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Judge and the Yankees were unable to agree on a contract extension prior to the 2022 campaign, and the slugger delivered a recording-breaking season in his final year before free agency. The outfielder, who will turn 31 years old in April, set an American League record with 62 home runs and also totaled 111 walks, 131 RBI and 133 runs scored with a .311/.425/.686 slash line. The thing that really vaulted him into rarefied fantasy air was a surprise 16 steals on 19 attempts after previously having a career-high nine steals back in 2017. He endured his share of injury issues in the past but played in a career-high 157 games and has missed only 19 contests across the past two seasons. Judge is unlikely to deliver a repeat performance in 2023, though he should remain one of the most productive hitters in MLB after landing a huge nine-year deal to stay in pinstripes. If he remains aggressive on the bases and stays relatively healthy, Judge should return first-round fantasy value even with regression across the board.

Ramirez is a machine who consistently pumps out terrific fantasy seasons yet rarely goes first overall in a draft. He finished as the third best player behind Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt this year despite playing two-thirds of the season with a hand injury, which required offseason surgery. Ramirez set a career high in RBIs thanks to better talent in front of him in the lineup, while his homers and runs scored numbers dropped, likely due to the hand injury and the inconsistent talent behind him in the lineup. The 2022 season was the fourth consecutive season in which he swiped 20 or more bases in a full season as well. The only knock on him is that he is a mere human at the plate when he hits righty, but only because he is so terrific hitting from the other side, where he spends 80 percent of his time in the box. He still is unlikely to go first overall in a draft, but he is money in the bank when he is in the lineup with infinitesimal risk in his profile.

A strong spring from Rodriguez forced Seattle to break camp with him as their centerfielder. He did not disappoint, capturing the AL Rookie of the Year award. Rodriguez's season could have been even better as he improved over the second half, but wrist and back issues limited him to 41 games after the break. Rodriguez's exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel percentage and speed were all at least 90th percentile. His 25.9 percent strikeout rate and 7.1 percent walk rate could use some work, but that should come as the 22-year-old continues to develop. While it's fair to point out Rodriguez swiped 21 bags in his first 82 games but then stole only four bases in his final 52 contests, playing hurt could have slowed him down as he initially jammed his wrist sliding, so he may have just been cautious the rest of the season. Rodriguez merits top-five overall consideration, with a salient argument for him to be the first player off the board.

It was expected that Guerrero would drop back from his incredible 2021 season due to Toronto playing full-time at Rogers Centre rather than the cozy environments of Dunedin and Buffalo, as well as the changes to Camden Yards for road trips. Factor in the mushball and his homers dropped off to where we realistically should have expected them to be, but it was surprising to see both his runs and RBIs fall back below 100 considering the talent in the lineup around him in Toronto. Whereas he hit .315 with 11 homers with runners in scoring position in 2021, those numbers fell to .267 and five respectively last year in nearly identical sample sizes. RISP production lacks year-over-year stickiness, but it was an issue last year as the league did tend to pitch around him leading to more walks (11 percent) in those situations than others (eight percent.) The eight steals were a nice bonus, considering he is not the fleetest of foot. We can call him a five-category contributor as a first baseman; he cannot quite pull off a younger Paul Goldschmidt, but who can?

Rookies are supposed to struggle, but someone forgot to tell Witt Jr. He crushed the ball throughout the Cactus League and defied the odds to make the Opening Day roster for the Royals. While he did struggle to accept walks, leading to issues in OBP leagues, he also became just the sixth player age 22 or younger to homer at least 20 times and steal at least 30 bases, while also scoring 80 runs and driving in 80, joining the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr, Cesar Cedeno, Willie Davis and Mike Trout who did that at ages 21 and 22. Many of his age peers were still in A and AA ball while Witt Jr had an above league average OPS despite the low walk total. He has gone from wildcard last winter to a likely first-round selection in standard 5x5 leagues this winter. The OBP penalty may hang around for another season, but he could be peak Hanley Ramirez in a hurry with his bat and legs.

At the All-Star break, Bichette sat with a .257 average, a .720 OPS and seven steals in 13 attempts. Water eventually finds its level. Bichette cut his strikeouts back down -- 24.3 K percentage in the first half, 19.2 percent in the second half -- and took off to the tune of a .337/.378/.543 line after the intermission. He also improved his efficiency on the basepaths in the second half, going 6-for-8 in steal attempts. In retrospect, those who jumped Bichette into the first half of the first round last spring were a little overzealous, but don't let that disappointment keep you from investing in 2023. There are no questions about Bichette's ability with the bat. If anything, the fact that his sprint speed ranked only mid-pack might be of slight concern.

Tucker broke out during the shortened 2020 campaign with an .837 OPS and has established himself as a key cog in the Astros' lineup over the past couple years. During 2022 he hit exactly 30 home runs for the second straight season and also stole 25 bases while being caught only four times in 150 games. He saw his batting average and ISO drop about 40 points each to .257 and .221, respectively, but he showed minor improvements in both his strikeout (15.7 percent) and walk rates (9.8 percent). Tucker's solid defense in right field further cements his spot in the everyday lineup, and his 129 wRC+ in the heart of Houston's potent order will continue to provide ample opportunities to rack up counting stats during his age-26 season in 2023.

Despite missing 43 games, Trout smacked an even 40 homers in 2022, tying Pete Alonso for third in baseball. The missed time was the result of a rare back condition called costovertebral dysfunction, but he returned to hit 16 of those aforementioned 40 homers in his final 40 games (.308/.370/.686 in that span). Running seems to be a thing of the past, as Trout attempted just one steal last season and has a total of four stolen bases over the past three seasons, but there's no doubt the hitting skills are still elite. Eliminate running from the equation and the only variable is health; we should realistically bake in roughly a month of missed time, but Trout can do more in 130 games than most can contribute over a 150-game season. He's headed to the Hall of Fame one day, and Trout is still a ways from his twilight years.

Last year's player outlook said we had never seen anything like Ohtani's 2021 season. He did not quite have a repeat of his monster season at the plate in 2022, but he more than made up for that with his best season yet on the mound. Any other year, his 2022 season would be worthy of a unanimous MVP award, but Ohtani's season toiled both in the obscurity of the secondary team in the Los Angeles market while also in the large shadow of Aaron Judge's historic season. The only frustrating issue with Ohtani is if you're in a league in which you must declare how you will use him each week, because that format mostly renders his pitching talents null and void unless you're staring at several suboptimal matchups in a five-game week for Ohtani. The DH-only label slightly impacts his draft day value, as standard format leagues must then adjust downstream for losing the in-draft flexibility of the UT spot.

Coming out of the break, Devers .324/.379/.602 was pacing for a career-best year. He then spent 10 days on the IL with a sore hamstring. After returning, Devers was unable to recapture form, posting a .248/.325/.383 line the rest of the way. Other than the 1.5-mph drop in fly-ball exit velocity, Devers' underlying skills weren't much different over the second half, but his BABIP dropped from .353 to .289. For the season, he still managed a career-best 140 wRC+, but a drop in homers and a less potent Red Sox lineup resulted in fewer than 90 runs and 90 RBI for Devers. He eclipsed the century mark in each of the prior two full seasons. His defense remained below average, but he showed signs of improvement. With Devers still just 26-year-old, his best season is probably yet to come. He doesn't run, but Devers crushes the rest of the categories. He may not be first-round material, but he's in the discussion.

