Who would’ve thought little D.J. LeMahieu would be the best free agent signing of the past decade? Yeah, I said it! Mainly because I have an awful memory and suffer from extreme recency bias! He’s definitely the best signing of this preseason though. He’s 3 HRs away from setting a new career-high, already has a new career-high in RBI and is again leading his league in batting average as he did with the Rockies in 2016. His disappointing, injury-plagued 2018 caused his stock to dip a bit, but Brian Cashman is looking like a genius again for this signing. And oh yea, not that it matters to us, but he’s playing Gold Glove defense again at both 2B and 3B. Does defense matter to you? Do you use any defensive stats in any of your leagues?
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 1 | Christian Yelich | OF | MIL | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Cody Bellinger | 1B/OF | LAD | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Mike Trout | OF | LAA | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | OF | ATL | 8 | 4 |
| 5 | Trevor Story | SS | COL | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | COL | 4 | -2 |
| 7 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | ATL | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Javier Baez | 2B/SS/3B | CHC | 9 | 1 |
| 9 | Anthony Rendon | 3B | WAS | 10 | 1 |
| 10 | Mookie Betts | OF | BOS | 14 | 4 |
Acuna already has a 20/20 season with 30/30 looking easily attainable at this point. He could potentially go 100/30/85/100/30/.290 and still not win the NL MVP. What is this? The mid 1990’s?!
Betts isn’t in MVP contention this year (it’s Trout’s award to lose again,) but he has turned it on in July: 61 ABs, 22 runs, 2 HRs, 10 RBI, 2 SB, .426 AVG. He’ll fall short of last year’s 30/30 season, but 25/20 ain’t bad.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 11 | Josh Bell | 1B | PIT | 6 | -5 |
| 12 | Charlie Blackmon | OF | COL | 11 | -1 |
| 13 | Alex Bregman | 3B/SS | HOU | 12 | -1 |
| 14 | Rafael Devers | 3B | BOS | 15 | 1 |
| 15 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | CHC | 16 | 1 |
| 16 | Pete Alonso | 1B | NYM | 19 | 3 |
| 17 | J.D. Martinez | OF | BOS | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | Eddie Rosario | OF | MIN | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Adalberto Mondesi | SS | KC | 13 | -6 |
| 20 | Xander Bogaerts | SS | BOS | 20 | 0 |
Moving down to make room for Mookie Betts in the top-10 again is Josh Bell. In Bell’s last 61 ABs, he still has 5 HRs and 15 RBI, but hopefully that .197 AVG isn’t a sign of things to come for the rest of this season.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 21 | Francisco Lindor | SS | CLE | 22 | 1 |
| 22 | Manny Machado | SS | SD | 56 | 34 |
| 23 | Whit Merrifield | 2B | KC | 21 | -2 |
| 24 | Kris Bryant | 3B/OF | CHC | 23 | -1 |
| 25 | George Springer | OF | HOU | 25 | 0 |
| 26 | Joey Gallo | 1B/OF | TEX | 24 | -2 |
| 27 | Eduardo Escobar | SS/3B | ARI | 28 | 1 |
| 28 | Max Muncy | 1B/3B | LAD | 38 | 10 |
| 29 | Mike Moustakas | 3B | MIL | 27 | -2 |
| 30 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SS | SD | 37 | 7 |
Here’s the deal folks — Machado was hitting .238 with 10 HRs at the end of June 11th. He fell accordingly in my rankings. Was he maybe pushing too hard to impress the Padre faithful? Who knows? What we do know is in the 30 games since he’s dropped 15 HRs and 33 RBI with a .331 AVG. Safe to say he’s back — unfortunately he’s more Arenado now than 2015 Machado when it comes to speed.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 31 | Starling Marte | OF | PIT | 29 | -2 |
