UPDATE: We have since updated our Dynasty Rankings for 2018, which can be found by position here.
There’s a saying that there is no off-season when it comes to dynasty fantasy baseball, so I’m back after a seven-month hiatus with Pitcher List’s Way Early Top 150 Dynasty Bats for 2018.
I’ve ranked players based on their prior performances, youth, future potential, position scarcity, and team composition (the talent around the player). I’m also more bullish on prospects this year as there are some very impressive young men coming out of the minors such as Ronald Acuna, Eloy Jimenez, Gleybar Torres, Victor Robles, and Vlad Guerrero Jr. I would not be surprised in three or more of these guys became all-stars.
One of the tougher rankings was Cody Bellinger vs. Aaron Judge. I know that Judge is a few years older, but I really like his .422 OBP and intimidating 6’7″ 282lb frame over Bellinger. But make no mistake, both should remain household names for the next 7-10 years if they remain healthy.
Giancarlo Stanton also shoots up the rankings with a season that dynasty owners have been salivating over for years. If owners were wondering what a healthy Stanton could do in a season, use this season as the benchmark. He will be 28 next season and, barring injury, could put up some more jaw-dropping numbers.
Anyway, enough of my yappin’. On to the list! Let’s dissect them together in the comments
[table id=46 /]
Hoskins 25? Seems a tad heavy. Just a tad.
How come Benintendi didn’t make your list???
He is 28th..
Blackmon and Moncada one spot apart?
And Machado won’t have SS eligibility beyond this year. Gotta bring him down a few spots, no?
Also curious about putting Seager 5 spots above Lindor. Same age, basically identical AVG, OBP, and power projections, but Lindor has unquestionable better SB projections.
I would say that Seager has unquestionably better HR and run production going forward. I think Lindor’s 2017 power was very fluky. if the balls ever come back down to earth, then Seager probably shoots back ahead by a bunch – that is some pretty tough stuff to predict though.
First, dynasty fantasy lists are really hard to come up with, so thank you for putting the effort in! Next, a comment, that this list is out of order in the 30s, 40s and 50s.
Lastly, a question: What are some of the assumptions on length of dynasty here? Is it “keep forever”? Over the next 3 years? 5 years? Amount of time plays a huge role. No wrong answer, just some of these rankings feel all over the map (if it’s keep forever, then old guys need to be moved down hard, if it’s just the next couple years, young guys are pushed up too aggressively, if I can paint in broad strokes)
Thanks a lot! Curious to hear your thoughts!
Not sure how you can rank Joc ahead of Hosmer in any format. Hosmer is basically right in his prime and seemed to figure it all out this year. Joc looks like he couldn’t be further away from doing that, let alone a starting spot next year…Also, with your rank of Moustakas at 32 are you betting on the Yankees signing him to a long term deal in the offseason? Just seems a bit high, even if the Yankees do end up with him.
I would want Domingo Santana and Matt Olson over Duvall going forward. Their OBP along with the numbers supporting their hard contact just leave more short and long term upside.
Will you’re pretty high on Schwarber despite his down season. Thinking he’s gonna turn it around?
I really like where you have Anthony Rendon ranked – he had a very quiet under the radar season for a guy with a +.925 OPS (.937!!!!)
One that stands out the most to me is Jose Ramirez at 60. We are talking about a guy who will be 25 all of next year and is coming off a Mookie Betts type season with 2nd/3rd eligibility (which he shouldn’t lose anytime soon.
It stands out even more when I see Javy Baez and Rougned Odor ahead of him. Odor has more power and less speed than Jo Ram (call it equal) but I’ll take 80-100 points in average any day. As far as Javy is concerned, IMO he hit his ceiling this year. He won’t hit .275 again and 20-25 HR may be his high based on playing time and lack of contact.
I don’t think Javy hit his ceiling this year by any stretch. It could be his peak, but his ceiling is a truckload of HR and 15 – 20 SB. There was a time when Baez was the top power spec in the minors, admittedly that seems like a fantasy at this point. Javy has demonstrated a consistent ability to hit .273+ in three straight years – .275 is not a long shot by any stretch. In any case, I would rather have Jose by a large margin!
Age 23: #29 overall hitter
Age 24: #7 overall hitter, #1 overall 3B
Age 25: #60 overall dynasty hitter and #13 dynasty 3B
um………..something is off there
I have both Justin Bour and Matt Olson in a dynasty. It’s obvious I’m going to keep them because of the value I have them for, but why so low? Especially Olson. I don’t expect him to go out and keep up the insane HR/FB rate, but other metrics support his elite power.
The one metric working against Olson is his minor league track record. He may hit himself out a an everyday job unless he has made some concrete improvement. Personally, I am passing on every single rookie that comes up and shows power as their calling card. It is very easy to put together a power binge, especially when nobody is pitching around the guy or giving him much respect. He may be the real deal, but it is not a certainty. You really do have to hit enough to have value. See Chris Carter.
150 lists are difficult, because every league has different categories. The more complex the league the less appealing some of these guys are. I don’t think you’re missing too much. But if you’re talking the next 3 years. I could find reasons for Andrelton Simmons,Whitt Merrifield,Marwin Gonzalez, Adam Jones, and Josh Reddick to bump some of these guys off the board. Prospect wise Fernando Tatis Jr., Chance Cisco, Bo Bichette. Maitan seems way too high for a guy who may not see the big leagues for 4 years, but I see the upside. Overall nice list. But I think it’s too vague.
Not sure if this is an effective mode of communication but maybe you get an email every time there is a comment… It would be nice if there was a better link to this resource – like under “articles” or “rankings”.