At this point I feel a little like a repeating Kevin McCallister, screaming over and over again as I splash the stinging liquid of not stop Covid-19 news against my fantasy baseball face. How are we supposed to keep up? By the time this work is published three more Top 100 players could be struck down, throwing their 60 game season into question. And since all these players are in their home areas for summer camp, when the virus is spiking in that area, particularly Houston, it can throw camp completely out of whack.
As you can probably guess, Yordan Alvarez coming down with the virus and Houston’s cases spiking has slipped Astros batters down. Other individual cases have an effect here and there, and Freddy Freeman is finally having an effect on Braves batters despite coming back. There was also a trade on Thursday that has the smallest effect here. Also, Yasiel Puig doesn’t quite make it. Yup, the virus got him too.
If you are wondering about the particulars of the list a big change was made last week. That includes some park effect fine tuning, and in particular why I have Mike Trout ranked so low. You can find last week’s list here. All that being said, let’s look at some of this week’s movers:
Ronald Acuna Jr. – Dropping him a few, but it’s all about his teammate Freddie Freeman. Yes, Freeman’s back and says he feels great, but if Moncada’s legs feel a little weak (see Moncada at #58 below), Freeman will definitely need time to come up to full strength. In 60 games, without the second best players on his team at full strength, it’s going to hurt his numbers.
Yordan Alvarez – Oh man, this virus just won’t quit. Houston we have a problem.
Alex Bregman, George Springer & Jose Altuve – With the virus ramping up in the Houston area all Astros batters are dropping in the rankings. It already hit Yordan Alvarez, and there are problems getting enough tests, throwing the camp into a bit of chaos.
Ozzie Albies – Same as Acuna, a lack of Freeman at full strength from the get go hurts his value. It’s as simple as maybe he sees fewer pitches to hit. In such a short season, not much time for adjustments.
Charlie Blackmon – Points for successfully navigating the Covid-19 protocols and coming back. He’s in a much better position than Freeman, because he never got that bad.
Austin Meadows – The virus strikes again, gotta downgrade him, the high hopes are dropping.
Freddie Freeman – He’s feeling better but still won’t be ready for opening day probably. I’ve already dropped him in the rankings, who knows what news will come next week.
Yoan Moncada – So he’s feeling better, but the long term effects are really not known. Still reason to be cautious. This doesn’t sound great: “I can tell that I feel my legs are a little tired because of all the time I was inactive…But I think I know my body. I’m going to be ready pretty soon. I won’t need too much time.” It’s a great big guessing game.
Franchy Cordero – Sure, he doesn’t have a starting role, but he hits bombs, and he’s entering the AL/NL Central offensive vortex. The Royals could start Merrifield at 2B and push Nicky Lopez to the bench. That opens an outfield spot or DH for Cordero. Waiting to adjust other Royals until his role is more well established.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Yelich | OF | MIL | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Cody Bellinger | 1B/OF | LAD | 3 | +1 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor | SS | CLE | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | Jose Ramirez | 3B | CLE | 5 | +1 |
| 5 | Trea Turner | SS | WSH | 6 | +1 |
| 6 | Trevor Story | SS | COL | 7 | +1 |
| 7 | Rafael Devers | 3B | BOS | 8 | +1 |
| 8 | Mookie Betts | OF | LAD | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | COL | 10 | +1 |
| 10 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | OF | ATL | 2 | -8 |
| 11 | J.D. Martinez | OF | BOS | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Juan Soto | OF | WSH | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Javier Baez | SS | CHC | 14 | +1 |