Alvarez has few peers in Major League Baseball; Juan Soto is perhaps the only player on his level in terms of zone management and overall hitting skills. Alvarez's Statcast page is comical, as he led MLB in average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and barrel percentage. Alvarez drew 78 walks while striking out only 106 times in 561 plate appearances during the regular season. Despite playing in only 135 games and stealing only one base, Alvarez finished as a top-10 roto hitter in 2022. We still have to worry about his knees, although his absences last season weren't directly related. The 25-year-old is under contract with the Astros long term and maintains outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues entering 2023.

With Hernandez heading into his final season before free agency and due well north of $10 million through the arbitration process, the Blue Jays traded him to the Mariners in November in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and prospect Adam Macko. The move comes with a park downgrade for Hernandez, though he should slot into the heart of a quality order in Seattle. Hernandez didn't come all that close to replicating his All-Star 2021 season from a run-production standpoint, but it was still an excellent campaign, as he reached 25 home runs in his third consecutive full season. He will chip in a handful of bags around the extra-base hits and strikeouts (career 29.4 K percentage). While his defense does not grade well, that's not going to cost him playing time in 2023, as the M's need his bat in the lineup every day.

For the second straight season, Semien led MLB with 724 plate appearances. His first nine games with the Rangers were disastrous with a .369 OPS. However, Semien recovered to post a .756 OPS the rest of the way. His 107 wRC+ was the third highest of his career, but that does not capture his 25 steals, by far his season high. Semien's Statcast page doesn't portend power, but he's quietly a fly-ball hitter with an uncanny ability to cluster them down the line where most fences are within reach. A career .263 BABIP reflects his fly-ball nature, but a strikeout rate around 20 percent props up Semien's average enough so his power/speed combo plays in any format. It would be more comforting if Semien's success was greater supported by a higher exit velocity or hard-hit rate, but Semien's track record of getting the job done lands him among the top fantasy second basemen, buoyed by excellent durability.

Anderson's 2022 season was a challenge on many levels for him, from managerial issues to the hand injury which eventually ended his season on Aug. 9. Through it all, Anderson maintained the ability to hit for a very high average as he is the only player in the league to hit over .300 in each of the previous four seasons. That skill helps him maintain a solid OBP despite an anemic walk rate that had him on pace to challenge his career high in steals from 2018. The batting-average talents are helped both by his ability to use all fields and the fact that he is one of the toughest batters in the league to strike out -- he lowered his strikeout rate nearly six full percentage points from 2021. The one downside to remember is that he has missed 30-plus games in three of the past four full seasons, having just once exceeded 150 games played. A new manager and a repaired hand should have him in a better place for 2023.

In a season where we saw offense decline as a whole across the league, Jimenez had a chance to shine at the plate in what was a loaded lineup on paper in Chicago. Like many things on the southside, things worked out poorly and Jimenez played in just 84 games on the season. The .295/.358/.500 slash line with 16 homers and 54 RBIs in essentially half a season shows what the young man is capable of when his body and mind are in sync. We should be thankful he did not injure himself in Spring Training with silly stunts, but the hamstring injury in mid April kept him out until early July. Once he shook off the rust, he hit .323/.391/.558 in the second half with 14 of the 16 homers. We do not know what baseball awaits us in 2023, but we do know that this young man has all the potential in the world even if we have yet to see it over the course of a full major league season.

There were some surprising lows for Cole in 2022, including a five-homer blowup outing in Minnesota in June. He finished with his highest ERA (3.50) since his final season in Pittsburgh, continuing a trend of steady increase in recent years. The fact of the matter is he still led MLB in strikeouts with 257. He continues to bring the heat at 97 to 98 mph and leaned on that pitch more than half the time last season while dialing back his curveball and changeup usage. The four-seamer does a lot of great things for him, but Cole has also given up 29 homers on that pitch over the past two seasons, so it can be touched up when he isn't locating. A two-time Cy Young runner-up, Cole wasn't a finalist in 2022, but the Yankees' ace could very well be back in that conversation after this season.

Bieber recovered nicely from the injury-shortened 2021 season to make all of his starts and return to the 200 innings level combining the volume of 2019 and top shelf stats from his Cy Young campaign. If you removed his name from his StatCast profile page, you may not be as interested in the player as he does give up hard contact, does not throw hard and his breaking stuff isn't particularly spinny, yet he has held the league to a sub .230 batting aveage in each of the past four seasons and his strikeout rate has been at least 25% in each of those four seasons. The sum is better than the individual parts here and he is one of just eight starting pitchers with a K-BB% greater than 20% from 2019-2022. He lacks the special fastball of the rest of that octet, but you simply cannot argue with the results and just how great he is pitching with his non-fastball offerings.

McClanahan had one of those Jeckyll and Hyde type seasons which felt like a tribute to the 1990 season of Jack Armstrong. Like Armstrong, McClanahan had an amazing first half of the season with a 1.71 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and held opposing hitters to a .176 average with 9 wins before the break. He then had a small IL stint, came back with a promising outing, but then struggled in other outings around a second IL stint and won just 4 more games with a 4.20 second half ERA after the break. All in all, he eclipsed projected workload totals and the entire body of work was still very impressive even if it was frontloaded. The evolution of his change was the differentiator for him as it went from a show-me offering to righties to his second most utilized offering with an elite whiff rate giving him two pitches - one for each side of the plate - with elite whiff rates. Durability is the only remaining question mark here for Sugar Shane who looked like he was following the path 2018 Blake Snell blazed for him on the way to the Cy Young that season. That path is still well lit for the lefty.

After throwing only 101.1 innings in 2021, Javier started the year in the bullpen with the intention of conserving innings for the playoffs. The plan worked perfectly as Javier ended up starting 25 of his 30 appearances, compiling 148.2 frames before dominating in the postseason. Javier benefited from a fortunate 83.6% LOB mark and .228 BABIP. With a 26% groundball rate, his low 9.1% HR/FB mark came in handy. Javier's success wasn't just luck-driven as he posted a career high 24.3% K-BB%, the eighth best among pitchers with at least 140 innings. He used his four-seamer 60% of the time and a slider at a 28% clip. These are Javier's best pitches, but he mixes in a curve and changeup. He's due an ERA correction, but the kid gloves should be off with Javier working with no innings restrictions. Fly ball pitchers carry extra risk, but Javier's 33% strikeout rate limits concerns, so he warrants SP2/SP3 status.

Coming off a season where deGrom made only 15 starts while dealing with elbow issues, it took only one spring start before he experienced shoulder soreness. It was soon diagnosed as a stress reaction in his right scapula, which sidelined him until August 2, though that latest injury didn't stop the Rangers from doling out a $185 million contract. The oft-injured right-hander gathered 64.1 inning over 11 starts in 2022, with typically dominant results. He was able to throw all his pitches, again relying on a 99-mph fastball about half of the time. There isn't a bigger wild card in fantasy drafts than deGrom. The pinnacle is the top pitcher in the game, and if he pitches anywhere close to his usual level, deGrom only needs around 150 frames to achieve No. 1 status. He's going to be drafted as one of the first 10 starters off the board, and if he has good spring, it could be top three. Just keep in mind, he'll be 35 years old and including rehab, deGrom has only thrown 182 innings over the last two seasons

Last year's player outlook said we had never seen anything like Ohtani's 2021 season. He did not quite have a repeat of his monster season at the plate in 2022, but he more than made up for that with his best season yet on the mound. Any other year, his 2022 season would be worthy of a unanimous MVP award, but Ohtani's season toiled both in the obscurity of the secondary team in the Los Angeles market while also in the large shadow of Aaron Judge's historic season. The only frustrating issue with Ohtani is if you're in a league in which you must declare how you will use him each week, because that format mostly renders his pitching talents null and void unless you're staring at several suboptimal matchups in a five-game week for Ohtani. The DH-only label slightly impacts his draft day value, as standard format leagues must then adjust downstream for losing the in-draft flexibility of the UT spot.

