Just like that, we are flying into the second half as teams move past 100 games on the season. We are also hitting the trade deadline in just over a week meaning we could see some opportunities for young players around the league. It feels like we have drained as much talent from the minors this year, but guys like Masyn Winn, Evan Carter, Sal Frelick (or not) and Heston Kjerstad still remain knocking at the door. This time of year should excite any fantasy owner looking to capitalize on new opportunities. If I were to predict a big move at the deadline to impact our view of the Top 100 hitters, it would be the Yankees reeling in Cody Bellinger. Drop your favorite deadline predictions in the comments below as we dig into the Top 100 hitters for the rest of the 2023 fantasy baseball season.
| Rank | Player | Movement |
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman | |
| 4 | Kyle Tucker | 1 |
| 5 | Mookie Betts | 2 |
| 6 | Jose Ramirez | -2 |
| 7 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | -1 |
| 8 | Corbin Carroll | 1 |
| 9 | Rafael Devers | 1 |
| 10 | Trea Turner | -2 |
| 11 | Julio Rodriguez | 1 |
| 12 | Bobby Witt Jr. | 3 |
| 13 | Yordan Alvarez | 16 |
| 14 | Matt Olson | 7 |
| 15 | Luis Robert | 1 |
| 16 | Marcus Semien | 3 |
| 17 | Adolis Garcia | -3 |
| 18 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | -1 |
| 19 | Juan Soto | -1 |
| 20 | Bo Bichette | -7 |
| 21 | Randy Arozarena | -1 |
| 22 | Bryce Harper | -11 |
| 23 | Corey Seager | -1 |
| 24 | Austin Riley | 3 |
| 25 | Nolan Arenado | 5 |
| 26 | Paul Goldschmidt | 2 |
| 27 | Manny Machado | 6 |
| 28 | Ozzie Albies | -3 |
| 29 | Pete Alonso | -3 |
| 30 | Alex Bregman | 2 |
| 31 | Francisco Lindor | 3 |
| 32 | Christian Yelich | 10 |
| 33 | George Springer | 2 |
| 34 | Jose Altuve | -3 |
| 35 | Kyle Schwarber | 3 |
| 36 | Aaron Judge | -12 |
| 37 | Wander Franco | -1 |
| 38 | Josh Jung | 2 |
| 39 | Adley Rutschman | 2 |
| 40 | Cedric Mullins II | -3 |
| 41 | Will Smith | 4 |
| 42 | Anthony Santander | 9 |
| 43 | Sean Murphy | 4 |
| 44 | Bryan Reynolds | -1 |
| 45 | Yandy Diaz | 3 |
| 46 | Josh Lowe | -7 |
| 47 | Max Muncy | 2 |
| 48 | Mike Trout | -25 |
| 49 | Xander Bogaerts | -3 |
| 50 | Nick Castellanos | 7 |
| 51 | Christian Walker | 3 |
| 52 | Andrew Vaughn | |
| 53 | Michael Harris II | -9 |
| 54 | J.D. Martinez | 1 |
| 55 | Ketel Marte | 8 |
| 56 | Giancarlo Stanton | 4 |
| 57 | Cody Bellinger | 8 |
| 58 | Nathaniel Lowe | |
| 59 | Elly De La Cruz | -3 |
| 60 | Byron Buxton | -7 |
| 61 | Teoscar Hernandez | |
| 62 | Hunter Renfroe | |
| 63 | Justin Turner | 15 |
| 64 | Dansby Swanson | 4 |
| 65 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | -6 |
| 66 | Matt Chapman | |
| 67 | Daulton Varsho | -3 |
| 68 | Nico Hoerner | 1 |
| 69 | Gunnar Henderson | 7 |
| 70 | Jonathan India | 2 |
| 71 | Ryan Mountcastle | -21 |
| 72 | Salvador Perez | 1 |
| 73 | J.T. Realmuto | 1 |
| 74 | Lane Thomas | -3 |
| 75 | Matt McLain | 5 |
| 76 | Eloy Jimenez | -6 |
| 77 | Jordan Walker | 17 |
| 78 | Josh Naylor | NR |
| 79 | Carlos Correa | 3 |
| 80 | Spencer Torkelson | 18 |
| 81 | Tommy Edman | -2 |
| 82 | Jorge Soler | -7 |
| 83 | Gleyber Torres | -2 |
| 84 | Spencer Steer | 3 |
| 85 | Willy Adames | -8 |
| 86 | Whit Merrifield | NR |
| 87 | Luis Arraez | -3 |
| 88 | Jonah Heim | 4 |
| 89 | Anthony Rizzo | -4 |
| 90 | Anthony Volpe | NR |
| 91 | Francisco Alvarez | NR |
| 92 | Max Kepler | -2 |
| 93 | Jose Abreu | -2 |
| 94 | Nolan Gorman | NR |
| 95 | Austin Hays | -12 |
| 96 | Michael Conforto | NR |
| 97 | CJ Abrams | NR |
| 98 | Masataka Yoshida | NR |
| 99 | Ty France | -4 |
| 100 | Edouard Julien | NR |
Rising
