2019 Fantasy Baseball ROS Rankings

Martinez is having yet another elite fantasy season, and there are fewer hitters in the game more capable of producing big-time batting average, power, and run production numbers.

Springer missed about a month with a strained hamstring, but quickly settled back in as the leadoff hitter in one of the league's best lineups.

Merrifield has picked up right where he left off last year as one of the best five-category producers in the game. He's even hitting for a bit more power this year.

After posting a .390 wOBA through 20 games, Judge joined a dozen of his teammates on the IL with an oblique injury. It's not always the easiest ailment to recover from, and Carlos Beltran speculated that the Yankees star will never be back to 100% this season. Judge has performed well enough in his return, but 18 homers in 78 games isn't the power drafters anticipated. He's traded fly balls for live drives, which helps his batting-average floor but hurts his home-run ceiling. Although still an immense talent and top-flight option, he's not looking like a major game-changer in the power department. He did, however, snap out of a funk in late August, so don't be surprised if he makes up for lost time with a monstrous September.

The perennially undervalued Cruz was hitting .270/.354/.508 with seven homers before going on the IL with a wrist injury. Before going down, those numbers actually represented a step down from his usual elite production. Then again, drafters didn't have to pay for that level of dominance because of his age (38) and DH-only status. Following a strong June and absurdly terrific second-half surge magnified by a pair of three-homer outbursts, his 164 wRC+ is now a career high. Unfortunately, he's back on the IL with a wrist injury. There's no table, but Cruz needs to be stashed after crushing 16 homers in his last 25 games.

Alonso has been one of the biggest power hitter breakouts of 2019, and his Statcast numbers largely back up what he's doing at the plate.

In a season mired by hip injuries, Davis has swatted just 19 homers after exceeding 40 in each of the last three seasons. The most telling sign of his sub-standard struggles? He's hitting .221 instead of .247. The 31-year-old DH is certainly the type of slugger who can heat up in a hurry, but it's tougher to suffer much more through his 46 wRC+ after the All-Star break. He should be benched, and perhaps even dropped in the typical mixed league barring any signs of life.

Abreu's strikeout rate has risen to the extent that he's unlikely to hit .290-.300 like he used to, but he's still no slouch in that department, and he's on pace to top 30 home runs for the fourth time in six seasons.

Sanchez has proven to be capable of producing truly difference-making numbers at fantasy baseball's weakest position, and this year is no different. He always looked like a good bet to deliver 30+ home runs.

After staying healthy throughout a bounce-back 2018, Brantley's contact-oriented skill set was undervalued by drafters seeking flashier power or speed. They're missing out on a tremendous season. He's batting .328/.387/.525 with 16 homers in 489 plate appearances while mimicking last year's elite strikeout and contact rates. While his prolific power has slowed down over the last two months, he's a force who should bat above .300 with around 20 homers. Although one of Houston's few stars to stay on the field so far, health remains the only concern.

Just as Stanton finally rid himself on the dreaded "injury prone" label, the Yankees placed him on the IL with a biceps strain. They hoped he'd return in April, but he was instead out until late June. His nightmare season continued when, less than a week into his return, he went right back on the IL with a sprained right knee. He could come back in September, but even that's not a certainty. Getting one home run out of a star slugger is a brutal blow to everyone who drafted him in the second round.

Moustakas rejoined the Brewers on his second straight one-year deal, so early drafters likely snagged a power bat at a discount. Playing mostly at second base, he has already crushed 31 homers with a 116 wRC+ through 121 games. While the ultra-high launch angle limits his batting-average upside despite a career 16.5% strikeout rate, he could tally 35-40 long runs in a full season with the Brew Crew.

A calf injury limited Donaldson to just 52 games last season. He also wasn't his dominant self when healthy, batting .245/.352/.449 with his lowest wOBA (.345) since 2012. Still yet to rediscover his MVP gear, he's once again a high-end power option hitting .259/.374/.526 and .376 wOBA. Yet the arrow is ticking upward. He has collected 25 of his 32 home runs since June 1 and is sporting his highest average exit velocity in the last five years. If he stays healthy, managers are looking at a .260, 35-HR hitter who still offers a stout OBP and plenty of counting numbers in Atlanta's strong lineup.

Encarnacion has suffered through an injury-plagued second half, but he could still finish with a bang in September. His power bat is obviously enticing when put into the Yankees' potent lineup.

