Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 100 Starting Pitchers

We reach the end of our starting pitcher rankings with the top 100 starters. Most of these guys will likely be best used as streaming options.

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

76) R.A. Dickey TOR – Put up a 2.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 99.2 IP post all-star break. 41 years old, but you don’t need much juice to effectively throw that knuckleball. 2016 Projection: 12/3.75/1.21/142

77) Nathan Eovaldi NYY – Became a much improved pitcher after trusting his new splitter more in the 2nd half of 2015. 2016 Projection: 10/3.96/1.32/152

78) Rick Porcello BOS – After a horrible 1st half, put up a pitching line of 3.53/1.29/70 in 71.1 IP post all-star break. 2016 Projection: 10/3.98/1.30/142

79) Edinson Volquez KC – Low risk, low reward. Serviceable back end starter. 2016 Projection: 11/3.78/1.33/146

80) Nate Karns SEA – Karns beat out James Paxton for Seattle’s 5th starter job. He has nice K upside for this late in the rankings. 2016 Projection: 9/3.80/1.29/150

81) John Lamb CIN – Kind of wrote a John Lamb, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper post. 2016 Projection: 8/3.71/1.27/150

82) Robbie Ray ARI – High risk, high reward. K’s and BB’s. 2016 Projection: 9/3.90/1.35/157

83) Alex Wood LAD – A once promising young pitcher whose stock took a major hit last season. 2016 Projections: 8/3.83/1.29/137

84) Vincent Velasquez PHI – Won the Phillies 5th starter competition. He put up a 10.8 K/9 in his minor league career, and then struck out 58 batters in 55.2 IP in his first taste of the majors last season. Will probably be on a relatively low innings limit. 2016 Projection: 8/3.90/1.31/130

85) Mike Leake STL – If you looked up “safe and boring” on Wikipedia, you would see Mike Leake’s face. 2016 Projection: 9/3.81/1.24/125

86) Marco Estrada TOR – Pitched out of his mind last season for Toronto. Not expecting a repeat. 2016 Projection: 10/4.11/1.24/135

87) Jerad Eickhoff PHI – Not buying the Ace level performance in his 50.1 IP debut in 2015. Still showed enough that he is worth a late round flier. 2016 Projection: 8/4.00/1.29/121

88) Matt Moore TB – Struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery. It takes some guys a few years to fully recover, so not completely writing him off yet. 2016 Projection: 8/3.81/1.32/120

89) Daniel Norris DET, SP – (Update: Has been dealing with lower back tightness for the past week and it will likely prevent him from winning a rotation spot to start the season.) It’s hard not to like a young, hard throwing lefty with huge K upside. I’m buying. 2016 Projection: 6/3.72/1.27/125

90) Josh Tomlin CLE – Pitched well after returning from shoulder surgery in the 2nd half of 2015. There is legitimate late career breakout potential here. 2016 Projection: 7/3.86/1.18/100

91) Lucas Giolito WASH – At this point in the rankings, I prefer to stash the best pitching prospects who are knocking on the door of the majors. I’m not going to give them projections, because it is impossible to predict when they will be called up. Giolito is the #4 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post.

92) Tyler Glasnow PIT – #5 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post.

93) Jose Berrios MIN – #12 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post.

94) Blake Snell TB – #13 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post.

95) Julio Urias LAD – #7 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post.

96) Jose De Leon LAD – #14 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Prospects post.

97) Wade Miley SEA – Moving into a pitcher’s park for the first time in his career. If you want to throw a dart and try to hit a career year, Miley is not a bad option to land on. 2016 Projection: 9/4.01/1.35/156

98) Juan Nicasio PIT – His great spring training won him a rotation spot in the Pirates rotation. Why not take a shot at this point? 2016 Projection: 8/3.81/1.29/138

99) Aaron Sanchez TOR – Won Toronto’s 5th starter job. He has a monster fastball that has mostly produced ground balls so far in his career. Will be on a very restrictive innings limit this season, but he is loaded with potential. 2016 Projection: 8/3.68/1.32/98

100) Rubby De La Rosa ARI – The results have yet to match the stuff. Decent upside play. 2016 Projection: 8/4.22/1.33/139

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 Starting Pitchers

The top 50 starters are jam packed with young, talented upside. That means risk as well. But I would rather try to strike gold, than pick a safe mid rotation starter.

