a great floor to rely on. He announced in January that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, so his timetable for return is in question. 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. 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. He struck out 194 batters in 148 2/3 innings and held a 2.54 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Spencer Strider arrived in MLB in 2022 and promptly helped many a fantasy manager make the playoffs. . 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 . 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. In those 64 innings, he struck out 102 batters using his elite arsenal of pitches. The first Top 25 of the regular season will be posted February 28, 2023. He began the year on the 60-day IL with a stress fracture in his ribs. Reigning AL MVP, Aaron Judge, also has a claim to the No. The Red Sox have steadily climbed in BA's organizational rankings under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom; the club bottomed out in last place (30th) in 2019 before back-to-back 20th-place . 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. His K% was much higher (18.7) than at lower levels, but this should normalize as he becomes more comfortable. 1, Yankees and Padres in World Series mix Matt Johnson Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports The Houston Astros are the best team in baseball heading into. Which starting pitchers deserve a first-round grade? He slashed .307/.377/.456, but his expected numbers suggest his stat line should have been closer to .259/.363/.383. His batting average was .238 which perfectly matched his xBA. Valdez has more value in fantasy leagues where quality starts are a category because his pitching repertoire lends itself to more groundouts than strikeouts. The steals are why he goes so early in drafts because it is certainly not his patience at the plate. His K% jumped precipitously (16.8 to 24.3), while his walk rate went the other direction (13.1 to 10.7). Here at Fantasy Six Pack, our 2023 Fantasy Baseball season preparation is already begun. The 13 wins were nice, and his underlying metrics remain stellar, but he comes with a little more risk than previously. Steamer projections have him at 43/109/104 for the upcoming season, and his ratios should see a small decline as well. Daulton Vasho has catcher eligibility, which is one of the primary draws to him being drafted in the 40-50 range. What it will not make a difference in, however, is his incredible talent on the field. His Statcast page is a thing of beauty, and his K% projection is around 37. The 28-year-old is this year's definition of "boring" - he's projected for 20 HR, 70/70 for runs/RBI, and a solid batting average. The only question for fantasy managers is whether or not you believe he can stay healthy. In 2022, Kenley Jansen led the NL in saves with 41. He struggled with free passes, issuing 3.1 walks per nine, but he more than made up for that with a 16.4% swinging strike rate and K% of 38.3. 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. 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. This should be another exciting season, and our analysts' draft rankings can help you build a potent, championship-worthy team check them out below: 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings powered by FantasyPros. 31/12/2022 WBSC Softball World Rankings: Argentina, USA close 2022 on top of men's & women's rankings. That's the bad. 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 injuries have been addressed: He surgically repaired his torn labrum shortly after his suspension for a nagging shoulder issue that plagued him, and he had surgery on his left wrist in October. You might have to draft him in the fifth or sixth round to get him, but he has the potential to make it worth your while. FanGraphs.com 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Top 150 Starting Pitcher Rankings Top 300 Hitters - #1-100 | 101-200 | 201-300 Positional Rankings Catchers First Basemen Second Basemen Shortstops Third Basemen Outfielders Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers 2023 ZiPS Projections by Team PitcherList.com 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Rule Changes Probable Pitchers Starting Lineups . 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. 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. Whether or not you draft Luis Robert depends entirely on how risk-averse you are to injuries. Assuming his ADP remains reasonable, he is an asset to your staff. Surprisingly, there's quite a lot of agreement between the ZiPS list and the FanGraphs list at the top of the pitching ranks. Ranking in the 90th percentile in K%, BB%, and xwOBA is all you need to know to feel confident in grabbing the 33-year-old in the second round. In 118 games, he slashed .292/.347/.468, buoying the ratios for fantasy managers in roto leagues. Unfortunately, he also offers 3.4 BB/9 as he sometimes isn't sure where his 100-mph throws will end up. Cron hit 22 home runs with a .302 average and .400 wOBA when he played at Coors Field in 2022. Mike Trout may have had the quietest 40-homer season in 2022. Don't get blinded by his 1.84 ERA from last year, either. Vanderbilt 2. Strangely, all of his underlying metrics were actually worse in 2022 than in 2021 with the exception of his BB% bouncing from 9.9 to 12.1. 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. 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 still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. 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. Scott Barlow held a lot more fantasy appeal before the Royals went out and signed Aroldis Chapman. He stands at 6-foot, 190 pounds with premium athleticism on the mound. Corbin Carroll mashed his way through the minor league system and arrived in Arizona for his debut in 2022. Expect a little over 10.0 K/9, an ERA closer to 3, a microscopic WHIP from the third-year player, and the latest entry into the Tampa Bay pitching echelon. However, he does qualify at 3B, which might be even shallower this season. Even with that, the 33-year-old hit 23 home runs with 76 RBI and 48 runs scored. Last year the Seattle Mariners ranked No. 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. 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. Pos." is the player's eligible position(s). His slash line declined to .263/.327/.445, though that average is misleading as his expected was .234. Coming in at No. That second-half stat line was much closer to his career average, and he still bats in a high-octane lineup that should drive his counting stats back to the 25/15 range without harming your ratios. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the neighborhood. He stole six bases in nine attempts, but his numbers declined from his best year in 2021. Nothing in his underlying metrics looks like a giant red flag. Still, in leagues with an SS and MI slot, fantasy managers can do a lot worse than a 30/10 guy in the ninth round. 1 - 50. He may have just brought his Statcast page to contract negotiations before signing his five-year, $102 million deal to return to New York. Robbie Ray signed a five-year contract with Seattle in 2022 and produced well, even if he didn't live up to his Cy Young numbers. Fantasy managers can expect a course correction in 2023, somewhere in the vicinity of 30+ HR, 110+ RBI, and an elite .400+ OBP. If you don't, it is wise to stay clear. 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. He famously broke the A.L. Cedric Mullins stole 30+ bases for the second consecutive year in 2022, though the power disintegrated, lowering his home total to 16 from 30. Down the stretch in 2022, he showed improvement with a 45:8 K:BB ratio in August and September. In 2022, everyone in fantasy baseball circles knew Marcus Semien would experience some serious regression in Texas after his career year in Toronto. 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. While waiting for him to possibly return, he fell off a bike and fractured his wrist, which had to be surgically repaired in the offseason. We're still a ways away from the first pitch of 2023 Opening Day, but it's never too early to get a head start on your fantasy baseball research. The only concern is the continued leg and ankle injuries that he experienced last year, but he comes at a discount and remains a C1 in this draft. Fantasy managers dream each spring of a full season of this production, and if he manages to get to 500 plate appearances, he could be a steal at his current ADP of 78. If someone could guarantee his health, an argument could be made to take him in the first round. While his slugging percentage was down significantly, a lot of that can be attributed to working back from the injury. 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. Those are the negatives. Washington Nationals. Other Top 25 teams include No. Kevin Gausman is an interesting case study of how surface and underlying stats can do weird things. The fact that Dave Roberts might deploy him enough at 2B to give him that eligibility is just icing. Pitchers and catchers report this week and Spring Training games are not very far away. 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. We have no illusions that Pittsburgh's lineup is going to boost any of his numbers, but 20 steals from 3B later in the draft is nothing to sneeze at. He remains worthy of a second-round pick in 2023. As long as the 27-year-old continues to rein in the free passes, the saves should be plentiful and competition for the role won't be. (Steamer projections included.) If anyone needs a change of scenery in order to maximize his talent, Bryan Reynolds is that guy.