2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Trea Turner cashed in on his elite speed/power combination and signed an 11-year, $300 million contract to join the reigning National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The 29-year-old scored 101 runs and tallied 100 RBI, often batting behind Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in L.A. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a repeat RBI performance, given that he is almost assuredly going to bat leadoff in Philly, but repeating a 20 HR/100 R season is likely as Citizens Bank plays well to right-handed power. Where Turner catapults to No. 1 is the addition of stolen bases. He had 27 of them in 2022, but if the new baserunning rules indeed make it easier to run, his elite 24.7 ft/sec sprint speed could see him flirt with 40 in 2023. Philly has no problem letting their guys run (ranked seventh in SB attempts), and they're not going to lock up their new toy on arrival. Draft him and enjoy.

Raise your hand if you cursed at and/or traded Bo Bichette prior to the All-Star Break last season! He ended the first half with 14 HR, five SB (out of 10 attempts), and a slash line of .259/.301/.430. He looked lost in a lineup that should have been a bastion of productivity, and fantasy managers everywhere panicked. The 24-year-old responded by slashing .329/.370/.521 with 10 HR and eight SB (out of 10 attempts). That second-half stat line was much closer to his career average, and he still bats in a high-octane lineup that should drive his counting stats back to the 25/15 range without harming your ratios. While he may not be a slam dunk high-round pick, his upside makes him worthy of his ADP.

There were a lot of arguments prior to the 2022 season about whether Witt was ready for the majors full time or if he would need some seasoning. The 22-year-old responded by getting 632 plate appearances, hitting 20 HR, stealing 30 bases, and scoring 82 runs while knocking in 80. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the neighborhood. Witt struggled to get on base, walking away with an OBP of .294 and xwOBA of .313. He also struggled defensively, which could lead to more time at third base, depending on how Kansas City wants to play him. But he will play every day, and with the new base-stealing rules boosting that category, he may run every day, too. In dynasty leagues, he is already taken; for those in redraft, he is worth a high pick.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is the glow-in-the-dark, neon-colored wild card sitting in every fantasy baseball draft of 2023. Tatis missed the entire 2022 season with injuries and a PED suspension in August. The injuries have been addressed: He surgically repaired his torn labrum shortly after his suspension for a nagging shoulder issue that plagued him, and he had surgery on his left wrist in October. The suspension will end on April 20, so fantasy managers don't have to take a long absence into account. It's just every other part of the picture that muddies the water. Tatis's raw skills are phenomenal; he hits the ball as hard as anyone in the game, runs extremely well, and gets on base. He will be surrounded by superstar talent in the San Diego lineup, and he will have SS and OF eligibility in 2023, but he probably won't be playing the demanding infield position. If someone could guarantee that 2021 Tatis is who we're getting, he'd be a Top 5 pick, but the variables are numerous, and the impact is unknown. Someone will spend a high-round draft pick on him, so you only have to ask yourself if it will be you.

Francisco Lindor had an abysmal 2021 after signing a huge contract with the Mets, but he returned to form in 2022, tallying 26 HR, 107 RBI, 98 runs, and 16 SB. He hit .270, though his xBA was only .254. With the Mets starting lineup getting stronger by the day, Lindor should continue to see good counting stats in the 25/80/90 range, and the new stolen base rules may help him get back to 20 in that department. Lindor is the definition of a "safe" pick in a good lineup with some upside, but he won't be returning to 2017-2019 numbers anytime soon.

Corey Seager can hit. While most analysts thought there might be some regression after he signed his 10-year contract with Texas, Seager proved those fears unnecessary. He crushed a career-high 33 home runs while scoring 91 runs and driving in 83. One area that did prove disappointing was his .245 batting average, but this is misleading due to his extremely low .242 BABIP. While his OBP sat at .317, his xwOBA was .372, meaning that he should see a positive correction to this in 2023. The shortstop position feels deeper than in years past, but heading into his age-29 season, Seager remains at or near the top. Fantasy managers should hope he drops to the sixth or seventh round to maximize his value.

In 2022, everyone in fantasy baseball circles knew Marcus Semien would experience some serious regression in Texas after his career year in Toronto. The regression happened across the board everywhere but stolen bases, where he actually increased from 15 to 25 in 2022. The power decreased (45 HR to 26) but in exchange, his K% dropped, and he landed in the 95th percentile in outs above average. Beyond that, Semien has played in 155 games or more in six of the past seven seasons (excluding 2020). He bats at the top of an improved batting order, so 100 runs should be bankable. Semien is a great, reliable 2B option, which at this point, looks like a very shallow position heading into 2023.

Tim Anderson played in only 79 games in 2022, just another lost piece in an overall lost White Sox season. The issue for fantasy managers is that he hasn't been durable, crossing the 150-game mark only once in his entire career. Anderson hits for a high average and doesn't strike out much, which puts him on base and with great baserunning instinct (81% career success rate). Anderson and Xander Bogaerts are being drafted very closely together in NFBC drafts and appropriately so. If Chicago can become what everyone thought it might be last year, Tim Anderson will be a huge reason why. Just make sure to draft a durable second option later.

