2019 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

It can be easy to be discouraged by Altuve "only" batting .316 with limited power and steals, but the injury seemed to influence his performance much more than most realize. You can expect a return to his 20 homer, 30 steal, 110 runs season with a batting average north of .330

A second-half slump removed Ramirez from the AL MVP and No. 1 pick conversations. Don't punish him too severely for the .218 batting average after the All-Star break, as the 26-year-old infielder still tallied 39 homers, 34 steals and 26 more walks (106) than strikeouts (80). Given his excellent plate approach and career 88.0% contact rate, his average should improve from .270 closer to his .285 career norm if he curtails last year's pop-up woes (13.0%). After giving everyone a late scare in spring with a knee injury, he's expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Baez was excellent last year, hitting 34 homers with 21 steals, 101 runs and a league-leading 111 RBIs. While he is surely a star, every projection model sees those numbers regressing in 2019, especially his batting average which was propped up by a .347 BABIP

With the Royals not expected to compete in 2019, there is little doubt that Merrifield will surpass 40 stolen bases again. He doesn't have much in the way of power, nor will he score a load of runs in this offense, but the batting average should end up around .300 once again

Albies got off to a torrid start in his first full season in the Big Leagues, hitting nine home runs in April and heading into the All Star break with 20 HRs and nine steals. He struggled mightily in the second half of the season, but still finished as a top-three second basemen in standard 5x5 formats. There are some concerns that the Braves' acquisition of Josh Donaldson could push Albies down towards the bottom half of the lineup, hurting his counting stats and ability to steal bases, but it's also possible he'll stick in one of the first two lineup spots. Regardless, Albies has already proven he has 20-20 potential and should even be able to improve a bit on last season's .261 batting average.

Murphy's overall stat line wasn't all that impressive last year, but once he was healthy in the second half, he returned to hittin .315 with a 25 HR pace. Move that to Coors Field and we may be looking at the NL Batting Champion with plenty of homers, RBI and runs. Be mindful that he rarely plays a full season, but when he is on the field we are looking at a top 30 fantasy asset

Few people could have foreseen the impact Mondesi would make down the stretch last season, finishing as a top-five overall hitter in standard roto/categories leagues from August 1 on. His plate discipline left a lot to be desired, but his 14 HRs and 32 SBs in 75 games led a lot of fantasy managers to the championship circle. If you believe most of the projection systems, he's due for a 20-40 kind of season in 2019, production that would again place him right alongside the very best roto options in the game. His limited track record makes him a risk-reward pick, but his skills are very real and his current sixth-round draft cost is very reasonable.

Torres is a former elite prospect who is coming off an excellent rookie season in New York. He strikes out a bit too much at this stage of his career to be a reliable asset in batting average, but he won't kill you there and should be able to match or exceed last season's 24 home runs while also chipping in 5-10 steals and solid run and RBI totals. At just 22 years old, there's also a chance that Torres takes a big step forward this year and jumps into the upper echelon at the position, but his fifth-round ADP means you'll be paying for that upside if you draft him.

Shaw has back to back seasons with 30 homers, and while his batting average may linger in the .240's again, that type of power is difficult to come by after pick 100, especially for someone who qualifies as a second basemen in most leagues.

Over the last five years, Carpenter has a remarkable 468 walks, which obviously has contributed to his 483 runs. In that time, his power has steadily improved, all the way to 36 homers last year, and while that total may not be repeatable, 30 homers with 100 runs makes him well worth a sixth round pick in 2019 fantasy leagues

After back-to-back 30 HR campaigns, Odor managed to hit just 18 in 129 games last year, but there is little in his batted ball profile to suggest the power drop-off will be permanent. Of greater concern is the fact that Odor's strikeout rate has increased significantly over the last two seasons, and his stolen base success rate plummeted last season. Odor is certainly capable of producing a .250-30-15 season, but that outcome feels a little closer to his ceiling than his floor at this point. Still, unless he gets the red light on the base paths, Odor is a solid bet to again finish among the top-12 second basemen in standard 5x5 leagues.

