2022 Fantasy Baseball Initial Top-250 Hitter Rankings

It’s been over two weeks since the end of the 2021 season, which means one thing: it’s time for 2022 fantasy baseball prep! It’s sad to see the season come to an end, but, now, we have the chance to start off fresh. In fantasy baseball, there truly is no offseason. With that in mind, let us take a look at my first top-250 hitter rankings. These will be updated throughout the offseason, but consider this a first rough draft at how I believe 2022 drafts should shape up, at least from the hitter’s side of things.

Before we get there, though, let us take a look at each position group, examining their depth, top targets, and where the strengths of the position group lie. This will give us better insight into an ideal draft strategy, which may be as important as the rankings themselves. Without further ado, it is time to get right into dissecting the 2022 fantasy baseball hitter pool!

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Catcher

Catcher is never a particularly strong position, and this year isn’t an exception. Should you want to draft Salvador Perez, considered the consensus top catcher, you’ll have to spend a third-round pick in 12-team formats, which is quite the price to pay.

With that in mind, I’d look towards the middle tier of the catcher position to find my starter. Daulton Varsho is someone I consider a cheat code in fantasy baseball, as he’ll split time between catcher and outfield. Thus, he’ll get more playing time and deal with less wear and tear than normal catchers, yet still comes with the same eligibility. I’d be comfortable spending a 7th-round pick on him, while Yasmani Grandal and Willson Contreras aren’t poor options either.

If you are unable to draft one of those three players, youngsters Keibert Ruiz and Tyler Stephenson may offer some value. Both appear to have the clear starting role behind the dish and come with notable prospect pedigree. Ruiz, in particular, has strong projections after a high-end season in Triple-A last year, while Stephenson showcased plate discipline and untapped raw power in his rookie year. If you cannot draft Varsho, waiting for one of these two players may be your best play.

First Base

As usual, there are plenty of strong offensive producers at the first base position, starting with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Freddie Freeman at the top. At the end of the second round, I actually see some value with the latter as a consistent, reliable performer, though it’d be hard to invest an early pick at the position based on the overall depth present here.

Matt Olson and Pete Alonso, coming off excellent 2021 seasons, are good bets to produce at a high level in 2022. However, there is reason to believe you can wait further at the position. Max Muncy, for instance, is going to provide you with power, runs scored, and runs batted in playing for a terrific Dodgers team, while he has first base and second base eligibility. Yet, you can wait until the beginning of the 8th round to draft him.

Then, there is Rhys Hoskins and Joey Votto, who can be selected in the double-digit rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. However, both will provide you with a lot of offensive production in a friendly home ballpark. Adding onto that, Josh Bell, Ryan Mountcastle, and Brandon Belt are all strong targets as well. Simply put, there is a lot of value to be had at first base.

Second Base

Ozzie Albies is considered the top pure second baseman for many, but Marcus Semien ends up as the top second baseman, outside of Trea Turner, in my hitter rankings. His approach change, as discussed here, to gear to power will allow him to consistently overachieve his expected stats, and he’ll likely be the leadoff hitter for whichever team signs him. Buy into him before it’s too late!

Jorge Polanco is another player who increased his pull rate significantly and appears to be an expected power overachiever, making him a strong value in the 8th round, along with Muncy. That’s the area I’d be looking towards drafting a second base if you can land Semien, as the depth is strong.

If you cannot draft a second baseman early or need a bench stash, Brendan Rodgers is going to provide you with average and offensive production playing in Colorado. Furthermore, Chris Taylor, Ty France, and Jake Cronenworth all provide positional flexibility and multi-category contributions. Long story short, you won’t have trouble finding a productive second baseman this year.

Third Base

The same cannot be said about third base, which may be the thinnest position in the draft, even more so than catcher. Thus, if you need to pay up for Jose Ramirez, Rafael Devers, or Manny Machado in the early rounds, I recommend doing so.

If not, Adalberto Mondesi will provide you with plenty of speed, while Alex Bregman, Nolan Arenado, and Anthony Rendon are all reliable offensive contributors. Those three might not come with the highest ceiling, yet their floor may be worth chasing given the lack of depth here.

