Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Shortstops

The shortstop position got a much needed talent infusion last season. If you squint hard enough, you can envision the next coming of the ARod/Jeter/Nomar/Tejada era.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Second Base/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

1) Carlos Correa HOU – The dawn of the new power hitting SS era begins with Correa, and not a moment too soon, as SS production was getting brutal to watch. 2016 Projection: 88/28/96/.283/21

2) Manny Machado BAL – Every bit the phenom Correa is. 7 games played at SS in 2015. 2016 Projection: 94/31/89/.281/15

3) Troy Tulowitzki TOR – A move away from Coors, advancing age, and a cracked shoulder blade in 2015 are all good reasons to stay away from Tulo. On the flip side, he will be hitting in the middle of a loaded Toronto lineup, and the Rogers Center is a good hitter’s ballpark as well. 2016 Projection: 81/23/90/.283/3

4) Xander Bogaerts BOS – Expect more power and less AVG this season. 2016 Projection: 84/14/80/.293/8

5) Corey Seager LAD – The #1 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post. Players seem to be hitting their primes earlier and earlier these days, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Seager hits the ground running in his official rookie season. 2016 Projection: 82/19/82/.277/7

6) Francisco Lindor CLE – Doesn’t have the offensive upside of the players ranked above him, but he is no slouch. Hit .313, with 12 homers, and 12 steals in 99 MLB games last season. 2016 Projection: 82/14/68/.274/18

7) Ian Desmond TEX – Signed with Texas to be their starting LF. Presents an enticing power/speed combo. 2016 Projection: 71/21/77/.261/12

8) Jung-ho Kang PIT – Wrote a Jung-ho Kang, 2016 Fantasy Sleeper post. 2016 Projection: 70/20/70/.284/4

9) Addison Russell CHI-NL – Wrote about Russell in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 72/18/72/.268/10

10) Starlin Castro NYY – Wrote about Castro in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 74/14/71/.283/7

11) Elvis Andrus TEX – I don’t see a late breakout coming, but still think he can be useful in fantasy. 2016 Projection: 71/8/66/.271/24

12) Marcus Semien OAK – Underrated power/speed combo. A breakout is possible. 2016 Projection: 69/17/61/.264/10

13) Jean Segura ARI – The trade to Arizona somewhat revived his fantasy hype. I guess it is nice to know somebody still believes in him. 2016 Projection: 67/8/53/.268/27

14) Ketel Marte SEA – Doesn’t get the hype the other SS’s in the 2015 rookie class receive. There is some risk here, but should provide a solid AVG and speed. 2016 Projection: 73/5/58/.275/21

15) Brandon Crawford SFG – Power explosion in 2015. Don’t think he will fall all the way back down to earth, but not paying for the career year either. 2016 Projection: 64/17/78/.254/4

16) Alexei Ramirez SD – Ballpark and lineup downgrades going from CHI to SD. Age concerns as well. 2016 Projection: 60/10/63/.263/15

17) Alcides Escobar KC – Speed and runs, nothing else. 2016 Projection: 75/4/49/.262/20

18) Eugenio Suarez CIN – 13 homers in 97 games last season. The high risk version of Crawford. 2016 Projection: 59/16/68/.252/5

19) Trevor Story SS – Story is the #30 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Prospects post. He has absolutely crushed spring training pitching, securing the starting SS job while Jose Reyes is suspended. Teams have no incentive to adjust to what he has been doing in Spring so far (for example, in 2015, Mike Zunino triple-slashed .353/.431/.882 with 7 homers in Spring, and then he hit .174/.230/.300 during the regular season), so don’t get too excited, but he certainly put his name on the redraft league map for this season. 2016 Projection: 55/13/51/.250/8

20) Jose Reyes COL – Injury concerns. Suspension concerns. Age concerns. I’m concerned. 2016 Projection: 42/5/28/.281/14

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen

The top 20 fantasy second basemen are not a particularly inspiring group of players. Former mainstays Dustin Pedroia and Brandon Phillips still couldn’t crack the list, as it is deep with mediocrity.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

1) Jose Altuve HOU – Added power to his already impressive hitting profile last season. 2016 Projection: 90/14/64/.309/36

2) Dee Gordon MIA – Established himself as the real deal in 2015, but don’t expect him to keep up that .333 AVG. 2016 Projection: 85/5/49/.301/52

3) Robinson Cano SEA – Triple-slashed, .331/.387/.540, with 15 homers post all-star break. I’m smelling a bounce back season. 2016 Projection: 83/22/91/.293/4

4) Matt Carpenter STL – Hit 28 homers last season, after hitting 25 total homers in his career up until that point. The power is for real, but don’t expect 28 again. Played 11 games at 2B in 2015. 2016 Projection: 97/21/79/.277/3

5) Brain Dozier MIN – Gives you everything but AVG. 2016 Projection: 92/23/79/.245/13

6) Anthony Rendon WASH – Expected to be fully healthy coming into this season. Should bounce back from his injury riddled 2015. 2016 Projection: 87/19/77/.284/9

