2019 Fantasy Baseball Rankings (AL)

Congratulations on landing the first pick. Your reward is Trout, a super-duper-star who is somehow getting better. The Angels stud set career highs in walk rate (20.1%), OBP (.460), wOBA (.447), and wRC+ (191) during his seventh season. He has cleared a .300 batting average in each of the last three years and averaged 33.6 homers per season after popping 39 in 2018. The floor and ceiling remain sky-high despite missing time over the past two years.

It may be tempting to snag Betts with the 1st pick over Trout, after the ridiculous season he just put together, but remember that he is just one year removed from batting .264 with 24 homers. There is a chance Betts outproduces Trout, but that isn't a risk you should gamble on.

Martinez is a rare first-round hitter who rarely runs, but he'll make up for it in every other spot. While the 31-year-old probably won't win another batting title at .330, he's a .307 hitter since 2014's breakout who has exceeded .300 in three straight years. He boasts an MLB-high .655 slugging percentage in the past two seasons with 88 long balls. Last season, he placed within the 97th percentile or better in exit velocity, hard-hit%, xAVG, xSLG, and xWOBA. Hitting in the middle of Boston's lineup also makes him a strong bet to drive in and score over 100 runs. Limited fielding reps helped him stay healthy, but he played enough OF (25 games) to maintain fantasy eligibility, making him a strong four-category star.

Judge had a down year in 2018 which means his OPS was merely .919. If he can get back to playing 150 games this year, fantasy owners can bank on 45 homers, 110 runs and 100 RBIs. That may have you ready to grab him in the first round, but he comes with more injury risk than anyone else in the top 20

After obliterating pitchers in 2017, Stanton cooled off in a big way last year, striking out 211 times and hitting just .266 with 38 homers. There is upside for 60+ bombs this year, but believe it or not, he has only hit 40 or more once his entire career

Benintendi is a spectacular real life player, but in fantasy, he was extremely similar to Jean Segura who happens to be going five rounds later. The arrow is pointing up for Benintendi, but not enough to warrant a top 30 draft pick

Looking for 40 homers? Draft Davis and write it in ink. He has knocked 133 over the last three seasons with 335 RBIs in that time. The floor is as high as you'll find in the first five rounds but the batting average is almost certainly going to be around .250 again

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

Springer is one of a handful of stars who started off their season with a rough patch. He started to turn in around in the second half before his injury, but only enough to get his final line to 22 homers and a .265 batting average. If he can stay healthy, Springer might lead the AL in runs scored along with plenty of homers and RBIs, but the speed has essentially disappeared

Puig was a steady-if-unspectacular performer over his last two seasons in Los Angeles, settling in as a player who could hit around .265 while approaching 30 HRs and 15 SBs. He'll get a nice ballpark upgrade in his new home of Cincinnati, Ohio, and there is some belief that he will also benefit from being away from the distractions of LA, but it is hard to justify drastically raising our expectations for Puig until we see some evidence of it on the field. Don't overrate him, but he's certainly worth considering at his current ADP of 91.3.

Despite playing 34 fewer games than Andrew Benintendi over the last two seasons, Pham has outplayed him from a fantasy perspective. Pham is being drafted four rounds later and is coming off one of the best second-halfs in the MLB

Rosario produced nearly identical stat lines in 2017 and 2018, suggesting he is a pretty safe bet to produce around 25 HRs, 10 SBs, and a batting average in the .290 range. He may lack the upside of some of the other names coming off the board around pick 80, but if you're looking for a steady across-the-board contributor, don't hesitate to call Rosario's name.

Haniger built on his impressive 2017 debut with the Mariners in 2018, producing a .285/90/26/93/8 roto line that ranked 10th among outfielders. The power and speed numbers look completely sustainable for Haniger, but his batting average could be due for a bit of regression and it may be challenging to produce 90+ runs and RBIs again in a rebuilding Mariners lineup. Haniger is unlikely to be a bust, but last season's numbers are probably closer to his ceiling than his floor.