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

26) Francisco Liriano PIT – Inconsistent and injury prone, but those strikeouts are too enticing to pass up. 2016 Projection: 12/3.44/1.25/178

27) Masahiro Tanaka NYY – Not going to let a little torn UCL scare me off. Willing to take the risk for his upside. 2016 Projection: 14/3.40/1.09/163

28) Michael Wacha STL – Collapsed in September, pitching to a 7.88 ERA. Could have been due to fatigue after reaching a career high in IP. 2016 Projection: 13/3.41/1.18/162

29) Carlos Martinez STL – Draws comparisons to Pedro Martinez, mostly because of his size, but his stuff isn’t too far off either. 2016 Projection: 12/3.40/1.27/179

30) Garrett Richards LAA – Coming off a torn knee ligament, Richards didn’t have the season many were hoping for in 2015. The ingredients are still there for him to put it together in 2016. 2016 Projection: 13/3.52/1.22/175

31) Michael Pineda NYY – FIP (3.34) was much better than his ERA (4.37). Still some injury risk stemming from his 2012 shoulder surgery. 2016 Projection: 12/3.48/1.14/168

32) Drew Smyly TB – Injury plagued 2015, but showed enormous promise when he did pitch. 2016 Projection: 10/3.39/1.18/157

33) Jeff Samardzija SFG – Had a complete meltdown in 2015. The stuff is the same, so I expect him to get it back together this season. 2016 Projection: 13/3.68/1.23/180

34) Steven Matz NYM – Wrote about Matz in my Matz vs. Severino article. 2016 Projection: 12/3.49/1.23/156

35) Marcus Stroman TOR – Didn’t seem any worse for the wear after returning from a torn ACL in September. Recommence the hype train. 2016 Projection: 13/3.57/1.20/160

36) Yordano Ventura KC – Roller coaster 2015, but finished strongish with a 3.56/1.32/98 pitching line in 91 IP post all-star break. 2016 Projection: 13/3.56/1.28/166

37) Julio Teheran ATL – After starting his career on fire his first two seasons, hit a small road block last year. Potential remains the same. 2016 Projection: 10/3.53/1.21/175

38) Lance McCullers HOU – (Update: Expected to begin the season on the DL after experiencing shoulder soreness. Return date is uncertain, but he is not expected to miss an extended period of time.) Strong rookie season, but I’m not expecting a full repeat. 2016 Projection: 12/3.62/1.27/159

39) Raisel Iglesias CIN – Everyone’s favorite sleeper that nobody is sleeping on. 2016 Projection: 10/3.63/1.23/175

40) Jose Quintana CHI-AL – Safe and boring but he keeps getting the job done year after year. 2016 Projection: 11/3.51/1.25/172

41) Joe Ross WASH – Tyson Ross’ little brother. Comes with the same nasty slider. 2016 Projections: 11/3.59/1.24/170

42) Hisashi Iwakuma SEA – Age and injury concerns. Still put up a pitching line of 3.05/1.02/91 in 100.1 IP post all-star break. 2016 Projection: 12/3.45/1.11/155

43) Patrick Corbin ARI – Came back strong from Tommy John surgery last season. Could take another step in 2016. 2016 Projection: 12/3.55/1.21/154

44) Justin Verlander DET – Came back from the dead in 2015. Might have some juice left in him after all. 2016 Projection: 12/3.66/1.22/167

45) Jimmy Nelson MIL – Wrote a Jimmy Nelson, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper post. 2016 Projection: 10/3.51/1.25/178

46) Carlos Rodon CHI-AL – Has serious control issues, but his strikeout potential is enormous. 2016 Projection: 11/3.69/1.30/182

47) Taijuan Walker SEA – Another young starter with tons of upside. Had some issues with the long ball last season. 2016 Projection: 11/3.72/1.19/175

48) Luis Severino NYY – Wrote about Severino in my Matz vs. Severino article. 2016 Projection: 12/3.68/1.26/158

49) Yu Darvish TEX – Expected to miss the first two months of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. I’m betting on him to hit the ground running when he returns, but who really knows. 2016 Projection: 9/3.46/1.22/155