7) Rougned Odor TEX – Everyone’s favorite sleeper, and it is easy to see why. Hit 12 homers in only 68 post all-star break games as a 21-year-old. 2016 Projection: 80/20/76/.271/10

8) Ian Kinsler DET – Just keeps on chugging, putting up another top 5 2B finish last season. Should continue to rack up strong counting stats hitting atop Detroit’s lineup. 2016 Projection: 95/14/72/.283/9

9) Jason Kipnis CLE – Can’t count on him to really produce in any category except runs. I’m likely passing this year. 2016 Projection: 84/11/65/.272/14

10) Jonathon Schoop BAL – Another popular sleeper pick. Smashed 15 homers in only 305 at-bats last season. 2016 Projection: 70/22/78/.255/4

11) Addison Russell CHI-NL – Consensus top 10 prospect last year. Didn’t set the league on fire like some of his fellow rookies, but hit much better in the 2nd half. I’m buying his upside. 2016 Projection: 72/18/72/.268/10

12) Matt Duffy SF ­– Came out of nowhere to finish as a top 100 fantasy player. Should provide a little bit of everything. 9 games played at 2B in 2015. 2016 Projection: 70/11/67/.286/14

13) Daniel Murphy WASH – Carried the Mets offense with his power explosion during the 2015 playoffs. He isn’t Babe Ruth, but there is a good chance he will set a career high in homers in 2016. 2016 Projection: 70/17/73/.287/5

14) Starlin Castro NYY – Hit .295 after making an adjustment to his batting stance in the 2nd half. Still only 26 years old, don’t write Castro off just yet. 2016 Projections: 74/14/71/.283/7

15) Ben Zobrist CHI-NL – Will be hitting atop a stacked Cubs lineup in a good hitting ballpark. Joe Maddon loves to run too. 2016 Projection: 83/15/65/.273/8

16) Brett Lawrie CHI-AL – Hasn’t lived up to the potential of his rookie season, but is worth the shot at this point in the rankings. 2016 Projection: 69/18/74/.267/7

17) Howie Kendrick LAD – You know what you are getting with Kendrick. He will hit for a high AVG and not hurt you too much in any other category. 2016 Projection: 79/10/67/.290/10

18) Kolten Wong STL – Decent power/speed combo with upside for more. Might sit vs. lefties at times, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. 2016 Projection: 73/13/64/.264/15

19) Logan Forsythe TB – Triple-slashed, .281/.359/.444, with 17 homers, and 9 steals in a break out season last year. Remarkably consistent the entire year. Might be for real, but I can’t completely buy into the AVG. 2016 Projection: 74/16/65/.264/8

20) Neil Walker NYM – Won’t kill you but probably won’t help you all that much either. 2016 Projection: 68/17/67/.264/3

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 First Basemen

We continue our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings with the top 20 first basemen. The position is strong and deep, as usual, but I would still target one of the elites.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/Second Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

1) Paul Goldschmidt ARI – The gold standard. 2016 Projection: 101/31/115/.308/17

2) Miguel Cabrera DET­ – Many are worried about Cabrera’s health, but he is completely healthy coming into 2016. He feels good, strong, and like he can do anything. He told reporters earlier this off-season, “I feel good. I feel strong, like I can do anything.” 2016 Projection: 98/30/112/.324/3

3) Anthony Rizzo CHI-NL – Everyone’s favorite shiny new toy. But just can’t bump him over Cabrera quite yet. Still a 5-category beast. 2016 Projection: 99/33/108/.285/12

4) Edwin Encarnacion TOR – Coin flip between Encarnacion and Chris Davis for this spot. Both are going to mash. Davis will give you a few more homers, Encarnacion a better AVG. 2016 Projection: 94/37/110/.271/3

5) Chris Davis BAL – Look up one inch. 2016 Projection: 97/42/118/.258/2

6) Joey Votto CIN – The Reds are crumbling around him, but I’m not letting a guy who just put up a 1.000 OPS fall beyond this point. 2016 Projection: 95/28/85/.310/8

7) Jose Abreu CHI-AL – A bit of an unknown compared to the first six names on this list. Still provides elite upside. 2016 Projection: 89/33/108/.288/1

8) Eric Hosmer KC – There is a real drop off after Abreu. I like Hosmer’s solid 5-category production over the more established sluggers ranked below him. 2016 Projection: 93/20/92/.290/8

9) Adrian Gonzalez LAD – Safe and unexciting. Consistently good hitter in the middle of a good lineup. 2016 Projection: 82/26/98/.280/1

10) Albert Pujols LAA – The elite all-time greats like Pujols can defy the typical aging curve. He is ahead of schedule coming back from off-season foot surgery, and might be ready for opening day. 2016 Projection: 79/32/93/.263/3

11) Prince Fielder TEX ­– Logged 18 games at 1B last year, so make sure to check your league’s eligibility rules. The weirdest mix of upside, downside, and reliability, if that makes any sense. 2016 Projection: 80/26/100/.283/0

12) Buster Posey SFG – Wrote about Posey in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Catchers post. 2016 Projection: 73/21/90/.312/2

