I love most things about playing fantasy baseball leagues, but I especially love the push/pull of short versus long-term outcomes. I play a lot of dynasty, keeper and redraft leagues of various shapes and sizes, so the range of values I might place on a prospect in a given league is wide.

Not here, though, where I’ll be going full cut-throat, win-the-money redraft style.

I don’t know why anyone will be cutting throats. I love that phrase, but yikes, what a thing to say in casual conversation, huh?

This list won’t turn out to be 100 percent accurate, but it will reflect many hours of trade talks, gameplay, research, roller coasters and centrifuges of thought, educated guesswork, and dash of the psychology motivating humans working within a nihilistic capitalist structure. 

    • Note: I wasn’t sure how to handle innings caps. Every pitcher got dinged a little for the purposes of this list because some/most organizations will be very conservative pushing pitchers from 30-something (or zero) innings up above 100 (or more).
Rank Player Team
1 OF Randy Arozarena TB
2 OF Jarred Kelenic SEA
3 OF Julio Rodriguez SEA
4 RHP Ian Anderson ATL
5 RHP Sixto Sanchez MIA
6 OF Dylan Carlson STL
7 1B Ryan Mountcastle BAL
8 SS Wander Franco TB
9 1B Andrew Vaughn CHW
10 OF Jo Adell LAA
11 SP Nate Pearson TOR
12 SP Triston McKenzie CLE
13 SP Tarik Skubal DET
14 SP MacKenzie Gore SD
15 1B OF Alex Kirilloff MIN
16 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT
17 C Joey Bart SF
18 RHP Casey Mize DET
19 C Alejandro Kirk TOR
20 2B Nick Madrigal CHW
21 2B Jeter Downs BOS
22 RHP Tejay Antone CIN
23 SS Jazz Chisholm MIA
24 RHP Michael Kopech CHW
25 RHP Luis Garcia HOU
26 RHP Dean Kremer BAL
27 2B Vidal Brujan TB
28 3B Spencer Torkelson DET
29 LHP Garrett Crochet CHW
30 RHP Luis Patiño SD
31 RHP Clarke Schmidt NYY
32 RHP Dane Dunning CHW
33 LHP Brailyn Marquez CHC
34 RHP Spencer Howard PHI
35 C Adley Rutschman BAL
36 1B Lewin Diaz MIA
37 OF Pavin Smith ARI
38 RHP Logan Gilbert SEA
39 RHP Brent Honeywell TB
40 RHP Forrest Whitley HOU
41 RHP George Kirby SEA
42 OF Cristian Pache ATL
43 LHP Trevor Rogers MIA
44 OF Drew Waters ATL
45 RHP Max Meyer MIA
46 LHP Reid Detmers LAA
47 SS Jose Garcia CIN
48 RHP Deivi Garcia NYY
49 RHP Tanner Houck BOS
50 OF Jared Oliva PIT
51 OF Trevor Larnach MIN
52 RHP Joe Ryan TB
53 RHP Josiah Gray LAD
54 RHP Simeon Woods Richardson TOR
55 OF Monte Harrison MIA
56 LHP AJ Puk OAK
57 RHP Daulton Jefferies OAK
58 C Sam Huff TEX
59 3B Bobby Dalbec BOS
60 C Ryan Jeffers MIN
61 LHP David Peterson NYM
62 C Luis Campusano SD
63 RHP Adbert Alzolay CHC
64 RHP Jackson Kowar KC
65 C Daulton Varsho ARI
66 OF Leody Taveras TEX
67 3B Isaac Paredes DET
68 RHP Edward Cabrera MIA
69 LHP Ryan Weathers SD
70 C Tyler Stephenson CIN
71 SS Oneil Cruz PIT
72 OF Jesus Sanchez MIA
73 RHP Jhoan Duran MIN
74 OF Edward Olivares KC
75 RHP Miguel Yajure NYY
76 2B Brendan Rodgers COL
77 LHP Kris Bubic KC
78 LHP Keegan Akin BAL
79 OF Mickey Moniak PHI
80 LHP Daniel Lynch KC
81 OF Seth Beer ARI
82 3B Nolan Jones CLE
83 OF Josh Lowe TB
84 RHP Jonathan Stiever CHW
85 C Rafael Marchan PHI
86 OF Daz Cameron DET
87 OF Yusniel Diaz BAL
88 OF Jorge Oña SD
89 OF Brandon Marsh LAA
90 OF Stuart Fairchild ARI
91 C Keibert Ruiz LAD
92 OF Jarren Duran BOS
93 LHP Shane McClanahan TB
94 RHP Sam Delaplane SEA
95 LHP Tucker Davidson ATL
96 RHP Cory Abbott CHC
97 2B Zack McKinstry LAD
98 OF Daniel Johnson CLE
99 RHP Thad Ward BOS
100 LHP Jay Groome BOS

 

Quick moves:

Julio Rodriguez is a monster. Here he is swatting an easy blast the other day.