| 32 | Ramon Laureano | OF | OAK | NA | — |
| 33 | Ketel Marte | 2B/SS/OF | ARI | 30 | -3 |
| 34 | Trea Turner | SS | WAS | 36 | 2 |
| 35 | Elvis Andrus | SS | TEX | 31 | -4 |
| 36 | Bryce Harper | OF | PHI | 32 | -4 |
| 37 | Marcell Ozuna | OF | StL | 26 | -11 |
| 38 | Yoan Moncada | 2B | CHW | 33 | -5 |
| 39 | Michael Brantley | OF | HOU | 34 | -5 |
| 40 | Austin Meadows | OF | TBR | 35 | -5 |
Laureano was a sleeper darling heading into 2019 after hitting 19 HRs and stealing 18 bases between 112 AAA and MLB games in 2018. I’ll admit that Laureano slipped off my top-100 radar when he had only a .243 AVG/.666 OPS through his first 51 games. It’s hard to track 100 hitters every week! Well in the 48 games since he has a .333 AVG and a 1.060 OPS with 15 HRs and 9 SBs. If these gains stay, he could be top 25 by season’s end.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 41 | Aaron Judge | OF | NYY | 44 | 3 |
| 42 | Jose Abreu | 1B | CHW | 39 | -3 |
| 43 | Carlos Santana | 1B | CLE | NA | — |
| 44 | Juan Soto | OF | WAS | 40 | -4 |
| 45 | Gleyber Torres | 2B | NYY | 41 | -4 |
| 46 | DJ LeMahieu | 1B/2B/3B | NYY | 65 | 19 |
| 47 | Jorge Polanco | SS | MIN | 42 | -5 |
| 48 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B | CIN | 43 | -5 |
| 49 | Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | NYY | 45 | -4 |
| 50 | Jose Altuve | 2B | HOU | 54 | 4 |
While Ramon Laureano has been off my radar for a few weeks — Santana has been off my radar for a few years, so excuse me for forgetting him in my rankings. All it took for Santana to reemerge was a new/old re-change of scenery — huh? Back in Cleveland, he’s hitting for the best average and OPS of his career and has reignited his career.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 51 | Yasiel Puig | OF | CIN | 61 | 10 |
| 52 | Matt Chapman | 3B | OAK | 47 | -5 |
| 53 | Luke Voit | 1B | NYY | 50 | -3 |
| 54 | Trey Mancini | OF/1B | BAL | 51 | -3 |
| 55 | Ozzie Albies | 2B | ATL | 53 | -2 |
| 56 | Paul DeJong | SS | STL | 55 | -1 |
| 57 | Jonathan Villar | 2B | BAL | 57 | 0 |
| 58 | Max Kepler | OF | MIN | 59 | 1 |
| 59 | Rhys Hoskins | OF | PHI | 49 | -10 |
| 60 | Dansby Swanson | SS | ATL | 52 | -8 |
| 61 | Willson Contreras | C | CHC | 58 | -3 |
| 62 | J.T. Realmuto | C | PHI | 60 | -2 |
| 63 | Gary Sanchez | C | NYY | 73 | 10 |
| 64 | David Dahl | OF | COL | 62 | -2 |
| 65 | Shin-Soo Choo | OF | OAK | 71 | 6 |
| 66 | Jorge Soler | OF | KC | 81 | 15 |
| 67 | Domingo Santana | OF | SEA | 48 | -19 |
| 68 | Tommy Pham | OF | TBR | 63 | -5 |
| 69 | Andrew Benintendi | OF | BOS | 64 | -5 |
| 70 | Tim Anderson | SS | CHW | 46 | -24 |
I don’t know what to do with Santana. After his first month, I launched him up the rankings. Then, his next month he plummeted. Since May 19th he’s been a solid performer — but not as good as he was to start the season. The SBs, unfortunately, seem like they’ll be coming few and far between — but I’m still liking his overall profile. Just not as sky-high as I projected him to begin the season.
- Mar 20 – Apr 15: 79 ABs, 12 runs, 4 HRs, 24 RBI, 3 SBs, .977 OPS.
- Apr 16 – May 17: 103 ABs, 10 runs, 4 HRs, 13 RBI, 1 SB, .686 OPS.
- May 19 – June 15: 99 ABs, 15 runs 5 HRs, 12 RBI, 1 SB, .817 OPS.
