Top 150 Hitters - Points Leagues

Today I’m dropping what many of you have asked for – my Points league’s top 150 hitters for the rest of the season. Well, technically, you asked for my rankings, but this is close enough.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge, I’m not really a general “rankings guru” like many in the industry are…or attempt to be. I love data (you know this by now), and I do like to stratify players.

“Those sure sounds like rankings, TLB!”

Ok, you got me. I do like to rank players, but it tends to be individually rather than generating “top 100+” lists. See, when I “rank” players, it’s more frequently sorting against MLB averages or thresholds within a specific analytic. For example, players having MLB average barrel rate = 7.8% or a contact rate > 80% being considered elite. If you’ve followed me here, you’re familiar with this already. I use it all the time in these articles. So, this week will be a bit of an adventure for me since I usually tend to look for “other” ways to share my information.

For my rankings below, I’ve mixed up a proprietary blend of herbs and spices (hey, it works for the Colonel) to generate what I hope is a tasty dish. My main ingredients are the player statistics generated through the end of April and our very own Razzball projections. Both are available on the Razzball site at the hyperlinks provided. That’s as far as I go in sharing my recipe. After that, it’s proprietary!

Of course, you need to know the points distribution I’m using. Yes, it’s the NFBC RazzSlam scoring as depicted below. Of course, we’re only looking at the hitters this week so disregard the right side (until next week, perhaps).

Time for the big unveiling. The FIRST edition of The Lineup Builder’s Top 150 hitters for the rest of the season. So, without further adieu…