If you need to take a flier at third base, Eugenio Suarez may be worth a look. Yes, the 30-year-old struggled mightily last year with an 85 weighted-runs-created-plus (wRC+), but he was recovering from shoulder surgery and has a strong resume of being a productive slugger. This might be the lowest his stock is, which means it might be time to buy the dip. If not him, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Abraham Toro, and Jeimer Candelario are other third base options that may provide value in the later rounds.

Shortstop

Looking for a shortstop? Don’t worry; this position is as deep as any position can be. Fernando Tatis Jr., Trea Turner, and Bo Bichette will all be first-round picks, so this is a position you may address in the first round.

If not, there are plenty of other options. Trevor Story, Xander Bogaerts, Corey Seager, Francisco Lindor, Tim Anderson, and Wander Franco are all strong options to draft in the third or fourth round, as all of them provide contributions in multiple categories. Even if you wait, Jorge Polanco has shortstop eligibility, Carlos Correa is a high-floor option, while Bobby Witt Jr. has a very enticing ceiling with his power/speed combination if the Royals put him on the opening day roster.

Looking for a sleeper? What about Oneil Cruz of the Pirates. The 6’7″ shortstop posted a 158 wRC+ in the minors last year, and has insane raw power: he registered a 99th percentile max exit velocity (118.2 MPH) and had elite batted-ball numbers in the minors. There are some plate discipline concerns here, but it’s hard to not take a chance on the power/speed combination. This is the exact type of player you want on your bench in shallow leagues, and he’s well off the radar in fantasy drafts currently. While that’s the case, take full advantage.

Outfield

Outfield is always a deep position in fantasy; it combines three positions, after all! Whether your league requires three or five outfield slots, you should feel comfortable finding key contributors at the position, starting with the likes of Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper.

The best time to target an outfielder? The end of the third round or fourth round. Aaron Judge is someone that appears to be completely undervalued in drafts with the ability to hit for average, power, score runs, and drive runners in. After him, there’s Yordan Alvarez, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler O’Neill, George Springer, Nick Castellanos, and Byron Buxton, all of whom provide value at the current draft spot.

Two sleepers in my hitter rankings would be Anthony Santander and Lane Thomas. Santander provides power and runs batted in for the Orioles, while Thomas is the leadoff hitter for the Nationals; his plate discipline skills will allow him to get on base, score runs, and steal bases. Right now, both can be had essentially for free. I’d throw Giants outfielder/first baseman Lamonte Wade Jr. as an undervalued asset in drafts right now, based on the skepticism he can repeat his strong rookie performance last year.

