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Final 2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Davis Mattek — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:53:27 +0000

The time has finally come. Opening Day is almost upon us and our 2013 fantasy baseball season will begin the long march. While most of you have probably already used my 2013 fantasy baseball rankings of the individual positions for your drafts, I have finally competed my overall 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for the 2013 fantasy baseball season. There are over 400 ranked players in these 2013 fantasy basebal rankings, so I have you covered for both AL and NL only leagues as well as very deep mixed leagues. I’m going to go away from the standard format of these posts because there are just too many players to cover in one 2013 fantasy baseball rankings post. Therefore, the best way to read this post is to see which players I ranked significantly higher than my Fantasy Pros Expert counterparts. Guys like Giancarlo Stanton, Edwin Encarnacion, Yoenis Cespedes and others are the type of players to pay attention too. Enjoy the final version of my 2013 fantasy baseball rankings!

The 2013 fantasy baseball rankings are here to set you up for Opening Day.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Relief Pitchers

Davis Mattek — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:00:36 +0000

The fantasy industry loves to pick on Matthew Berry, but he does have one thing totally correct in relation to 2013 fantasy baseball rankings. “Don’t Pay For Saves” is some of the best advice a fantasy baseballer can get. When looking at the overall 2013 fantasy baseball rankings picture, closers make up such an insignificant part of team construction. Saves frequently come into the league as a result of injuries and trades. Paying top dollar for someone like Craig Kimbrel is reasonable, but behind the Braves All-Star, there is not a closer who is worth breaking the bank on. In the general scheme of the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings, many experts overvalue closers, which hurts the rest of your team. The ratios and counting stats that closers and middle relievers post just aren’t enough to warrant spending on them. It’s better to look further down into the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for better options, to allow for smarter spending.

Greg Holland is chronically underrated in the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for relief pitchers.

That’s why deep analysis of the lower ends of the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings is so important. Identifying lower end closers or middle relievers is incredibly important to not allowing your team to fall behind in saves. Some closers I really like for their ADP and price are Greg Holland & Jason Grilli. Holland has much more job security than many outsiders recognize and has absoulutely filthy stuff. Once he beings to gain saves, his value will increase. Grilli is going to get 1st crack at a Pittsburgh job that could end paying crazy dividends. Some setup men that have the potential to gain starting jobs that are worth drafting are Vincent Pestano, Ryan Cook & Drew Storen. Value those players higher than their less skilled middle relief counterparts. n general, we don’t know enough about this position until Spring Training comes closer to its’ end, so monitor my posts here as well on The Fantasy Fix and Fantasy Trade 411. Some situations to watch is the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox & espeically the Detroit Tigers. Monitoring these situations in the spring can make your season much more enjoyable, as you watch your saves category rack up without spending too heavily to acquire them.

The ageless wonder, Mariano Rivera, is a hard case to evaluate for the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings For Relief Pitchers

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2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Outfielders

Davis Mattek — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:07:06 +0000

Mike Trout tops the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for outfielders.

To finish up the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for position players, I have meticulously ranked outfielders. Always a tricky spot with clear cut talent at the top and good ball players in tricky situations in the middle. My #1 2013 fantasy baseball rankings player is an outfielder, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After Trout comes the usual suspects, Ryan Braun, Andrew McCutchen, Matt Kemp, Jose Bautista, all the way down until there is a real break at around 17 where Matt Holliday gives way to Alex Gordon in 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for outfielders. If you start your draft with Trout and have anyone from Bryce Harper to Jacoby Ellsbury as your second outfielder, your team will be very strong. You don’t come to look at 2013 fantasy baseball rankings to be told that Andrew McCutchen and the Upton Brothers are good, however. There are a few targets throughout the 89 ranked outfielders that intrigued me, given their potential price tag.

Andrew McCutchen nears the top of the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for outfielders.

In addition to my previous favorites, Martin Prado and Mark Trumbo, there are several other players I like. Initially, I have Yoenis Cespedes ranked higher than my fantasy industry compatriots. In only 129 games, Cespedes banged 23 homers and swiped 16 bags. Getting a potential 20-20 player outside of the top 10 is an absolute steal and will allow alot of teams to get a #1 outfielder at #2 outfielder price tag. None of his numbers scream regression to the mean and there is potential for his 14.6 HR/FB% to improve. In addition to Cespedes, I have Ichiro Suzuki ranked relatively higher on my 2013 fantasy baseball rankings outfielder big board. There is some thought out there that Ichiro will pop a few more homeruns to the short porch in New Yankee Stadium. Even if he doesn’t do that, playing in a more hitter friendly park, with an improved lineup, Ichiro will return top 30 value. Chris Young presents an excellent value; if one of Cespedes, Josh Reddick or Coco Crisp gets injured, Young will immediately gain his status as a top 35 outfielder back. While he will murder your batting average, his counting stats can be had for a steeply discounted price. As the preseason goes on, I will publish more thoughts on outfield targets.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for outfielders

