The baseball season is less than two weeks away and it’s time to roll out the top 50 hitters. The obvious top 3 are Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt. However, there are some surprises in here including my rankings of Giancarlo Stanton and Albert Pujols.
- Mike Trout: Given his consistent domination and winning the 2014 AL MVP, Trout is an obvious #1 fantasy choice.
- Bryce Harper: At 23 years old and coming off of an NL MVP award, Harper has become an incredible hitter and a fantasy stud.
- Paul Goldschmidt: Goldschmidt has become a consistent power and contact machine, delivering insane numbers on the daily.
- Josh Donaldson: Donaldson’s first year as a Blue Jay in 2015 resulted in an AL MVP season and proved how dominant he can be.
- Miguel Cabrera: Miggy continued his incredible career by leading the MLB in batting average in 2015 and is a fantasy game changer.
- Jose Bautista: Bautista has hit over 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s for two straight years now and is a clear top 10 hitter.
- Nolan Arenado: Arenado had a miraculous 2015 season and should continue his dominance into 2016 given his young age and recent production.
- Edwin Encarnacion: Encarnacion is one of the best power hitters in the MLB and is a dependable fantasy star.
- J.D. Martinez: My #1 sleeper heading into last year had a huge breakout season in 2015, hitting 38 home runs while keeping a .282 batting average.
- Andrew McCutchen: The 2013 NL MVP continued playing at an elite level in 2015 and should be seen as a low top 15 overall pick.
- A.J. Pollock: Pollock surprised many with his huge breakout season in 2015 that including great power and consistency.
- Giancarlo Stanton: He won’t be ranked in my top 10 until he has back to back seasons of 500 or more at bats, yet if healthy, could legitimately produce 50 home runs.
- Manny Machado: Machado had a huge 2015 season, which included a .286 batting average and 35 home runs and is still only 23 years old.
- Carlos Correa: Correa led all shortstops in home runs in 2015 as a rookie and has the potential to become one of the best shortstops ever.
- Albert Pujols: One of my all-time faves, Pujols continues to post huge power numbers every season and must be looked at as the top 20 hitter he is.
- Anthony Rizzo: After his last two years of machine-like production, Rizzo has proven he’s an elite hitter and clear cut fantasy starter at 1B.
- Adam Jones: When it comes to consistency, there’s not much better than the contact and power hitter Adam Jones, who produces solid to great numbers almost every year.
- Joey Votto: Votto was able to prove many doubters wrong after a nice 2015 bounce back season.
- Jose Abreu: Abreu has hit over 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s in each of his two years in MLB, proving he’s an elite hitter.
- Jose Altuve: The 2014 batting title champion has become the best and most reliable fantasy second baseman.
- Ryan Braun: Braun seemed to be trending towards the wrong direction in production, but had a great 2015 season, convincing me he’s still an elite fantasy player.
- Carlos Gonzalez: Cargo has been injury prone the last few years, but was finally healthy in 2015 and smashed an impressive 40 home runs.
- Chris Davis: Chris Davis has exploded into one of the most known power hitters in the league, averaging a superior 39.75 home runs over the last 4 years.
- Kris Bryant: The second year Cubs player is one of the best young players in the MLB and is already recognized as one of the top third basemen in the league.
- Buster Posey: I don’t think anyone can argue that Posey is the best and most reliable catcher in the MLB today.
- Nelson Cruz: Cruz has hit over 40 home runs in back to back seasons and has become a player who is hard to pass up, no matter what team he is on.
- Yoenis Cespedes: Cespedes had his best season yet on the Mets in 2015, producing 35 home runs, 105 RBI’s, and 101 runs.
- Adrian Beltre: Despite only hitting 18 home runs in 2014, Beltre remains a top 5 third basemen given his effective consistency and reliability.
- Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts is making nice strides and is becoming a very dangerous contact hitter, but needs more power.
- Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzalez doesn’t have 40 home run seasons like Chris Davis and Albert Pujols, but he’s a dependable top 10 first basemen every year.
- Robinson Cano: Cano’s days of 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s are over, but he still posts top 5 second basemen numbers.
- Todd Frazier: The 2015 home run derby champion, declined in the second half of last year, but still managed an impressive 35 home runs.
- Dee Gordon: His extreme production in hits and stolen bases make him an elite fantasy player.
- Michael Brantley: Brantley was expected to be a one year wonder, but proved many wrong by having an impressive 2015 season including a .314 batting average, 15 home runs, and 84 RBI’s.
- Matt Kemp: Kemp did pretty well in his first year as a Padre, racking up 23 home runs and 100 RBI’s and is a high reward outfielder.
- Mookie Betts: The impressive young Red Sox outfielder put up great numbers in 2015; 18 home runs and 174 hits.
- Prince Fielder: After a disastrous 2014 season, Fielder had an inspiring bounce back season in 2015 and remains one of the top hitting first basemen in the league.
- Troy Tulowitzki: Despite having a surprisingly downgraded 2015 season, Tulo is a good bet for a bounce back season, given he’s now settled in Toronto.
- Brandon Crawford: In 2015, Crawford had his best offensive season yet and is one of the best power shortstops in the league.
- Kyle Seager: Seager’s home run totals have improved each season over the last 4 years and he is one of the most consistent fantasy third basemen.
- Corey Seager: Seager is one of the top prospects in the league and is a sleeper with legit potential.
- Matt Carpenter: Carpenter has been known as one of the top contact hitters in the league in recent years, but transformed into a true power hitter, hitting 28 home runs in 2015!
- Ian Kinsler: Kinsler is one of the safest and most reliable second basemen in the MLB, but little upside.
- Matt Duffy: Duffy is an intriguing sleeper who performed very well in his second year in the league.
- Carlos Gomez: Gomez had a very disappointing 2015 season; however, now settled in a dangerous lineup of Houston, Gomez will definitely produce better numbers.
- Mike Moustakas: After a huge playoffs in 2014, Moustakas continued his great play into the 2015 season (.284 batting average, 22 home runs, and 82 RBI’s).
- Freddie Freeman: Freeman’s stats have surprisingly dropped the last two years, but he remains a solid low top 10 first basemen, who is still only 26 years old.
- Johnathan Lucroy: Lucroy’s 2015 season was wrapped up with injuries and poor play, but I would bank on a bounce back given his 2014 all-star season.
- George Springer: Springer hasn’t put it all together yet, but is an exciting breakthrough candidate at 26 years old.
- Alex Gordon: The 9 year Royal doesn’t have great upside, but is a consistent fantasy producer.
Stix Sully's Fantasy Football Analysis 