Hitter List 7/13: Top 150+ Hitters For 2022 – Week 14

First, let’s get some basics out of the way in terms of how to interpret these rankings. None of this stuff should come as any major surprise, but it never hurts to provide background:

I would recommend not paying super close attention to the specific ranks of each player, and honing in more on the respective tiers that they’re in. Each tier represents a grouping of players that I think could arguably perform at a similar level, and/or carry similar levels of risk in terms of injury concerns or playing time obstacles. If Player X is ranked at #55 and Player Y is ranked at #65, but they’re in the same tier, it means that I personally like Player X a lot better, but think there’s a valid argument to be made for Player Y performing just as well.

I take rankings like this as more of an art than a science. Every person’s rankings are influenced by their own biases, strategic philosophies, determinations of risk, and projections. It’s why no two rankings are ever exactly alike. Jon’s way of evaluating and ranking players has worked out well for Jon (and me) over the years, but it might not be a great fit for you. I can’t possibly predict your team’s specific needs, your league mate’s player evaluations, or your current waiver wire, and if I could it’d be weird. In a bad way.

Yes, these ranks vary from the official PL positional rankings that I also developed in the offseason. That’s because these are only mine – no input from others. This is a safe space for me where I answer to no one but myself…and you if you leave a comment.

I’m using 20 games as the threshold for the positional eligibility in the List. I have not included presumed eligibilities based on likely new positions. This is just a maintenance thing and we will update eligibility throughout the season. Feel free to let me know if I’m missing any!

And now a couple of notes on how I generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:

I’ve gotten more level-headed over the years regarding weighing stolen bases, but I still think they’re precious given how rare they’re becoming. Every steal is important, so don’t take those “chip-in” steals for granted. Finding steals at the end of the season can be a dogfight.

If I did want to get some insight on whether what I’m seeing is new or if it’s just normal fluctuation, I’d use my favorite tool—the rolling chart. While we don’t have much for rolling data in 2022, you can see where they currently are on a rolling chart and see how it compares to their career trajectory.

No stat is an island and they should all be taken in proper context. For ranking purposes, the primary starting points I use are plate discipline, wRC+, quality of contact metrics (also known as Statcast batted ball data), and lineup context. I also use various projections (some free, some I buy) and dollar value generators. Unlike Nick, I’ll also look at other rankings as I prepare my own to feel how my colleagues value certain players, positions, or stats. I recommend trying as many of these things as you can until you find what you like.

Positional eligibility, and specifically multi-eligibility, is really neat but also isn’t a huge factor in many 10- and 12-team leagues anymore due to the prevalence of multi-eligible players. It’s of more value in deeper contests like the NFBC, or in leagues with limited roster moves (draft and hold leagues, transaction limits/costs, extremely short benches, etc.), but even then the value is fairly situational and context-dependent.

On a similar note, I don’t really penalize players for only qualifying in the utility slot. At most, it is a mild inconvenience if a DH-only player is available at a great value and you already have filled your utility spots.

Anyone talented enough to make it to the big leagues can be brilliant or putrid for 50 at-bats regardless of true talent. Heck, it could even last a month with no change in potential or skill. It also could be wildly meaningful. We can’t and don’t know which of these will be true until it’s over, though track record, scouting, and trends give us hints.

If you’d like input on a player or have any feedback, your best bet is to reach out to me on Twitter (@ifthechufits) or in the comments!

Ranking Notes

Check out the Hacks & Jacks podcast featuring myself and Joe Gallina, which also happened to be a finalist for Best Baseball Podcast of 2021 by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)!

Just so you all are aware, instead of “The Next 30”, I decided to convert it to a “Taxi Squad” and left little blurbs for each player. Enjoy!

You’ll notice there is less movement this week than usual, especially at the top and middle. The main reason for this is because I am preparing for the All-Star Break and subsequent updates we receive before taking any major actions near the top.

I flipped Austin Riley and Luis Robert, who are both pretty hot right now, only because I realzied I value the extra power in Riley’s bat more than I thought I would.

While it doesn’t show a plus or a minus, I did move Byron Buxton, Austin Riley, and Luis Robert all into the third tier after previously being the top of the fourth tier.

TIER 4

I’m not pulling him down yet, but I’m concerned about Bo Bichette’s speed totals. He’s been caught stealing three times since June 1 and has only safely stolen a single bag. A 25/15 guy is a lot different from a 25/25 guy in terms of how rare/special that can be, so hopefully Bo keeps building on the success he’s been able to find over the last few weeks.