- Jun 16 – Jul 20: 102 ABs, 19 runs, 6 HRs, 15 RBI, 1 SB, .838 OPS.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last | Change |
| 71 | Michael Conforto | OF | NYM | 68 | -3 |
| 72 | Jean Segura | SS | PHI | 69 | -3 |
| 73 | Yasmani Grandal | C | MIL | 70 | -3 |
| 74 | Joc Pederson | OF | LAD | 67 | -7 |
| 75 | Eric Hosmer | 1B | SD | 75 | 0 |
| 76 | Hunter Renfroe | OF | SD | 76 | 0 |
| 77 | Lorenzo Cain | OF | MIL | 77 | 0 |
| 78 | Hunter Dozier | 1B/3B | KC | 78 | 0 |
| 79 | Hunter Pence | OF | TEX | 66 | -13 |
| 80 | Byron Buxton | OF | MIN | 72 | -8 |
| 81 | Alex Gordon | OF | KC | 80 | -1 |
| 82 | Victor Robles | OF | WAS | NA | — |
| 83 | Shohei Ohtani | DH | LAA | 98 | 15 |
| 84 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | StL | 82 | -2 |
| 85 | Justin Turner | 3B | LAD | 85 | 0 |
| 86 | Vlad Guerrero Jr. | 3B | TOR | 86 | 0 |
| 87 | Franmil Reyes | OF | SD | 87 | 0 |
| 88 | Yordan Alvarez | OF | HOU | 99 | 11 |
| 89 | Nelson Cruz | DH | MIN | 88 | -1 |
| 90 | Dan Vogelbach | 1B | SEA | 89 | -1 |
| 91 | Ryan Braun | OF | MIL | 90 | -1 |
| 92 | Keston Hiura | 2B | MIL | — | — |
| 93 | Michael Chavis | 2B/3B | BOS | 91 | -2 |
| 94 | Avisail Garcia | OF | TBR | 92 | -2 |
| 95 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | 2B/SS/OF | TOR | 95 | 0 |
| 96 | Austin Riley | 3B/OF | ATL | 96 | 0 |
| 97 | Eloy Jimenez | OF | CHW | 97 | 0 |
| 98 | Yuli Gurriel | 1B/3B | HOU | — | — |
| 99 | Carlos Correa | SS | HOU | 83 | -16 |
| 100 | Jose Ramirez | 3B | CLE | — | — |
The biggest surprise to me in Ohtani’s profile are the SBs. In Japan he hit for a solid average and decent power, but never stole more than 7 bases. Over a full, healthy season could Ohtani be a 20/20 threat? 20 HRs, 20 SBs, and a 20 game winner next season? Man this guy is fun to watch. How could anyone else win MVP if he pulls that off?
I was originally reluctant to rank Hiura due to the Brewers front office — but I think my fears have officially been put to bed. Since his second call-up he’s started in 19 consecutive games and hit: 12/4/14/5 /.370 while taking over the Brewers second-base gig. His .434 BABIP is inflating that average a little bit — but the kid was a .317 hitter in 222 minor league games. The interesting numbers to watch will be his speed and power numbers. Yes, he had 19 HRs in 57 AAA games this season, but that was in the PCL. I think he could settle in at a 20/20 threat — never really 30/30.
Wait a minute — who the hell is that at the bottom of these rankings?! How did he get there?! Here’s the deal — in February when I made my preseason rankings I had Jose Ramirez at #3 overall. By June 10th he had fallen completely off my rankings. Due to his 2018, I’m giving him a lot of slack and big second-chance here. In his last month, Ramirez has actually been playing pretty well: 81 ABs, 18 runs, 4 HRs, 17 RBI, 3 SB, .321 AVG, .944 OPS. Ramirez owners must be anointed as saints for their patience and should be rewarded in the second-half.
Would you trade Verlander for Arenado
At this point in the season, it is all about needs … if that trade solves issues without creating others, it’s fair and fine.
100% agree with LenFuego here — if you’re set at SP then you can trade him away.
