Here they are, my points league rankings. These aren’t based on any particular league scoring system so it’s important to know what your league rewards you for. In general, I tend to prioritize bats over arms in spite of their projected point totals. The way things look this season I want to grab a top hitter with my first pick and then target a high-end pitcher in the second or third round. For many of the pitchers below, especially the ones ranked back to back, I view them as very close to one another so take your favorite out of the group or whoever is available. Happy drafting.
1) Shohei Ohtani – The man the myth the legend. No chance I’m taking anyone else number 1 if he counts as one player. He’s a cheat code.
2) Juan Soto – Not really anything to say that hasn’t been said before. He’s a great hitter surrounded by a strong lineup.
3) Jose Ramirez – Unlike Soto, JoRam isn’t a threat to bash 40 bombs but 30 isn’t outside the realm of possibility. He also has the speed to swipe 30 bags and a 30/30 season is pretty great. He also finds himself at the top of third base.
4) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Another big bat in the middle of what has the potential to be a high scoring offense. Projections love him but I’m admittedly a little concerned about the drop-off at the hot corner so he goes behind JoRam.
5) Mookie Betts – I always want to doubt him, but he keeps putting up numbers. Maybe it’s just my Giant’s homerism. Either way, he has that sweet, sweet power/speed/average combo to make him a stud. As an added bonus, he also has second base eligibility in some leagues.
6) Aaron Judge – Fresh of a 62 home run season, what does he have for an encore? He’s no Arson Judge, of brief Giants fame, but Aaron does two great things for points leagues: drop bombs and hit for a pretty good average. That’s just about all you could want.
7) Kyle Tucker – Outfield is strong this season and Tucker is one of the leaders. He has power, speed, and contact. Yup, that’s a points league champion.
8) Corbin Burnes – Yes, a pitcher. I probably won’t be drafting him this high because I want top bats but there’s no denying that he is in line to put up massive point totals this season. I won’t tell you not to take him, but a big bat followed by an arm is my preferred way to go.
9) Freddie Freeman – He feels blah to me but that won’t prevent him from being a high-end fantasy option. After all, he doesn’t care about how i feel about him. He has pop and average, that’s a win.
10) Ronald Acuna Jr – I understand there may be some hesitancy to take him this high after setting a career low in the OPS department last season. His knee was not feeling 100 percent but he’s now even further removed from surgery. And it’s not even like he was terrible last season. He has 40/40 potential and I wouldn’t be shocked if we’re looking at him as the first pick after Ohtani next season.
11) Yordan Alvarez – Power is king in points leagues and Yordong has that and then some. Grey said he’s the best bet to blast 60 and he’s pretty on the ball. If he does push Judge’s record (Yordon, not Grey) you’ll wish you had drafted him sooner.
12) Gerrit Cole – Love him or hate him, he’s been the model of consistency. He does everything you want from a points league pitcher, racking up innings and Ks. There’s a case to take him at the beginning of the first round but I won’t make a move on him until the turn.
13) Aaron Nola – After locking up a big bat in the first round I’ll be looking to lock up an ace. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer in streaming but I do like to have at least one big-time arm anchoring my pitching staff. Nola will give you innings and solid K numbers with a great shot at a win every time he takes the mound.
14) Max Scherzer – Mad Max has been nothing short of excellent when he takes the mound throughout his entire career, unfortunately as he’s aged his inning totals have decreased. Even if he only gives you 160 innings his stuff is good enough to give you dominant point totals. I don’t like to chase wins because they can be unpredictable but if the New York Metropolitans are as good as their offseason spending indicates…
15) Justin Verlander – Let’s go back-to-back Mets shall we? Verlander keeps finding a way to fend off father time and dominate hitters. Is it bold to rank a 40 year old pitcher number 15 overall? Answer: probably. But I think he can improve on his K totals from last season and should give you 170 innings.
16) Spencer Strider – He was amazing last season and if you had him at his draft cost you were very happy. This year his price has risen significantly but he has what it takes to be worth it.
17) Shane McClanahan – No doubt he did not finish last season as strongly as he opened it. Even with that, he was still an elite option on the mound. That’s not entirely unexpected for a young pitcher as the increase their innings totals.
18) Yu Darvish – He got a boost last season from wins but the rest of his stats were pretty good too. You can bet on him striking people out and throwing a bunch of innings.
19) Sandy Alcantara – Don’t expect last year’s numbers but he’ll still be pretty darn good. He can still give you 200 innings which is insanely valuable. Top that off with some Ks and you are in business.
20) Brandon Woodruff – Burnes is the Brew Crew pitcher everyone is excited about, and with good reason, but don’t forget he has a teammate who can rack up the points too.
21) Dylan Cease – If we were ranking based on stasche, Dylan would be number one. Unfortunately, that’s not worth any fantasy points. What is worth points are his strikeout numbers, seriously this dude is filthy. A couple years ago I put him down as my Cy Young winner and… well he didn’t come close. That was then and last year he finally delivered on his potential, coming up just short of taking home the hardware. A couple things break his way and he could finally win it.
