MLB Fantasy Baseball 2023: Top 100 Big Board, Positional Rankings, Top Sleepers

It's fantasy baseball draft season once again, with 2023 spring training wrapping up and Opening Day right around the corner.

Before we dive into this year's fantasy rankings, a bit of clarification is needed.

First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard five-by-five rotisserie scoring for hitters (batting average, runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases) and pitchers (wins, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, saves).

Second, lineup construction assumes 22 active roster positions, consisting of one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

Finally, to be eligible at a particular position, players must have accrued at least 10 games there in 2022 or be projected to play there regularly in 2023.

With that established, it's on to the Big Board, followed by our positional rankings and, finally, five deep sleepers.

Before we dive into our positional rankings, here are the top 100 overall fantasy baseball players for the 2023 season:

1. SS Trea Turner, PHI
2. OF Aaron Judge, NYY
3. 3B José Ramírez, CLE
4. OF Julio Rodríguez, SEA
5. OF Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
6. OF Kyle Tucker, HOU
7. OF Mookie Betts, LAD
8. OF Mike Trout, LAA
9. OF Yordan Álvarez, HOU
10. 1B Freddie Freeman, LAD
11. OF Juan Soto, SD
12. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
13. SP Corbin Burnes, MIL
14. SP Gerrit Cole, NYY
15. 3B Manny Machado, SD
16. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL
17. SS/3B Bobby Witt Jr., KC
18. SS Bo Bichette, TOR
19. SP Sandy Alcantara, MIA
20. SS/OF Fernando Tatís Jr., SD
21. 2B/SS Marcus Semien, TEX
22. 3B Austin Riley, ATL
23. 1B Pete Alonso, NYM
24. SP Shohei Ohtani, LAA
25. 3B Rafael Devers, BOS
26. SP Aaron Nola, PHI
27. 3B Nolan Arenado, STL
28. SS Francisco Lindor, NYM
29. OF Michael Harris II, ATL
30. DH Shohei Ohtani, LAA
31. SP Jacob deGrom, TEX
32. SP Max Scherzer, NYM
33. SP Justin Verlander, NYM
34. 2B/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr., MIA
35. C J.T. Realmuto, PHI
36. SP Dylan Cease, CWS
37. 1B Matt Olson, ATL
38. SP Spencer Strider, ATL
39. OF Randy Arozarena, TB
40. SP Julio Urías, LAD
41. SP Zack Wheeler, PHI
42. SP Shane McClanahan, TB
43. SP Max Fried, ATL
44. OF Luis Robert Jr., CWS
45. RP Emmanuel Clase, CLE
46. OF Kyle Schwarber, PHI
47. SP Brandon Woodruff, MIL
48. SP Shane Bieber, CLE
49. OF Cedric Mullins, BAL
50. C/OF Daulton Varsho, TOR
51. SS Corey Seager, TEX
52. 2B Ozzie Albies, ATL
53. SP Alek Manoah, TOR
54. SP Cristian Javier, HOU
55. SP Yu Darvish, SD
56. RP Josh Hader, SD
57. C Will Smith, LAD
58. SS Xander Bogaerts, SD
59. OF George Springer, TOR
60. SP Zac Gallen, ARI
61. 2B/SS Andrés Giménez, CLE
62. SP Framber Valdez, HOU
63. SP Luis Castillo, SEA
64. C Adley Rutschman, BAL
65. 2B José Altuve, HOU
66. RP Devin Williams, MIL
67. OF Teoscar Hernández, SEA
68. OF Adolis García, TEX
69. 2B/SS Tommy Edman, STL
70. 3B Alex Bregman, HOU
71. SP Kevin Gausman, TOR
72. OF Corbin Carroll, ARI
73. OF Eloy Jiménez, CWS
74. RP Jordan Romano, TOR
75. SP Carlos Rodón, NYY
76. OF Starling Marte, NYM
77. RP Raisel Iglesias, ATL
78. RP Ryan Pressly, HOU
79. SP Triston McKenzie, CLE
80. SS Oneil Cruz, PIT
81. 1B José Abreu, HOU
82. SS Carlos Correa, MIN
83. SP Logan Webb, SF
84. SS/3B Gunnar Henderson, BAL
85. OF Byron Buxton, MIN
86. SP Robbie Ray, SEA
87. SS Wander Franco, TB
88. C Salvador Pérez, KC
89. OF Bryan Reynolds, PIT
90. SP Clayton Kershaw, LAD
91. SS Tim Anderson, CWS
92. RP Ryan Helsley, STL
93. SS Willy Adames, MIL
94. SP Joe Musgrove, SD
95. SP Nestor Cortes, NYY
96. OF Steven Kwan, CLE
97. 1B Rhys Hoskins, PHI
98. OF Tyler O'Neill, STL
99. SP George Kirby, SEA
100. SP Kyle Wright, ATL