Rank	Name	Team	Rest of Season (PPG)
1	Aaron Judge	NYY	6.52
2	Shohei Ohtani	LAD	6.11
3	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SDP	5.74
4	Kyle Tucker	CHC	5.44
5	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	5.44
6	Bobby Witt Jr.	KCR	5.32
7	Corbin Carroll	ARI	5.32
8	Teoscar Hernandez	LAD	5.12
9	Jose Ramirez	CLE	4.76
10	Oneil Cruz	PIT	4.71
11	CJ Abrams	WSN	4.62
12	Jackson Chourio	MIL	4.54
13	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	4.53
14	Freddie Freeman	LAD	4.5
15	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	4.5
16	Jarren Duran	BOS	4.48
17	Wyatt Langford	TEX	4.48
18	Mookie Betts	LAD	4.37
19	Pete Alonso	NYM	4.34
20	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	4.31
21	Francisco Lindor	NYM	4.3
22	Cedric Mullins	BAL	4.27
23	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	4.24
24	Alex Bregman	BOS	4.23
25	Brice Turang	MIL	4.19
26	Bryce Harper	PHI	4.17
27	Steven Kwan	CLE	4.17
28	Byron Buxton	MIN	4.16
29	James Wood	WSN	4.09
30	Trea Turner	PHI	4.09
31	Luis Robert Jr.	CHW	4.09
32	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	4.05
33	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	4.03
34	Noelvi Marte	CIN	4.01
35	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	3.95
36	Josh Naylor	ARI	3.94
37	Mike Trout	LAA	3.91
38	Bryson Stott	PHI	3.9
39	Jose Altuve	HOU	3.9
40	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	3.9
41	Corey Seager	TEX	3.87
42	Ben Rice	NYY	3.86
43	Juan Soto	NYM	3.82
44	Manny Machado	SDP	3.81
45	Jeremy Pena	HOU	3.81
46	Austin Riley	ATL	3.8
47	Michael Harris II	ATL	3.79
48	Brenton Doyle	COL	3.78
49	Gleyber Torres	DET	3.74
50	Christian Yelich	MIL	3.72
51	Marcell Ozuna	ATL	3.7
52	Tommy Edman	LAD	3.69
53	Cal Raleigh	SEA	3.68
54	Rafael Devers	BOS	3.66
55	Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	3.66
56	Bo Bichette	TOR	3.63
57	Kerry Carpenter	DET	3.58
58	Wilyer Abreu	BOS	3.55
59	Lars Nootbaar	STL	3.54
60	Brent Rooker	ATH	3.54
61	Lawrence Butler	ATH	3.54
62	Paul Goldschmidt	NYY	3.52
63	Matt McLain	CIN	3.52
64	William Contreras	MIL	3.5
65	Ryan O’Hearn	BAL	3.5
66	Tyler Soderstrom	ATH	3.49
67	Luis Arraez	SDP	3.49
68	Brendan Donovan	STL	3.48
69	Austin Hays	CIN	3.48
70	Randy Arozarena	SEA	3.47
71	Dylan Moore	SEA	3.46
72	Jorge Polanco	SEA	3.46
73	Anthony Volpe	NYY	3.45
74	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	3.42
75	Junior Caminero	TBR	3.42
76	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	3.41
77	Sean Murphy	ATL	3.41
78	Logan O’Hoppe	LAA	3.38
79	Andy Pages	LAD	3.38
80	TJ Friedl	CIN	3.36
81	Will Smith	LAD	3.35
82	Ketel Marte	ARI	3.35
83	Ozzie Albies	ATL	3.35
84	Cody Bellinger	NYY	3.33
85	George Springer	TOR	3.32
86	Nico Hoerner	CHC	3.32
87	Trevor Story	BOS	3.32
88	Riley Greene	DET	3.31
89	Trent Grisham	NYY	3.31
90	Jordan Beck	COL	3.3
91	Zach Neto	LAA	3.27
92	Matt Olson	ATL	3.25
93	Kyle Manzardo	CLE	3.22
94	Ian Happ	CHC	3.21
95	Luis Garcia	WSN	3.2
96	Yandy Diaz	TBR	3.2
97	Xavier Edwards	MIA	3.18
98	Kristian Campbell	BOS	3.17
99	Adolis Garcia	TEX	3.16
100	Hunter Goodman	COL	3.13
101	Spencer Torkelson	DET	3.12
102	Ceddanne Rafaela	BOS	3.11
103	Jackson Merrill	SDP	3.11
104	Eugenio Suarez	ARI	3.1
105	Maikel Garcia	KCR	3.09
106	Dylan Crews	WSN	3.07
107	Royce Lewis	#N/A	3.05
108	Michael Busch	CHC	3.04
109	Josh Jung	TEX	3.04
110	Giancarlo Stanton	#N/A	3.03
111	Andres Gimenez	TOR	3.03
112	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	3.01
113	Josh Lowe	#N/A	3
114	Brandon Lowe	TBR	3
115	Jacob Wilson	ATH	2.98
116	Isaac Paredes	HOU	2.98
117	Adley Rutschman	BAL	2.97
118	Nick Castellanos	PHI	2.97
119	Taylor Ward	LAA	2.92
120	Andrew Benintendi	CHW	2.91
121	Jorge Soler	LAA	2.9
122	Jordan Westburg	BAL	2.9
123	Shea Langeliers	ATH	2.9
124	Nathaniel Lowe	WSN	2.89
125	Jonathan Aranda	TBR	2.86
126	Mike Yastrzemski	SFG	2.85
127	Kyle Stowers	MIA	2.85
128	Xander Bogaerts	SDP	2.85
129	Brandon Nimmo	NYM	2.84
130	Trevor Larnach	MIN	2.84
131	Tyler Fitzgerald	SFG	2.84
132	Jasson Dominguez	NYY	2.83
133	Masyn Winn	STL	2.83
134	Nolan Arenado	STL	2.83
135	Johan Rojas	PHI	2.83
136	Sal Frelick	MIL	2.82
137	Mark Vientos	NYM	2.81
138	Carson Kelly	CHC	2.81
139	Heliot Ramos	SFG	2.8
140	Ezequiel Tovar	COL	2.79
141	Nolan Schanuel	LAA	2.78
142	Christopher Morel	TBR	2.76
143	Willson Contreras	STL	2.75
144	Victor Robles	SEA	2.74
145	Vinnie Pasquantino	KCR	2.73
146	Alek Thomas	ARI	2.71
147	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	ARI	2.71
148	Christian Walker	HOU	2.68
149	Tyler O’Neill	BAL	2.68
150	Leody Taveras	TEX	2.67

So, what do you think? I mean, any rest of season hitter rankings that don’t have Judge or Ohtani at the top are probably not worth your time in reading further. Will they both be there at the end? Maybe so, maybe not. BUT…on May 5, they need to head the list.

Now, what else do you notice? If it’s the fact that I’m giving you my estimated PPG (Points Per Game), then you are one astute reader. Yes, since we’re focusing on Points leagues, I think the best way to stratify the players is by providing the “RATE” of points we should expect. That’s my little twist on the rankings. These rankings are essentially driven by numbers (remember my proprietary blend?), and I didn’t really artificially tweak them to fit some crowdsourced model. Instead, I’ll let the numbers say their piece, and I’ll provide a critique, spending some time sharing who I think may be overvalued and those who may be undervalued.

How’d You Rank So High?

