MLB’s real Opening Day is just a couple of sleeps away and I couldn’t be more pumped. Bring on the baseball. Bring on the fantasy baseball, too.
Every so often I like to rank the MLB teams by order of how fun and fantasy-friendly they are. So here are your initial power rankings. I suppose they would probably line up mostly with power rankings that are solely based on the real-life strength of a team, but we like to throw in some special sauce when we can.
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I will revisit and edit these ranks a few times during the season. Let’s go.
30. Chicago White Sox
They’ll be a little better just because you can’t be historically terrible for two straight years. That’s the plexiglass principle, right? I was open to drafting Andrew Benintendi (look at his final two months) and possible closer Mike Clevinger with late picks. That’s it for now.
29. Miami Marlins
Xavier Edwards makes contact, works the count, wants to run like crazy. Count me in. Max Meyer is an interesting rotation sleeper. But good luck reciting this team’s 1-to-9 lineup.
28. Colorado Rockies
It’s sad to see such a mediocre offense living in this park. Michael Toglia will strike out 200 times but the category juice will play. Ryan McMahon should at least return his ADP. I will not be talked into any Colorado pitcher.
27. Los Angeles Angels
Is this the Jurickson Profar-breakout year for Jo Adell? The Anaheim center fielder just turned 26 and I think they’ll leave him alone. Mike Trout really should be a DH by now, but the Angels signed Jorge Soler for that gig. Ron Washington wants his team to run.
26. St. Louis Cardinals
Whatever their special sauce was all these years, it’s apparently gone stale. At least the lineup is young and brimming with upside, but you need to be able to develop your talent, too. I liked the boring-veteran discount on Sonny Gray all spring, but he’s another pitcher dealing with a nervous velocity dip.
25. The Athletics
Although the Oakland ballpark was a dump, it was sad to see the city lose its team. That doesn’t mean this can’t be a fun club. Every fantasy manager needs to know that Brent Rooker, Kyle Schwarber and Marcell Ozuna are all outfield-eligible in Yahoo leagues.
24. Washington Nationals
There are four ascending talents locked into the top five lineup spots, so that’s a reason to tune in. MacKenzie Gore already gets enough strikeouts to be mixed-league viable, and he has another level to potentially climb. Kyle Finnegan is the cheapest 20 saves on the board.
23. San Francisco Giants
Willy Adames is a fine player but an obvious fade, with a big contract and a big park. The Brewers love to run; the Giants always have a red light flashing. Hayden Birdsong’s electric spring didn’t get him in the rotation, but he’s the first man up and eventually, someone will get hurt. I’m in on Logan Webb.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz has dreamy hard-hit metrics and don’t miss that he was 15-for-15 on steals in the second half. I’ll sign off on a proactive Cruz pick. Joey Bart looked legit in the second half last year, too, and should finally get that coveted full season.
21. Tampa Bay Rays
They’re the nomads of baseball, forced out of their park and perhaps moving to a new city altogether in an upcoming season. The midsummer schedule also has an odd shape to it, because outdoor baseball in Florida is hard to handle during the rainy season. For years, I always assumed Tampa Bay would figure things out, even if I didn’t see the genius of the plan. I’m no longer giving this organization the benefit of the doubt.
20. Seattle Mariners
The second half of the lineup is depressing but the rotation is divine, no matter what George Kirby’s timetable winds up being. All of these pitchers pound the zone and obviously they work in a big park, which makes them easy on the eyes.
19. Milwaukee Brewers
This team deserves the rep that the Rays carried for so long — they’re smart, and they do so many little things well. It’s probably the best defensive team in the NL, so you can talk me into almost any of their pitchers. Please, fantasy gods, let Christian Yelich have a healthy six months. He’s good at everything.
18. Kansas City Royals
I haven’t been reaching on high-end pitching for the most part but Cole Ragans was one of my rule-breakers. Seth Lugo was a steal all month — he’s always been good, just under-appreciated. I’m worried about Vinnie Pasquantino’s lower-body injury — he’s one of the league’s smartest hitters and a favorite of mine. Salvador Pérez is building a Hall of Fame case.
17. Detroit Tigers
I still feel like they’re one hitter short. A long Alex Bregman contract probably wouldn’t have made sense, but a short-term deal would have fit perfectly. Hey, they tried. I’m curious if Casey Mise can reinvent himself after a winter of tinkering. I don’t think Jason Foley will stick as the closer; remember, he hardly pitched in the playoffs. I’m always in on Riley Greene.
