At some point in time after the invention of this game of fantasy baseball, some so-called experts figured it may be helpful to publish annual rankings of every single player available in the fantasy drafts. It’s a sensible idea as it’s basically a way for well-researched people to give their information and advice to less-informed people. Years have passed and the world has changed but yearly rankings still exist. There’s an endless amount of them out there. And, yes, this post represents yet another one to add to that mix.
I don’t truly believe that rankings are immensely important and helpful. My goal with this site is to provide spreadsheets and tools that allow you to jump to your own conclusions about how to rank players live and during the draft. The tools on this site also help you make sure your own ranking of players is tied to the specific league that you’re in. I find that a lot more valuable than a blind list of generic rankings that may not be catered to your league.
Alas, I am here doing a post on the day before Opening Day where I am posting my rankings though. So, you may ask why I’m doing that. Well, this is more of an accountability exercise for me in some way and I think it just is helpful for future reporting purposes. I also see the value of letting you all know which players I’m excited about so you can see if they ended up on your rosters or not. That’s why I do these late in the draft season as opposed to cobbling together early rankings and constantly changing them.
The outliers in my 2023 rankings
When it comes to my own personal rankings of fantasy baseball players, I think the more interesting part to draw attention to is the players that I am ranking much higher than the general field of experts. There are also players that I ranked much lower than other experts but that’s usually more because of differing opinions about the values of certain positions (my RP’s and C’s are generally ranked lower than the field).
Here are some players that I am more excited about this season compared to the rest of the fantasy world:
| My Rank | Player | Others’ Ranks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Jacob deGrom (SP, TEX) | 29 | 20 |
| 48 | Tommy Edman (2B, STL) | 85 | 37 |
| 49 | Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) | 73 | 24 |
| 52 | Dansby Swanson (SS, CHC) | 74 | 22 |
| 53 | Clayton Kershaw (SP, LAD) | 91 | 38 |
| 68 | Joe Musgrove (SP, SD) | 88 | 20 |
| 72 | Gunnar Henderson (3B, BAL) | 94 | 22 |
| 74 | Gleyber Torres (2B, NYY) | 101 | 27 |
| 77 | Nick Lodolo (SP, CIN) | 126 | 49 |
| 80 | Anthony Santander (OF, BAL) | 102 | 22 |
| 86 | Christian Walker (1B, ARI) | 107 | 21 |
| 87 | Steven Kwan (OF, CLE) | 109 | 22 |
| 92 | Jake McCarthy (OF, ARI) | 112 | 20 |
| 96 | Amed Rosario (SS, CLE) | 129 | 33 |
| 104 | Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) | 124 | 20 |
| 110 | Andrew Vaughn (1B, CWS) | 131 | 21 |
| 113 | Lucas Giolito (SP, CWS) | 133 | 20 |
| 115 | Bryce Harper (DH, PHI) | 162 | 47 |
| 117 | Jordan Montgomery (SP, STL) | 159 | 42 |
| 123 | Masataka Yoshida (OF, BOS) | 201 | 78 |
| 127 | Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM) | 148 | 21 |
| 135 | Ty France (1B, SEA) | 163 | 28 |
| 137 | Jordan Walker (3B, STL) | 187 | 50 |
| 139 | Jose Miranda (3B, MIN) | 165 | 26 |
| 141 | Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL) | 177 | 36 |
| 143 | Jake Cronenworth (2B, SD) | 170 | 27 |
| 144 | Alex Verdugo (OF, BOS) | 172 | 28 |
| 146 | Luis Arraez (2B, MIA) | 180 | 34 |
| 159 | Thairo Estrada (2B, SF) | 186 | 27 |
| 163 | Jon Gray (SP, TEX) | 190 | 27 |
| 164 | Joey Meneses (1B, WSH) | 191 | 27 |
| 171 | Kodai Senga (SP, NYM) | 205 | 34 |
| 179 | Josh Naylor (1B, CLE) | 199 | 20 |
| 198 | Jameson Taillon (SP, CHC) | 230 | 32 |
| 199 | Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC) | 243 | 44 |
| 200 | Evan Phillips (RP, LAD) | 242 | 42 |
| 201 | Yandy Diaz (1B, TB) | 228 | 27 |
| 204 | Jake Fraley (OF, CIN) | 252 | 48 |
| 206 | Tyler Mahle (SP, MIN) | 231 | 25 |
| 207 | Luis Urias (2B, MIL) | 262 | 55 |
| 221 | Austin Meadows (OF, DET) | 241 | 20 |
| 225 | Kenta Maeda (SP, MIN) | 289 | 64 |
| 228 | DJ LeMahieu (2B, NYY) | 253 | 25 |
| 229 | Alex Lange (RP, DET) | 264 | 35 |
| 234 | Sean Manaea (SP, SF) | 260 | 26 |
| 260 | Hayden Wesneski (SP, CHC) | 299 | 39 |
| 266 | Darick Hall (DH, PHI) | 377 | 111 |
All of the players on the list are guys that I would be comfortable reaching to grab a round or two before they are supposed to go, depending on the flow of the draft. Some may just deliver their expected value, some may break out and way exceed their value… and there will be some who will fall flat on their face for some reason or another. But, these 45+ players are guys I’m ready to go to war with this year and hope for the best.
You can check out my full list of rankings in the list below, provided by FantasyPros.