I moved Ian Anderson below Kelenic and J-Rod, partly because I love the Mariners’ bats, partly because Grey made a strong case in his Ian Anderson, 2021 Fantasy Outlook.

Thanks for reading!

I’m @theprospectitch on Twitter.

36 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
James
James
2 years ago

Where would Alec Bohm rank if he was eligible? Thanks

Harley Earl
Harley Earl
2 years ago

Dude,

You cut my comments? What’s up with that? Arozarena hadn’t slowed down. You should be feeling good not cutting my posts!

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
Reply to  The Itch
2 years ago

@The Itch: Whats your take on that decision to pull Snell last night at 73 pitches? I’m a Giants fan and pulling for Rays with great emotional investment, but the moment Cash pulled the plug on Snell i knew it was all over.

Then Justin Turner running all over hugging people and shaking hands after a mid-game Covid diagnosis…wtf??!

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
Reply to  The Itch
2 years ago

Yeah i just read an Eno Sarris piece for the Athletic breaking down Snell’s numbers, numbers for ace pitchers going through the order the third time through, etc etc etc, and making the case that pulling Snell was a move backed up by all the right analytics BUT that the error was in going to Anderson instead of Castillo when Anderson’s performance level has been way down this year. I.e. go with your best bullpen but arm, but Anderson isnt that.

Given his metrics focus im sure Sarris’ logic all checks out. But having watched Bruce Bochy manage his way to three championships in 5 years based on feel, on reading the situation using a fair amount of intuition or knowing his players or what you want to call it, ill definitely take the latter. It just felt all wrong pulling him.

100% agreed on J.T. A hefty suspension!

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
Reply to  Moon Shots
2 years ago

Glad i flipped his ass for Luis Matos!

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
Reply to  Harley Earl
2 years ago

Well i have to be grateful for your yapping here about deleted posts that didnt get deleted since it provided me a trail of breadcrumbs to go read the exchange on the other list…that was good comedy. Imagine jumping all over a writer’s list of prospects for a redraft league and blowing your top because its not a list for dynasty! Lol.

I stumbled into owning Arozarena in my dynasty without realizing the extent of what i was getting. However his career ends up looking compared to Lou Bob or whoever else im pretty excited to watch it play out.

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
Reply to  The Itch
2 years ago

To be clear, i was talking about him yapping, not you!

Tim
Tim
2 years ago

This is a great list for dynasty when you are ready to win now. I dominated a 16 team league ( lost in a tiebreaker in final) and I’m Not touching any teenagers for next year

Prawn Lord
Prawn Lord
2 years ago

Nice list as usual!
Like seeing both T Stephenson and Kiebert Ruiz on here. Curious to hear what you think their playing time looks like. Think either takes the starting job/when?
Thanks!

David Niven
David Niven
2 years ago

Top work Itchy, thanks for keeping us equipped through this mess of a year.

Dynasty league I’m flush with SS’s and was offered Devers for Franco and small change. I’m 3B thin but whatever.

Yay or nay?

Sporto
Sporto
Reply to  David Niven
2 years ago

Trade the other SS’s and wait for Wander to cement your three peat…

David Niven
David Niven
Reply to  Sporto
2 years ago

(Tipping cap)

Moon Shots
Moon Shots
2 years ago

Great work as always Itch. And the garnish of anticapitalist rhetoric in the margins deserves a chef’s kiss.

As you might recall, towards the end of the year last season in my 30 team dynasty i traded Brad Miller and Taijuan Walker for Puason and Arozarena. As such, its been rather a wild ride watching this post season and the legend of Randy be told. Holy smokes!

Curious why you have Brujan (relatively) low down at 27 as i know you are pretty high on the guy from previous posts. Is that just where you put his potential production or is it due to potentially not getting the call til later in the season?

My rebuilding team has Arozarena, Sixto, Vaughn, Bart, Brujan, Adell, Waters, etc so im hoping for some early callups!

Malicious Phenoms
Malicious Phenoms
2 years ago

Hey Itch. Solid info as always. Do you think Moniak ever lives up to the top overall pick?

philip
philip
2 years ago

Itch, you have SWR about the 30th SP on the list. Do you think he makes the show this year? Does he have the topside to be a top-10 SP going into 2022?

Smitty
2 years ago

Love this list! It’s obvious you put in ton of time and effort giving us a great stable of players to research and follow.
I know you feel it’s a bit premature in KC with Mondy entrenched at SS, but Bobby Witt Jr. could easily slide over to 2B (for N. Lopez), or possibly some 3B. Future top of the order stick could come quick.
Thanks for all your hard work Itch!

Nathan Billington
Nathan Billington
2 years ago

Not a fan of Matt Manning?

huckleberry
huckleberry
2 years ago

What about Royce Lewis Twins i thought he was a stud?

john landrigan
2 years ago

no Kristian robinson?

Joey Schmoey
Joey Schmoey
2 years ago

Spencer tork this yr!!! Where is he #4

Joey Schmoey
Joey Schmoey
Reply to  Joey Schmoey
2 years ago

Nick lodolo,