Marcus Semien has a .937 OPS over his last 50 plate appearances, though the real surprise for me continues to be the stolen bases. He’s one away from his career high of 15 that he set last year, and at this rate, he looks like he’ll be a 25 home run, 25 stolen base guy when it’s all over. I may move him up a tier or two after the All-Star Break after digging deeper.

I expect to get more definite timelines for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. over the All-Star Break. Those updates will potentially impact their ranking in a very big way. If it’s good news, they go up, and if it’s very bad news (i.e. late August or worse), they drop.

TIER 7

Kris Bryant might jump on this list considerably in the near future when I get a better sense that he’s truly healthy.

Jared Walsh has been abysmal at the plate but I don’t necessarily see long-term issues. If he had an injury issue like Austin Hays, though, he’d fall even further down.

Austin Hays has also been awful. Unlike Walsh, though, Hays plays at a deeper position and has injury concerns (wrist). If Walsh had that, he’d have fallen with Hays.

Bryan Reynolds is hopefully going to return fresh as a daisy from the Break and move back up. I think the young kids call this “manifesting” and I’m giving it a shot.

I’m not done moving Michael Harris II up in the ranks yet, but I’m getting close. Here’s his rolling strikeout rate chart – one of my favorites to use for young players – that shows incredibly good and happy things. I love it when players don’t just trend downward, but also when they set new lows after going through adjustment periods (like what we see from PAs 25-37 and then after).

TIER 10

Wander Franco could return in a month and this ranking reflects that timeline. Updates on his return, which could be as late as early September or so if he has a setback, change this ranking fairly dramatically, though he’s unlikely to fall off the list unless he’s going to play 3 weeks or fewer.

Justin Turner has fixed whatever was bothering him, apparently, and in his last 82 plate appearances has a 12.2% walk rate and 14/6% strikeout rate while hitting .377/.439/.594 with a 185 wRC+. Heck, the ginger even stole a base! The Dodgers offense is going to score runs in bunches and he’ll be hitting near the middle of it and piling up the RBI for the remainder of the season. Now that it’s clear he can still hit, he should be coveted even more with the injuries and depth issues at third base across the fantasy landscape.

Brandon Drury is doing a lot of weird stuff as a 29-year-old journeyman utility player but he’s doing it so consistently that I’m done questioning it.

TIER 11

Why am I excited about Adley Rutschman (even though I haven’t moved him)? Because if you look at the rolling chart, he’s making adjustments before going back below league average. It sounds simple, but that’s exactly what I want to see.

TIER 12

Ramón Laureano is showing power again, and that’s exciting. He’s got five home runs in his last 12 games after having just two on the entire season before that. Durability, consistency, and production are all seemingly in flux for Laureano, but he’s capable of all three at various times.

TIER 13

In his last 86 trips to the plate, Brendan Donovan has just two extra-base this (a triple and a dinger), no steals, and a .189/.291/.257—good for a 66 wRC+. He could keep tumbling fast if he doesn’t get back to slapping singles and doubles. He’s also striking out more lately—over 26% in those 12 games—and that’s a big no-no for a slap hitter like this. The margin for error is VERY thin. If he gets demoted to the bottom of the order, he’s basically droppable.

The hot streaks for Javier Báez aren’t lasting nearly long enough, though it’s worth noting he’s striking out less than 20% of the time in his last six games and had five extra-base hits in that span. Maybe another hot streak is coming?

Plate discipline should help keep us paying attention to Vinnie Pasquantino, but if you’re in a shallow redraft league and using him in the utility spot, you can cut him.

TIER 14

Yandy Díaz is hitting well but in a very Luis Arraez kind of way. He’s got bigger muscles and more exit velocity, but his propensity for hitting the ball into the dirt makes him more of a batting average guy than anything else.

Nick Senzel is hitting and was once a prospect. That matters, I guess, and he’s a speculative add if he can keep it up.

Aaron Hicks has been really good since June 1st and I feel like nobody told me so I’m telling all of you. Durability is a problem and the power comes and goes, but he’s got it right now and they’ve been known to let him hit in the middle of the order.

Josh Rojas is a scrappy guy who can do a little bit of everything, but historically did so little of it that it only mattered when he was hot and given a lot of PAs. That’s been going on this season for longer than I anticipated so my interest is piqued a bit.

Jarren Duran is doing just enough to stay as the leadoff hitter, and that’s just enough to stay on this list.