Erratic over the course of a season, Upton is consistent on a year-to-year basis. Even if he never lived out Ken Griffey Jr. comparisons, the outfielder has logged over 600 plate appearances in each of the last eight seasons with at least 30 homers in the last three. A rise in ground balls and fall in fly balls, however, puts that streak in jeopardy. So does a toe injury that will likely send him to the IL to start 2019. That's a big blow since stability was a major driving force in drafting Upton.

Gallo has reached 40 HRs in each of his two full Major League seasons, and will enter 2019 as one of the best pure power hitters in the game. Unfortunately, that power comes attached to a .203 career batting average, meaning that fantasy owners who draft Gallo in standard 5x5 formats will need to either punt batting average or make a concerted effort to offset the damage he'll do there. Whether you draft Gallo or not is largely a matter of roster construction, but expect him to finish right around the top-100 players in terms of overall fantasy value. He does walk quite a bit, giving him a major boost in OBP formats.

For all the hype bestowed upon Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jimenez is oddly getting a bit lost in the shuffle. He has nothing left to prove in the minors after hitting .355/.399/.597 with 12 homers in 55 Triple-A games, so the White Sox can't justify keeping him down too much longer. He should now start the season in Chicago after signing a six-year extension that eliminates any need to manipulate his service time. Jimenez could brandish top-shelf power from the start. Steamer agrees, projecting .293/.341/.502 with 25 homers in 130 games. Often available beyond the top-100 picks before the signing, the hype hadn't gotten out of hand yet. Barring a substantial uptick, he's especially an intriguing upside pick in shallower mixed leagues with three starting outfielders.

Batting average tends to be an underrated ability in fantasy baseball, and that is an area in which Brantley excels. But durability is also an underrated commodity, and that has been Brantley downfall for big chunks of his career. If Brantley can just manage to stay healthy, he should be able to contribute enough balanced production across all five roto categories to be a valuable third outfielder in mixed leagues.

For a guy who just tallied 27 homers and 11 steals in 137 games, Hicks isn't getting much love. He also scored 90 runs thanks to sporting a 15.5% walk rate in a stacked Yankees lineup. Even without adding in the stats gleaned by his lineup replacement, the outfielder still performed well enough to demand top-100 consideration. A rise in contact (78.0%) and hard-hit rate (39.5%) should lead to a higher average and sustained power, and his cost more than bakes in the substantial injury risk. He's an especially wise choice in shallower three-outfielder mixed leagues, where it's easier to fill in the gaps when he misses some time. That will happen early, as a back injury will keep him out to start 2019.

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.

Having hit 20 homers in each of his first three MLB seasons, Mazara has yet to validate his high prospect pedigree as an above-average hitter. Drafters paying for upside instead keep receiving a boring compiler with a career .258/.320/.425 slash line. Last year, he needed a career-high 20.0% HR/FB rate on a career-low 26.6% FB rate just to reach his usual 20, half of which he notched in May. All of this points to a steady hand rather than an upside play, but Mazara only turns 24 in April. His upside hasn't expired just yet, but don't overpay for unfulfilled hype.

Smith had a very impressive first full season in the Big Leagues, nabbing 40 stolen bases while hitting .296. He may not be able to quite duplicate that batting average again, but he won't kill you there and another 40 steals seems very possible.

Piscotty waited to get dropped in most leagues before delivering a bounce-back season. After batting .160 in May, he hit .286 with 24 homers and a .386 wOBA (.365 wOBA) from June 1 onward. Given his down 2017 (.235, 9 HRs), drafters should seek a near repeat of 2018 rather than extrapolating his late surge to a full season. Last year's 27 homers already set a career high, so aim for 25 from a solid, mid-tier option.