- Spencer Torkelson – Torkelson had a strong prospect pedigree, but he struggled to find his way in his first two seasons. His calling card is disciplined power. A solid plate approach leading to a mid-20s strikeout rate and a nearly 10% walk rate form a good foundation. A guy can seemingly get lost in the media with Detroit similar to playing on the west coast, however Tork has been making improvements in his game. As of late, since 6/27, he has hit .279 with 6 homers and 18 RBI supported by a 94.1 exit velocity. He has also been putting the ball in the air on a consistent basis and starting to see more homers with some positive regression in HR/FB rates. Still just in his second season, there are some good signs coming.
- Manny Machado – One of the elite bats over the last decade, Machado really struggled to get off the ground in 2023. Prior to June he hit .231 with five homers and disappointing counting numbers. However, since the calendar turned to June we are seeing the Machado we have come to expect with a .278 average, 13 homers and nearly 30 runs and RBI apiece. With plate discipline numbers (<15% walk rate) showing his comfort and the lowest BABIP of his career holding numbers down, he is primed for a big second half.
- Christian Yelich – Former NL MVP, Yelich has hit a few down years. However, 2023 has been a resurgence with marks eerily similar to his 2018 MVP season. Comparatively speaking exit velocity (+0.4), hard hit rate (+2.7) and walk rate (+1.2) are better than 2018. In addition his xBA, barrel rate and strikeout rates are not too far off. All the underlying metrics are paying off on pace for a 25/35 season with his numbers getting better every month. Just enjoy looking at his Baseball Savant profile:
Falling
- Bo Bichette – Bichette falls this week in our Top 100 hitters due to a continuing trend where he will not run. In 2021, Bo stole 21 bases and only got caught once. However, in 2022 he only nabbed 13 bases being caught 8 times. Now this season, he has only been 3 for 6 in his attempts as his sprint speed has fallen into the bottom half of the league. With league wide steals increasing, he is hurting owners that expected more from him. Yes, he is hitting well over .300 with solid counting stats and decent power. However, he is not the first rounder many have believed him to be. It is time to move him down in the rankings to recognize who he really is as a hitter.
- Ryan Mountcastle – Mounty has battled injuries for most of 2023 in what should have been an opportunity to truly breakout. However, he was not taken that step forward and in some small areas has stepped back. An increase in ground balls combined with deeper dimensions at Camden yards have provided some power headwinds. If you bought expecting 2022 production then you are probably not too disappointed, but the growth many expected has not been there.
Watching
- Jake McCarthy – Jake is now 22 for 25 on thefts this season. Since being recalled from the minors in late May, he is hitting .298 boosting his season average to .250. His apparent mid-teens power shown last year, however seems to have disappeared. He has a strong ground all profile and does not hit the ball incredibly hard. Right now, McCarthy is sitting at the bottom of the lineup and needs volume to make his profile worthy of the Top 100. He sits in the watching category hoping he can find his way to the top of a surprisingly productive Arizona lineup.
- Ronny Mauricio – With the trade deadline looming, the Mets are sitting in an interesting position. Steve Cohen will not want to rebuild, but he needs to make a change. With Starling Marte on the injured list and Tommy Pham looking like a good trade candidate, there is a good chance we see a spot open up in the batting order soon. Mauricio has been nothing short of a star at AAA with a 15/15 season already achieved and a near .300 batting average. The Mets will give him an opportunity this year and he is looking more and more like a potential building block for the future in New York.