16. Toronto Blue Jays
Even if you’re an ardent fantasy player, I dare you to name their entire starting lineup without help. Bo Bichette was affordably priced all spring but I found it hard to make the click. José Berríos might never be truly great but he’s always playable.
15. Texas Rangers
The Wyatt Langford rocket ship looks ready to take off. I have no idea how many innings Jacob deGrom will throw — knowing I had him as a cheap keeper in one league, I decided to sit him out through draft season. My heart was already invested, I didn’t want to take it further than that. I was surprised Evan Carter didn’t make the team but after a washout spring, the move makes sense.
14. Cincinnati Reds
Good to see Terry Francona back in the dugout. A healthy Matt McLain could be a second-round fantasy pick by next year. I have no idea how they’re going to handle the closer spot. Whatever gets you through the ninth, it’s alright.
13. Minnesota Twins
The lineup reminds me of the pricy headphones I used to regularly buy. They look good, they sound good, and they always break. Still, I’m fine to pass on Mike Trout because Byron Buxton is a similar fantasy commodity, about 100 picks later. Bailey Ober is popular in the fantasy industry, but may be more reasonably priced in your pool.
12. Houston Astros
Isaac Paredes has been a steal all spring and it looks like he’ll open the year hitting second. The Rays didn’t always leave him alone in the lineup, but Houston will. Framber Valdez is Mr. Floor at the top of the rotation, but I’m also excited to see if Hunter Brown’s final four months were the beginning of sustainable stardom.
11. Cleveland Guardians
Is the timing right for a Kyle Manzardo breakout? He might bat third, the catbird seat behind Steven Kwan and the forever-underrated José Ramírez. One key is staying out of a platoon.
10. Chicago Cubs
Kyle Tucker is in the prime of his career — and in a prove-it year for free agency — but how much is the park going to hurt him? Wrigley suffocates left-handed power. Pete Crow-Armstrong offers category juice and he’s a wonder in center field.
9. San Diego Padres
It’s a top-heavy lineup, and I’ve been afraid to draft Fernando Tatís Jr. for a few years. Mike King looks the part at the top of the rotation, a Cy Young semi-sleeper.
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
This lineup led the majors in runs scored last year, by a fairly healthy margin. Trot that question out to an East Coast bar — you’ll drink for free all night. The Corbin Burnes strikeout rate has dropped four straight seasons, enough for me to fade him all spring.
7. New York Yankees
Given the horrible spring they’ve had, I think it’s comical the Yankees are still the A.L. East favorite in the markets. Of course, I said similar things last year and all they did was make the World Series. I’m excited to see if Austin Wells can stick as a leadoff man (at least against right-handed pitching). He’s my most rostered catcher.
6. Baltimore Orioles
I have no idea why they didn’t make a more aggressive move for pitching — and that was doubly true late last summer. Runs will flow easier with the left-field wall coming back in.
5. Boston Red Sox
It was refreshing to see them ditch the bargain-hunter mindset and actually pay up for Alex Bregman, a signature free agent. How healthy is Rafael Devers, dealing with two bad shoulders? Will he accept DH life if it comes to it? Justin Slaten is the saves sleeper in this bullpen. I still can’t believe Boston somehow acquired Garrett Crochet without having to touch its best rising prospects. Maybe it’s the Chris Sale story all over again.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
They’ll score a zillion runs and Zack Wheeler is the perfect No. 1 horse up front. They better hope the Cristopher Sánchez buzz is real because Aaron Nola dealt with lagging velocity all spring.
3. New York Mets
The rotation is filled with a lot of throw-and-hope, but Juan Soto was the biggest catch of the free-agent season and I loved that the team brought Pete Alonso back. This is a destination offense, top to bottom, for fantasy managers.
2. Atlanta Braves
I’m giving most of this roster an injury pass after a season from hell last year. But I wasn’t keen on drafting Ronald Acuña Jr. after he openly admitted that he’s going to run less often. This won’t be the dream offense of 2023, but it’s still likely to be top five when all the runs are counted.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
You can’t spell Load Management without LAD. Last year, just two pitchers on this club made it past 90 innings, and nobody came close to qualifying for the ERA title. This year, it’s possible Dave Roberts will also be more proactive with resting his position guys. They’re a traveling circus, but be careful with your expectations.
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