2024 Fantasy Baseball Rankings (AL)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. played 156 games and raised his walk rate while lowering his strikeout rate. Those were the highlights. Unfortunately, his other numbers took a fall across the board. The good news for 2024 is that Vladdy's expected numbers were more in line with what fantasy managers were looking for when they drafted him. For his age-25 season, he should see a bounce back to mid-30s in homers and close to 100/100 in runs and RBIs. The biggest discrepancy was his .264 average compared to his xBA of .295. Vladdy should be an asset, but he is now a Round 3 or 4 guy.

Triston Casas is the next star at the first base position. He took a leap in 2023 at the age of 23, hitting 24 home runs in 132 games with an impressive slash line of .263/.367/.490. He is in the 93rd percentile of BB% at 13.9 and the 92nd percentile in xwOBA at .370. His counting stats weren't great, only tallying 65 RBIs and 66 runs, but this should improve with the return of some key Boston players. He might come at a wild discount, going in the early 100s, but this will be the last time you will be able to get him there. He is worth reaching for because chances are good he will outproduce his ADP.

Spencer Torkelson hit 31 home runs and drove in 94, and his ISO went from .117 to .213 in 2023. He ranked in the 94th percentile in hard-hit percentage at 50.9, and he should be in line for another 30/90 season in 2024. Torkelson can hopefully continue to improve his patience while reducing his strikeouts, and he may end up being a steal at his current 10th-round ADP.

Yandy Diaz broke out of his power deficiency in a big way in 2023. After hitting only nine home runs in 2022, the 32-year-old smacked 22 dingers while slashing .330/.410/.522 in 2023. He rescued many fantasy managers who waited too long on 3B in drafts by setting career highs across 137 games. That's the good news. The bad news is that Diaz will probably return to his regularly scheduled self in 2024, and he no longer has 3B eligibility in most leagues, leaving him among the middle-rounds first basemen. Drafting him in the 12th round or beyond feels right for next year, but don't let him be your first 1B. He's not going to save fantasy managers two years in a row.

Josh Naylor suffers from BatsInTheGuardiansLineupitis, but he offers enough upside to nab as a second or third corner infielder in the middle rounds. Naylor dealt with injuries in 2023, limiting him to 121 games. However, he hit 17 home runs and drove in 97 while slashing .308/.354/.489. He also kicked in 10 stolen bases for good measure. As long as he continues to bat behind Jose Ramirez, he should be a boon to the RBI category, but it's his 95th percentile xBA (.293) and K% (13.7) that makes him a valuable pick.

Vinnie Pasquantino's 2023 shoulder injury cut his season short at 61 games. It was apparent he was dealing with something, as his usual stellar AVG and OBP dropped to .247 and .324. Assuming the shoulder is good to go, Pasquantino should be a significant boost to batting average and counting stats, batting close to Bobby Witt Jr.

Salvador Perez remained a staple of the Kansas City Royals lineup in 2023, playing in 140 games and racking up 580 plate appearances. He hit .254 with a miserable .292 OBP and .422 SLG. He hit 23 home runs for the second year in a row and drove in 80. His projections for 2024 suggest more of the same for the 33-year-old. Perez is a catcher who isn't going to drag down your batting average and give you 20+ homers. That is a rare bird; at his ADP of 133, he isn't a bad value in 2024.