Valdez was one of just eight hurlers to log at least 200 innings as his 201.1 frames was the fifth most in MLB. He fell six strikeouts short of 200, but as an extreme groundball pitcher, Valdez is more concerned about minimizing barrels which he did, landing in the 75th percentile. Valdez threw his sinker half the time, followed by a 90th percentile spin rate curve. He introduced a cutter (which some classified as a slider), throwing it 10% of the time with a solid 18% swinging strike rate. Further refinement of Valdez's repertoire could improve his 23.5% strikeout rate, but he's likely more focused on improving on last season's 8.1% walk rate. Valdez doesn't fan ample batters to be a fantasy ace, but his volume of innings keeps the raw total sufficient for the next tier. Valdez is a bit of a WHIP risk as grounders often inflate BABIP, but they also limit homers, hence keeping ERA in check.

Manoah had a fantastic sophomore season embracing the role of staff ace and performing like one for those fantasy managers who took the leap of faith with the big guy. The strikeout rate was not as strong as hoped, but he cut down on his walks and was once again one of the toughest pitchers in the league to hit. The slider was once again his bread and butter pitch, but he can still overpower hitters with the fastball and the changeup took a very nice step forward in 2022 becoming more of a weapon against lefties than it was in his rookie season gaining some whiffiness along the way. He has never had a season at any level where he has worked anywhere near the volume he worked in 2022, but his physique could insulate him from the regression we have seen from other younger arms who have gone through similar workload spikes in their mid 20s. Quite honestly, that is the only risk here because all the arrows point in a positive direction for him this coming season.

Cease followed up 2021's breakthrough campaign with an even better season, finishing a distant second to Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young voting. Cease started 32 games for the second straight season, finishing with a career-high 184 innings. It wasn't by much, but Cease's K% ticked down while his BB% inched up. A .260 BABIP and 82.3% LOB mark resulted in a 2.20 ERA, over a run below the associated 3.50 xFIP and 3.48 SIERA. Cease is being drafted ahead of starters with similar or better skills, but with a longer track record. If he can lower his 10% walk rate, Cease could be one of the best pitchers in the league. There is a pathway as Cease uses his fastball 47% of the time but throws it for a strike at a low 62% rate. Cease is a prime example of how pitchers can be both lucky and good. Dreaming of a lower walk rate is tempting, but the regression monster is looming with nightmare intentions.

His breakout 2021 season would be difficult to top, but Clase exceeded his already high expectations, leading the league with 42 saves while earning his first All-Star nomination and AL Reliever of the Month honors three times. Clase led all qualified relievers with a 0.73 WHIP, while also setting career best marks with 72.2 innings, 77 strikeouts, a 28.4% K% and an impressive 3.7% BB% that was among the best in the majors. His 82.4% team save share also led the league, as he had no competition to his role as the Guardians closer and maintained extremely high stability in that role all season. Clase's velocity was down a tick, averaging "only" 99.6 mph on his cutter after the pitch averaged triple digits last year. He still threw 196 pitches 100 mph or greater, but this was far less than the 471 he threw at that speed in 2021. Clase will be the first closer off the board in many 2023 drafts and is likely to be drafted among the top 3 closers at minimum.

After signing a five-year, $110 million contract with the Blue Jays last winter, Gausman had to pay his toll to the BABIP Gods. He did so in the form of a .363 BABIP, which inflated his numbers well beyond where they probably "should" have been. In fact, Gausman had the second-best FIP among all qualified starters at 2.38, trailing only Carlos Rodon. The split-finger pitch is what helped Gausman take his career to the next level, and it's not usual for splitter-slider pitchers to see a good deal of BABIP variance though Gausman is not a particularly heavy groundball pitcher. Gausman shaved his walk rate to a career-low 3.9% and the surface stats seem destined to get in line with the skills in short order. He will look for better results at Rogers Centre (4.57 ERA last season).

This past season saw a rather dramatic shift in Rasmussen's pitch usage as he made the transition to starting full time for the Rays. Exclusively a reliever during his time with the Brewers, Rasmussen has learned to dial back the four-seam fastball at 95-96 mph in favor of more cutters at 90-91 with good movement. He leaned on the cut fastball as his main put-away pitch last season, and while his strikeout rate was modest at only 21.4%, the overall results speak for themselves (2.84 ERA, 1.04 WHIP over 146 innings). Given the command and control he has over his arsenal, this looks like a legitimate breakout. If he's able to tack on a few more starts, Rasmussen could emerge as a fantasy star even with the low strikeouts. Remember he won't have face the AL East quite so much with the new balanced schedule in 2023.

If you go back and look at Cortes's 2022 outlook, you can see he teased at what was possible, but without a large body of work, everyone was right to be skeptical of what Cortes would be as a starter. Those who took the chance in the late rounds were greatly rewarded by one of the best late round steals in 2022 as the lefty picked up where he left off in 2021 for most of the 2022 season. Cortes uses varying arm angles, deliveries, and pitches to frustrate hitters all season. 75% of what he threw were four-seamer and cutters, and those two pitches were paired so well that the league hit below .200 against both pitches while all five of his offerings had whiff rates above 20%. In 330 innings of work, he has a career 80% LOB rate and a .266 BABIP, so his 2022 numbers ( 79%, .243) are not terribly out of line and a continuation of what he did in 2021. The stuff is not paritcularly special, but his ability to spin and sequence it is certainly special and being a lefty in Yankee Stadium doesn't hurt either. The big question is if he can put up consecutive seasons of workload as he has never done so.

Springs began the season in a multi-inning reliever capacity before being used as an opener and then primary pitcher before transitioning into a traditional starter. He started 22 games as the latter, posting a 2.61 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 113.2 innings with a 26.4% strikeout rate and 6.0% walk rate. His 20.4% would have ranked 11th among qualified starters but Springs didn't collect ample innings. Throwing at least 162 frames this season is plausible as Springs averaged a tick over five innings per game once he became a full-fledged starter. Springs throws a 92-mph four-seamer, a slider, and an 81-mph changeup. Buoyed by a delta over 10-mph from the fastball, the changeup is Springs best pitch as it generated swinging strikes at a 22.6% clip. An 82.3% LOB mark suppressed Springs ERA about half a run, but his success was mostly earned and should be repeatable for a Rays club adept at managing pitching.