Xander Bogaerts signed an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres in the offseason, joining what should be a top-10 offense in all of baseball. The 30-year-old comes with some red flags for 2023, however. He slashed .307/.377/.456, but his expected numbers suggest his stat line should have been closer to .259/.363/.383. His BABIP was an unsustainable .362, and his barrel%, exit velocity, sweet spot%, and walk rate all declined from 2021. Bogaerts will be a solid, but not elite, producer in a lineup with Juan Soto and Manny Machado. Be prepared for a letdown if you reach too high for him.

Dansby Swanson will enter his age-29 season with a freshly signed 7-year, $177 million with the Chicago Cubs. He played in all 162 games in 2022, swatting 25 HR with 96 RBI, 99 runs, and 18 stolen bases. The park switch to Wrigley Field could add one or two homers, but he may benefit from the new rules regarding swiping bags. Even with the big contract, Swanson has proven that his durability is consistent, and he should bat at the top of the order, both of which make him a valuable fantasy asset.

Oneil Cruz headed to Triple-A following Spring Training because while the Pirates predictably floundered around the first one-third of the season. When Cruz did make it to Steel City, he struggled with strikeouts, sitting in the first percentile in K% at 34.9%. He countered that by being in the 100th percentile in maxEV when he made contact. Over the last month of the season, he showed some patience and ability to get on base, which allowed him to get 15 SB to go along with his 17 HR. A full season from Cruz has sky-high potential, but he still plays in Pittsburgh with little in the way of talent around him, especially if Bryan Reynolds leaves by trade.

Wander Franco will only be 22 years old when the first pitch of the MLB season is thrown. This is important to remember coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign in which he only played 83 games due to hamstring and hamate bone injuries. When he is healthy, Franco offers all the potential in the world, and if he can get 600 plate appearances in 2023, he could be a league winner with his current ADP of 92. He doesn't strike out, will always hit for average, is a smart baserunner, and has fantastic raw power. With only 153 MLB games under his belt, he has yet to show all he is capable of, and it is worth it to chase his upside.

Tommy Edman's fantasy value ebbs and flows with where he bats in the Cardinals' order. The switch hitter did everything better when St. Louis put him in the leadoff slot, which led to an overall .265/.324/.400 slash line. His primary category contributions are runs (95) and stolen bases (32). He doesn't take a ton of walks but doesn't strike out much, either. If he indeed gets to bat in front of the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, he will be worth a higher pick and should benefit from the new SB rules.

Willy Adames had the second-most home runs by a shortstop (31) in 2022, finishing only two behind Corey Seager for the lead. He went 8-for-11 in stolen bases, scored 83 runs, and tallied 98 RBI. So why isn't he begin drafted higher than his current ADP of 101? His batting average was .238 which perfectly matched his xBA. He did cut down on his strikeout rate, but he can be something of a free swinger. Still, in leagues with an SS and MI slot, fantasy managers can do a lot worse than a 30/10 guy in the ninth round.

Andres Gimenez became the Guardians' everyday shortstop in 2022, and the 24-year-old is locked into that role for the foreseeable future thanks to his defense and ability to get on base. His .353 BABIP is unsustainable, so he will bat closer to his xBA of .257 than his .297 line from last year. What Gimenez offers is speed and a little pop at a scarce position in 2023. A 20/20 season is well in play.

Nobody signed with more teams in the offseason than Carlos Correa. The 28-year-old shortstop did the tango with the Giants (12-year, $315 million) and waltzed with the Mets (12-year, $315 million) before they rejected him, and he decided to take his ex back, signing a 6-year, $200 million contract with the Twins. Both San Francisco and New York balked at Correa following a physical that reportedly raised concerns about his ankle injury and how it would hold up in such long contracts. Fantasy managers shouldn't worry any more than they typically do about his injury risk. When he is healthy, he is a slash machine (career .279/.357/.479), and even though his running days are over, he will make an excellent SS2 or middle infielder on fantasy rosters.

Jeremy Pena arrived to Houston and promptly hit 22 HR and stole 11 bases. The 22 home runs came out of nowhere, as he had only 18 in his three-year minor league career. While he is projected to have double digits in those two categories again, unless he learns a great deal more patience at the plate and figures out how to get on base more, he could be a bust in 2023.

Amed Rosario's numbers in 2022 looked quite similar to the ones from 2021. He hit 11 homers, stole 18 bases, and slashed .283/.312/.403 in 153 games. He still has a microscopic walk rate, but he also took four points off his K%. A lot of his fantasy worth is tied up in whether or not he continues to bat at the top of the lineup. It's worth watching in Spring Training, and if he routinely bats behind Jose Ramirez, drop him in your rankings a bit as the counting stats will be affected. However, he can be a mid-round source of stolen bases either way.

Gunnar Henderson's Double-A and Triple-A numbers were cheat-code level, so the Orioles brought him up for 34 games in 2022. The first overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft responded with four homers, 12 runs, 18 RBI, and one stolen base while carrying an xwOBA of .338. His on-base skills and power to all fields will be a boon to fantasy teams, even while he gets the kinks out that every 21-year-old player experiences.

Nico Hoerner should be the Cubs' everyday second baseman, and he should bat near the top of the lineup. He hit 10 HR and stole 20 bases while slashing .281/.327/.410 in 2022, even though he appeared in only 135 games. He is an intriguing later-round option who could nicely fill a MI slot and provide some speed/average help.