Baseball has a ton of variations to fantasy formats and unlike NFL it becomes hard to simply put together a single draft guide and just specify one difference in a scoring format. So I am going to outline my positional rankings which are primarily used for H2H league purposes but by no means should they be thrown out the window completely for 5×5 leagues as well. As a standard, this assumes it is a 12 team re-draft (non keeper/dynasty) league where you have standard positional requirements.
Overall from a draft strategy standpoint there are a couple things that I like to identify. First is where the positional depth is and in this season it’s definitely on the hitting side and really the deepest position is Shortstop. We are likely going to see more 6-man rotations, more openers and less pitchers throwing 180+ IP this season due to the shortened pandemic season a year ago. This isn’t to say that Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Lucas Giolito to name a few stud SP’s arent good high end picks. But I would go in expecting a lot more variance in the 30-60 range for SP’s than we normally would see. My preference 80% of the time is to load up on hitting early and then get 2 quality starters to anchor your rotation before you just go best player available to balance things out.
Another strategy I employ is to identify both players that I want to avoid over paying for and players I will gladly over pay for. A general draft strategy that has worked for me in the past is to ensure that I get a player whom I project to potentially be going multiple rounds higher in NEXT years draft by spending a little more on them now. While value is important with drafting, I must remind myself that it’s the value of what they WILL produce in my mind and not what a ranking system has them valued at.
Here are my positional cheat sheets. I do not list every potential player here but rather give you the top 3 tier’s and then some late upside or sleeper type picks after that. The tiers are for the position itself. If someone is listed who is really good then I am likely passing on them this year.
CATCHER
Catcher is never a spot to spend high on and even in a 2 catcher league I do not force it in too much. Without the DH in the National League this year there will be a few guys who take a hit (i.e. Realmuto, d’Arnaud) and so it’s not a position to spend early on.
| PLAYER (TEAM) | Notes |
| Tier 1 | |
| J.T. Realmuto (PHI – C) | Realmuto is locked in as the #1 fantasy catcher and he gets Tier 1 by himself. He should anchor the Phillies lineup and gets to continue to hit in a good ballpark. It’s a tough division from a pitching standpoint but there’s no reason to think he cannot post 20+ HR, 75+ RBI and hit .270+ just by rolling out of bed. |
| Tier 2 | |
| Salvador Perez (KC – C) | The Royals offense is improved slightly this year and Perez is now two years removed from a significant injury. He’s been smashing the ball and will DH some to get extra AB’s. |
| Yasmani Grandal (CWS – C) | No better lineup than the White Sox in the American League. |
| Tier 3 | |
| Will Smith (LAD – C) | |
| Travis d’Arnaud (ATL – C) | Had a great 2020 season and hits in a good ballpark and in the National League’s best lineup in my mind. |
| Gary Sanchez (NYY – C) | Hot and cold. Hot and cold. Likely gets overdrafted due to name. |
| Willson Contreras (CHC – C) | It’s going to be a long year for the Cubs but Contreras is likely one bright spot for them. His current ADP is around 122-126, which is higher than I would take him but if he slips you can’t do much better. |
| Late Upside | |
| Danny Jansen (TOR – C) | Jays lineup will have lots of big games & hitting in a really good ballpark for now due to COVID |
| Adley Rutschman (BAL – C) | Sleeper who could make his debut this year for Baltimore |
| Austin Nola (SD – C) | |
| Sean Murphy (OAK – C) | |
FIRST BASE
This position does not have the depth that Shortstop has and it does not have the top heavy star power that outfield has. But it’s a position you cannot miss on in my mind.