Here are some players I feel may not live up to these rankings much longer!

Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) – PCA may have stars for parents, but he’s been making a name for himself on the North Side this season. He finished April with 6 HRs and a dozen SBs. He’s added 3 more long-balls after my April 30 stats cut off. He’s a great story, both for MLB and for fantasy, and I’m rooting for him to keep it going. That said, #13? That’s too rich for my blood. A look at the metrics sees him hitting too many fly balls (up 8 %), and his Chase% is also up. He’s getting by right now, but I see a regression coming.
Cedric Mullins (Orioles) – Mullins is another favorite of mine. Little-known-fact…I have his minor league bobblehead right here on my desk. So, it pains me to write this review. Unfortunately, it appears he peaked in 2021 with his 30/30 season. Now, we greedily take every HR and SB he offers, which looks like it’ll be in the 14-16 range for both. I fear he’s also peaked in these rankings at #22.
Bryson Stott (Phillies) – When you look at Stott’s early season stats, it makes you wonder how a player with only 2 HRs and 7 SBs can rank at #38. The answer is: 31 Hits at 4 points apiece. The projections feel he can keep up this rate. I see a career-high K% (21.1%) and career-low Contact% (76.3%), so I’m not as bullish here.
Austin Hays (Reds) – Hays put together a strong couple weeks in April, bookended by time away due to injuries, to land at #69. I’ve always like the talent here, and playing in the Queen City is a bonus, but I just don’t see this holding over the long term.
Jorge Polanco (Mariners) – The 31-year old is another good early season story for the M’s, coming in at #72. Here we have a player who’s averaged 15 HRs over the past 3 seasons but already has 9 in the books. The career .265 hitter sees himself at .395 after 24 games. Impressive, but this one screams “Sell High” to me.

Why You Ranked So Low?

Here are some players I feel may be movin’ on up!

Tyler Soderstron (A’s) – Tyler comes in at #65, which is admirable for a 3rd year player who’s finally getting an opportunity for regular playing time. He’s already matched his career-high in HRs (in about half the number of games) and what’s more impressive are the underlying metrics. Essentially all are positive: Average is up. Contract% is up. Barrel rate is up. Launch angle is up. Hard Hit % is up. BABIP is up. LD% is up. Chase rate is down. K% is down. Top 30 is not out of the question here.
Riley Greene, (Tigers) – Riley Greene coming in at #88 is just too low for me. Looking at his metrics, it appears his swing is just not there yet. GB% is up. LD% is down. FB% is down. K% and Contact% are about the same. If/when he puts it together, he’ll go on a tear. NOTE: I tried to pry Greene from Truss in the Perts league recently but he wasn’t having it. He’s also our editor so if that door wasn’t shut to me then, it certainly is now!
Josh Lowe (Rays) – We know the story here. If only Josh Lowe can stay healthy… Big “IF” there. But, if he does, I’m confident we’ll see him ascend from the #113 spot.
Isaac Paredes (Astros) – We’ve seen this all too often. A player coming to a team with the perfect swing to fit the home stadium. We saw a glimpse of it during a 3-game home stretch where he hit a HR in each game. In fact, all of his HRs (4) this season have come at home. Go Figure! Better days are coming here!
Christian Walker (Astros) – Here’s yet another example of a new player in a new environment. Walker has been, well we can say it, DREADFUL, and barely making the rankings at #148. I mean, 4 HRs and 9 RBIs through April? That’s dreadful. What happened to the 70+% Contract rate? The 15+% LD% and 44+% FB%? On the bright side, his Barrel% and EV are both in line with recent history. If Walker didn’t have the recent history on his side, he’d probably be down at Round Rock figuring things out. So now, he’ll have to do it in Houston. My money says he does.

I shared 5 players who I felt were too high and 5 who may be moving up. What do you think?

Where We’re Going

For the last couple weeks, I’ve shared a snippet of Rudy’s projection sheet that looks at the week ahead and provides relative Points league scoring for general CBS, ESPN, Fantrax, and Yahoo leagues. Have you taken advantage of that service yet? I’ll give you another peak at the week ahead but it’s about that time where the mother bird kicks the baby birds out of the nest. Just sayin!

There you have it, my first adventure into Points league rankings. We can debate where players rank all day, so let’s do it. Any names missing? I’m sure there are. We can chat about that too. Just let me know what you think in the comments below.

As always, you can find me on Twitter/X (@Derek_Favret) and on BlueSky (@dfavret.bsky.social).

Until next time, my friends!