| 14 | Bryce Harper | OF | PHI | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | CHC | 16 | +1 |
| 16 | Adalberto Mondesi | SS | KC | 18 | +2 |
| 17 | Keston Hiura | 2B | MIL | 19 | +2 |
| 18 | Alex Bregman | SS/3B | HOU | 13 | -5 |
| 19 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SS | SD | 22 | +3 |
| 20 | Ketel Marte | 2B/OF | ARI | 23 | +3 |
| 21 | George Springer | OF | HOU | 17 | -4 |
| 22 | Xander Bogaerts | SS | BOS | 24 | +2 |
| 23 | Nelson Cruz | DH | MIN | 25 | +2 |
| 24 | Manny Machado | SS/3B | SD | 27 | +3 |
| 25 | Jose Altuve | 2B | HOU | 21 | -4 |
| 26 | Nick Castellanos | OF | CIN | 28 | +2 |
| 27 | Luis Robert | OF | CHW | 29 | +2 |
| 28 | Ozzie Albies | 2B | ATL | 20 | -8 |
| 29 | Pete Alonso | 1B | NYM | 30 | +1 |
| 30 | Josh Donaldson | 3B | MIN | 31 | +1 |
| 31 | J.T. Realmuto | C | PHI | 32 | +1 |
| 32 | Charlie Blackmon | OF | COL | 45 | +13 |
| 33 | Kris Bryant | 3B | CHC | 33 | 0 |
| 34 | Bo Bichette | SS | TOR | 34 | 0 |
| 35 | Starling Marte | OF | ARI | 35 | 0 |
| 36 | Andrew Benintendi | OF | BOS | 36 | 0 |
| 37 | Mike Moustakas | 2B/3B | CIN | 38 | +1 |
| 38 | Austin Meadows | OF | TB | 26 | -12 |
| 39 | Gleyber Torres | 2B/SS | NYY | 39 | 0 |
| 40 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | ATL | 40 | 0 |
| 41 | Marcell Ozuna | OF | ATL | 41 | 0 |
| 42 | Kyle Schwarber | OF | CHC | 42 | 0 |
| 43 | Lorenzo Cain | OF | MIL | 43 | 0 |
| 44 | Giancarlo Stanton | OF | NYY | 44 | 0 |
| 45 | Carlos Correa | SS | HOU | 46 | +1 |
| 46 | Whit Merrifield | 2B/OF | MIL | 47 | +1 |
| 47 | Anthony Rendon | 3B | LAA | 48 | +1 |
| 48 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B | CIN | 49 | +1 |
| 49 | Jose Abreu | 1B | CHW | 50 | +1 |
| 50 | Eloy Jimenez | OF | CHW | 51 | +1 |
| 51 | Tim Anderson | SS | CHW | 52 | +1 |
| 52 | Yuli Gurriel | 1B/3B | HOU | 53 | +1 |
| 53 | Eddie Rosario | OF | MIN | 54 | +1 |
| 54 | Victor Robles | OF | WSH | 55 | +1 |
| 55 | Carlos Santana | 1B | CLE | 56 | +1 |
| 56 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B | PHI | 57 | +1 |
| 57 | Ryan Braun | OF | MIL | 58 | +1 |
| 58 | Yoan Moncada | 3B | CHW | 59 | +1 |
| 59 | Yordan Alvarez | DH | HOU | 37 | -22 |
| 60 | Oscar Mercado | OF | CLE | 60 | 0 |
| 61 | Andrew McCutchen | OF | PHI | 61 | 0 |
| 62 | Michael Brantley | OF | HOU | 62 | 0 |
| 63 | Yasmani Grandal | C/1B | CHW | 63 | 0 |
| 64 | Max Kepler | OF | MIN | 64 | 0 |
| 65 | Franmil Reyes | OF | CLE | 65 | 0 |
| 66 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | STL | 66 | 0 |
| 67 | Gary Sanchez | C | NYY | 67 | 0 |
| 68 | Marcus Semien | SS | OAK | 68 | 0 |
| 69 | Jorge Polanco | SS | MIN | 69 | 0 |
| 70 | Jeff McNeil | 2B/3B/OF | NYM | 70 | 0 |
| 71 | Mike Trout | OF | LAA | 71 | 0 |
| 72 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | TOR | 72 | 0 |
| 73 | Jonathan Villar | 2B/SS | MIA | 73 | 0 |
| 74 | David Dahl | OF | COL | 74 | 0 |
| 75 | Josh Bell | 1B | PIT | 75 | 0 |
| 76 | Tommy Pham | OF | SD | 76 | 0 |
| 77 | Justin Turner | 3B | LAD | 77 | 0 |
| 78 | Michael Conforto | OF | NYM | 78 | 0 |
| 79 | Byron Buxton | OF | MIN | 79 | 0 |
| 80 | Matt Chapman | 3B | OAK | 80 | 0 |
| 81 | Joey Votto | 1B | CIN | 81 | 0 |
| 82 | Amed Rosario | SS | NYM | 82 | 0 |
| 83 | Corey Seager | SS | LAD | 83 | 0 |
| 84 | Jorge Soler | OF | KC | 84 | 0 |
| 85 | Adam Eaton | OF | WSH | 85 | 0 |
| 86 | Shohei Ohtani | DH | LAA | 86 | 0 |
| 87 | Matt Olson | 1B | OAK | 87 | 0 |
| 88 | Ramon Laureano | OF | OAK | 88 | 0 |
| 89 | Willson Contreras | C | CHC | 89 | 0 |
| 90 | Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | CHW | 90 | 0 |
| 91 | Paul DeJong | SS | STL | 91 | 0 |
| 92 | Eduardo Escobar | 2B/3B | ARI | 92 | 0 |
| 93 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | OF | TOR | 93 | 0 |
| 94 | David Peralta | OF | ARI | 94 | 0 |
| 95 | Aaron Judge | OF | NYY | 95 | 0 |
| 96 | DJ LeMahieu | 1B/2B/3B | NYY | 96 | 0 |
| 97 | Alex Verdugo | OF | BOS | 97 | 0 |
| 98 | Mitch Garver | C | MIN | 98 | 0 |
| 99 | Avisail Garcia | OF | MIL | 99 | 0 |
| 100 | Franchy Cordero | OF | KC | NA | NA |
Master Thomas!
