Hitter List 4/11: Ranking the Top 150 Batters Every Tuesday

As we dive headlong into the second full week of the regular season, so too must the rankings of the Top 150 hitters be adjusted to reflect the most viable and productive fantasy bats across the game. There was some moderate shakeup in the middle ranks of this sophomore edition of the Hitter List. Injury prognoses and recent DL entrants have been handicapped accordingly, and 11 new players who are generating buzz with their offense have debuted toward the bottom. For elaboration on some of the changes you’ll see, refer to the notes appended to this post below the list itself.

Without further ado, let’s review who the Top 150 hitters in fantasy baseball:

[table id=13 /]

Notes

• Until he regains his mojo, Jose Altuve has been tentatively “demoted” to No. 4, ceding his bronze medal podium spot to a presently more valuable Nolan Arenado. Otherwise, the top nine remain unchanged.
• Corey Seager has ascended into the Top 10, after hitting for a .300 average while notching four runs, a stolen base, two homers and 8 RBI. He has switched places with Miguel Cabrera, who fell to Seager’s previously occupied No. 14 spot after a painfully slow start to the year.
• Following some electric batting performances, notable risers featured in the Top 25 are Freddie Freeman, Francisco Lindor, Rougned Odor, Starling Marte, A.J. Pollock and George Springer.
• Other big promotions include Daniel Murphy, Ian Kinsler, Khris Davis, Miguel Sano, Kole Calhoun, Mike Moustakas, Yasiel Puig, Evan Gattis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Eugenio Suarez and J.T. Realmuto.
• Trea Turner has been relegated to No. 26 for the time being, as Washington is wisely playing it conservative with the youngster’s hamstring injury by placing him on the 10-day DL. This is an instantaneous demotion for what his value is right now, as an elite talent you must hold on to at all costs despite his lack of availability in the immediate future. His ranking will again reflect his sterling value in fantasy baseball when he returns to full health and an active roster spot. Same goes for Gary Sanchez at No. 68 and Jackie Bradley, Jr. at No. 104: they were at No. 54 and No. 82 last week but are respectively dealing with a right biceps strain and sprained right knee ligament on the DL.
• Adrian Beltre,D. Martinez, Ian Desmond, Jason Kipnis and David Dahl have been dropped down accordingly, based on the murky nature of the timetables for their respective returns from the DL. Dahl and Martinez likely have rehab assignments in front of them, while Desmond and Kipnis are easing back into baseball activities.
• Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez and Xander Bogaerts have remained in the same spots from last week. It didn’t seem sensible to demote them as fantasy assets since their absences this week were only due to a temporary bout of influenza for the first two guys and placement on the bereavement list for the latter. Extended occupancy of the DL for aforementioned players was treated more like a medium- to long-term situation, as opposed to the short-term setbacks affecting these Red Sox players.
• The biggest performance-based tumbles within the rankings that are not related to injury belong to Carlos Gonzalez, Todd Frazier, Stephen Piscotty, Travis Jankowski, Greg Bird, Jonathan Schoop, Neil Walker, Domingo Santana and Justin Bour.
• Falling out of the Top 150—with their previously held rank in parentheses—are Brandon Moss (124), Russell Martin (136), Dexter Fowler (137), Denard Span (141), Devon Travis (142), Kevin Pillar (143), Curtis Granderson (144), Leonys Martin (146), Josh Bell (144), Chris Carter (148) and Ryan Schimpf (150).
• Making their first appearances on the Hitter List are Yasmany Tomas (135), Cesar Hernandez (136), Jay Bruce (137), Manuel Margot (138), Nick Castellanos (139), Brian McCann (140), Steven Souza, Jr. (142), Travis Shaw (148), Brandon Phillips (149) and Mitch Haniger (150).