TAXI SQUAD

Esteury Ruiz got in a game and got a hit and I didn’t add him to the list? YOU’RE DARN RIGHT. First of all, if ANYONE was making it, it’d be my dude Akil Baddoo, but I have too many playing time concerns. It’s the same problem I have with Ruiz. This roster is a bit crowded (C.J. Abrams is still on the roster AND is hitting better of late), and following the Break, it will get worse with the impending return of Fernando Tatis Jr., so yeah. I have doubts that Ruiz can hit for any power in the bigs, and hitting for average won’t be easy either. Ruiz is a clear add where you need speed, but I might be limited to just “price checking” in FAAB leagues. Don’t cut someone in the top 100 or top 110 just for a call-up who may or may not play regularly.

Oh yeah and BADDOO IS BACK WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

And now, once again, it’s time for the Hitter List:

Rank	Hitter	Position	Change
1	José RamírezT1	3B	-
2	Shohei Ohtani T2	DH	-
3	Trea Turner	2B, SS	-
4	Ronald Acuña Jr.	OF	-
5	Kyle Tucker	OF	-
6	Aaron Judge	OF	+1
7	Yordan Alvarez	OF	-1
8	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B	-
9	Juan Soto	OF	-
10	Mike Trout T3	OF	-
11	Rafael Devers	3B	-
12	Paul Goldschmidt	1B	-
13	Freddie Freeman	1B	-
14	Manny Machado	3B	-
15	Mookie Betts	OF	-
16	Pete Alonso	1B	-
17	Julio Rodríguez	OF	-
18	Austin Riley	1B, 3B	+1
19	Luis Robert Jr.	OF	-1
20	Byron Buxton	OF	-
21	Tim Anderson T4	SS	-
22	C.J. Cron	1B	-
23	Bo Bichette	SS	-
24	Nolan Arenado	3B	-
25	George Springer	OF	-
26	Jose Altuve	2B	-
27	Cedric Mullins	OF	-
28	J.D. Martinez	OF	-
29	Starling Marte	OF	-
30	Xander Bogaerts T5	SS	-
31	Bobby Witt Jr.	SS	-
32	Matt Olson	1B	-
33	Josh Bell	1B	-
34	José Abreu	1B	-
35	Randy Arozarena	OF	-
36	Teoscar Hernández	OF	-
37	Giancarlo Stanton	OF	-
38	Adolis García	OF	-
39	Carlos Correa T6	SS	-
40	Marcus Semien	2B, SS	+1
41	Tommy Edman	2B, OF	-1
42	Trevor Story	2B, SS	-
43	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SS, OF	-
44	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	2B, SS	-
45	Francisco Lindor	SS	-
46	Corey Seager	SS	-
47	Taylor Ward	OF	-
48	Jeremy Peña	SS	-
49	Kyle Schwarber	OF	-
50	Alejandro Kirk T7	C	-
51	Willson Contreras	C	-
52	Will Smith	C	-
53	Dansby Swanson	SS	-
54	Ryan Mountcastle	1B, OF	-
55	Ty France	1B, 2B	-
56	Ian Happ	OF	-
57	Jorge Polanco	2B, SS	+2
58	Willy Adames	SS	+2
59	Anthony Rizzo	1B	+2
60	Daulton Varsho	C, OF	+3
