Spring training and exhibition games are underway, which means fantasy baseball drafts are creeping closer. Below, I’ll be ranking my Top 12 players at first, second, shortstop, third, and outfield, as well as a sleeper pick for each group.
Many players have multiple-position eligibility in most fantasy leagues. When that’s the case I will list all of their positions, and that means some players will show up on more than one occasion.
By the way, if you missed my rankings of starting pitchers and catchers, you can find them here.
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FIRST BASE
1. Freddie Freeman, Braves (2020 Ranking: 2nd)
2. DJ LeMahieu – 1B/2B/3B, Yankees (4th)
3. Jose Abreu, White Sox (1st)
4. Cody Bellinger – 1B/OF, Dodgers (8th)
5. Luke Voit, Yankees (3rd)
6. Pete Alonso, Mets (9th)
7. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (23rd)
8. Brandon Lowe – 1B/2B/OF, Rays (6th)
9. Dominic Smith – 1B/OF, Mets (7th)
10. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B/3B, Blue Jays (11th)
11. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (29th)
12. Wil Myers – 1B/OF, Padres (5th)
Sleeper Pick
I’m bullish on Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle as someone that can outperform his average draft position (ADP) of 149.8. Mountcastle’s success in the minors transferred to the big club in 2020 as he delivered a .333 batting average and .878 OPS with 42 hits and five homers in 140 plate appearances. The sample is small, but playing at hitter-friendly Camden Yards in the middle of the Orioles lineup should provide plenty of RBI opportunities. Don’t be surprised if the 24-year-old turns into a starting-calibre fantasy first baseman.
SECOND BASE
1. DJ LeMahieu – 1B/2B/3B, Yankees (2020 Ranking: 2nd)
2. Whit Merrifield- 2B/OF, Royals (1st)
3. Ozzie Albies, Braves (30th)
4. Brandon Lowe – 1B/2B/OF, Rays (3rd)
5. Cavan Biggio – 2B/3B/OF, Blue Jays (5th)
6. Gleyber Torres – 2B/SS, Yankees (53rd)
7. Jose Altuve, Astros (40th)
8. Max Muncy – 1B/2B/3B, Dodgers (20th)
9. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – OF/2B, Blue Jays (4th)
10. Jeff McNeil – OF/2B/3B, Mets (31st)
11. Ketel Marte – 2B/SS/OF, Diamondbacks (44th)
12. Dylan Moore – 2B/SS/3B/OF, Mariners (6th)
Sleeper Pick
There’s a lot to like about Nick Madrigal entering his first full MLB season after appearing in 29 games last year. Hitting a phenomenal .340 during that stretch and presenting an elite strikeout avoidance makes him a riser to watch out for. Madrigal offers little in the home run and RBI departments, but provides a lot of upside when it comes to batting average and hit categories.
The Sacramento, Calif., native is definitely someone I want to scoop up in later rounds for bench depth.
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SHORTSTOP
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres (2020 Ranking: 2nd)
2. Trea Turner, Nationals (1st)
3. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays (25th)
4. Corey Seager, Dodgers (6th)
5. Trevor Story, Rockies (4th)
6. Francisco Lindor, Mets (13th)
7. Manny Machado – 3B/SS, Padres (3rd)
8. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox (8th)
9. Tim Anderson, White Sox (9th)
10. Gleyber Torres – 2B/SS, Yankees (48th)
11. Alex Bregman – 3B/SS, Astros (40th)
12. Adalberto Mondesi, Royals (5th)
Sleeper Pick
As good of a utility man as there is in the National League, I’m doing my best to grab Chris Taylor of the Dodgers at some point for my fantasy squad. The Dodgers’ “jack of all trades” veteran has position eligibility at second, shortstop, outfield, and likely will get third base added on as well. That type of flexibility for your roster when pandemic-related game postponements and player trips to the Covid/reserve list are still probable could prove quite valuable.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said this past week that Taylor is expected to play every day, and be used in different defensive spots around the field. He’s cut down on strikeouts since 2018 and offers a nice blend of multi-category production.
THIRD BASE
1. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland (1st)
2. Manny Machado – 3B/SS, Padres (2nd)
3. DJ LeMahieu – 1B/2B/3B, Yankees (3rd)
4. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals (35th)
5. Anthony Rendon, Angels (12th)
6. Cavan Biggio – 2B/3B/OF, Blue Jays (5th)
7. Rafael Devers, Red Sox (6th)
8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B/3B, Blue Jays (7th)
9. Alex Bregman – 3B/SS, Astros (53rd)
10. Max Muncy – 1B/2B/3B, Dodgers (26th)
11. Jeff McNeil – 2B/3B/OF, Mets (38th)
12. Eugenio Suarez, Reds (9th)
Sleeper Pick
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is an interesting fantasy option because he’ll receive catcher eligibility to go alongside third base and shortstop in some leagues. He was a Gold Glove winner for the Rangers at the hot corner in 2020 and was 27th at 3B for fantasy points. Kiner-Falefa offers a good, not great, stat line across the board, but I swing back to catcher for his real value.
If you can snag a traditional backstop and then draft him later on (ADP is 301), you’ll have phenomenal coverage. The 5-foot-11 righty will be a regular in the Texas lineup and offers top-10 fantasy catcher numbers. He was C-6 a year ago so keep him on your radar.
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OUTFIELD
1. Mookie Betts, Dodgers (2020 Ranking: 1st)
2. Juan Soto, Nationals (3rd)
3. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves (8th)
4. Mike Trout, Angels (4th)
5. Bryce Harper, Phillies (6th)
6. Whit Merrifield – 2B/OF, Royals (5th)
7. Marcell Ozuna, Braves (2nd)
8. Cody Bellinger – 1B/OF, Dodgers (28th)
9. Christian Yelich, Brewers (42nd)
10. Luis Robert, White Sox (21st)
11. Eloy Jiminez, White Sox (19th)
12. George Springer, Blue Jays (25th)
Sleeper Pick
Tommy Pham looks like a terrific bounceback candidate after his disastrous 2020 campaign. In the three previous seasons before last, his stat line was solid. Pham averaged around 22 stolen bases, 22 homers, and a .284 batting average over that time. If the outfielder can return to being a 20-20 producer in a loaded Padres batting order, then he’ll be one of the better bench depth OF to own.
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