Awesome top 100 report.
a. So I dropped Puig before the signing for Seth Lugo who I dropped for Helsley. Then, the Puig imminent signing and I was like damn what a mistake I made ’cause someone in my league had already snatched him up. Then this AM, well. Careful what you wish for I guess.
b. With Osuna not on a mound yet, I signed up Pressly in my two RCLs. In one league Kintzler is available. Do you like Kintzler over Pressly? Maybe Pressly takes over as the closer?
c. Again love the format and the intelligence. In fact, the way you moved the skinny details out of the table and into text before the table is a smart move.
d. Have a great weekend.
Cheers,
Ante
Always good to hear from you galica!
A. I’m telling you, all the doctors in fantasy baseball leagues are going to clean up this year!
B. Kintzler has been known to walk a few too many, and Pressly has been getting big outs for the Stros for years. I’d stick with Pressly.
C. Much appreciated! Thank my editor for the format change, Donkeyteeth is the man!
D. You too, always love a “Cheers”, so Cheers!
In a keep forever league, if my team isn’t in the hunt come September, should I try to move Soto for Trout, or is the age difference enough to hold regardless of what either player does this year?
Definitely don’t move those two diamonds. This year is a tossup, keep forever is, well forever!
This list is weird. Doesn’t jibe at all with razzball rating. Lorenzo Cain didn’t even get picked in my 10 team draft but he’s 43rd on this list.
We’re not a monotone, different ideas are always welcome. In this case, I’m looking at Cain as on a team with very little Covid, he bats near the top, and I’m looking at offensive explosion in the AL/NL Central due to the parks. You could call it weird, or you could look it as an opportunity to add a guy for nothing or $1 who could be a top 50 batter in this shortened season.
Thats logical. Apologize for my initial comment. Appreciate the explanation and will be watching Cain closely because he’s still on our wire
Rizzo can’t swing a bat @15, and Votto ahead of Olson?
Braun ahead of Judge ?
Looks like you got hacked.
Votto in AL/NL central vortex, short season perfect for him, Olson in larger parks AL/NL west that overall hurt his pull power quite a lot. Braun same AL/NL vortex, DH opens up his at bats, Judge is one more injury away from loosing 10-20% of the season, always gets hurt. Rizzo, sure, could be worse, one more week will tell. But of course, I could be wrong, you could be right :)
Yeah-agree with him on Rizzo. Any kind of core strength/ back ache/rib cage issue and batters is huge cause for concern in a shortened season. The only way to lesson the burden of injuries that “flare” up are more planned days off.
Good points. Sorry I missed that one this week.
I drafted Rizzo @84, a few days ago. Wish I’d taken Goldy.
So hard to tell. Goldy does have right elbow discomfort
I guess the takeaway is you need a plan B for every position, more so than ever. Versatility should be highly valued.
Yup, 100%, it’s strange and wacky season.
Love seein Ramirez, Lindor and Santana high up. If the Indians have a really good start offensively who do you see as a sleeper type candidate who could rise up with rising waters of a successful offense?
Oscar Mercado, especially after Puig flamed out.
Another name to keep an eye on: Cesar Hernandez. Francona might just trying to light a fire under Mercado, but there’s talk of Hernandez leading off. That could lead to a lot of runs scored.
Sorry dude. Trout at 71 was enough for me to completely disregard your rankings. There’s no park or lineup effects that could warrant that fall. Nor are your rankings even close to RB’s other lists. I get that different people assess things…well, differently….but you’re on Pluto.
Perhaps, but Trout’s been extremely negative about the season. He’s been quiet, but he could very easily go out for his child’s birth and not come back. That could tank a season that takes him in the first couple rounds while depending on him. I could be wrong, and you could be right, only the season will tell us.
I feel like this article is a big goof. These rankings can’t be legit
Only the season will tell. All opinions welcome :)
Great list, Thom! I love free thinkers!
Thanks boss!
Thoughts on Gallo this year? It seemed like he stopped chasing balls outside the zone last year before he got hurt.
Gallo was off the Top 100 because of his strikeout rate, lack of contact, and then a Covid-19 positive test. Now he’s cleared off Covid but the other things persist. He’s still behind because of having to sit out, so I’m inclined to pass on him. Sure, he could lead the league in HR, but I doubt it.