61	J.T. Realmuto	C	+3
62	Eloy Jiménez T8	OF	+3
63	Nelson Cruz	DH	+3
64	Ke’Bryan Hayes	3B	+3
65	Jared Walsh	1B	-3
66	Alex Bregman	3B	+2
67	Rhys Hoskins	1B	+2
68	Kris Bryant	3B, OF	+2
69	Austin Hays	OF	-11
70	Michael Harris II T9	OF	+9
71	Bryan Reynolds	OF	-14
72	Jake Cronenworth	1B, 2B, SS	-
73	Ketel Marte	2B, OF	-
74	Joc Pederson	1B, OF	-
75	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	OF	-
76	Whit Merrifield	2B, OF	-
77	Andrés Giménez	2B, SS	-
78	Alex Verdugo	OF	-
79	Gleyber Torres T10	2B, SS	+1
80	Tommy Pham	OF	+1
81	Christian Yelich	OF	+1
82	Charlie Blackmon	OF	+1
83	Trey Mancini	1B, OF	+1
84	Eugenio Suárez	3B, SS	+1
85	Tyler O’Neill	OF	+1
86	DJ LeMahieu	1B, 2B, 3B	+1
87	Wander Franco	SS	-16
88	Justin Turner	3B	+16
89	Oneil Cruz	SS	-1
90	Brandon Drury	2B, 3B, OF	+3
91	Andrew Vaughn	1B, OF	-2
92	Nick Castellanos	OF	-2
93	Marcell Ozuna T11	OF	-2
94	Brendan Rodgers	2B, SS	-2
95	Adley Rutschman	C	-1
96	Harrison Bader	OF	-1
97	Jeff McNeil	2B, OF	-1
98	Matt Chapman	3B	-1
99	Andrew Benintendi	OF	-1
100	Hunter Renfroe	OF	-1
101	Jorge Soler	OF	-1
102	Bryce Harper	OF	-1
103	Nathaniel Lowe T12	1B	-
104	Ramón Laureano	OF	+6
105	Isaac Paredes	2B, 3B	-3
106	Luis Arraez	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	-
107	Seiya Suzuki	OF	-
108	Riley Greene	OF	-
109	Gavin Lux	2B, SS, OF	-
110	Brandon Lowe	2B, OF	+1
111	Josh Naylor	1B, OF	+1
112	Cody Bellinger	OF	+1
113	Christian Walker	1B	+1
114	Amed Rosario	SS, OF	+1
115	Max Kepler T13	OF	+1
116	Brandon Nimmo	OF	+1
117	Michael Brantley	OF	+1
118	Alek Thomas	OF	+1
119	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B	+1
120	Max Muncy	1B, 2B, 3B	+1
121	Alex Kirilloff	1B, OF	+2
122	Brendan Donovan	1B, 2B, 3B, OF	-17
123	Franmil Reyes	DH	+1
124	Kolten Wong	2B	+1
125	Luke Voit	1B	+1
126	Dylan Carlson	OF	+1
127	Javier Báez	2B, SS	-5
128	Salvador Perez T14	C	-
129	Yoán Moncada	3B	-
130	Yandy Díaz	OF	+UR
131	J.P. Crawford	3B, SS	-
132	Christopher Morel	OF	-
133	Luis García	2B, SS	-
134	Anthony Santander	OF	-
135	Nico Hoerner	2B, SS	-
136	Steven Kwan	OF	-
137	Ryan McMahon	2B, 3B	+1
138	Nolan Gorman	2B	+1
139	Nick Senzel	1B	+UR
140	Aaron Hicks	1B	+UR
141	Jon Berti	2B, 3B	-1
142	Luis Urías	2B, 3B, SS	+1
143	Patrick Wisdom	1B, 3B, OF	+6
144	Rowdy Tellez	1B	-
145	Esteury Ruiz	OF	+UR
146	Jesse Winker	OF	-1
147	Jarren Duran	OF	-10
148	Nolan Jones	2B, SS, OF	+UR
149	Josh Rojas	1B, 3B	+UR
150	Mitch Haniger	OF	+UR

