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2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Welsh’s Picks & Predictions

2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Welsh’s Picks & Predictions

The 2023 MLB season is in the books, but it’s never too early to look ahead to the upcoming campaign. While much of the MLB landscape is sure to change over the offseason, it can be helpful to get an early sense of where the experts stand in terms of initial fantasy baseball rankings. We’ll have you covered as we approach the spring and new season, but for now let’s take a look at early 2024 fantasy baseball rankings from expert Chris Welsh.

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2024 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Name Team Positions
Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL RF,DH
Bobby Witt Jr. KC 3B,DH,SS
Julio Rodriguez SEA CF
Mookie Betts LAD 2B,RF,SS
Corbin Carroll ARI CF,LF,RF
Freddie Freeman LAD 1B
Fernando Tatis Jr. SD CF,RF,SS
Kyle Tucker HOU RF
Juan Soto NYY LF,RF
Shohei Ohtani LAD DH,SP
Aaron Judge NYY CF,RF,DH
Jose Ramirez CLE 3B,DH
Corey Seager TEX SS
Trea Turner PHI SS
Matt Olson ATL 1B
Yordan Alvarez HOU LF,DH
Bryce Harper PHI 1B,DH,RF
Austin Riley ATL 3B
Spencer Strider ATL SP,RP
Gerrit Cole NYY SP
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR 1B,DH
Elly De La Cruz CIN 3B,SS
Rafael Devers BOS 3B
Luis Robert Jr. CWS CF
Francisco Lindor NYM SS
Gunnar Henderson BAL 3B,DH,SS
Ozzie Albies ATL 2B
Pete Alonso NYM 1B,DH
Corbin Burnes MIL SP
Kevin Gausman TOR SP
Marcus Semien TEX 2B,SS
Zack Wheeler PHI SP
Michael Harris II ATL CF
George Kirby SEA SP
Zac Gallen ARI SP
Adolis Garcia TEX CF,RF,DH
Randy Arozarena TB LF,RF,DH
Oneil Cruz PIT SS
Bo Bichette TOR SS
Royce Lewis MIN 3B,SS
CJ Abrams WSH 2B,SS
Matt McLain CIN 2B,SS
Jose Altuve HOU 2B
Jazz Chisholm Jr. MIA 2B,CF
Mike Trout LAA CF
Pablo Lopez MIN SP
Luis Castillo SEA SP
Tyler Glasnow LAD SP
Tarik Skubal DET SP
Edwin Diaz NYM RP
Paul Goldschmidt STL 1B,DH
Yoshinobu Yamamoto LAD SP
Cody Bellinger FA 1B,CF
Framber Valdez HOU SP
Blake Snell FA SP
Emmanuel Clase CLE RP
Josh Hader FA RP
Freddy Peralta MIL SP
Manny Machado SD 3B,DH
Logan Gilbert SEA SP
Kodai Senga NYM SP
Max Fried ATL SP
Bobby Miller LAD SP
Nolan Jones COL 1B,LF,RF
Devin Williams MIL RP
Adley Rutschman BAL C,DH
Aaron Nola PHI SP
Josh Lowe TB CF,DH,LF,RF
Ha-Seong Kim SD 2B,3B,SS
Christian Yelich MIL LF,DH
Kyle Schwarber PHI DH,LF
Gleyber Torres NYY 2B,DH
Logan Webb SF SP
Bryan Reynolds PIT CF,DH,LF
Joe Ryan MIN SP
Camilo Doval SF RP
Ketel Marte ARI 2B,DH
Eury Perez MIA SP
Grayson Rodriguez BAL SP
Christian Walker ARI 1B
Nick Castellanos PHI RF
Triston Casas BOS 1B
Josh Jung TEX 3B
J.T. Realmuto PHI C
Kyle Bradish BAL SP
Nolan Arenado STL 3B,DH
Zach Eflin TB SP,RP
Wyatt Langford TEX LF
Bryson Stott PHI 2B,SS
Jordan Walker STL 3B,LF,RF
Nico Hoerner CHC 2B,SS
Jhoan Duran MIN RP
Seiya Suzuki CHC RF
Spencer Torkelson DET 1B
Joe Musgrove SD SP