| PLAYER (TEAM) | Notes |
| Tier 1 | |
| Freddie Freeman (ATL – 1B) | MVP for a reason |
| Jose Abreu (CWS – 1B) | MVP for a reason |
| Tier 2 | |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR – 1B,DH) | Breakout year potenetial. Lost weight in off-season and has only been down on the projections because of his inability to get enough elevation into his swing. Most of it was related to his batting stance which he has adjusted. 4 Category star. |
| Matt Olson (OAK – 1B) | If he can stay healthy he can be a fringe Tier 1 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (STL – 1B) | Arenado in the lineup HAS to help Goldy. |
| Luke Voit (NYY – 1B) | 40+ HR upside. Sneaky MVP candidate |
| Tier 3 | |
| Pete Alonso (NYM – 1B) | We saw his peak, wouldnt over pay |
| Josh Bell (WSH – 1B,DH) | Nice change of scenery going to Nats Park. |
| Anthony Rizzo (CHC – 1B) | Same as Alonso |
| Late Upside | |
| C.J. Cron (COL – 1B) | Cron in Coors Field. If he is healthy, he is a top 10 round pick |
| Andrew Vaughn (CWS – 1B) | The next young boom stick for the White Sox. Might get OF elig with Eloy out |
| Jared Walsh (LAA – 1B) | Could see AB in front of Trout and Rendon. Angels lineup is good |
| Bobby Dalbec (BOS – 1B) | Has been raking in spring. Might be drafted too high |
SECOND BASE
This is the worst position in fantasy. In a 5×5 league you’ll really need to pay attention to eligibility here and I specifically have done a few drafts already where in that format I grabbed both Merrifield and another top 2B in spots where I have to play a MI along with a 2B. Whenever there is a bad position in a category league I try to fill it with guys who can hammer a specific category. Whit Merrifield does that with his steals upside while providing a solid average. So because of that, he ranks ahead of both Albies and LeMahieu for me even though in a points league they could be viewed higher up.
| PLAYER (TEAM) | Notes |
| Tier 1 | |
| Whit Merrifield (KC – 2B,CF,RF) | Since 2B is so bad if you can get Whit at 2B you take it. He’s going behind Albies in a lot of drafts so this really comes down to your preference on wanting his stolen base upside of Albies power/RBI upside. |
| Ozzie Albies (ATL – 2B) | Should bat 2nd again this year a lot |
| DJ LeMahieu (NYY – 2B) | Steady as they come. Good 5×5 pick as well |
| Tier 2 | |
| Cavan Biggio (TOR – 2B) | The forgotten man on the Jays, batting order not ideal and will be a 3B most of the time which gives him MPE. |
| Keston Hiura (MIL – 2B) | Brewers are built for defense, not offense. He’s barely Tier 2 |
| Brandon Lowe (TB – 2B) | Bad ballpark, otherwise he is a rising pick that can vault into Tier 1 going into next season at this position. |
| Jose Altuve (HOU – 2B) | Will bounce back, but temper expectations |
| Tier 3 | |
| Ryan McMahon (COL – 2B) | Coors Boost. |
| Garrett Hampson (COL – 2B,CF) | Coors Boost. |
| Jean Segura (PHI – 2B,3B) | Can never stay healthy. They need him to be healthy |
| Jake Cronenworth (SD – 2B) | Classic potential here for a Soph slump but Cronenworth will hit for decent average. |
| Kolten Wong (MIL – 2B) | Loves hitting in Milwaukee. |
| Ketel Marte (ARI – 2B) |
Will be drafted before I want him. Get your 2B early if you can
|
| Late Upside | |
| Gavin Lux (LAD – 2B) | Upside is there and should get some playing time in 2021. He had a rough initial cup of coffee and then was kept down most of 2021. Scouts are still raving about his power upside. |
THIRD BASE
The difference between 3B and SS isn’t in the depth 1-10, it’s in the potential after #10. This position really starts to fall off when we get to Bohm and then Hayes/Rios/Anderson. But there’s a ton of players here who can single-handedly carry your team. Austin Riley is my must own at this position and chefs kiss if you can get him paired with one of the Tier 1 players.