Because he stalled in Triple-A and was blocked by a crowded Pirates outfield, Meadows' arrival came later than anticipated. Yet he promptly made up for lost time, storming out of the gate with a 1.221 OPS, four homers, and three steals in May. He then struggled and lost playing time before and after a midseason trade to Tampa Bay. This time, however, he clobbered Triple-A pitchers to 10 dingers in 27 games after offering 12 in 636 prior Triple-A plate appearances for the Pirates. Don't forget that Meadows, once considered an elite prospect, still boasts an enticing power and speed profile. Plus, he only turns 24 in May. He could go 20/15 in an untethered starting role.

Santana, who submitted 30 homers and 15 steals in 2017, once again has a regular role after getting shipped from Milwaukee to Seattle. He also struggled in scarce playing time last year, settling for five homers and 77 strikeouts in 235 plate appearances. Don't expect a full bounce-back to 2017; he was never going to sustain a 30.9% HR/FB rate. As a late pick for those who drafted before his two home runs in Tokyo, 20-25 long balls and a handful of steals would get the job done. But consider selling high if he stays hot in the U.S. in early April.

Once deemed a future superstar, Buxton spent most of 2018 in Triple-A after batting .156 with a -3 wRC+ in 94 dreadful big league plate appearances. It's understandable to write him off, but he remains an elite defender who posted Statcast's highest sprint speed. While his 20-homer, 40-steal hasn't vanished, it's an increasingly less likely dream that would get accompanied by a minuscule batting average. He should have to fall beyond the top-200 picks before taking the high-risk plunge.

A quiet difference-maker down the stretch, Laureano batted .288/.358/.474 with five homers and seven steals in 48 games with the A's. He's unlikely to sustain that average with a 28.4% strikeout rate, and his .388 BABIP is likely to fall in a larger sample. He also had no answer for major league breaking balls (.188 wOBA), a weakness pitchers should attack after getting a better scouting report. Yet the 24-year-old outfielder, who offered 14 homers and 11 steals in Triple-A before last summer's promotion, offers an intriguing power-speed repertoire as an OF4 or 5. His glove should also keep him on the field. He hits the ball hard enough to reasonably draft for a .260, 15/15 output while hoping for more.

 

Kepler's incremental raises in home runs (17, 19, 20) and wOBA (.313, .315, .316) suggest he's still a boring player not progressing nearly rapidly enough to target in most mixed leagues. Yet he made some significant gains in 2018 that point to more significant development. The outfielder improved his walk (11.6%) and strikeout (15.7%) rates to personal bests while also making notable leaps in fly balls (46.2%) and hard hits (37.1%). These gains should yield a higher batting average than last year's .224 with the potential for 25 homers if given another 611 plate appearances. Most drafters have already closed the book on Kepler as a meddling depth piece after three full seasons, but the 26-year-old could finally expedite his growth with a full-fledged breakout.

 

Although Bauers was awful last year with a .201 batting average, there is plenty of reason for optimism. Bauers should provide 15 to 20 homers with double-digit steals and a significantly better batting average in 2019.

 

 

Mancini's batting average dropped 50 points last year, but much of that was due to a rough BABIP. While he likely won't bounce-back up to the .290's his batting average likely won't kill you while he provides another 25 homers for fantasy owners.

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

The Astros don't currently have a spot for Tucker with Michael Brantley now joining George Springer and Josh Reddick in the outfield. With prospects like Tucker, however, there is no need for a spot. He is good enough that they will make room. When he gets the call, expect him to be a top 35 fantasy outfielder right away, and perhaps even more. Tucker may be the top draft and stash prospect this year if you've got room on your bench.

 

Stewart is expected to start for the Tigers, but their offense is so barren that he can't be relied on for many RBIs or runs. His batting average might be ok, but more likely, his power would be the calling card. He is one worth keeping an eye on, but shouldn't be on your draft radar in standard-sized mixed leagues.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initially an intriguing post-hype flier, Calhoun lost a roster spot to Hunter Pence following a dreadful spring. After getting held in the minors because of his glove, his bat (.602 OPS) didn't keep him in the majors last season. The 24-year-old still carries considerable contact and power upside, but managers can't afford to wait on him in smaller mixed leagues.