50) James Shields SD – Had an extremely uncharacteristic 2015, seeing huge spikes in K’s and BB’s. Not exactly sure of what to expect in 2016. 2016 Projection: 12/3.70/1.26/184

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 25 Starting Pitchers

Strikeouts have absolutely exploded around baseball. MLB averaged 7.8 K/9 in 2015, setting a new all-time record. That broke the previous record of 7.7 K/9 set in 2014, which broke the previous record of 7.6 K/9 set in 2013. In fact, MLB has broken its own all-time K/9 and total strikeout record every season since 2008. You can find those all-time stats here. It’s actually pretty cool to look at. And the 2016 top 25 starting pitchers have all contributed more than their fair share into ushering in this new era of the strikeout. Will we see 7.9 K/9 in 2016?

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

1) Clayton Kershaw LAD – What can I say that hasn’t already been said? 2016 Projection: 19/2.23/0.91/249

2) Max Scherzer WASH – Will singlehandedly carry you in K’s. 2016 Projection: 16/2.88/0.99/263

3) Jake Arrieta CHI-NL – Was his 1.77 ERA low enough to convince you his 2014 breakout was for real? 2016 Projection: 18/2.69/1.02/210

4) Madison Bumgarner SFG – Bumgarner gets a slight edge over Sale due to his far superior pitching conditions. 2016 Projection: 17/2.90/1.07/221

5) Chris Sale CHI-AL – Ballpark and Chicago’s poor defense are the only things keeping him from ranking even higher on this list. 2016 Projection: 14/3.10/1.06/242

6) Matt Harvey NYM – After shaking off the rust coming back from Tommy John surgery, Harvey put up a pitching line of 2.19/0.92/79 in 78 IP after the all-star break. 2016 Projection: 16/2.79/1.05/208

7) Jacob deGrom NYM – Like Arrieta, actually improved on his 2014 breakout. 2016 Projection: 14/2.96/1.08/202

8) Corey Kluber CLE – Bad luck and poor defense might have been the reasons for his bloated 3.49 ERA vs. his 2.97 FIP. I’m betting that his FIP is the better indicator for next season. 2016 Projection: 13/3.00/1.09/227

9) Stephen Strasburg WASH – Contract year. Injury plagued 2015, but his 1.90/0.75/92 pitching line in 66.1 IP post all-star break gives you an idea of his insane potential. 2016 Projection: 14/2.99/1.08/218

10) David Price BOS – Price was right for Price this offseason, scoring a $217 million contract with Boston. Has already more than proven himself in the AL East and in hitter’s parks.  2016 Projection: 16/3.19/1.12/207

11) Noah Syndergaard NYM – Thor laid the hammer down on the league in his rookie season. Expect more of the same in year two, if not better. 2016 Projection: 14/3.09/1.10/211

12) Jose Fernandez MIA – Might be on a soft innings limit after pitching only 51.2 IP in 2014 and 64.2 IP in 2015. The fact he still ranks 12th shows how dominant he is. 2016 Projection: 11/2.76/1.08/193

13) Gerrit Cole PIT – Made the jump last season into Ace status. I wouldn’t expect a 2.60 ERA again, though. 2016 Projection: 15/3.24/1.13/198

14) Chris Archer TB – Second half collapse is worrisome, but those 252 strikeouts sure do look nice. 2016 Projection: 14/3.30/1.16/213

15) Carlos Carrasco CLE – Another Cleveland pitcher with a bloated ERA (3.63) compared to his FIP (2.84). 2016 Projection: 13/3.29/1.08/210

16) Felix Hernandez SEA – There are whispers his 2015 troubles were due to an ankle injury. Some think it was the 2,262.1 career IP catching up to him. Whatever it was, I’m not writing him off, but also not expecting a full bounce back. 2016 Projection: 15/3.25/1.16/204

17) Zack Greinke ARI – Moving from a pitcher’s park to a hitter’s park. Not overpaying for his career year. 2016 Projection: 16/3.15/1.18/192

18) Dallas Keuchel HOU – Doesn’t have the strikeout upside of the players ranked above him, but should receive plenty of run support from the strong Houston lineup. 2016 Projection: 17/3.27/1.19/181

19) Jon Lester CHI-NL – Safe pick. Started 30+ games 8 years in a row. Should enjoy strong run support as well. 2016 Projection: 16/3.25/1.15/194