Romano established himself as a reliable, top-end closer in 2022, recording 78.3% of Toronto's saves, which was the fourth-highest percentage among all relievers. His 36 saves tied for fourth in the league, while his 64 innings in 63 appearances were also career highs. Romano posted a career best walk rate (8.1%), though his strikeout rate dipped 5.3 percentage points to a still above-average 28.3%. Interestingly, Romano reversed his pitch usage for the fourth straight year, throwing his fastball (48% pitch usage) far less often than he did in 2021. This is notable since Romano's heater has been more effective than his slider in recent seasons. He did lose some velocity on the fastball, but still averaged 96.9 mph, which was in the 92nd percentile. The Blue Jays retained John Schneider as their manager, who has relied on Romano heavily since taking over. Expect another season with 30-plus saves.

Perez hurt his thumb in May, sending him to the IL for 10 days. After aggravating it a few weeks later, Perez had surgery on the UCL in his left thumb, costing him a little more than a month. He also lost a few games after taking a pitch off his wrist. The various hand injuries cost Perez some power as his fly ball exit velocity dropped a couple of ticks. His BABIP also suffered, but Perez was still one of the most productive catchers, fantasy and otherwise. Embarking on his age-33 season, Perez's status as the first catcher off the board last one year, but he's still in the chat for those looking for a top backstop. He'll continue to play more than most at the position with significant time at designated hitter, but Perez's days of leading catchers in plate appearances is likely history. His power is apt to subsist for a few years, but he's likely to revert to being a batting average liability.

Melendez gets a passing grade, offensively. As a 23-year-old rookie, he popped 18 home runs and drew 66 walks in 534 plate appearances, putting him roughly league average by wRC+. It's defensively where the questions come up. Melendez struggled behind the plate both defensively (-18 DRS) and with pitch framing. Salvador Perez is still locked in as the near-everyday catcher when healthy, so Melendez will likely see most of his time in the outfield to begin 2023. He's not a finished product with the bat, but the 2021 minor-league home run leader clears the bar in two-catcher leagues. The defensive questions leave open some playing-time downside, but the rebuilding Royals would be wise to live with his limitations and hand Melendez 500-plus PA again to evaluate his progress against big-league pitching.

On the strength of 27 homers and 16 steals, Varsho finished as the No. 2 catcher in 5x5 roto leagues last season. His .235 average dragged him behind the Phillies' JT Realmuto, but regardless it was an incredibly impressive campaign, and most importantly for our purposes, he maintains catcher eligibility entering 2023 (31 appearances, 18 starts behind the plate). There is some frigid blue on his Statcast page, so perhaps he will continue to struggle to hit for average, but the power-speed combination from the catcher position makes Varsho a valuable asset in the rotisserie game. Being traded to the Blue Jays should only benefit Varsho's production, as the better lineup around him should only increase his chances for runs and RBI. Rogers Centre is also slightly more friendly to hitters compared to Chase Field in Arizona. As good of a young player as he is, those playing in one-catcher leagues and/or points leagues should beware not to overrate Varsho based on where he ranks on two-catcher, roto cheat sheets.

Rutschman began the season on the minor league IL with a triceps issue. When healthy, he quickly advanced from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk before being called up on May 21. He started slow, posting a 137/.228/.196 line after 13 games, but then settled in to go .271/.380/.481 the rest of the way. Rutschman played excellent defense, finishing second among catchers with 18 defensive runs saved while exhibiting solid framing and an excellent arm. His plate discipline is stellar as demonstrated by a 13.8% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout clip. Rutschman's low 38.4% groundball rate helped him compile extra base hits with a below average fly ball exit velocity. His 35 doubles to 13 home run ratio should tilt more to the long ball as he continues to develop. As is, Rutschman is one of the top backstops in the league, assured of the lion's share of playing time for Baltimore. His ceiling is the top fantasy catcher.

Kirk was one of the league's top hitting catchers as his 129 wRC+ was highest among the five backstops with at least 500 plate appearances. His plate skills remained excellent, with a 50% groundball rate supporting an increased BABIP. Kirk's exit velocity on fly balls increased, indicating his patience allowed turning on pitches he can drive, so while his power fell, it wasn't commensurate with the increase in grounders. Lost in Kirk's exploits at the plate were his improvements behind it. Kirk's defense improved significantly, specifically with regards to framing, but he also caught 26% of base stealers as opposed to 19% the prior campaign. Still just 24 years old, Kirk can easily regain some of the loft on batted balls, increasing power. Even with the uptick in defense, Kirk will often serve as designated hitter, so he should again combine quality and quantity into a top-10 fantasy backstop.

Vazquez was acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline to boost their offensive production at catcher, but he never found his footing in Houston and had a .586 OPS across only 35 games as Martin Maldonado remained the primary backstop. Vazquez also struggled in 2021 with a 76 wRC+, but he still had a strong first half for Boston last season with a .282/.327/.432 slash line, eight homers and 42 RBI in 84 contests. The latter numbers are more in line with his production over the past few years, and he's hit north of .270 in four of the past six seasons. He clubbed 23 homers in 2019 but hasn't reached double digits in any other big-league campaign, so he shouldn't be expected to provide more than a handful of long balls. Vazquez got a three-year, $30 million deal from Minnesota, where he will likely be ahead of Ryan Jeffers, at least early in the season. His defense makes him a much more valuable real-life player than he is in fantasy.

All aboard the Big Dumper express! Raleigh earned the moniker from Jarred Kelenic with his breakout sophomore season hitting timely homers with stellar defense as Raleigh seemingly aimed to remind Seattle what they once had in Mike Zunino. Raleigh's batting average was nothing to write home about as it hovered there most of the season with some peaks (.254 in down the stretch) and valleys (.136 into June), but his 121 wRC+ was well above the 89 figure the catching position as a whole produced league-wide. Like Zunino, the story here is raw power and Raleigh has plenty of it with the ability to launch a baseball to all fields with a prevalance to crank and yank them down the right field line. His numbers against righties and lefties are nearly identical and the defense means he is the primary catcher as long as the recovery from offseason hand surgery goes well. He is one of the primary reasons the catching position is no longer considered a black hole as he went from undraftable in 15 team leagues last season to a likely top 8 catcher on draft boards this season.

O'Hoppe was sent from the Phillies, where he was blocked by J.T. Realmuto, to the Angels in exchange for Brandon Marsh in a fun deadline swap of unproven up-the-middle position players with upside. A 6-foot-2 catcher who impressed in the 2021 Arizona Fall League and performed solidly in the lower levels, O'Hoppe broke out last year at Double-A prior to the trade (144 wRC+). He went completely nuclear after the trade, slashing .306/.473/.673 with 11 home runs, a 22.1 BB% and a 16.8 K% in 131 plate appearances for Rocket City, which allowed him to bypass Triple-A with his new organization and get a late-season call to the majors. Anaheim was a great trade destination for O'Hoppe, as he has a clear path to as much playing time as he can handle. Given his ability to draw walks and hit for impactful power, he could hit in the top five or six spots of the lineup for most of the season. Projections systems are buying in, so he won't be under the radar in two-catcher leagues.

Grandal was not expected to repeat 2021's career year but following it up with his worst season ever was a surprise. To be fair, hamstring, back and knee issues hampered him all season with lower back spasm requiring a month-long IL visit. Grandal's exit velocity, Barrel rate, and hard-hit rate all fell precipitously. He maintained solid plate skills but hitting the ball with far less authority torpedoed his batting average and slugging to career lows. Grandal's defense also suffered, which does not bode well for playing time since his bat is no longer worthy of designated hitter or first base action. Grandal isn't over the hill at 34-years-old. However, since 2014, only three backstops have caught more innings and the squatting could be catching up. Even if he starts, Grandal's playing time is earmarked to drop. He's still in play in two-catcher leagues, but he's now lumped in with the back-end dregs.

