Normally, I’m pretty aware of the injury plague that happens every season, but doing this list every other week has me hyper-aware of every ding that happens. I wake up with a pain in my hamstring and just know that another one bit the dust. Sleep on my side too long and wonder which first baseman strained a shoulder the night before. My son woke me up at 3 am last night and his tooth fell out. Really sweet moment right? Or the aftershock of Kevin Pillar getting hit in the face? Let’s get to the list and then we’ll talk about some of the movers and players that I’m worried about.
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | Braves | – |
| 2 | Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. | 1B | Blue Jays | – |
| 3 | Pete Alonso | 1B | Mets | – |
| 4 | Jose Abreu | 1B | White Sox | – |
| 5 | Matt Olson | 1B | Athletics | +1 |
| 6 | DJ LeMahieu | 1B/2B/3B | Yankees | +1 |
| 7 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | Cardinals | -2 |
| 8 | Jared Walsh | 1B | Angels | +1 |
| 9 | Max Muncy | 1B/2B/3B | Dodgers | -1 |
| 10 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | Cubs | +1 |
| 11 | Eric Hosmer | 1B | Padres | -1 |
| 12 | Cody Bellinger | 1B/OF | Dodgers | – |
| 13 | Luke Voit | 1B | Yankees | +8 |
| 14 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B | Phillies | -1 |
| 15 | Nate Lowe | 1B | Rangers | – |
| 16 | Trey Mancini | 1B/OF | Orioles | +4 |
| 17 | Yuli Gurriel | 1B | Astros | +1 |
| 18 | Mike Moustakas | 1B/2B/3B | Reds | -4 |
| 19 | Ryan McMahon | 1B/2B/3B | Rockies | -2 |
| 20 | Carlos Santana | 1B | Royals | -4 |
| 21 | C.J. Cron | 1B | Rockies | -2 |
| 22 | Jesus Aguilar | 1B | Marlins | – |
| 23 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B/OF | White Sox | +1 |
| 24 | Jake Cronenworth | 1B/2B/SS | Padres | NR |
| 25 | Dominic Smith | 1B/OF | Mets | -2 |
I wish I had a magical stone that could give me the secret answers to the world. Like, will Jose Abreu miss extended time with ankle inflammation? As of this writing, he’s expected to be back by the weekend, so I’m not docking him any points for now. Speaking of injuries, I was prepared to give Cody Bellinger a big slide down, but he’s starting a rehab stint in AAA and looks to be on the way back to a clean bill of health. For what it’s worth though, there was only so far I was willing to drop him. After Anthony Rizzo at number 10, things fall off rapidly.
Like Bellinger, Eric Hosmer was about to take a little dive due to his being out with the San Diego outbreak, but he’s expected back today so he stays put. Yankees fans can rejoice, as Luke Voit is back and looks healthy, so he took a big jump up. He’s in an elite lineup and plays in a hitters ballpark so it’s full systems go for here on out. Another player that looks healthy and I’m really happy for him is Trey Mancini. Unlike Voit, it’s not an elite lineup but thus far Mancini has looked like the breakout player we saw in 2019.
Coming into the year, I was a big fan of the Reds lineup, but this just isn’t working out. Joey Votto hit the IL, which is why he slid off the back of the list. But I’m just not sure what to do with Mike Moustakas. He struggled at the dish to open the year but has dealt with nagging injuries which are dragging him down. I may have overreacted some, but once I started looking at the glob behind him – Lowe, Mancini, and Gurriel – I decided to go with the healthy guys who are pretty similar, albeit with a lower ceiling.
Carlos Santana took a little dip, but it’s not really anything he did or didn’t do, it was more so me wanting to bump up Voit and Mancini. Santana is pretty steady as he goes but is much more valuable in OBP leagues. Finally, Jake Cronenworth is the only new name to grace the list. With Hosmer out due to the breakout in San Diego, Cronenworth slid up to the three-hole and has played well in his time at the top of the lineup.
Alright, now it’s your turn. Hit me with your questions and we’ll see if we can improve your team moving forward.