13) David Ortiz BOS – 9 GS at 1B in 2015. Age defying beast. Ride him into the sunset. 2016 Projection: 71/31/101/.271/0

14) Freddie Freeman ATL – Talented young hitter who would rank higher if he was hitting in the middle of a better lineup. 2016 Projection: 78/24/89/.287/3

15) Kendrys Morales KC – Proved last season that his horrible 2014 was just a fluke. Hits in the middle of a strong KC lineup. 9 GS at 1B in 2015. 2016 Projection: 75/23/94/.280/0

16) Mark Teixeira NYY – Was enjoying a bounce back season in 2015 before fracturing his shin. Great source of affordable power if he can stay healthy. 2016 Projection: 76/30/95/.252/1

17) Brandon Belt SFG – Solid across the board production, but does not standout in any category. 2016 Projection: 78/20/80/.278/8

18) Byung-ho Park MIN – Jung-ho Kang’s success last season has raised the expectations for Park coming into 2016. Park smashed 105 homers his last two seasons combined in Korea. 2016 Projection: 76/23/81/.269/5

19) Lucas Duda NYM – Homers and RBI’s. Not much else. 2016 Projection: 72/28/90/.247/1

20) Carlos Santana CLE – Down year in 2015, but not ready to jump completely off the bandwagon yet. Silver lining, he stole 11 bases last season. 2016 Projection: 73/23/84/.243/6

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Catchers

Nothing says fantasy baseball is back like rankings season. We start with the historically weak hitting catcher position. Their projected numbers will make you pine for the PED era.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Base/Second Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

1) Buster Posey SF – Best catcher in baseball, in real life and fantasy. 2016 Projection: 73/21/90/.312/2

2) Kyle Schwarber CHC – Great ballpark. Great line-up. 16 homers in only 273 PA in 2015. 5 homers in 31 postseason PA. 2016 Projection: 71/27/89/.254/4

3) Brian McCann NYY– Not a sexy name anymore, but still a lock to launch 20+ homers hitting in Yankee Stadium. 2016 Projection: 62/24/81/.240/0

4) Salvador Perez KC – Perfect mix of upside and reliability. 2016 Projection: 60/20/75/.270/1

5) Travis D’Arnaud NYM – Don’t let the French name scare you off, D’Arnaud has elite power upside for a catcher. He hit 12 homers in 268 PA last season. With improved health, 2016 could be his coming out party. 2016 Projection: 59/23/70/.264/1

6) Russell Martin TOR – Old reliable. Great ballpark. Great line-up. 2016 Projection: 70/18/72/.260/5

7) Devin Mesoraco CIN – After injury plagued 2015, expected to be fully healthy for next season. Prime bounce back candidate. 2016 Projection: 56/20/69/.255/1

8) Jonathon Lucroy MIL – After poor 1st half, Lucroy triple-slashed .289/.347/.461 post all-star break. Should be back to normal self for 2016. 2016 Projection: 54/14/64/.280/3

9) Matt Wieters BAL – Wrote a Matt Wieters, 2016 Fantasy Sleeper post for him. 2016 Projection: 62/21/75/.270/0 – (Update: Wieters is experiencing soreness in his elbow but is expected to be ready for opening day. Here we go again …)

10) Wellington Castillo ARI – Absolutely exploded once he was traded to Arizona in 2nd half of the season, hitting 17 homers in 80 games. 2016 Projection: 51/19/70/.250/0

11) Yan Gomes CLE – Hit 9 homers in 56 post all-star break games after healing from a sprained MCL. 2016 Projections: 51/20/70/.243/0

12) Stephen Vogt OAK – 14 homers pre all-star break. 4 homers post. Who is the real Stephen Vogt? 2016 Projections: 55/17/67/.253/0

13) Derek Norris SD – Hit .233 with 11 homers in 85 pre all-star break games. Then hit .278 with 3 homers after the break. 2016 Projection: 62/14/62/.260/3

14) Yasmani Grandal LAD – .927 OPS pre all-star break. .498 OPS post. His opening day status is in question after experiencing soreness in his forearm. 2016 Projection: 50/17/60/.244/1

15) Blake Swihart BOS – Young catcher with upside, but not enough power to completely buy in for 2016. A considerably stronger Dynasty league option. 2016 Projection: 59/11/57/.259/5

16) J.T. Realmuto MIA – Another upside pick. Stole 8 bases in the majors last season, after stealing 18 bags at Double-A in 2014. 2016 Projection: 54/9/50/.263/9

17) Wilson Ramos WASH – Safer option than Swihart or Realmuto, but without the upside. 2016 Projection: 47/16/61/.258/0

18) Nick Hundley COL – No surprise he had a breakout season in 2015 playing at Coors. He still hit only 10 homers, though. 2016 Projection: 53/11/56/.279/3

19) Miguel Montero CHI-NL – Should have the starting job to himself, depending on Schwarber’s development. Willson Contreras is also lurking. 2016 Projection: 43/15/60/.255/1

20) Francisco Cervelli PIT – Will hit for a high AVG and not much else. 2016 Projection: 54/8/47/.284/1

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com