Coming off something of a breakthrough 2021 campaign, when he hit 22 home runs and drove in 61, Haase was productive again in 2022 but took a bit of a step back. Despite playing in 12 more games, he only mustered 14 home runs and 44 RBI. Haase at least was clearly a better offensive option behind the plate than Tucker Barnhart, and that led to Haase essentially supplanting Barnhart as the No. 1 catcher as the season went along. Haase also displayed some defensive versatility, as he made 11 starts in the outfield, though that was down from 22 outfield starts in 2021, as the Tigers turned him into more of an everyday backstop. Catcher is a notoriously thin position in fantasy, so there is value in someone who can simply get to double figures in home runs and not be too much of a drain on batting average. That's what Haase has done the last two years for the Tigers, and he seems poised to enter 2023 as a starter, with Barnhart moving on to the Cubs. Now 30 years old, Haase is unlikely to take another significant leap as a player, so fantasy managers should continue to expect steady if not spectacular production.

Jansen had two month-long stints on the injured list during 2022 due to an oblique strain and a broken finger, and he finished the regular season having played in 72 games. He started behind the plate Opening Day but didn't appear to have much job security with Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno also in the mix for playing time, but Jansen produced an .855 OPS with 15 home runs and 44 RBI, and he also improved his strikeout rate nearly four percentage points. He now has a .253 ISO over the past two years, which covers a stretch of 142 contests. Kirk also delivered a strong offensive campaign with a .285/.372/.415 slash line in 139 contests while splitting time between catcher and designated hitter. Jansen's availability is somewhat of a question mark since he's missed significant time each of the past two seasons, but when available he's hit with power. The Blue Jays sent Moreno to the Diamondbacks, though the major return piece, Daulton Varsho, can also play catcher. Still, Kirk and Jansen should be Toronto's primary options behind the plate in 2023, with Jansen likely to fill the shorter side of the timeshare.

Texas brought in Mitch Garver in the offseason making Trevino an expendable player which the Yankees gladly accepted after they traded away Gary Sanchez and found themselves in need of a catcher when Ben Rortvedt went down with an oblique injury. Trevino flourished with the Yankees with his best power numbers to date and stellar defense behind the dish which quickly allowed him to overtake Kyle Higashioka as the primary catcher . Trevino does not have any one standout offensive skill, but he hits in a deep lineup when it is healthy and ne can turn on a mistake to pull it out to left field. 7 of his 11 homers came off non-fastball and his execpted statistics on both breaking balls and changeups were much better than his actual numbers which speaks to how he was able to surprise us at the plate. The defense will keep him as the starting catcher, but look for him to maintain his production rather than take another step forward in 2023.

He may not slot in here on real-life lists, but there's a decent case Naylor is the game's best catching prospect for fantasy. Not only does Naylor (younger brother of Josh) have a wide open path to as much MLB playing time as he can handle in 2023, but he has the speed to eventually be a five-category catcher. Naylor, who turns 23 in February, slashed .263/.392/.496 with a 23.7 K%, 16.1 BB%, 37.8 Hard% (elite), 21 home runs and 20 steals on 24 attempts in 118 games between Double-A and Triple-A. His batting average could be a weakness as a rookie, which is the case for the vast majority of quality catching prospects. However, he could go 15/15 if he plays 100-plus games, and the only other catchers who could realistically go 15/15 are J.T. Realmuto and Daulton Varsho, the first and third options at the position per early NFBC ADP.

Maldonado set a new career high with 15 homers. Unfortunately, that's where the plaudits end as he finished the season looking up at the Mendoza line for the second straight season. Even more disheartening is Maldonado's defense is slipping. He still calls a good game, but his framing is below average, and he only threw out 26% of would-be base stealers, the second lowest mark of his career. The Astros sensed the decline, so they acquired Christian Vazquez at the trade deadline and have been in the market for another backstop in the offseason. Maldonado had offseason surgery for a sports hernia but is expected to be ready for spring training. Regardless of your philosophy with respect to drafting catchers, if you end up with Maldonado, it's time to rethink your approach.

Heim appeared set to fill a part-time role in 2022 after the Rangers acquired Mitch Garver, but Heim ended up working as the team's primary backstop as Garver mostly served as a designated hitter before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. Heim took advantage of the playing time and delivered a .781 OPS with 12 home runs during the first half of the season, but he struggled after the All-Star break with a .181/.279/.311 slash line. Despite the second half struggles, he showcased better plate discipline throughout the campaign and finished with a 9.2 percent walk rate, up from 5.4 percent in 2021. Garver is expected to be cleared for catching duties by Opening Day, but Heim flashed well enough last season to warrant regular reps behind the plate, especially since he's the far superior player defensively. Still, Heim's fantasy appeal would likely be limited to AL-only formats if he and Garver are splitting time.

It was expected that Guerrero would drop back from his incredible 2021 season due to Toronto playing full-time at Rogers Centre rather than the cozy environments of Dunedin and Buffalo, as well as the changes to Camden Yards for road trips. Factor in the mushball and his homers dropped off to where we realistically should have expected them to be, but it was surprising to see both his runs and RBIs fall back below 100 considering the talent in the lineup around him in Toronto. Whereas he hit .315 with 11 homers with runners in scoring position in 2021, those numbers fell to .267 and five respectively last year in nearly identical sample sizes. RISP production lacks year-over-year stickiness, but it was an issue last year as the league did tend to pitch around him leading to more walks (11 percent) in those situations than others (eight percent.) The eight steals were a nice bonus, considering he is not the fleetest of foot. We can call him a five-category contributor as a first baseman; he cannot quite pull off a younger Paul Goldschmidt, but who can?

At the end of last season, Abreu's fantasy managers were left wondering one thing: Where did the power go? Abreu managed a mere four home runs after the All-Star break, slugging .414 in 67 games after the intermission. He hit only one homer in his final 55 games. It wasn't just the power -- Abreu's strikeout and walk rates both went in the wrong direction in the second half. So, was he simply pressing or is this the beginning of the cliff for Abreu? He will be 36 at the start of the 2023 season. He still had outstanding season-long marks in exit velocity and hard-hit rate, per Statcast, despite the late power outage. Father Time is undefeated, but Abreu seems like a strong bounce-back candidate given his glimmering track record of both performance and durability. He finds himself in a perfect situation to put up significant runs and RBI as Houston's new starting first baseman after inking a three-year deal this offseason.

Mountcastle's numbers don't express it, but he sported better skills than the previous season, but was shortchanged between six and nine homers, depending on which xHR mark is trusted. Looking at his spray chart, the discrepancy is more than the new Camden Yards dimensions. Mountcastle increased his fly ball exit velocity 1-mph, adding around four feet to his average fly ball distance. Yet, his HR/FB slipped from 20.4% to a snake bit 13.3%. Mountcastle chased less while being more aggressive in the zone, resulting in shaving a couple of points of his strikeout rate. The narrative will be moving the left field fences back in Camden Yards cost him power, but he was also unlucky in the home run department. This presents a buying opportunity as many will over adjust Mountcastle's new power baseline. He's still in the upswing of his career, hitting in the meat of an improving lineup.