Top 20 Catchers

1. J.T. Realmuto, PHI
2. Daulton Varsho, TOR
3. Will Smith, LAD
4. Adley Rutschman, BAL
5. Salvador Pérez, KC
6. Willson Contreras, STL
7. Alejandro Kirk, TOR
8. Sean Murphy, ATL
9. William Contreras, MIL
10. MJ Melendez, KC
11. Tyler Stephenson, CIN
12. Cal Raleigh, SEA
13. Danny Jansen, TOR
14. Jonah Heim, TEX
15. Keibert Ruiz, WAS
16. Gabriel Moreno, ARI
17. Travis d'Arnaud, ATL
18. Christian Vázquez, MIN
19. Yasmani Grandal, CWS
20. Logan O'Hoppe, LAA

Overvalued: Travis d'Arnaud, ATL (ADP: 213)—The addition of Sean Murphy will likely mean a reduced role for d'Arnaud this season after he split time with William Contreras behind the dish last year. Murphy is the better player offensively and defensively, and he's young enough to handle a significant workload.

Undervalued: Jonah Heim, TEX (ADP: 311)—Heim hit .262/.313/.467 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 33 RBI during the first half last season before running out of gas and batting just .181 with a .589 OPS after the All-Star break. The upside he showed over the first few months is enough to take him over several veteran options with significantly lower ceilings.

Top 25 First Basemen

1. Freddie Freeman, LAD
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
3. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
4. Pete Alonso, NYM
5. Matt Olson, ATL
6. José Abreu, HOU
7. Rhys Hoskins, PHI
8. Nathaniel Lowe, TEX
9. Vinnie Pasquantino, KC
10. Christian Walker, ARI
11. Anthony Rizzo, NYY
12. Andrew Vaughn, CWS
13. Rowdy Tellez, MIL
14. C.J. Cron, COL
15. Ryan Mountcastle, BAL
16. Ty France, SEA
17. Luis Arraez, MIA
18. Jake Cronenworth, SD
19. Josh Bell, CLE
20. Alec Bohm, PHI
21. José Miranda, MIN
22. Brandon Drury, LAA
23. Triston Casas, BOS
24. DJ LeMahieu, NYY
25. Josh Naylor, CLE

Overvalued: C.J. Cron, COL (ADP: 124)—After earning his first All-Star selection with a big first half, Cron battled a wrist injury and hit just .197 with eight home runs in 60 games during the second half. He could bounce back after an offseason of rest, but it's enough of a question mark that he shouldn't be drafted ahead of Anthony Rizzo (ADP: 131), Andrew Vaughn (ADP: 134), Rowdy Tellez (ADP: 155) and others at a deep position.

Undervalued: Alex Kirilloff, MIN (ADP: 347)—It's not long ago Kirilloff was one of the top prospects in baseball. Still just 25 years old, he's had a tough time staying healthy in recent years, but a full-time move to first base could help keep him on the field and the elite hit tool he showed in the minors is still there.