| PLAYER (TEAM) | Notes |
| Tier 1 | |
| Rafael Devers (BOS – 3B) | Love Devers this season, but he generally will start slow. Be patient as the weather warms up in Boston so will he. |
| Alex Bregman (HOU – 3B) | Love Bregman this season and it is not the Houston lineup that will drag them down. Bregman should pick up the torch of the #1 fantasy 3B by next Winter. |
| Anthony Rendon (LAA – 3B) | I am extremely bullish on a good Angels lineup and that requires Rendon to have a massive RBI season and we know he can hit in all parks. |
| Tier 2 | |
| Jose Ramirez (CLE – 3B) | Downgrade year for J-Ram and someone I will not draft anywhere because he is going in round one. |
| Nolan Arenado (STL – 3B) | He is still the GOAT and only takes a hit in the park shift. |
| Austin Riley (ATL – 3B) | Rising star, will be better than Bohm in my mind and someone I am targetting as much as I can everywhere. Get him! |
| Yoan Moncada (CWS – 3B) | Should be Tier 1 next year if he lives up to potential. He struggled big time with COVID last season but should be primed to take that next step this season. |
| Manny Machado (SD – 3B) | Sleeper MVP candidate who won’t kill your team in any way, shape or form. |
| Matt Chapman (OAK – 3B) | Looking very good right now in spring, launch angle and exit velo is all lined up where you want it to be. |
| Alec Bohm (PHI – 3B) | Rising star with 30+ HR power |
| Eugenio Suarez (CIN – 3B) | Getting SS elig helps him if he gets it, otherwise pass. |
| Tier 3 | |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes (PIT – 3B) | Team is bad, park isn’t great, but third base really falls off after the top two tiers. |
| Brian Anderson (MIA – 3B) | See notes on Donaldson below. |
| Josh Donaldson (MIN – 3B) | Donaldson is going about 40-50 spots higher than Anderson, Dozier, Escobar type guys despite having the exact same projection as them. He has always had a great history hitting in Target Field and it plays well to his swing but he just doesn’t seem to have the ability to play a full season anymore. Not a terrible 2nd 3B or CI. |
| Tommy Edman (STL – 3B) | While everyone else rushes to take Bobby Dalbec as their 2nd 3B, sneak in and grab Edman who will bat lead off for the Cardinals ahead of Goldy and Nolan. |
| Late Upside | |
| Bobby Witt (KC – 3B) | The Royals top hitting prospect had a terrific Spring but is mostly a dynasty/keeper tash. In those leagues he should be considered a high end pick. |
| Edwin Rios (LAD – 3B) | Rios has not had a full chance to shine for the Dodgers, but when he has played he has shown his incredible power and the path to more playing time is there if Justin Turner finally realizes he is old as dirt. Only someone to consider in deeper leagues though. |
| Maikel Franco (BAL – 3B) | Maikel Franco gets to hit in Camden Yards for 162 games? The Orioles for sure will let him play a ton and he can give you some nice late power. |
SHORTSTOP
Best position in fantasy this season.
| PLAYER (TEAM) | NOTES |
| Tier 1 | |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD – SS) | Good at the baseball. |
| Bo Bichette (TOR – SS) | If you don’t know by now that I am a Beaux Bichette guy, then just move along. |
| Trea Turner (WSH – SS) | 100 runs, 35-45 steals, .290 average, 20 homers. What else is there to like? |
| Adalberto Mondesi (KC – SS) | Can he stay healthy? Can he not start slow? If so, the kid is a fantasy gem. |
| Corey Seager (LAD – SS) | Some are picking him as an MVP candidate, I wont go that far but Corey Seager will dominate in April and May (then you deal him!) |
| Gleyber Torres (NYY – SS) | Another player who had a terrible 2020 season but was primed to really take off. Gleyber and Yoan Moncada are both in that same group of talented players that should take the next step with a healthy campaign. |
| Tier 2 | |
| Francisco Lindor (NYM – SS) | New home and some better parks in the NL East than the AL Central — but much better pitching too. I love Lindor as a player, but he’s not in Tier 1. |
| Trevor Story (COL – SS) | Story has been a pleasant SB boost in fantasy, but with the loss of Arenado he could see a lot less quality opportunities. It is a contract year for him. |
| Tim Anderson (CWS – SS) | In his prime. |
| Xander Bogaerts (BOS – SS) | Also in his prime. |
| Tier 3 | |
| Carlos Correa (HOU – SS) | You can get Correa very late as his only downside is his injury prone status and his propensity to open his mouth and say stupid things. Not many prettier swings in all of baseball and the Tucker-Bregman-Correa-Alvarez core for the Astros will rake. |
| Marcus Semien (TOR – SS) | Forgotten player going into Toronto and we know they’re going to have favorable parks to hit in (in Tampa, Buffalo or back home). Lineup is going to score a ton of runs and Semien is a nice mid-late round pick. He will be 2B eligible as well once the season is going. |