Cano isn't nearly the player he once was, but he's proven over the last several seasons that he is still fully capable of hitting 20-25 HRs with a batting average north of .280. He is 36 years old and coming off of a PED suspension, so the risk for a collapse exists, but it's worth noting that he was actually better following the suspension last season. The move from Seattle to the Mets should be fairly neutral in terms of both ballpark and lineup.

Villar was Adalberto Mondesi version 1.0, posting an unreal .285-19 HRs-62 SBs line in 2016 before falling back to .241-11-23 in 2017. He split the difference last year, and with regular playing time ahead of him in Baltimore, he seems likely to post another .250-15-30 season. It's rarely pretty with Villar, but he could be a solid roto/categories league value going outside the top-100 picks in fantasy drafts.

Gordon is going to absolutely destroy you in two categories and his batting average isn't anything to write home about. With that said, the potential of 60 stolen bases makes him worth the price of admission toward the middle of drafts.

Dozier may not have had the best season last year, but he still hit 21 homers with 12 steals. The batting average is expected to rise in 2019 and let's not forget that he has 40 homer, 20 steal upside.

Moncada has both double-digit power and speed, but the batting average is lackluster. You can make the case that he has more potential as a former #1 overall prospect, but more likely, the holes in his game will prove too much for a big breakout to be a possibility.

Muncy was 2nd in HR-rate among all MLB hitters last season. Granted, he slowed down toward the end of the year and his batting average wasn't ideal, but that type of power certainly warrants a top 100 pick. This is especially the case when he qualifies at second base and third base too.

Schoop takes a hit this season in home ballpark factor, but even still, has been a consistent enough source of power that fantasy owners can accept his .233 batting average from last year. Keep in mind, also, he carried a .293 mark in 2017 so the upside is there for a big season again.

Hernandez may be about as boring as it gets, but you should be glad to welcome 15 homers, 20 steals and 90 runs onto your roster. That is the production he gave fantasy owners last year and you may want to keep in mind that he had a .294 batting average the two previous seasons.

Profar finally got a full chance last year for Texas and posted 20 homers and 10 stolen bases. He takes a hit in projections moving from Texas to Oakland's ballpark, but keep in mind that he just turned 26 years old and very likely hasn't hit his prime yet.

Gennett will miss two to three months to start 2019 after spraining his groin at the end of spring training. Those who drafted the second baseman who stash him beyond the shallowest of mixed leagues, as he was one of eight players to bat at least .300 with 50 homers through the past two seasons. Yet the Statcast data remains skeptical. No hitter with a least 350 plate appearances had a wider gap between wOBA (.362) and xwOBA (.311) in 2018.

We have seen enough from Marte to know he will never produce useful batting averages or the speed he teased as a prospect. There is something to be said for an everyday player in terms of counting stats, but outside of that, he is replacement-level.

With LeMahieu now away from Coors, you can't expect him to hit .348 again, or even .300. His stolen bases have essentially disappeared over the past few seasons and we aren't likely to get double-digit homers either. At this point, LeMahieu is a replacement level fantasy asset.

Entrenched in a heated battle for Colorado's second-base gig, Hampson has teased immense fantasy upside with three homers and five steals in his first 13 spring games. The career .315/.389/.457 minor league hitter has swiped 125 bases in three professional seasons, so he could be a major difference-maker if given the opportunity to start regularly while calling Coors Field home. Drafters still must be careful, as Ryan McMahon and Pat Valakia are also making compelling cases for playing time this spring. Hampson, however, would help fantasy investors the most, and thus warrants a late-round gamble.

On a 162-game pace, Gurriel was a 27 homer hitter with a .281 batting average and 87 RBIs. He may not keep up that pace with a full season's worth of at bats, but you can argue that is his upside which would make for an exceptional value late in drafts.

Now that Cabrera is with the Rangers and expected to play every day, we can feel comfortable grabbing him late in drafts as a reliable source of power to go with a decent batting average.