Top 25 Second Basemen

1. Marcus Semien, TEX
2. Jazz Chisholm Jr., MIA
3. Ozzie Albies, ATL
4. Andrés Giménez, CLE
5. José Altuve, HOU
6. Tommy Edman, STL
7. Gleyber Torres, NYY
8. Max Muncy, LAD
9. Brandon Lowe, TB
10. Jorge Polanco, MIN
11. Jeff McNeil, NYM
12. Luis Arraez, MIA
13. Jake Cronenworth, SD
14. Ketel Marte, ARI
15. Brandon Drury, LAA
16. Jonathan India, CIN
17. Thairo Estrada, SF
18. Ryan McMahon, COL
19. Kolten Wong, MIL
20. Whit Merrifield, TOR
21. Isaac Paredes, TB
22. DJ LeMahieu, NYY
23. Jon Berti, MIA
24. Luis Urías, MIL
25. Josh Rojas, ARI

Overvalued: Whit Merrifield, TOR (ADP: 157)—Merrifield had the worst season of his career in 2022, hitting a career-low .250 while stealing just 16 bases a year after leading the AL with 40 thefts. At 34 years old, and with Santiago Espinal also in the mix for playing time at second base in Toronto, he could wind up in a part-time role.

Undervalued: Michael Massey, KC (ADP: 450)—Massey hit .312/.371/.532 with 28 doubles, 16 home runs and 77 RBI in 87 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year, and he showed enough in a 52-game audition in the majors to be the favorite for the starting second base job heading into camp. The 25-year-old has the tools to be one of the better offensive second basemen in the league if everything clicks.

Top 25 Third Basemen

1. José Ramírez, CLE
2. Manny Machado, SD
3. Bobby Witt Jr., KC
4. Austin Riley, ATL
5. Rafael Devers, BOS
6. Nolan Arenado, STL
7. Alex Bregman, HOU
8. Gunnar Henderson, BAL
9. Eugenio Suárez, SEA
10. Matt Chapman, TOR
11. Max Muncy, LAD
12. Alec Bohm, PHI
13. José Miranda, MIN
14. Brandon Drury, LAA
15. Ryan McMahon, COL
16. Ke'Bryan Hayes, PIT
17. DJ LeMahieu, NYY
18. Anthony Rendon, LAA
19. Luis Urías, MIL
20. Jon Berti, MIA
21. Josh Rojas, ARI
22. Isaac Paredes, TB
23. Josh Jung, TEX
24. Jordan Walker, STL
25. Justin Turner, BOS

Overvalued: Max Muncy, LAD (ADP: 128)—Muncy hit .196 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI in 136 games last season, and while his numbers were better after the All-Star break, he still wasn't his usual productive self. His batted-ball metrics were also down across the board, so a bounce-back is far from guaranteed.

Undervalued: Isaac Paredes, TB (ADP: 317)—After launching 20 home runs in 381 plate appearances last season, Paredes now has a more clear path to playing time at the corner infield spots after Ji-Man Choi was traded to Pittsburgh. A 30-homer season is not out of the question if he sees 500-plus plate appearances.

Top 25 Shortstops

1. Trea Turner, PHI
2. Bobby Witt Jr., KC
3. Bo Bichette, TOR
4. Fernando Tatís Jr., SD
5. Marcus Semien, TEX
6. Francisco Lindor, NYM
7. Corey Seager, TEX
8. Xander Bogaerts, SD
9. Andrés Giménez, CLE
10. Tommy Edman, STL
11. Oneil Cruz, PIT
12. Carlos Correa, MIN
13. Gunnar Henderson, BAL
14. Wander Franco, TB
15. Tim Anderson, CWS
16. Willy Adames, MIL
17. Dansby Swanson, CHC
18. Jeremy Peña, HOU
19. Amed Rosario, CLE
20. Nico Hoerner, CHC
21. Javier Báez, DET
22. Jon Berti, MIA
23. Ezequiel Tovar, COL
24. Thairo Estrada, SF
25. CJ Abrams, WAS

Overvalued: Dansby Swanson, CHC (ADP: 78)—Swanson had a career year in 2022, just in time to sign a massive seven-year, $177 million deal with the Chicago Cubs in free agency. He hit just .254/.298/.404 with 10 home runs and four steals after the All-Star break, so it's fair to wonder if his 2022 numbers were the real deal or if he's headed for regression.

Undervalued: Jorge Mateo, BAL (ADP: 266)—With 13 home runs and an AL-leading 35 steals last year, Mateo was one of the better power-speed players in baseball. He could lose some playing time with Gunnar Henderson joining the infield mix, but his glove at shortstop will ensure he still sees regular action.