| David Fletcher (LAA – SS) | The Angels are adjusting their lineup around, but between Walsh, Ohtani and Fletcher someone is going to get to hit in front of Trout which generally means a big fantasy season. |
| Wander Franco (TB – SS) | Baseball’s #1 hitting prospect is going to be up this season and he is going to be glorious. This is one of those players I would over pay for. |
| PLAYER (TEAM) | Notes |
| TIER 1 | |
| Mike Trout (LAA – CF) | I refuse to concede the crown to Acuna, Soto, Betts or Tatis. Trout has many things going for him this season as the lineup is greatly improved with a healthy Rendon and Ohtani, but those who are down on him because he “might not run as much” or fear him not playing deep into the season are mistaken. I am fine with taking Acuna, Tatis or Soto #1 overall if you really love one of them. However I am not fine w/ Trout passing #3 overall and for my money, he is the most sure thing on the board in the first round. |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL – CF,RF) | Good at baseball. |
| Juan Soto (WSH – LF) | Good at baseball. |
| Cody Bellinger (LAD – CF) | Also. Good at baseball. |
| Bryce Harper (PHI – RF) | The draft stock hasn’t come down far enough on Harper to call him a steal, but it’s close. |
| TIER 1b | |
| Kyle Tucker (HOU – LF) | Everyone — including me — thinks Tucker takes the next step forward this season. |
| Mookie Betts (LAD – RF) | This is not a typo. This is where I view Mookie. |
| Christian Yelich (MIL – LF) | The lineup is horrible. That’s the knock. |
| TIER 2 | |
| Luis Robert (CWS – CF) | Even with Eloy going down I still have Robert ascending up greatly. He will skip Tier 2 and move to Tier 1 next year. |
| Whit Merrifield (KC – 2B,CF,RF) | See above |
| Marcell Ozuna (ATL – DH,LF) | |
| Michael Conforto (NYM – RF) | |
| Aaron Judge (NYY – RF) and Giancarlo Stanton | If they stay healthy they are ELITE plays. All signs point to them being healthy but its a loaded position and I just find myself picking elsewhere. |
| George Springer (TOR – CF) | |
| TIER 3 | |
| Randy Arozarena (TB – LF) | Mr. Chicken and Push-Ups burst onto the scene in the playoffs but he really did have potential before that so it shouldn’t have been a complete shocker. That said, lets not forget the ballpark he plays in and temper expectations. |
| Charlie Blackmon (COL – RF) | |
| Nick Castellanos (CIN – RF) | |
| Trent Grisham (SD – CF) | His ADP is ranging from 40-80, which is a bit too high for me – but I like the potential here. |
| Anthony Santander (BAL – RF) | |
| Eddie Rosario (CLE – LF) | LiC. Lefties in Cleveland helps slightly. |
| Byron Buxton (MIN – CF) | Buxton reminds me a lot of Alex Gordon. Both were insanely hyped up prospects who really didn’t live up to the billing in fantasy from day one but provided a ton of value to their MLB teams through defense. Buxton is now going into that primed age 27 season for fantasy players and likely will have his best power season yet. Buxton finished in the top 10 among xSLG% with a .543 xSLG rate in 2020 when he had a career best 47% hard hit rate. The plate discipline needs to translate into more walks to allow him to maximize his steal potential (only 2 in 2020 was not good). |
| Jeff McNeil (NYM – LF) | Has been trying to hit for more power and in turn has become what he isn’t — which is a power guy. And it’s hurting him overall. Buyer beware of a slow start. |
| Teoscar Hernandez (TOR – RF) | |
| Victor Robles (WSH – CF) | Robles is basically Buxton junior, and you might think that sounds horrible — but it’s not. He’ll play every day due to his defense and he should add in ability to fill across multiple categories. |
| Max Kepler (MIN – RF) | |
| Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (TOR – LF) | |
| TIER 4 | |
| Joey Gallo (TEX – RF) | |
| Ryan Mountcastle (BAL – LF) | Like Santander, you take a major gamble with the young Orioles bats, but Mountcastle (1B/OF) is equal to Santander but at better draft value. |
| Tommy Pham (SD – LF) | Can never stay healthy it seems. Him, Myers and Grisham will battle for who the big 3rd piece to the Padres lineup is each week. |
| Mike Yastrzemski (SF – CF,RF) | Love Yaz and the two guys below him, but like them he also hits in a not so great hitters park. San Francisco moved their fences in last year and it seemed to provide an initial boost – but in April the games are gonna be cold and windy (usually in). |
| Ramon Laureano (OAK – CF) | |
| Austin Meadows (TB – LF) | |
| TIER 5 | |
| Starling Marte (MIA – CF) | |
| Franmil Reyes (CLE – OF) | Pedro Cerrano. Power. Lots of it. Lots of solo homers. |
| Wil Myers (SD – RF) | |
| Ian Happ (CHC – CF,LF) | |
| Alex Verdugo (BOS – LF,RF) | |
| Kyle Schwarber (WSH – LF) | |
| Andrew Benintendi (KC – LF) | |
| Trey Mancini (BAL – RF) | |
| Kyle Lewis (SEA – CF) | Second year hitters are usually guys to be cautious with. |
| Nick Senzel (CIN – CF) | |
| Late Upside | |
| Daulton Varsho (ARI – CF) | |
| Jarred Kelenic (SEA – CF) | |
| Cristian Pache (ATL – LF) | Pache will get lots of NL ROY votes. |