20) Tyson Ross SD – Still has not overcome his control issues, but he racks up K’s and limits home runs. 2016 Projection: 11/3.32/1.23/201

21) Cole Hamels TEX – The league switch and advancing age limits his upside. Still a safe pick to be a strong #2 fantasy starter. 2016 Projection: 13/3.43/1.17/192

22) Danny Salazar CLE – Finally a Cleveland pitcher whose ERA (3.45) was better than his FIP (3.62). Has the strikeout upside fantasy owners love. 2016 Projection: 12/3.40/1.17/198

23) Sonny Gray OAK – 2.73 ERA. 3.45 FIP. Second year in a row he outperformed his FIP, so I wouldn’t expect him to fall off a cliff in 2016. 2016 Projection: 11/3.31/1.15/177

24) Adam Wainwright STL – If you have any doubt about Wainwright’s ability to make a full comeback this season, you have to check out this quick radio interview (which I discovered on Reddit’s fantasy baseball forum). 2016 Projection: 14/3.27/1.15/169

25) Johnny Cueto SFG – Fell off a cliff after the trade to Kansas City. The move back to the NL and a pitcher’s park somewhat revives his fantasy value. 2016 Projection: 13/3.30/1.12/173

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Third Basemen

I want one of the top 4 third basemen this year. Todd Frazier wouldn’t be a terrible consolation prize, either (or Miguel Sano if he is eligible in your league). Not to say there aren’t plenty of good options further down the list, but the top 4 will provide MVP level production.

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

1) Josh Donaldson TOR – Billy Beane got robbed. 2016 Projection: 112/34/107/.285/5

2) Nolan Arenado COL – Jacked 42 homers in monster 2015. Expect more of the same in 2016. 2016 Projection: 92/35/116/.283/3

3) Manny Machado BAL – Wrote about Machado in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Shortstops post. 2016 Projection: 94/31/89/.281/15

4) Kris Bryant CHI-NL – Can easily end up the best player on this list. Strikeouts keep him at #4. 2016 Projection: 90/32/108/.273/11

5) Todd Frazier CHI-AL – The trade to Chicago doesn’t move the needle much in either direction. 4-category player with a low AVG. 2016 Projection: 81/30/93/.260/11

6) Miguel Sano MIN – Strikeouts create a lot of risk, but the upside is elite. 9 games at 3B in 2015. 2016 Projection: 82/29/91/.255/5

7) Matt Carpenter STL – Wrote about Carpenter in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 97/21/79/.277/3

8) Anthony Rendon WASH – Wrote about Rendon in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 87/19/77/.284/9

9) Adrian Beltre TEX – Triple-slashed, .318/.376/.509, and hit 11 homers in 74 2nd half games. Don’t stick a fork in him just yet. 2016 Projection: 80/22/88/.290/1

10) Kyle Seager SEA – Set it and forget it. Model of consistency.  2016 Projection: 82/25/77/.267/7

11) Maikel Franco PHI – Talented young slugger. Hitting in the weak Phillies lineup drops him a bit. 2016 Projection: 76/23/87/.274/3

12) Evan Longoria TB – At one point it looked like he was on his way to being one of the best players in baseball, but it was not to be. Still a good player. 2016 Projection: 73/24/84/.267/2

13) Mike Moustakas KC – Finally had the breakout everyone was waiting for. Launched 15 homers in 69 2nd half games. 2016 Projection: 71/23/85/.272/1

14) David Wright NYM – 33 years old going on 40. Will be limited to 130 games this season. 2016 Projection: 77/18/73/.285/6

15) Matt Duffy SFG – Wrote about Duffy in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 70/11/67/.286/14

16) Daniel Murphy WASH – Wrote about Murphy in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 70/17/73/.287/5

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

18) Justin Turner LAD – The high AVG is for real, but the 20+ homer power might not be. 2016 Projection: 71/15/73/.291/4

19) Brett Lawrie CHI-AL – Wrote about Lawrie in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 69/18/74/.267/7

20) Nick Castellanos DET – In an era where top prospects produce immediately once reaching the majors, Castellanos has fallen short. There are some positive signs, though, as he put up an .800 OPS in the 2nd half last season. 2016 Projection: 70/18/80/.274/1

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

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 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