Despite posting a .391/.440/.739 line in the spring, Pasquantino opened the season with Triple-A Omaha, but a .932 OPS with 40 walks to just 39 strikeouts in 73 games earned him a late June promotion. Pasquantino began just 4-for-30 with six walks, but the Royals patience was rewarded as Pasquantino hit .316/.392/.478 the rest of the way, with a two-week interruption for shoulder discomfort. Pasquantino's discipline translated to the majors as he walked 35 times with just 34 strikeouts in 298 plate appearances. He's a fly ball hitter with plus power that should play in cavernous Kauffman Stadium, but he hits ample line drives to support a BABIP around .300. His best position is designated hitter which isn't ideal for a fledgling 25-year-old, but the Royals need his bat in the lineup, so he'll play every day. Most young players struggle, but Pasquantino's approach should lead to more peaks than valleys.

Lowe had a surprisingly terrific fantasy season in his second full season at the major leagues setting career highs nearly across the board. The .302 batting average was a huge surprise given he is not the quickest of players, but 19 infield hits on mostly weakly hit balls against the shift certainly helped push his batting average up this season. He also finally showed more consistent loft in his swing, and while he still has a 1.5:1 grounder to flyball ratio, that is an improvement over the 2.0 level he was living at in previous seasons. He has always been an excellent hitter when ahead in the count, but 2022 was the first time he wasn't futile when down in the count. Lowe hit .281 in such situations this past season going .179 in such situations previously. If you are banking on him hitting near .300 again, factor in that data point as well as the infield hits with the shifting rules changing. Draft for run production and level set your batting average projections a tercile lower.

Likely by design to take advantage of the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium, Rizzo hit flyballs at a career high 49% clip. It worked as he pulled 16 of his 32 long balls into the right field seats in the Bronx, though Rizzo's 18.4% strikeout rate was its highest since 2014. More flyballs helped sink Rizzo's BABIP to .216, the lowest mark of his career, though the resulting power fueled a 132 wRC+, his best since 2019. Rizzo's contact and hard-hit rates remain solid, but he's approaching the age where skills start to decline. He re-upped with the Yankees on a two-year deal with a buyout/club option for a third year, so the short porch will once again be a bullseye. The elephant in the room is Rizzo has been one of the most shifted players and with the new rules, he could benefit. A buying opportunity exists if the room is ignoring this, but it's unwise to anticipate a huge difference.

France may not sport the typical corner infield skill set, but it plays and can be a fantasy asset when used in the proper lineup build. His primary skill is an elite contact rate as his average exit velocity is 24th percentile flanked with a 29th percentile hard hit rate. France's fly ball exit velocity is a little higher, allowing him to maintain a slightly above average HR/FB. Put together, France has registered a wRC+ of 133, 130 and 127 over the past three seasons. His job as the Mariners' every day first baseman is secure, and manager Scott Servais likes to hit him in a prominent lineup spot. France's run production should benefit from an improving Seattle lineup. It hurts a bit that France no longer has second base eligibility, but France can provide batting stability with enough power to merit mixed league corner infield consideration.

As fantasy managers, we want all the data we can get to analyze how a player will perform. One thing we cannot measure is what happens when you disrupt a player's situation with a midseason trade and we saw that come to pass with Bell last season. The first baseman was having a terrific fantasy season for managers who bought back in at a great price this past winter until the deadline deal to the Padres where he slipped back into 2020 levels of production without the excuse of a pandemic at its peak to blame. His performance simply cratered out west dropping from a 143 wRC+ with the Nationals to a 79 wRC+ with the Padres. The pre-trade performance was some of the best production we have seen from Bell while the performance with the Padres was a return to the 2020 season which tanked his value he established during the happy fun ball season of 2019. His 2021 numbers are a more realistic expectation of what the 30 year old free agent can do in a full season, but he is on his third team in less than a year after signing with the Guardians to be their designated hitter.

Casas, a hulking 6-foot-4, 252-pound first baseman, finally made his MLB debut late last season and projects to be Boston's starter out of camp in 2023, especially with Eric Hosmer cut loose. He has huge raw power to all fields, boasting an elite 40.2 Hard% in the minors and a 110.5 mph max exit velocity in a tiny MLB sample (53 batted balls). A lefty hitter, Casas had a .617 OPS in 2022 and a .591 OPS in 2021 against minor-league southpaws. Considering chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom came from Tampa Bay, it wouldn't be surprising to see Casas on the strong side of a platoon if Boston is intent on winning as many games as possible in 2023. He has consistently logged walk rates over 14 percent and projects to offer more value in OBP leagues than AVG leagues. Casas is not necessarily overweight, but he has a massive frame, so it is mildly concerning that he missed time with the ankle injury and was dealing with a knee injury at the end of the season that lingered into Dominican Winter League play.

Aguilar's fantasy value was heavily dependent upon his RBI opportunities, which were aplenty in 2021 when he had the tablesetters in front of him in the lineup. They were not on the roster or hurt in 2022, and thus Aguilar's RBI opportunities evaporated like an ice cube on South Beach in July. His RBI production nearly fell by half in the same amount of plate appearances as he struggled to reproduce his value last season before things got even worse after he was dealt to Baltimore. Yearly splits are a noisy indicator, and Aguilar's wRC+ against lefties shows that with his 128, 145, 86, 158, 114, and 57 scores in recent seasons. He has been league average against righties in that time, but his overall value tanks as he struggles against lefties. Aguilar saw everything crater last season as his StatCast profile went from mostly red to all blue in a hurry with no metric above the 50th percentile. He could end up signing on in a DH platoon situation to start if a club is looking for a rebound, but until he shows signs of life, he can be avoided until late reserve rounds.

Naylor was limited to 69 games in 2021 after he underwent surgery to address a broken ankle, which briefly delayed his start to 2022. He appeared in 122 games and served as a platoon option at first base and designated hitter, and he had significant struggles against left-handed pitching with a .512 OPS in 127 plate appearances. Naylor clubbed 20 home runs total and crushed righties with a .283/.334/.522 slash line, which should at least keep him on the strong side of a platoon to open 2023. He also had solid strikeout and walk rates (16.1 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively), which provides a solid floor for his 2023 outlook, especially if he's able to improve when facing southpaws.

Belt suddenly started hitting for more power in 2020 and maintained that boost in 2021, though his injury problems returned. Last year, the injuries persisted while the power boost faded away, leading to the weakest season of his 12-year career. His .213/.326/.350 line was good for a career-worst 96 wRC+, and he only appeared in 78 games between three separate trips to the injured list, once with COVID-19 and twice due to knee injuries. Chronic inflammation in his right knee eventually led to surgery in early September. Those knee troubles likely deserve much of the blame for the fact that his OPS dropped by 299 points, making him an interesting late lottery ticket for those betting on an optimistic outcome from his surgery. Given his extensive injury history and the fact that he's heading into his age-35 season, however, pessimism might be the wiser approach. Belt joined the Blue Jays on a one-year, $9.3 million deal for 2023, and he's poised to serve as the team's primary designated hitter, which could help him stay healthy.