Top-250 Hitter Rankings

Rnk	Name	Team	Pos.
1	Juan Soto	WSH	OF
2	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	SS, OF
3	Trea Turner	LAD	SS, 2B
4	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B
5	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	1B
6	Bo Bichette	TOR	SS
7	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	DH, P
8	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF
9	Mike Trout	LAA	OF
10	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF
11	Mookie Betts	LAD	OF
12	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B
13	Rafael Devers	BOS	3B
14	Marcus Semien	FA	2B, SS
15	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF
16	Kyle Tucker	HOU	OF
17	Manny Machado	SD	3B
18	Luis Robert	CHW	OF
19	Starling Marte	FA	OF
20	Ozzie Albies	ATL	2B
21	Cedric Mullins II	BAL	OF
22	Teoscar Hernandez	TOR	OF
23	Matt Olson	OAK	1B
24	Salvador Perez	KC	C
25	Nick Castellanos	CIN	OF
26	George Springer	TOR	OF
27	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF
28	Trevor Story	FA	SS
29	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS
30	Corey Seager	FA	SS
31	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF
32	Austin Riley	ATL	3B
33	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B
34	Max Muncy	LAD	1B/2B
35	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS
36	Whit Merrifield	KC	2B, OF
37	Tim Anderson	CHW	SS
38	Wander Franco	TB	SS
39	Tyler O'Neill	STL	OF
40	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B
41	Ketel Marte	ARI	2B, OF
42	Will Smith	LAD	C
43	J.T. Realmuto	PHI	C
44	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B
45	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF
46	Randy Arozarena	TB	OF
47	Adalberto Mondesi	KC	3B
48	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B
49	Jose Abreu	CHW	1B
50	Eloy Jimenez	CHW	OF
51	Javier Baez	FA	2B, SS
52	Nolan Arenado	STL	3B
53	Jorge Polanco	MIN	2B, SS
54	Carlos Correa	FA	SS
55	Brandon Lowe	TB	2B
56	Daulton Varsho	ARI	C, OF
57	Kris Bryant	FA	3B, OF
58	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF/DH
59	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF
60	Anthony Rendon	LAA	3B
61	Jared Walsh	LAA	1B
62	Bobby Witt Jr.	KC	SS
63	Tommy Edman	STL	2B, OF
64	Jesse Winker	CIN	OF
65	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF/DH
66	Yasmani Grandal	CHW	C
67	Kyle Schwarber	FA	OF
68	Mitch Haniger	SEA	OF
69	Joey Votto	CIN	1B
70	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B
71	Cody Bellinger	LAD	OF/1B
72	Josh Bell	WSH	1B
73	Ryan Mountcastle	BAL	1B
74	Franmil Reyes	CLE	DH
75	Nelson Cruz	FA	DH
76	Brandon Belt	SF	1B
77	DJ LeMahieu	NYY	2B, 1B, 3B
78	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	TOR	OF
79	Jonathan India	CIN	2B
80	Jazz Chisholm	MIA	2B, SS
81	Jake Cronenworth	SD	2B, 1B, SS
82	Dansby Swanson	ATL	SS
83	Willson Contreras	CHC	C
84	Hunter Renfroe	FA	OF
85	Alex Verdugo	BOS	OF
86	Justin Turner	LAD	3B
87	Josh Donaldson	MIN	3B
88	Chris Taylor	FA	OF, 2B, SS
89	Gleyber Torres	NYY	SS
90	Brandon Crawford	SF	SS
91	Willy Adames	MIL	SS
92	Ty France	SEA	1B, 2B
93	Brendan Rodgers	COL	2B, SS
94	Anthony Rizzo	FA	1B
95	C.J. Cron	COL	1B
96	Trey Mancini	BAL	1B
97	A.J. Pollock	LAD	OF
98	Michael Conforto	NYM	OF
99	Austin Hays	BAL	OF
100	Austin Meadows	TB	OF
101	Avisail Garcia	FA	OF
102	Dylan Carlson	STL	OF
103	Trent Grisham	SD	OF
104	Jarred Kelenic	SEA	OF
105	Yuli Gurriel	HOU	1B
106	Yoan Moncada	CHW	3B
107	Luke Voit	NYY	1B
108	Bobby Dalbec	BOS	1B
109	Jean Segura	PHI	2B
110	Eugenio Suarez	CIN	3B, SS
111	Kolten Wong	MIL	2B
112	Ke'Bryan Hayes	PIT	3B
113	Keibert Ruiz	WSH	C
114	Mitch Garver	MIN	C
115	Tyler Stephenson	CIN	C, 1B
116	Eddie Rosario	FA	OF
117	Ian Happ	CHC	OF
118	Joey Gallo	NYY	OF