Adames broke onto the scene last year as a 22-year-old posting a 19-homer, 11 stolen base pace with a .278 batting average. It was a limited sample size, however, and there are still some holes in his swing. Think of him on the same terms as Dansby Swanson who also had a nice rookie campaign before everyone realized he had quite a bit to go offensively.

It is easy to look at a .300 batting average and assume a rookie will only get better. Wendle likely played over his head last year, though, and was a 28-year-old rookie. There is no power to his game, and while he may offer 15 to 20 steals, it won't be enough to make him anything more than a late-round pick.

Lowrie gave fantasy owners a surprising boost in power last season in Oakland and always offers a decent batting average. He might start the season on the DL with a knee injury, but once he returns, Lowrie should be owned in every league.

Castro went from one of the best ballparks to the worst possible offensive ballpark last season and it showed in his stats as he dropped from a .300 batting average and 20 homer pace to 12 homers and just a .278 average. More than likely, that is the mediocre type of production fantasy owners will get this year.

Outside of Marwin's huge 2017 season, he hasn't offered much from an offensive perspective. There is some power, but his batting average will hurt fantasy teams and the depth chart doesn't guarantee even 450 at-bats for him.

The Dodgers will oddly relegate Taylor to a super-utility role after recording 7.9 fWAR over the last two years combined. Although he didn't fully repeat a breakout 2017, he was still a productive starter (113 wRC+, 3.1 WAR) in 2018. He's versatile enough to still play more often than not, and an injury (or poor performance from Enrique Hernandez as the full-time second baseman) could propel him right back into an everyday role. He's droppable in shallow mixed leagues with three starting outfielders and no corner/middle infielders, but everyone else should stand pat.

Over the last four seasons, Flores has been a useful fantasy player when he gets at-bats, posting 21 homers, 72 RBIs and a .267 batting average per 162 games. He should see plenty of playing time in Arizona this year and qualifies at second base, driving up his value.

 

After hitting .424 with nine doubles and three homers in spring, McMahon made the Rockies' roster and Opening Day lineup. Also heavily hyped entering 2018, he managed a meager .232/.307/.683 slash line in 202 plate appearances. He'll also still have to compete with Garrett Hampson for playing time at second base, but all managers need to pay attention to a promising 24-year-old hitter who gets to play in Coors Field. The breakout may be coming a year later than anticipated.

Hernandez's production has risen (67, 92, and 118 wRC+) along with playing time (244, 342, 462 PAs) over the past three seasons. The latter trend will at least continue, as he will open 2019 as the Dodgers' starting second baseman. He no longer needs to hide in a platoon after popping 12 homers and a 123 wRC+ against righties last season. His strikeouts also continue to decline, so the featured role could lead to a solid average with 20-25 homers. The 27-year-old is also eligible at least three positions (2B, SS, and OF), making him a useful spark plug to pluck off the waiver wire.

 

 

 

Kipnis has been around forever and reached his peak long ago, but he is still just 32 years old and has plenty of baseball left in him. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, it will come without any speed or a quality batting average. Still, 20 homers and 70 RBIs will do the trick as a late-round pick.

 

 

Urias will open in Triple-A after the Padres surprisingly gave his spot to uber-prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. As a contact-orientated hitter, Urias doesn't elicit as much excitement from a fantasy perspective. He's not a necessary stash in re-draft mixed leagues, but dynasty players should try to use the demotion as a buy-low opportunity.

Cozart may miss time at the start of the season with a mild calf strain, and after his 2018 performance, it is fair to forget about him, but don't be so quick to forget how excellent he was in 2017 with the Reds, knocking 24 homers with a .297 batting average in just 122 games.

Zobrist isn't going to see 500 at-bats, nor does he offer much in the way of power or speed, but he is a reliable source of batting average late in drafts and that should be enough to warrant owning him as a depth piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Perez likely won't steal 34 bases like we saw in 2016, he is a sufficient source of speed late into drafts with enough at-bats that he'll add counting stats. There won't be much in the way of power, but his batting average won't kill you either.