Dalbec closed 2021 on such a high note that many thought he was on his way to a big 2022. Alas, that never materialized as Dalbec once again struggled to make contact and struggled mightily against righties leading to a demotion to Triple-A and the short side of platoons until injuries forced him into more playing time. Dalbec can still sting a baseball with the best of them, but his infrequent contact with the baseball limit the moments his bat can make a fantasy impact and he instead serves as a drag on your batting average. Doubling down on the issues is he hits down in the lineup which limits his overall run production. You do not give up on power like his in fantasy, but Boston is rumored to be looking to move on from him and that change of scenery may be just what he needs to push up the run production. Of course, excessive playing time could turn his numbers into another Joey Gallo situation.

Walsh had a strong first full season in the majors in 2021 with 29 homers, 98 RBI and an .849 OPS, but he cratered last year and posted a .215/.269/.374 slash line. He also required surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome and missed the final month of the season, though it's unclear how much the injury affected his 2022 production. The first baseman's strikeout rate spiked to 30.4 percent, while his walk rate fell to 6.0 percent. Pitchers attacked the strikezone more against him last year, and his contact rate dropped more than two percentage points. He was expected to provide some lineup protection for Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani but instead regressed significantly. The offseason acquisitions of Gio Urshela, Hunter Renfroe and Brandon Drury significantly cloud Walsh's outlook for 2023 as he doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role with everyone healthy.

Torkelson is a cautionary tale that prospect hype doesn't always translate to immediate MLB success. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft made his much-anticipated debut on Opening Day 2022 but never really got going for the Tigers. He batted .190 in April with a 33.8 percent strikeout rate, which set the tone for the rest of his rookie season. Torkelson was optioned to Triple-A Toledo in July to help get him back on track, and he returned to Detroit in September. He was marginally better over the final month of the season, batting .219 with a 21.7 percent strikeout rate. Overall, it was a disappointing campaign for the 23-year-old, but fantasy managers should remain patient. Torkelson was regarded as an elite hitter during his time at Arizona State, and prospects sometimes just take a little longer to get comfortable in the majors. The Tigers are also still very much in rebuilding mode, so they should have plenty of playing time available for Torkelson. If he gets off to a better start in his second season, he could hit his stride and never look back.

For the second straight season, Semien led MLB with 724 plate appearances. His first nine games with the Rangers were disastrous with a .369 OPS. However, Semien recovered to post a .756 OPS the rest of the way. His 107 wRC+ was the third highest of his career, but that does not capture his 25 steals, by far his season high. Semien's Statcast page doesn't portend power, but he's quietly a fly-ball hitter with an uncanny ability to cluster them down the line where most fences are within reach. A career .263 BABIP reflects his fly-ball nature, but a strikeout rate around 20 percent props up Semien's average enough so his power/speed combo plays in any format. It would be more comforting if Semien's success was greater supported by a higher exit velocity or hard-hit rate, but Semien's track record of getting the job done lands him among the top fantasy second basemen, buoyed by excellent durability.

After Gimenez's showing in 2022, it seems safe to say the Guardians indeed found their long-term shortstop in the Francisco Lindor trade. Gimenez was 40% better than league average by wRC+ in 2022, racking up 17 homers and 20 steals on 23 attempts. Factoring in his exceptional defense, Gimenez ranked as a top-15 position player in all of baseball by fWAR. There are reasons to think he was playing over his head offensively last season, including a .353 BABIP, .257 xBA and 14.0% HR/FB. Expect some regression with the rate stats, but Gimenez should still be highly sought after in drafts thanks to his well-rounded skill set and everyday role. With his steals in particular, someone may jump the 24-year-old above ADP on draft day.

Polanco will look to bounce back to his 2021 All-Star form after injuries derailed his season for the second time in three years. Polanco was slightly underperforming but near his typical production in the first half of the season with 14 home runs and a .786 OPS. He hurt his knee Aug. 15 on a slide and only played nine games the rest of the season due to left patellar tendinitis. Before the injury, Polanco had a similar hard hit rate (38.7% to 37.4%), exit velocity (89.0 to 89.4) and Barrel rate (10.2 to 10.1) of his All-Star season and had a career-high walk rate (14.4%). His underperformance may have been due to a career-low .269 BABIP. Polanco has decent power for a middle infielder and good command of the strike zone, so a bounce back appears likely. He'll need to stay healthy after a chronic ankle injury also hindered his 2020 season.

Merrifield was the subject of trade speculation since he broke out for the Royals in 2017, and the team finally dealt him to the Blue Jays last season. It's really a move that came a couple years late, as the veteran utility man had a career-worst .642 OPS for Kansas City prior to the deal. He fared better in Toronto with a .769 OPS in 44 games, so he's heading into 2023 with a slightly more positive outlook. The 34-year-old closed out last year with 11 home runs, 58 RBI, 70 runs and 16 stolen bases, with the steals representing a significant dip from his 2021 production (40 thefts). Joining the Blue Jays' potent lineup should provide a boost to Merrifield's counting stats in 2023, and he'll likely open spring training as the favorite to start at second base. Even if he does continue to rebound from his poor first half of 2021, Merrifield shouldn't be expected to rediscover his All-Star form from 2018 and 2019, when he had a 115 wRC+.

Torres rebounded from a 2021 power outage with 24 homers, one third of which were opposite field shots at home. He also hit fly balls at a career high 46% clip, with the uppercut approach adding a couple ticks of exit velocity. Torres' 45.3 HardHit% was 5 points higher than normal, fueling a 77th percentile level. Torres was given the keys to second base where he proved to be a much better defender than shortstop. The only negative to Torres' campaign was slightly less running, perhaps due to getting caught five times in 15 tries. Torres' change in approach is encouraging for maintaining power, though he'll be hard-pressed to approach the 38 homers he hit with the fun ball in 2019. While Torres doesn't rank among the top tier at the keystone, with last year's bounce back he merits consideration for the next tier, keeping in mind the quality at second base is a step down from the other infield positions.

Lowe took hold of an everyday role in 2021 and delivered an .863 OPS and 39 homers in 149 games, but a nagging back injury limited him to only 65 games last year. He batted .221 but finished 2022 with a slightly-above-average 104 wRC+, and he also cut his strikeout rate nearly five percentage points to 22.9 percent. It's unclear exactly how much the back injury affected the second baseman's production, and it's worth keeping an eye on whether the issue resurfaces again during 2023. He fared better against left-handed pitching with a .793 OPS, though that success may not indicate much since it covered only 48 plate appearances. A return to his 2021 form shouldn't be expected, but Lowe should be in store for a bounceback season in 2023.

Massey was promoted for his big-league debut in July and quickly returned to the minors, but he was promoted again a few weeks later and remained with Kansas City for the rest of the campaign. The 2019 fourth-round pick had a .243/.307/.376 slash line with four home runs, 17 RBI and three stolen bases in 52 games and primarily played second base. He had a solid 13 percent barrel rate and .450 xSLG, so he showcased some pop in his first taste of MLB action. Massey's potential for counting stats is limited given Kansas City's lineup, but he should receive the opportunity to establish himself at the keystone in 2023 given the current state of the roster.

