Fantasy baseball 2023 points league rankings: Top 500, from Aaron Judge to Gavin Stone (Updated)

I need you all to do me a favor, OK? It’s super important. Come closer. I don’t want to say it too loud. Ready? …

It looks like we are having a normal spring training.

I know. It’s weird, right? I mean, just look at the past few years, and the planning for our fantasy season was essentially trying to recreate the dart scene from Ted Lasso Season 1.  Even if you believe, you are going to struggle.

Advertisement

But this is different. With the pandemic waning, we aren’t having a season delayed and limited to a sprint. We aren’t coming off the backs of a shortened season, wondering how teams will use their pitchers and monitor their innings. We aren’t wondering how prospects look after having a full season off. We aren’t dealing with a collective bargaining agreement and a potential work stoppage, making us wonder how far we need to adjust our projections for players if a chunk of the season is missing.

No, we don’t have that. Sure, we have other factors to take into consideration (pitch clock, shift rules, larger bases), but after the past 1,000-plus days, that’s like getting an extra red Starburst in your pack and not having to deal with the yellow flavor.

Baseball is back, baby, and it’s time for rankings!

Just because we haven’t had to deal with a huge, catastrophic issue this year, it doesn’t mean that these rankings came without their own challenges. It’s been a long process to get to the Top 500 players for points leagues. I started my rankings on January 1, and here we are, nearly two months later. My process involves using projections, making my own tweaks, chatting with others within the industry, looking at my rankings last year compared to ADP this year to spot the biggest gaps and evaluate the why with them.

Some things that I look for:

• New pitches
• Velocity differential
• Change in approach at the plate
• BB and K rate changes
• Projected playing time
• Reports from our beat writers

For points leagues, we have another hurdle to get passed for the rankings, too, as the scoring varies from league to league. So, before you dive into these rankings, make sure you make the necessary tweaks to weigh your scoring system.

For the below rankings, we used CBS Sports scoring since they are the go-to platform for points leagues.

Their scoring is as follows:

A couple of notes about the points-based rankings:

• Steals are devalued, so you’ll see it reflected as such throughout the overall rankings. Players such as Starling Marte take a big hit.
• Pitchers are king in points leagues. You’ll see them get pushed up more than usual in the format, which is saying something since pitchers are already elevated in category-based leagues. Out of the Top 100 players in my rankings, 33 are starting pitchers.
• Rosters are traditionally smaller, with three outfielders, one catcher and no middle or corner infielders. We decided to expand the pool this year and go 500 deep here to help those in points leagues of all sizes, but hitting typically isn’t hard to find.
• Relievers also get pushed down more in this format, whereas starting pitchers with relief eligibility (known as SPARPs) get pushed up.
• Don’t draft based on these or other rankings. This is a guide to help you understand value and where players should go. But more than anything, you need to look at roster construction.
• Position scarcity is practically out the door with points leagues, as the goal is to get the most total points as you can each week. But you do have to look at the players you have on your team when you approach your next pick. If you take a Tyler Glasnow-type, who comes with some general risk, you should opt for a safer pitcher to balance him out, such as a Miles Mikolas or Lance Lynn.
• Fill your bench out with pitchers. Like we mentioned above, the rosters are smaller, and everyone in points leagues wants, and needs, arms to compete. No more than one bench spot maximum should be filled by a hitter. Stream away and leave one to two rotation bench spots for two-start pitchers to maximize your week-to-week output.

There are a couple of new adjustments I made with these rankings compared to those in the past. The first thing you’ll notice is that there are a lot of relievers, and not just set-up or closers. One thing I’ve come around to in deeper points leagues is having designated relievers who can pick me up a handful of points per week, and leaving them in there. Again, it’s for the deeper leagues, but there is value to having those guys if you have more pitching spots to fill. I rank them over certain hitters and pitchers, and it’s mainly just an opportunity breakdown, as I have question marks around their role or usage for the season.

Advertisement

The other adjustment I added this year is a risk factor for each player. With the risk factor, it’s based on a scale of 1-10. The lower the number, the less risk the player has attached to them as far as their ranking goes.

For example, someone like Mookie Betts or Yordan Alvarez are sure-fire first-round picks in the format, and they have little risk associated with their draft price. Whereas someone like Jacob deGrom will have a higher number beside his name, because of the constant injury risk that he carries.

I’m baking in expectations and the draft-cost associated with each player for their risk factor, which is why you’ll see someone in the mid-400s like Joey Wendle have a 1 risk factor. The expectations are low for him, and we know who he is and what he brings.

But someone like Nick Senzel, even if he’s going later in drafts and in my rankings, still carries an enormous risk factor for performance and health.

If you have any specific questions about a player or anyone who didn’t make the cut, ask away in the comments section!

Let’s get to it!

(Top photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)