With the 2020 season seemingly set to get underway we need to revisit our rankings, as things have dramatically changed since March. The addition of the DH in the National League, players opting out and others getting diagnosed with COVID-19 (and the unknown about their status) are just some of the obstacles fantasy owners are facing. Let’s take a look at how things currently look, but keep in mind that things can change quickly:
- Chrisitan Yelich – Milwaukee Brewers
- Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels
- Ronald Acuna – Atlanta Braves
- Juan Soto – Washington Nationals
- J.D. Martinez – Boston Red Sox
- Cody Bellinger – Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bryce Harper – Philadelphia Phillies
- Aaron Judge – New York Yankees
- George Springer – Houston Astros
- Charlie Blackmon – Colorado Rockies
- Austin Meadows – Tampa Bay Rays
- Marcell Ozuna – Atlanta Braves
- Eloy Jimenez – Chicago White Sox
- Nick Castellanos – Cincinnati Reds
- Ketel Marte – Arizona Diamondbacks
- Starling Marte – Arizona Diamondbacks
- Victor Robles – Washington Nationals
- Tommy Pham – San Diego Padres
- Michael Conforto – New York Mets
- Eddie Rosario – Minnesota Twins
- Whit Merrifield – Kansas City Royals
- Kyle Schwarber – Chicago Cubs
- Joey Gallo – Texas Rangers
- Max Kepler – Minnesota Twins
- Giancarlo Stanton – New York Yankees
- Jorge Soler – Kansas City Royals
- Franmil Reyes – Cleveland Indians
- Ramon Laureano – Oakland Athletics
- Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox
- Brian Anderson – Miami Marlins
- Kris Bryant – Chicago Cubs
- Oscar Mercado – Cleveland Indians
- Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers
- Hunter Dozier – Kansas City Royals
- Michael Brantley – Houston Astros
- Luis Robert – Chicago White Sox
- Danny Santana – Texas Rangers
- Jeff McNeil – New York Mets
- Nomar Mazara – Chicago White Sox
Notes:
- Aaron Judge would’ve missed significant time early this season, but with the delayed start he should be ready for Opening Day. That obviously leads to a big jump in his ranking, especially with the type of numbers he’s capable of in a 60 game sprint (for example, in August & September ’17 he played in 54 games and slugged 18 HR with 39 RBI and 45 R).
- Another player who benefited from the late start to the season is Michael Conforto, as he was set to miss Opening Day with an oblique injury. Now fully healthy, he’s primed to take the next step forward in his development and could emerge as a true superstar.
- While Charlie Blackmon was diagnosed with COVID-19, reports have him as asymptomatic. If he gets cleared to return to “Summer Camp” it’s conceivable that he’s ready for Opening Day, or not too long after, so don’t downgrade him too far. However time is running out and he needs to report soon for that to be an option.
- What’s going on with Austin Meadows? Reports are that he’s been absent from “Summer Camp”, though he was in attendance initially. We haven’t gotten much in terms of a follow-up to this point, and it’s possible that we won’t. All fantasy owners can do is wait and see.
- After testing positive for COVID-19, both Tommy Pham and Joey Gallo have been cleared to return. There’s still time for them to be ready for Opening Day, so don’t downgrade them.
- How long have we heard that Kyle Schwarber was the perfect AL player, where he would thrive as a DH. Now we finally get to see how accurate it was, as he’s likely going to be a primary beneficiary of the addition of the DH to the National League.
Sources – Fangraphs, MLB.com
Make sure to check out all of our Updated 2020 preseason rankings:
Position | Last Updated |
---|---|
Catchers | 07/06/20 |
First Basemen | 07/20/20 |
Second Basemen | 07/07/20 |
Third Basemen | 07/08/20 |
Shortstops | 07/10/20 |
Outfielders | 07/13/20 |
Starting Pitchers | 07/14/20 |
Relief Pitchers | 07/12/20 |
RP: I just want to throw something by you and see if you agree –
Although I believe a fair ranking presently, Franmil Reyes may have one of the highest ceilings from where you now rank him. Two reasons for the high ceiling:
– With recent Lindor driven batting order changes, I think he may find himself batting 4th, versus the current projected 5th. I just don’t see Santana batting 2; ramirez should.
– I think he has a high probability of outperforming in terms of BA/HRs, amongst the big power AL hitters. It feels as if he’s more likely to bat above .260 BA and 40 HRs (annualized), than Soler, Nunez, Gallo, et al; maybe not a healthy Judge, but….. If you told me he hit at a pace of .275 BA / 50 HRs, I wouldn’t be entirely shocked.
Thoughts on this topic?
I’m not sure I’d put him among those with the highest ceilings, but it wouldn’t shock me if he outperformed this ranking and had a big ’20