Obviously, Mondesi is no longer top 20 (or even top 100) — I now need a SS. Should I replace him with DeJong or Amad Rosario?
AFAIK, nothing has been announced on Mondesi other than that the injury is not as bad as originally feared … for all we know, he could be back in a week.
I’m keeping Mondesi up here in case he isn’t gone for that long.
If you’re worried right now I’d go with Rosario. Outside of his July 18 and 19 games deJong has been struggggggling hard.
You are too late with the Machado re-emergence, being reminded of it for 2 weeks before finally making the jump in your rankings.
And you will be too late on the Altuve one as well, although I have tried pointing it out to you for a couple weeks now.
Don’t fall into the ESPN trap of waiting on performance. Be ahead of the curve. Razzball deserves it.
I think you’re right on Altuve — he has been heating up lately.
Best ROS
Bryan Reynolds or Craig Biggio?
I have a bench bat question. Is Austin Riley worth taking a chance on as a bench bat? If the Braves turn him into a platoon bat it may not be the worst thing. His wOBA versus lefties .491 with a 1.274 OPS%. Just play him occasionally when the Braves face a lefty and if he gets hot again then maybe it’s a good buy low.
I’ll take Reynolds ratio safety right now. Yea, as a platoon RIley isn’t bad especially in a daily lineup league. It’s not like Inciarte was crushing it even when healthy.
Is offering mookie and Corbin for yelich in a 4 player keeper league too much to give up? I’ve got manena stashed to offset dealing Corbin. My other keepers would be trout, bregman and Snell. I hold a slim lead for 1 St in my league.
For me that is too much. Manaea is not a good Corbin replacement.
Thanks for the lists all year.
Can someone please explain why everyone is so high on Austin meadows? His standard numbers look pretty nondescript – they match up almost perfectly with the poster boy for nondescript, I’m a sail, Garcia. I don’t see any established history of mlb success to account for his avg 30-40 position on most rankings, to make a case he’s been underperforming. I am, however, often an idiot… so, what am I missing?
Thanks,
Handy
I might be a little high on Meadows right now — 1 SB and a .217 average in his last 33 games. But he has a minor league history of being a solid power/speed threat with a great average. We all WANT to believe in him. and so what he showed us early got us biting really quickly.
Thanks for the reply.
Most rankings I’ve seen seem to have meadows in the 30-40 range, so it’s more likely I’m just missing the value, rather than you being too high on him.
Weird situation though; I’d be curious if meadows trade numbers are suppressed. I can’t imagine giving a top-30/40 bat for him, but I also can’t imagine owners accepting less than that, considering how many rankings have him slotted there.
Have fun,
Handy
Like him or not, but Donaldson should be here. Look ay his stats June and July. Injury lrone? Yes. But hes not injured now and hasn’t been yet.
Just did numbers and he is prorating almost 60HR with 130+ RBI since June 1 with OPS around 1.
I’ll have to reconsider him — after his first 215 ABs I wasn’t feeling his 8 HRs, 25 RBI, .237 AVG. But the 15/33/.288 in his most recent 125 ABs makes me need to reintroduce him. It’s hard to track 300+ players and picking out the best 100.
OHTANI is amazing. I agree.
I could easily see him get 10 SBs and 30 HR…don’t know about 20/20.
If the Angels use him as a healthy 2-way player, i would think he would be more valuable as a bullpen piece and a DH.
20 Holds
10 Saves
100 Ks
30 HR
10 SBs
100 RBI
65 Runs
COMPLETELY UNHEARD OF…but he still might lose AL MVP to his teammate!
Don’t even get me started on that talent!
I wish I didn’t live 1700 miles away from Anaheim!!
Amazing. He’s a video game character right now. Might be my favorite player in the entire league next year.
Hey Grey! cmon man… jump on the Lourd Train! CHOO CHOO LOURDE TRAIN!
“People all over the world… join hands… get on the lourd train, the lourd traiii-iiin”
Why is he so low? Triple eligibility and hes blasting dongs like his name is Dongblaster mcgee! THE LOURD BE WITH YOU!