23) Trea Turner – A change of scenery won’t stop him from doing his thing. Obviously, he’s pretty good, even if points leagues aren’t the format where he really shines. His power/speed combo with a side of batting average still plays here.
24) Pete Alonso – He’s got that power bat you want and he does it with a fairly decent batting average. There’s some swing and miss in his game but the home runs will more than balance that out.
25) Robbie Ray – Maybe his pants weren’t quite tight enough last season to allow him to repeat his brilliant 2021 Cy Young season. At this point in his career, we have a pretty good idea of what we’ll get out of Ray, Ks on Ks. He’ll walk some guys (too many) but the upside is there.
26) Shane Bieber – He won’t give you top-end strike our numbers but he should be fairly strong in that department. Innings totals should be strong and those are worth big points.
27) Jacob deGrom – How much do you like to risk it? deGrom has the tools and the raw stuff to be the best fantasy pitcher out there. Unfortunately, a good chunk of the past two seasons has been lost to injury with only 150 innings the past two years combined. Projections have him for 130 innings but that’s enough to make him a high-end option.
28) Luis Castillo – Took a step up last season and I expect more of the same this year. He should have a good offense backing him so wins are also on the table.
29) Zac Gallen – We’ve got an ace in the desert. I really like his projections this season and think he can return huge value.
30) Nolan Arenado – With third base being top-heavy, Nolan is a great option. Beyond that, he is primed to be a strong hitter overall so don’t feel like you have to sacrifice anything to draft him. The power is there and, fingers crossed, he should have some solid lineup support.
31) Manny Machado – Another third baseman to consider, there’s room for him to be even better than he was last season. Slam Diego figures to put up big numbers on offense and Manny will be right in the middle of it.
32) Corey Seager – If his average rebounds from last season’s career low and he maintains his power, he will be in line for big things this season. Here’s to hoping the shift ban helps out.
33) Alex Bregman – If you don’t snag one of the top options at the hot corner, Bregman is an excellent fallback. Really, he’s not a fallback since he looks to be a top 20 hitter.
34) Rafael Devers – He just got paid, now it’s time to earn his money. I don’t love the lineup around him but I really like what Devers can do.
35) Bo Bichette – Ranking him here makes me feel like I won’t be drafting him. He’s a great player but in points leagues, he’s not worth a first round pick. I view him as a jack of all trades, good at multiple categories but not really elite in any single area. That drops him down the points board. If he happens to fall in your draft you should be all over him in this range.
36) Framber Valdez – Never forget, he has the predator blood in him. His K numbers don’t blow you away but the innings should be there, and make up for it.
37) Kevin Gausman – His splitter is elite. There’s number 1 starter potential here.
38) Zack Wheeler – At this point we know that Wheeler is not a huge strikeout guy. However, he should be around a K per inning and he should log more frames than last season.
39) Cristian Javier – Looks like he will surpass last season’s 148 innings. Add that to his strikeout potential and there’s a good chance he ends up higher on this list at the end of the season.
40) Max Fried – Another guy who doesn’t overpower hitters and rack up Ks. He succeeds by just getting guys out. No reason to expect that to change.
41) Triston McKenzie – His curve is devastating. Even if hitters make contact, they can’t square it up. Weak contact is a great recipe for success and he’ll chip in some strikeouts as well.
42) Alek Manoah – You have lots of choices when it comes to a guy to anchor your pitching staff and Manoah is absolutely one of them. He has the potential to log 180 innings and that’s big points.
43) Julio Rodriguez – Doubtful that I’d draft him in a points league because he’s been so hyped as a top 5 pick in roto leagues. No question he’s a budding superstar but there are better values in points leagues. Let someone else take him in the first round.
44) Matt Olson – I anticipate his batting average rebounding a few ticks from last season’s .240. In spite of that, he was still a valuable fantasy asset due to his power. No reason to expect the power to suddenly disappear so look for him to be even better.
45) Logan Gilbert – He set a career-high in innings last season with 185 and figures to be around that number again this year. Yep, I like him.
46) Austin Riley – Third base may be top-heavy but the top options are all excellent hitters. As for Riley, he has big-time power and gets hits even when they don’t leave the park. He’s just entering his prime so there could be even bigger things in store.
47) Paul Goldschmidt – The reigning MVP reminds us that players in their mid 30s can still be top options. I’m not holding my breath for a repeat performance but I do see him as a strong choice at first base.
48) Marcus Semien – A slow start to last season was quickly erased when he remembered how to hit. He has good power, especially for a second baseman, and should pick up enough other counting stats to rack up points.
49) Mike Trout – It pains me to see him this low after being a number one pick. Sadly he hasn’t played a full season recently. But even 140 games of Trout is pretty dang good. He still crushed home runs. And he doesn’t have to face Ohtani.
50) Wander Franco – His upside is incredible. Power isn’t his game but it should grow and he has speed to leg out doubles. With his solid batting average, we’re looking at a very good choice for your shortstop, especially if he smacks a few more bombs. He’s only 22 so it’s not inconceivable to think that could happen.
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