Top 50 Outfielders

1. Aaron Judge, NYY
2. Julio Rodríguez, SEA
3. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
4. Kyle Tucker, HOU
5. Mookie Betts, LAD
6. Mike Trout, LAA
7. Yordan Álvarez, HOU
8. Juan Soto, SD
9. Fernando Tatis Jr., SD
10. Michael Harris II, ATL
11. Jazz Chisholm Jr., MIA
12. Randy Arozarena, TB
13. Luis Robert Jr., CWS
14. Kyle Schwarber, PHI
15. Cedric Mullins, BAL
16. Dalton Varsho, TOR
17. George Springer, TOR
18. Teoscar Hernández, SEA
19. Adolis García, TEX
20. Corbin Carroll, ARI
21. Eloy Jiménez, CWS
22. Starling Marte, NYM
23. Byron Buxton, MIN
24. Bryan Reynolds, PIT
25. Steven Kwan, CLE
26. Tyler O'Neill, STL
27. Jake McCarthy, ARI
28. Anthony Santander, BAL
29. Christian Yelich, MIL
30. Jeff McNeil, NYM
31. MJ Melendez, KC
32. Giancarlo Stanton, NYY
33. Kris Bryant, COL
34. Taylor Ward, LAA
35. Andrew Vaughn, CWS
36. Masataka Yoshida, BOS
37. Hunter Renfroe, LAA
38. Seiya Suzuki, CHC
39. Lars Nootbaar, STL
40. Thairo Estrada, SF
41. Ian Happ, CHC
42. Oscar Gonzalez, CLE
43. Whit Merrifield, TOR
44. Nick Castellanos, PHI
45. Mitch Haniger, SF
46. Harrison Bader, NYY
47. Alex Verdugo, BOS
48. Andrew Benintendi, CWS
49. Bryce Harper, PHI
50. Brandon Nimmo, NYM

Overvalued: Nick Castellanos, PHI (ADP: 126)—Ugly batted-ball metrics—including his hard-hit rate (23rd percentile), average exit velocity (22nd percentile) and barrel rate (39th percentile)—make it extremely difficult to fully buy into the idea of Castellanos returning to his 2021 form.

Undervalued: Dylan Carlson, STL (ADP: 299)—Carlson spent time on the injured list with hamstring and thumb injuries last year, but he looked like a rising star in 2021 when he batted .266/.343/.437 with 31 doubles, 18 home runs, 65 RBI and 79 runs scored. The 24-year-old still has the all-around offensive tools to be the next homegrown star in St. Louis.

Top 50 Starting Pitchers

1. Corbin Burnes, MIL
2. Gerrit Cole, NYY
3. Sandy Alcantara, MIA
4. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
5. Aaron Nola, PHI
6. Jacob deGrom, TEX
7. Max Scherzer, NYM
8. Justin Verlander, NYM
9. Dylan Cease, CWS
10. Spencer Strider, ATL
11. Julio Urías, LAD
12. Zack Wheeler, PHI
13. Shane McClanahan, TB
14. Max Fried, ATL
15. Brandon Woodruff, MIL
16. Shane Bieber, CLE
17. Alek Manoah, TOR
18. Cristian Javier, HOU
19. Yu Darvish, SD
20. Zac Gallen, ARI
21. Framber Valdez, HOU
22. Luis Castillo, SEA
23. Kevin Gausman, TOR
24. Carlos Rodón, NYY
25. Triston McKenzie, CLE
26. Logan Webb, SF
27. Robbie Ray, SEA
28. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
29. Joe Musgrove, SD
30. Nestor Cortes, NYY
31. George Kirby, SEA
32. Kyle Wright, ATL
33. Logan Gilbert, SEA
34. Luis Severino, NYY
35. Blake Snell, SD
36. Hunter Greene, CIN
37. Lucas Giolito, CWS
38. Pablo López, MIN
39. Lance Lynn, CWS
40. Jesús Luzardo, MIA
41. Freddy Peralta, MIL
42. Brady Singer, KC
43. Chris Bassitt, TOR
44. Joe Ryan, MIN
45. Patrick Sandoval, LAA
46. Chris Bassitt, TOR
47. Jeffrey Springs, TB
48. Drew Rasmussen, TB
49. Nick Lodolo, CIN
50. Chris Sale, BOS

Overvalued: Tyler Glasnow, TB (ADP: 121)—Glasnow pitched just 6.2 innings last year, and he has only topped 100 innings in a season once in his career. The 29-year-old is already sidelined with an oblique injury that will land him on the injured list to open the year, and drafting him in the 10th-round range is simply too high.

