2019 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Jose Ramirez may have been the best fantasy player in baseball last year, knocking 39 homers with 34 steals, 110 runs and 105 RBIs, but he is still 1-C behind both Trout and Mookie Betts because of their consistent production over the last three seasons.

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.

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 is dripping with potential and there is no denying that after his 20 homer first half with 9 steals. With that said, his second half was dreadful, batting .226 with just 4 bombs. There is a chance he returns first round value, but the downside would torch your team if he returns to second half form.

If you pro-rate Mondesi's 75 games to a full season, it comes out to 30 homers, 68 steals and 100 RBIs. I don't need to tell you that a season like that would put him above Mike Trout from a fantasy perspective. Granted, he is due for some regression, but don't hesitate to reach several rounds to get him on your roster.

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.

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.

Torres isn't a big contributor in stolen bases, but he is plenty useful in each of the other four main categories. If you expand his rates out to a full season, Torres would have posted 32 homers, 101 RBIs and a .271 batting average. You would be thrilled to get that type of production out of your seventh round shortstop.

 

Cano may be old, but he has not shown any signs of slowing down. In last year's shortened season, his production was still exceptional with a 20 HR, 100 RBI, .303 BA pace. Not only that, but he may be the game's most durable player so don't hesitate to add him prior to his ADP just to make sure no one beats you to the punch.

Despite fewer games over the last three years, Odor has 10 more homers than Javier Baez and is neck and neck with him in steals, runs and RBIs. There is a considerable difference in BA, but in terms of batted ball data, Baez was hardly above Odor in xBA last season so you may be getting a tremendous value in the 9th or 10th round of drafts this season.

Villar was a major disappointment in 2017 after being selected in the third, and even second round of fantasy drafts. As a result, he was an afterthought in 2018, and for the first half of the season, it was a good call. Once Villar was dealt to the Orioles, though, he took off. In those 54 games, he managed eight homers and 21 steals, which over a full season would have been 24 and 64, respectively. Think that type of production is impossible? Rewind to 2016 when he hit 19 with 62 steals and a .285 batting average. Villar still has that ceiling and you can get him in the middle of your drafts this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The signing of Daniel Murphy should cause Hampson's ECR to drop another 50 spots, as that transaction shifts Ryan McMahon over to second base. Hampson could force the Rockies hands with a strong Spring, but more than likely, he won't get the call until someone hits the DL. At that point, McMahon could slide over to first, third or the outfield. If it is Story that goes down, Hampson would fill the gap. He could eventually be a better version of D.J. LeMahieu offensively, posting a batting average near .300 with more power and speed. Right away, he will merely hold his own in the batting average department while contributing nearly 30 steals per 162 games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urias seems to be the favorite to start the season as the Padres' primary shortstop. If he were playing in a different home park, we might be talking about him as a challenger to Victor Robles to win the NL Rookie of the Year award. Rather, his offensive production will most probably be limited to a replacement level fantasy player. With that said, he does have a much higher ceiling so make sure to keep an eye on him from the get-go.