119	Jorge Soler	FA	OF
120	Myles Straw	CLE	OF
121	Adolis Garcia	TEX	OF
122	Oneil Cruz	PIT	SS
123	Michael Brantley	HOU	OF
124	Brandon Nimmo	NYM	OF
125	Mike Yastrzemski	SF	OF
126	Andrew Benintendi	KC	OF
127	Jonathan Schoop	FA	2B, 1B
128	Eduardo Escobar	FA	3B, 2B
129	Ryan McMahon	COL	3B, 2B
130	Enrique Hernandez	BOS	2B, OF
131	Luis Urias	MIL	2B, 3B, SS
132	Abraham Toro	SEA	2B, 3B
133	Alex Kirilloff	MIN	OF, 1B
134	Andrew Vaughn	CHW	OF
135	Robbie Grossman	DET	OF
136	Amed Rosario	CLE	SS
137	Akil Baddoo	DET	OF
138	Anthony Santander	BAL	OF
139	Lamonte Wade	SF	OF, 1B
140	Harrison Bader	STL	OF
141	Max Kepler	MIN	OF
142	Mark Canha	FA	OF
143	Adley Rutschman	BAL	C
144	Christian Vazquez	BOS	C
145	Austin Nola	SD	C
146	Seiya Suzuki	FA	OF
147	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF
148	Andrew McCutchen	FA	OF
149	Adam Duvall	FA	OF
150	Lane Thomas	WSH	OF
151	Nate Lowe	TEX	1B
152	Spencer Torkelson	DET	1B
153	Frank Schwindel	CHC	1B
154	Travis d'Arnaud	ATL	C
155	Omar Narvaez	MIL	C
156	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	TEX	SS
157	Nicky Lopez	KC	SS
158	Gavin Lux	LAD	2B, SS
159	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C
160	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B, OF
161	Matt Chapman	OAK	3B
162	Jeimer Candelario	DET	3B
163	Sean Murphy	OAK	C
164	Jonathan Villar	FA	3B, SS
165	Josh Rojas	ARI	2B, SS, OF
166	Tommy Pham	SD	OF
167	Wil Myers	SD	OF, 1B
168	Ramon Laureano	OAK	OF
169	Jo Adell	COL	OF
170	Alec Bohm	PHI	3B
171	Jesus Sanchez	MIA	OF
172	Didi Gregorius	PHI	SS
173	Mike Moustakas	CIN	2B, 3B
174	Kyle Lewis	SEA	OF
175	Jesus Aguilar	MIA	1B
176	Tyler Naquin	FA	OF
177	Raimel Tapia	COL	OF
178	Rafael Ortega	CHC	OF
179	Gio Urshela	NYY	3B
180	Miguel Sano	MIN	1B
181	Kyle Seager	FA	3B
182	Alejandro Kirk	TOR	C
183	Rowdy Tellez	MIL	1B
184	Nick Madrigal	CHC	2B
185	J.P. Crawford	SEA	SS
186	Cavan Biggio	TOR	3B
187	Miguel Rojas	MIA	SS
188	Andres Gimenez	CLE	2B, SS
189	Luis Garcia	WSH	2B
190	Riley Greene	DET	OF
191	Josh Jung	TEX	3B
192	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF
193	Vidal Brujan	TB	2B
194	Josh Lowe	TB	OF
195	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF
196	Eric Hosmer	SD	1B
197	Gavin Sheets	CHW	DH
198	Nico Hoerner	CHC	2B
199	Yadier Molina	STL	C
200	Carson Kelly	ARI	C
201	Eric Haase	DET	C
202	Adam Frazier	SD	2B
203	Luis Arraez	MIN	2B, 3B, OF
204	David Fletcher	LAA	2B, SS
205	Garrett Hampson	COL	2B, OF
206	Christian Walker	ARI	1B
207	Carlos Santana	KC	1B
208	Yandy Diaz	TB	1B, 3B
209	Paul DeJong	STL	SS
210	Cesar Hernandez	FA	2B
211	Willie Calhoun	TEX	OF
212	Tommy La Stella	SF	2B
213	Evan Longoria	SF	3B
214	Darin Ruf	SF	1B, OF
215	Leody Taveras	TEX	OF
216	Michael A. Taylor	KC	OF
217	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF
218	Bradley Zimmer	CLE	OF
219	Brandon Marsh	LAA	OF
220	Nick Senzel	CIN	OF
221	Nick Solak	TEX	2B
222	Elias Diaz	COL	C
223	Mike Zunino	TB	C
224	Manuel Margot	TOR	OF
225	Randal Grichuk	TOR	OF
226	Dominic Smith	NYM	OF
227	Pavin Smith	ARI	OF, 1B
228	Yan Gomes	FA	C
229	Joey Bart	SF	C
230	Jose Barrero	CIN	SS
231	Dylan Moore	SEA	2B
232	Odubel Herrera	PHI	OF
233	Hunter Dozier	KC	3B
234	Bobby Bradley	CLE	1B
235	Carter Kieboom	WSH	3B
236	Joey Wendle	TB	3B, SS
237	Aaron Hicks	NYY	OF
238	Trevor Larnach	MIN	OF
239	Jorge Alfaro	MIA	C
240	Patrick Wisdom	CHC	3B
241	Max Stassi	LAA	C
242	Jacob Stallings	PIT	C
243	James McCann	NYM	C
244	Danny Jansen	TOR	C
245	Colin Moran	PIT	1B
246	Wilmer Flores	SF	1B, 2B, 3B
247	Edmundo Sosa	STL	SS, 2B
248	Andy Ibanez	TEX	3B
249	Keston Hiura	MIL	1B
250	Kyle Farmer	CIN	SS

Also check out these 5 Under-the-Radar Hitters Who Could Hit 30 HRs.

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