Rank	Player Rank	2012 Finish
1	Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels	1
2	Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers	2
3	Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates	3
4	Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers	34
5	Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays	64
6	Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins	12
7	Justin Heyward, Atlanta Braves	10
8	Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves	19
9	Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies	7
10	Josh Hamilton, Los Angeles Angels	4
11	Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals	29
12	Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics	17
13	B.J Upton, Atlanta Braves	14
14	Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles	6
15	Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds	23
16	Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox	100
17	Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals	8
18	Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals	31
19	Allen Craig, St. Louis Cardinals	28
20	Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox	5
21	Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees	13
22	Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays	38
23	Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals	11
24	Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays	51
25	Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels	39
26	Martin Prado, Arizona Diamondbacks	26
27	Shin-Soo Choo, Cincinnati Reds	22
28	Micheal Bourn, FA	9
29	Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers	20
30	Ichiro Suzuki, New York Yankees	33
31	Hunter Pence, Philadelphia Phillies	46
32	Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers	24
33	Josh Willingham, Minnesota Twins	21
34	Angel Pagan, San Francisco Giants	18
35	Shane Victorino, Boston Red Sox	35
36	Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers	16
37	Alejandro De Aza, Chicago White Sox	44
38	Melky Cabrera, Toronto Blue Jays	15
39	Brett Gardner, New York Yankees	196
40	Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics	42
41	Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers	45
42	Micheal Morse, Seattle Mariners	67
43	Cameron Maybin, San Diego Padres	68
44	Coco Crisp, Oakland Athletics	41
45	Colby Rasmus, Toronto Blue Jays	79
46	Carl Crawford, Los Angeles Dodgers	141
47	Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles	40
48	Nick Swisher, Cleveland Indians	48
49	Ben Revere, Minnesota Twins	37
50	Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals	92
51	Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles	71
52	Jason Kubel, Arizona Diamondbacks	53
53	Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs	32
54	Adam Eaton, Arizona Diamondbacks	N/A
55	Garret Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates	49
56	Dayan Vicedio, Chicago White Sox	63
57	Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals	113
58	Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays	N/A
59	Denard Span, Washinton Nationals	62
60	Carlos Quentin, San Diego Padres	98
61	Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays	88
62	Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies	52
63	Norichika Aoki, Milwaukee Brewers	27
64	Micheal Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies	75
65	Drew Stubbs, Cleveland Indians	70
66	Ryan Ludwick, Cincinnati Reds	59
67	Will Venable, San Diego Padres	61
68	Micheal Brantley, Cleveland Indians	60
69	Juan Pierre, Miami Marlins	47
70	Chris Young, Oakland Athletics	112
71	Logan Morrison, Miami Marlins	139
72	Cody Ross, Arizona Diamondbacks	58
73	Ryan Doumit, Minnesota Twins	66
74	Justin Ruggiano, Miami Marlins	65
75	Leonys Martin, Texas Rangers	N/A
76	Darin Mastroianni, Minnesota Twins	N/A
77	Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates	131
78	Peter Bourjos, Los Angeles Angels	165
79	Tyler Colvin, Colorado Rockies	54
80	Justin Maxwell, Houston Astros	89
81	Delmon Young, Philadelphia Phillies	73
82	Travis Snider, Pittsburgh Pirates	N/A
83	Raul Ibanez, Seattle Mariners	87
84	Lucas Duda, New York Mets	N/A
85	David DeJesus, Chicago Cubs	N/A
86	Micheal Saunders, Seattle Mariners	56
87	Andy Dirks, Detroit Tigers	81
88	Nate McClouth, Baltimore Orioles	N/A
89	Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks	N/A

As always, leave your 2013 fantasy baseball rankings comments below or contact me on Twitter.

If fantasy leagues counted UZR or Gold Gloves, Gerrado Parra would be alot higher in the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Designated Hitters

Davis Mattek — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:11:50 +0000

Albert Pujols is the #1 designated hitter for the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings season.

Designated hitters suffer from a lack of respect in the overall 2013 fantasy baseball rankings rankings; for example in most 2013 fantasy baseball rankings, players like Kendrys Morales and Adam Dunn are ranked significantly lower than should be for their power potential. The dominance of pitching has made power much harder to come by in roto baseball leagues; that’s why these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings hold so much importance. Finding homeruns and RBI’s at a reasonable going rate is essential for you success this upcoming season. Two players target in mixed and AL-Only leagues are Adam Dunn and Mark Trumbo. Both have low batting averages but tremendous power. Last year, Dunn whopped 41 homers, good for 5th in the Majors. Trumbo hit 32 but will be playing a highly upgraded lineup for a whole season. Hitting with a revitalized Pujols, the Wunderkind Mike Trout and newly signed Josh Hamilton will do wonders for Trumbo’s value. Dunn doesn’t necessarily play in a stacked lineup and he won’t help you in any category but homeruns, but the price to be paid for his 30-odd homeruns cannot be beat. Whether you play in mixed leagues or AL-Only, use the depressed ranking of designated hitters in 2013 fantasy baseball rankings to your advantage and watch homeruns pile up.