Junior Caminero TB 3B
Cole Ragans KC RP,SP
Jesus Luzardo MIA SP
Alex Bregman HOU 3B
Walker Buehler LAD SP
Jordan Romano TOR RP
Spencer Steer CIN 1B,2B,3B,LF
Will Smith LAD C,DH
Tanner Bibee CLE SP
Justin Steele CHC SP
Dylan Cease CWS SP
Justin Verlander HOU SP
Michael King SD RP,SP
George Springer TOR CF,RF,DH
Lane Thomas WSH LF,CF,RF
Riley Greene DET CF,RF
Anthony Santander BAL 1B,DH,LF,RF
Evan Carter TEX CF,LF
Jackson Chourio MIL CF
Raisel Iglesias ATL RP
Lars Nootbaar STL LF,CF,RF
Paul Sewald ARI RP
Sonny Gray STL SP
Merrill Kelly ARI SP
Hunter Greene CIN SP
Gavin Williams CLE SP
Christian Encarnacion-Strand CIN 1B,3B,DH
Zack Gelof OAK 2B
Sean Murphy ATL C,DH
David Bednar PIT RP
Ryan Pressly HOU RP
Josh Naylor CLE 1B,RF,DH
Alexis Diaz CIN RP
Chris Bassitt TOR SP
Anthony Volpe NYY SS
Andres Munoz SEA RP
Dansby Swanson CHC SS
Andres Gimenez CLE 2B,SS
Edouard Julien MIN 2B,DH
Ryan Helsley STL RP
Pete Fairbanks TB RP
Yainer Diaz HOU 1B,C,DH
Willy Adames MIL SS
Yandy Diaz TB 1B,3B,DH
Cedric Mullins II BAL CF
Jorge Soler FA DH,LF,RF
Vinnie Pasquantino KC 1B,DH
Xander Bogaerts SD SS
Max Muncy LAD 2B,3B,DH
TJ Friedl CIN LF,CF,RF
Esteury Ruiz OAK CF,LF,RF
James Outman LAD CF,LF
Jackson Holliday BAL SS
Chas McCormick HOU LF,CF,RF
Marcell Ozuna ATL LF,DH
Teoscar Hernandez FA DH,RF
Masataka Yoshida BOS DH,LF
Mitch Keller PIT SP
Shane Baz TB SP
Chris Sale ATL SP
Shane Bieber CLE SP
Nolan Gorman STL 2B,3B,DH
Jordan Montgomery FA SP
Salvador Perez KC 1B,C,DH
Jose Berrios TOR SP
Carlos Rodon NYY SP
Hunter Brown HOU SP,RP
Evan Phillips LAD RP
Kenley Jansen BOS RP
William Contreras MIL C,DH
Francisco Alvarez NYM C,DH
Ian Happ CHC LF
Cristian Javier HOU SP,RP
Eduardo Rodriguez ARI SP
Aaron Civale TB SP
Brandon Pfaadt ARI SP
Cal Raleigh SEA C,DH
Tommy Edman STL 2B,CF,RF,SS
Nathan Eovaldi TEX SP
Ryan Pepiot TB RP,SP
Trevor Story BOS 2B,SS
Clay Holmes NYY RP
Thairo Estrada SF 2B,SS,LF
Yu Darvish SD SP
Gabriel Moreno ARI C
Adbert Alzolay CHC RP
Jake Burger MIA 3B,DH
Noelvi Marte CIN 3B,SS
Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT 3B
Alec Bohm PHI 1B,3B
Isaac Paredes TB 1B,2B,3B
Jarren Duran BOS CF,LF,RF
Luis Arraez MIA 1B,2B,DH
Carlos Correa MIN SS
Ezequiel Tovar COL SS
Bailey Ober MIN SP
Craig Kimbrel BAL RP
Eloy Jimenez CWS DH,LF,RF
Tanner Scott MIA RP
Shota Imanaga INT P
Bryce Miller SEA SP
Nathaniel Lowe TEX 1B
Zach Neto LAA SS
Alex Lange DET RP

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

  • Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
  • Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
  • High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
  • Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

  • Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
  • Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
  • Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.

Check out our early 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit partner-arrow


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