The only first basemen to bat at least .290 in each of the last two years? Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Yuli Gurriel. Houston's career .291 hitter is an underrated stabilizer who's also has 88 RBIs in a loaded Astros lineup. After more of the same for the first three months, he has suddenly added elite power to his game. The 35-year-old has belted 17 of his career-high 25 home runs since the start of July. He hit 13 all of last year. Pairing that pop with his usual .306 average makes him a formidable player rather than a boringly productive depth piece.

The routinely ignored Choo keeps hitting at age 37. He has 19 homers and eight steals with a 116 wRC+ as of August 15. It's not necessarily a fluke, and he has benefited from a rise in exit velocity and hard-hit rate. He especially remains an unheralded OBP and runs asset in five-outfielder formats.

Soler won't hit for a high average or steal any bases, but he has already tallied 37 home runs and 96 RBIs in 135 games. He has already smashed 14 homers after the All-Star break while significantly upping his walks and slashing his strikeouts, signs that Soler may be more than one of many empty power sources in 2019. Now that he's healthy with no competition for playing time in Kansas City, the 27-year-old has finally realized his potential (and then some) in a full season. He's blossomed from a cheap source of power to legitimate top-100 overall player.

Cron has cooled down from a strong May to hit .257/.318/.472 with 20 homers and 63 RBIs in 98 games. He has slashed his strikeout rate by chasing fewer pitches off the plate, and he gets to bat in a red-hot Twins lineup. He still has a shot at another sneaky 30-HR season, likely with a batting average higher than last year's .253. That makes him an underrated CI who has proved 2018 wasn't a fluke. Cron returned from the IL on July 16 after missing the minimum time, but quickly went back days later with the same thumb injury. These injuries have diminished his production a bit.

Ramos had a mildly disappointing first half, but he's back to his usual strong production. He's a set-it-and-forget-it option at a position where those are hard to find.

Although rises in exit velocity and walks have pointed to better days ahead, Smoak has gone ice cold after a strong April. His .214 batting average remains unrosterable, but a 20.4% K rate, .355 OBP, and .254 xBA are far more encouraging. So is his .382 xwOBA. A strong finish certainly remains possible. However, it's admittedly getting hard to wait for the metrics to come to fruition when power is so plentiful.

For the second year in a row, Odor looked poised to turn around an atrocious first half with a sensational finish. After rebounding in July, he has hit a horrid .138 in August, bringing his season batting average below the Mendoza Line. He has 21 homers, eight steals, but the worst wRC+ (65) of all qualified hitters. The Rangers are finally close to their breaking point, as they're considering benching him after promoting Nick Solak. There's too much power to deal up with his anemic batting average (or OBP) anymore.

It's time to accept that the old Cabrera is never coming back. While hitting .285 with a .344 OBP, he has seven home runs (as many as Tony Kemp and Ronny Rodriguez) and a .101 ISO. He now has 10 home runs in his last 138 games dating back to the start of 2018. The former Triple Crown winner is more of an empty-average depth piece.

Sano, who has never recorded 500 plate appearances in a big league season, is unlikely to reach that mark in 2019. After injuring his heel during the offseason, he didn't make his season debut until May 16. There's also still the matter of him hitting .199/.281/.398 with a 38.5% strikeout rate last season. While he makes too much hard contact to again bat below the Mendoza line, all the punchouts make him unlikely to climb much higher than his career .244 clip. True to form, but has belted 21 home runs in 77 games while batting .237 with 102 strikeouts. Use him if needing power and/or playing in an OBP league.

Vogelbach had come crashing down from a sensational start with four hits in 10 May games. Then he went yard five times in six contests. The All-Star is now slugging .491 with 26 home runs and a 127 wRC+ this season. Another prolonged slump, however, has dropped his batting average down to .225. Yet the Beefy Baseball Boy is currently batting in the heart of Seattle's lineup. He has also bolstered his walk and strikeout rates, so he might have another hot streak left to hit close to the .230-.240 range.

Steven Souza's season-ending knee surgery cleared up a starting spot for Jones, who has responded with 13 home runs in 110 games. The last one, however, came on June 15. At least he's durable, averaging 151 games played over the past nine seasons. He's a boring depth piece who can still compile solid numbers in deeper leagues.

 

Mejia struggled mightily to begin the season, earning himself a demotion to the minor leagues. But he's back now and playing fairly regularly, and the results have been promising.

The A's, who acquired Morales from the Blue Jays early in the season, shipped him off to the injury-bitten Yankees. Despite his listless .211/.321/.289 slash line, the Statcast expected numbers (.279/.380/.469) likes his far more. He could see some reps at DH with Giancarlo Stanton sidelined and Miguel Andujar out for the season, so give him a look in AL-only and 15-team mixed leagues.