Taxi Squad

Hitter	Position	Team	Comment
Esteury Ruiz	2B	SDP	He made the Taxi Squad! Now the question is how often he plays.
Ji-Man Choi	1B	TBR	He’s a decent platoon bat for fantasy. Stream against bad RHP.
C.J. Abrams	SS	SDP	Arrival of Ruiz to the Taxi Squad makes a log jam.
Kiké Hernández	2B/OF	BOS	Had a set-back in his recovery.
Connor Joe	1B/OF	COL	Points leaguers will be slightly more interested. Stream at home.
Gabriel Moreno	C	TOR	Being a rookie catcher is hard.
Garrett Cooper	1B/OF	MIA	Limited pop and speed, but consistent.
Josh Harrison	2B	CWS	Fills lots of roles, but this won’t last. Stream it.
Joey Votto	1B	CIN	I won’t stop you from believing.
Jake Burger	3B	CWS	Had a hot 2-3 weeks, not so good the rest of the time.
Jeter Downs	SS	BOS	Just not getting any playing time yet.
Jorge Alfaro	C/OF	SDP	This is fun. Just let it be that.
Jorge Mateo	SS/OF	BAL	Speed streamer.
José Iglesias	SS	COL	Points league streamer when he’s at home.
Yonathan Daza	OF	COL	Points league streamer when he’s at home.
Avisaíl García	OF	MIA	He’s heating up a bit.
Jonathan India	2B	CIN	Has looked even worse since coming back, somehow.
Jurickson Profar	1B/2B/OF	SDP	Injury replacement guy. That’s it.
Skye Bolt	OF	OAK	Dominated in triple-A, but hasn’t caught up to MLB pitching.
Wilmer Flores	1B/2B/3B	SFG	Flexible and dependable, usually. No more, no less.
MJ Melendez	C	KCR	Expect ups and downs as he grows in MLB.
Bryson Stott	2B/SS	PHI	The hit tool is back with a VENGEANCE, 10:1 BB:K ratio last 2 weeks.
Nick Pratto	1B	KCR	Needs to cut the strikeouts to get the call.
Orlando Arcia	OF	ATL	Hitting .277 as the starter, but limited power and speed.
Oscar Gonzalez	OF	CLE	Waiting a bit longer to see if he can make the adjustments.
Ozzie Albies	2B	ATL	If you have plenty of IL room, keep him.
Aledmys Díaz	INF/OF	HOU	Tons of eligiblity, gets sporadic time. Deep league fill-in.
Randal Grichuk	OF	COL	Maybe someone in your league thinks he’s better than this. I don’t.
Spencer Torkelson	1B	DET	Still looks better and isn’t overmatched.
Josh Donaldson	3B	NYY	He hit some home runs and hits in a good spot for the Yankees.
Travis d’Arnaud	C	ATL	He hits fifth for a good team.
Triston Casas	1B	BOS	Great plate discipline with 30+ home run power at peak.
Tyler Stephenson	C/1B	CIN	Getting healthy, but want to see the power first.
Jonah Heim	C	TEX	Premium streaming catcher.
Yasmani Grandal	C/1B	CWS	He had a good second half last year, I guess.
Edward Olivares	OF	KCR	Are they done messing with this poor guy?
Brandon Belt	1B	SFG	He’s a streamer when he heats up, but rarely healthy.
Darick Hall	1B	PHI	Looks like a regular ol’ power hitter.
Tyrone Taylor	OF	MIL	If he gets back to the top of the lineup, he’s worth a look.
Yuli Gurriel	1B	HOU	He hits in a good spot for a good team.
Harold Castro	1B/OF	MIA	He gets hot like this every once in a while.
Jonathan Schoop	1B/2B	DET	Heating up a bit, power may be coming soon.
Jarred Kelenic	OF	SEA	Looks awesome in triple-A, slashing .306/.419/.778 in July.
Keibert Ruiz	C	WSH	Being a rookie catcher is hard but he’s got a great hit tool.
Matt Carpenter	1B/2B	NYY	The veteran southpaw will have good spurts when he plays.
Jose Miranda	3B	MIN	A poor man’s Bryan Reynolds or Ty France.
Leody Tavares	OF	TEX	Getting the majority of the time in CF, used to be a prospect.
Andrew McCutcheon	OF	MIL	The scrappy vet can go on runs and is sometimes useful.
Jake Meyers	OF	HOU	Playing well in place of Brantley and Alvarez.
Juan Yepez	1B	STL	Up and down as a rookie, but there’s talent.
Akil Baddoo	OF	DET	I REALLY wanted him in the top-150, but need to be sure he’ll play.
Mike Yasztremski	OF	SFG	Feels like “just a guy” for fantasy outfield purposes.

5 responses to “Hitter List 7/13: Top 150+ Hitters For 2022 – Week 14”

Southern Marylander says:

July 14, 2022 at 9:55 AM

I have Vlad Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., and Fernando Tatis Jr. on my keeper team and I am very, very upset that the owner who has Bobby Witt Jr. and Jazz Chisholm Jr. won’t trade them to me so I can complete my collection.

- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 15, 2022 at 10:17 AM
  
  You’re right to be upset.
  
- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 17, 2022 at 11:24 AM
  
  How does Michael Harris II fit into this? Does that count?
  
larry womack says:

July 20, 2022 at 8:10 PM

Thinking of replacing McNeil with another bat. Looking at C. Walker and Verdugo. Based on Statcast these two could be in for strong 2nd half.

How much do you use Statcast and Baseball Savant to evaluate hitters?
Others on the wire-McCutchen, Pasquantino, Kirilloff and Y. Diaz.
McNeil looks like he’s going to have a tough 2nd half based on Statcast
Which batter would you choose to replace McNeil?

Thanks

- Scott Chu says:
  
  July 20, 2022 at 9:45 PM
  
  Big fan of Statcast! That said, Walker is specifically a guy who I think is hitting about as good as he can over a full half season.
  
  With these kinds of options, I’d focus more on short term – who can be better for the next few series? With that in mind, I love the Brew Crew this weekend at home against Rockies pitching and specifically called out Cutch as a nice piece in the middle.

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Hitter List 7/13: Top 150+ Hitters For 2022 – Week 14

Scott Chu

5 responses to “Hitter List 7/13: Top 150+ Hitters For 2022 – Week 14”

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