Batting average aside, Adam Dunn has major value in the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Rank	Name	2012 Finish
1	Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels	5
2	Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays	3
3	Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays	29
4	Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics	7
5	Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals	4
6	Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers	2
7	Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians	25
8	Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels	11
9	Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox	14
10	Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins	9
11	Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers	N/A
12	Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox	19
13	David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox	17
14	Josh Willingham, Oakland Athletics	8
15	Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners	34
16	Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles	12
17	Kendrys Morales, Seattle Mariners	21
18	Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins	23
19	Ryan Doumit, Minnesota Twins	24
20	John Jaso, Oakland Athletics	35
21	Derek Jeter, New York Yankees	6

Cepesdes will blast plenty of homeruns to justify his spot in the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Third Basemen

Davis Mattek — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:16:13 +0000

The infield is now finished with the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for third basemen. While doing these fantasy baseball rankings for third basemen, what became very apparent is that this is a position in dire straits. After Manny Machado at 18, the general quality of players at the hot corner falls of dramatically. The top is very heavy with Cabrera and company but dramatically falls off after Ramirez at 4. Coming into his 16th season, Adrian Beltre has lost quality hitters around him in the lineup to be on base and to drive him in. There are 3 players that you should be targeting in the middle rounds of your draft if you aren’t able to nab my 2013 fantasy baseball rankings #1 third basemen. Martin Prado is my fantasy baseball man crush. His positional versatility, contributions in all 5 of the hitting categories, and his durability are all reasons to have him on your team. When another one of your players goes down and you are able to replace them with Martin Prado, it is a signifcant advantage. Most likely, Prado will end up on all of my fantasy baseball teams and he should be on yours as well. If you miss on Prado or want more power out of your third base or corner infield slot, scan down the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings to slots 13 and 14. Mike Moustakas and Kyle Seager both his exactly 20 home runs last year. The Royals lineup is going to be improved as a result of age progression and Jeff Francouer either playing well or getting demoted. The fences at Safeco are coming in and the lineup around Seager is going to be much better with the acquisitions of Micheal Morse and Kendrys Morales. The value that these two could offer if all things break right are the reason that they are ranked so high. There was a period last year when Moose was hitting well over .300 and Seager doesn’t just have power, but contributes in stolen bases as well. Both of these young players should be on your radar for 2013. This year is not a year to wait and wait and wait on third base, so form a strong opinion and decide on your guys early.

Evan Longoria is near the top of these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings despite injury concenrs

Rank	Player	2012 Finish
1	Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers	1
2	Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays	28
3	David Wright, New York Mets	6
4	Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers	8
5	Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers	2
6	Chase Headly, San Diego Padres	4
7	Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals	7
8	Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays	17
9	Martin Prado, Arizona Diamondbacks	9
10	Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants	26
11	Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers	5
12	David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals	12
13	Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners	13
14	Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals	24
15	Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates	16
16	Will Middlebrooks, Boston Red Sox	30
17	Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds	21
18	Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles	56
19	Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota Twins	33
20	Kevin Youkilis, New York Yankees	31
21	Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland Indians	68
22	Matt Dominguez, Houston Astros	71
23	Jeff Keppinger, Chicago White Sox	27
24	Micheal Young, Philadelphia Phillies	22
25	Chris Johnson, Atlanta Braves	N/A
26	Alberto Callaspo, Los Angeles Angels	37
27	Placido Polanco, Philadelphia Phillies	N/A
28	Ian Stewart, Chicago Cubs	N/A
29	Mike Olt, Texas Rangers	N/A
30	Ryan Roberts, Tampa Bay Rays	N/A

With the fences moved in at Safeco, Kyle Seager could break these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings and move up towards the top.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Shortstops