Undervalued: Tyler Mahle, MIN (ADP: 227)—Mahle has a 3.95 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 396 strikeouts in 348.1 innings since the start of the 2020 season, and he has the added motivation of being in a contract year in 2023. A pitcher who can get you more than a strikeout-per-inning is a safer fantasy play than many of the others drafted ahead of him.

Top 25 Relief Pitchers

1. Emmanuel Clase, CLE
2. Josh Hader, SD
3. Devin Williams, MIL
4. Jordan Romano, TOR
5. Raisel Iglesias, ATL
6. Ryan Pressly, HOU
7. Ryan Helsley, STL
8. Felix Bautista, BAL
9. Camilo Doval, SF
10. Clay Holmes, NYY
11. Kenley Jansen, BOS
12. Jhoan Duran, MIN
13. David Bednar, PIT
14. Alexis Díaz, CIN
15. Scott Barlow, KC
16. Daniel Bard, COL
17. David Robertson, NYM
18. Andres Muñoz, SEA
19. Evan Phillips, LAD
20. Pete Fairbanks, TB
21. Paul Sewald, SEA
22. Jose Leclerc, TEX
23. Kyle Finnegan, WAS
24. Seranthony Dominguez, PHI
25. Jorge López, MIN

Overvalued: Kenley Jansen, BOS (ADP: 96)—Jansen had an NL-leading 41 saves last year, but he also tallied seven blown saves and pitched to a less-than-dominant 3.38 ERA in 65 appearances. The 35-year-old will also now be closing games for a Boston Red Sox team that could be headed for the AL East cellar.

Undervalued: A.J. Puk, MIA (ADP: 404)—The Marlins do not have a clear-cut closer heading into the season, but Puk has the best stuff out of their potential committee of late-inning arms. The hard-throwing southpaw had a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 66.1 innings with four saves and 20 holds in 62 appearances out of the Oakland bullpen last year.

*Note: Spencer Strider (ATL), Cristian Javier (HOU) and Jeffrey Springs (TB) all have relief pitcher eligibility, but the goal here was to highlight players who can help you in traditional reliever categories.

These players were not ranked in the top 100 overall or among the positional rankings, but they are worth monitoring on draft day:

Mitch Keller, SP, PIT (ADP: 391)

Keller had a 3.91 ERA with 138 strikeouts in 159 innings during a quietly effective 2022 season. The 26-year-old finished on a high note with a 2.20 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 41 innings over his last seven starts, and a full-fledged breakout season could be coming in 2023.

Myles Straw, OF, CLE (ADP: 396)

Elite defense in center field and a long-term contract will keep Straw in the everyday lineup, and he is one of only seven players with at least 50 stolen bases over the past two seasons. He is not going to help much in batting average or power, but if you need stolen bases and runs scored he's a great late-round target.

Harold Ramírez, 1B/OF, TB (ADP: 454)

Ramírez hit .300/.343/.404 with 30 extra-base hits in 435 plate appearances last year, and he is capable of playing first base, corner outfield and designated hitter. His elite max exit velocity numbers suggest there is also more power potential in his bat.

Matt Brash, SP/RP, SEA (ADP: 476)

Armed with a fastball that averaged 96.9 mph and a lethal slider that generated a 44.8 percent whiff rate, Brash racked up 62 strikeouts in 50.2 innings in five starts and 34 relief appearances as a rookie. He is capable of filling a variety of roles on the Seattle staff and has the swing-and-miss stuff to be a fantasy asset regardless of when he enters the game.

Alek Thomas, OF, ARI (ADP: 507)

Thomas has hit .349/.418/.606 in 297 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, showing a good mix of power, speed and contact ability. That didn't immediately translate to the MLB level last year when he hit just .231/.275/.344 in 113 games as a rookie, but the Daulton Varsho trade and his stellar defense has him poised to break camp as the starting center fielder.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference. ADP numbers come via FantasyPros and are accurate as of Thursday morning.