Davis Mattek — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:49:00 +0000

The fantasy baseball rankings community is hard at work; these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for shortstops are just another brick in the wall. We’re getting pretty close to being done with the fantasy rankings and we aren’t even out of January! It is a deep, deep degeneracy that has led to the completion of these 2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for shortstops before February 1st. While rankings will change as spring training begins and positional battles heat up, getting a general consensus is very helpful. Shortstop is a position of the haves and have-nots, with the top players being very valuable, but after that, there is basically no useful production. My rankings are indicative of my general style; namely, go for broke. Many fantasy websites probably won’t have Troy Tulowitzki as their number 1 shortstop. That’s pure lunacy. When healthy, in that ballpark, you know that you have a truly elite fantasy player; worth the likely first or early second round choice you have to use on him. Additionally, despite his defensive miscues, Starlin Castro is an offensively elite player, one who I fully expect to have 20-20 season in combination with a decent batting average. Danny Espinosa is a personal favorite, as mentioned in my second base ranks, but his atrocious batting average keeps his ranking low. My low ranking of Derek Jeter will probably raise a few eyebrows from the casual fan, but last years .347 BABIP is enough to convince anyone that some serious regression to the mean is in line. Also, Jeter’s HR/FB ratio was up 9% from the year before and 4% higher than his career average. Those who overdraft Jeter will be sorry.

As always, please leave your comments or tweet me @davismattek to discuss ranks!

Troy Tulowitzki is at the top of these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Shortstops

Rank	Player	2012 Finish
1	Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies	38
2	Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers	6
3	Jose Reyes, Toronto Blue Jays	1
4	Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs	5
5	Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays	10
6	Elvis Andrus, Texans Rangers	11
7	Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals	2
8	Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians	15
9	Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals	13
10	Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies	4
11	Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals	7
12	Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels	12
13	J.J Hardy, Baltimore Orioles	18
14	Derek Jeter, New York Yankees	3
15	Alexi Ramierz, Chicago White Sox	14
16	Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves	53
17	Jed Lowrie, Houston Astros	33
18	Everth Cabrera, San Diego Padres	16
19	Marco Scutaro, San Francisco Giants	9
20	Dee Gordon, Los Angeles Dodgers	25
21	Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds	22
22	Josh Rutledge, Colorado Rockies	28
23	Johnny Peralta, Detroit Tigers	27
24	Yunel Escobar, Tampa Bay Rays	24
25	Stephen Drew, Boston Red Sox	54
26	Jean Segura, Milwaukee Brewers	56
27	Eduardo Nunez, New York Yankees	46
28	Rafael Furcal, St. Louis Cardinals	19
29	Mike Aviles, Cleveland Indians	N/A
30	Hiroyuki Nakajimia, Oakland Athletics	N/A

Leave your comments on the 2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for shortstops below!

Despite being old and cantankerous, Jimmy Rollins still plays an important role in the 2013 fantasy baseball rankings for shortstops.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Second Base

Davis Mattek — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:02:22 +0000

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings are coming out at an alarming rate, with everyone getting excited for pitchers and catchers to report. The closer that day gets, the more important these 2013 fantasy baseball rankings are. After presenting you with the catchers and first base rankings, we now need to look at second base, a much more nuanced fantasy baseball position. Typically a position that is glove-first, finding players with significant power in combination with the speed needed to athletically fit the position is a huge boon. That is precisely what makes Danny Espinosa such a solid 2013 fantasy baseball target to acquire. Granted, Espinosa will strike out damn near 30% of the time, but finding a player not even ranked in the consensus top 10 of his position that has the potential to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases (has done both, just not in the same season yet) is a great bargain. If a murderous amount of K’s and batting average south of .250 isn’t what you are ideally looking for, Dustin Ackley of the Seattle Mariners may be an interesting choice. Ackley did hit .226 last year, but finished with a BABIP of .265, well below his rookie BABIP mark of .339 as well as below all of his minor league seasons. With the fences coming in at Safeco and the addition of Micheal Morse and Kendrys Morales to the lineup in combination with Jesus Montero’s improvement as a player, Ackley could end up the beneficiary of a stronger lineup and more runs scored around him.

While not a 2013 Fantasy Baseball all-star, Ackley could provide solid value.

Rank	Player	2012 Finish
1	Robinson Cano, NYY	1
2	Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox	5
3	Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers	6
4	Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays	10
5	Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds	7
6	Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians	3
7	Jose Altuve, Houston Astros	8
8	Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks	2
9	Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates	16
10	Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals	12
11	Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers	17
12	Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves	21
13	Howard Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels	14
14	Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners	24
15	Omar Infante, Detroit Tigers	13
16	Daniel Murphy, New York Mets	15
17	Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies	25
18	Jurickson Profar, Texas Rangers	N/A
19	Marco Scutaro, San Francisco Giants	9
20	Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox	26
21	Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs	27
22	Jeff Keppinger, Chicago White Sox	20
23	Ryan Roberts, Baltimore Orioles	30
24	Josh Rutledge, Colorado Rockies	N/A
25	Johnny Giovatella, Kansas City Royals	69
26	Jemile Weeks, Oakland Athletics	46
27	Logan Forsythe, San Diego Padres	N/A
28	Maicer Izturis, Toronto Blue Jays	38
29	Mark Ellis, Los Angeles Dodgers	34
30	Donovan Solano, Miami Marlins	N/A