A calf strain and subsequent setback cost Wong three weeks. He would go on to slash .281/.372/.490 with nine homers and seven steals in 64 games after the All-Star break, although he lost time to lefties as his struggles against them mounted (.138/.266/.175 vs. LHP for the season). Wong hit .294 against southpaw pitching in 2021, but he has an obvious platoon partner in Dylan Moore after getting sent to Seattle in the Jesse Winker deal, so a loose platoon should be expected to begin 2023. Wong has proven to be productive against righties in his career with a solid average and a splash of both power and speed. He has only cleared 500 plate appearances twice in the majors and yet has recorded double-digit homers and steals on five occasions. His speed is waning as he pushes closer to his mid-30s, perhaps leaving some question about the sustainability of his stolen bases.

Schoop took a step back in his third year with the Tigers and had arguably the worst season of his MLB career. After hitting 22 home runs and tallying 84 RBI in 2021, he fell back to 11 home runs and 38 RBI. Schoop also posted a career-worst .561 OPS, down significantly from the .755 mark he recorded a season earlier. Bad luck was partly to blame, as the veteran infielder saw his BABIP drop from .317 in 2021 to just .234 last year. However, Schoop also displayed reduced power, as his ISO dipped to .120, a new career worst. Schoop has always provided decent power from the middle infield with very minimal speed, so if he's not driving the ball as much anymore, he won't offer much from a fantasy perspective. It seems like Schoop has been around forever, and he will be entering his 11th season in the majors, though he's still only 31, so he might have a little left in the tank. Schoop could have some fantasy value if he can get back to hitting the ball out of the park more regularly, but he could just as easily continue to decline as he gets older.

One of these years, Altuve will let us down, but 2022 was not the year, as he had his best season by wRC+ by repeating his four-category volume, albeit not in the way anyone predicted. Houston's issues at the bottom of the lineup limited Altuve's opportunities to their rebuilding years levels, but the 18 steals in 19 attempts was a huge surprise after his three-year run of 16 for 24 on the bases. He was one of four players (Berti, Andrus, Marte) to swipe at least 18 bases at age 32, and for the first time since 2017 we have seen more than two players swipe that many bases. The changes in the rules may help Altuve's steals hold up another season, but treat double-digit steals as a bonus. The lineup around him and the home ballpark insulate him somewhat from the aging curve that he continues to evade. The physical similarities could raise the same age concerns that beset Dustin Pedroia at this age, but that is likely the only way he gets remotely discounted in drafts this season.

Talk about making the most of one's opportunities! Rengifo went from someone projected to filling a utility role to inheriting a starting position as the Angels roster fell apart and having one of the more surprising seasons for waiver wire fodder. He had 14 homers and 13 steals between Triple-A and the majors in 202, but previous exposure to MLB pitching gave us little reason to believe he would finish the 2022 season with 17 homers while finishing fourth on the club in homers. The impatient hitter looks for fastballs early and often and 10 of his 17 homers came off such pitches last season. He walks almost by accident which limits his on-base opportunites and thus capped his stolen base chances last season. The skills profile needs the volume to produce the results because his ability to avoid strikeouts is his one outstanding offensive skill as nearly everything else grades out below average. The normal worries of a regression in homers do not really apply here as the GB/FB rateand the HR/FB rates in 2022 are mirror images to what he did in 2021 in more limited playing time. A healthy Anthony Rendon (it can happen!) pushes Rengifo back to second base but he retains his dual-eligibility heading into the season with an additional shortstop qualification if your league has a 10-game threshold.

Frazier hit a modest .238 last season, marking the second time in three years that he's finished the year below .240. That's an issue for a player who's averaged just eight homers and eight steals per 600 plate appearances over the course of his career. When the hits fall as they did in 2021, when a .339 BABIP helped him to a .305 average, he contributes enough in that category to have broader fantasy appeal, but when his BABIP drops to .268 like it did last season, he doesn't do much outside of deeper formats. Expecting much more than last year's career-high 11 steals in his age-31 season seems unwise, as does expecting him to suddenly hit for even passable power. His 1.5% barrel rate and 23.8% hard hit rate both sat in the second percentile. Between his contact and defensive versatility, Frazier still has enough to offer MLB clubs, but he does so little else that it's no surprise the Orioles will be his fourth team in the last three years.

Diaz has enjoyed the perfect fit for his offensive abilities the past few seasons even though he has functioned in a reserve role nearly his entire stint with Houston. The versatile utility player may be getting a surprise late-career playing time bump after getting a two-year deal with Oakland, which has perhaps the least-talented 40-man roster in the league. While he may be getting a boosted role, it comes with a massive downgrade in home park factors for a right-handed hitter. He can still hit the ball hard and has the athleticism to pretty much do anything but catch in a pinch throughout a game. There's nothing glamorous about Diaz, but his role and lineup placement should lead to him being viable in AL-only leagues and as a deep-league streamer for those chasing plate appearances.

Of the 130 qualified hitters last year, Kemp ranked last in average exit velocity (84.4 mph), last in max exit velocity (103.2 mph) and last in hard hit rate (14.9%). With all that in mind, you might be surprised to learn that he finished with a passable 91 wRC+. That number serves as a reminder that his .235/.307/.334 slash line was partially the product of the offensive environment both leaguewide and at Oakland Coliseum. Still, that line didn't help many fantasy teams, especially when paired with a modest seven homers. Kemp makes plenty of contact, striking out just 12.4 percent of the time, but that contact is so weak that he can't be relied upon to boost your batting average. You might expect a diminutive utility man with his batted ball profile to be a speedy, slap-and-run type, but his sprint speed has been below 50th percentile for four straight seasons, and he's topped out at 11 steals. Kemp's contact rate and his path to playing time on a depleted Oakland squad give him a respectable floor, but few regulars will have a lower ceiling.

Arroyo now appears firmly planted into his role as a utility player at the big league after playing five different positions for Boston in 2022. The former first round pick has never showed enough offense for a starting position or even fantasy relevancy in most formats, but he has now produced slightly above average offense results in two consecutive seasons. Even if we were to combine those two seasons, we are still not looking at much of a fantasy asset. He can pounce on a lefty mistake and still has some speed, but it's a slow first step and it limits what he can do in the field as well. Arroyo is the type of player that goes in the late rounds of a deep AL Only league, and nothing will change that outlook for 2023.

Ramirez is a machine who consistently pumps out terrific fantasy seasons yet rarely goes first overall in a draft. He finished as the third best player behind Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt this year despite playing two-thirds of the season with a hand injury, which required offseason surgery. Ramirez set a career high in RBIs thanks to better talent in front of him in the lineup, while his homers and runs scored numbers dropped, likely due to the hand injury and the inconsistent talent behind him in the lineup. The 2022 season was the fourth consecutive season in which he swiped 20 or more bases in a full season as well. The only knock on him is that he is a mere human at the plate when he hits righty, but only because he is so terrific hitting from the other side, where he spends 80 percent of his time in the box. He still is unlikely to go first overall in a draft, but he is money in the bank when he is in the lineup with infinitesimal risk in his profile.

Coming out of the break, Devers .324/.379/.602 was pacing for a career-best year. He then spent 10 days on the IL with a sore hamstring. After returning, Devers was unable to recapture form, posting a .248/.325/.383 line the rest of the way. Other than the 1.5-mph drop in fly-ball exit velocity, Devers' underlying skills weren't much different over the second half, but his BABIP dropped from .353 to .289. For the season, he still managed a career-best 140 wRC+, but a drop in homers and a less potent Red Sox lineup resulted in fewer than 90 runs and 90 RBI for Devers. He eclipsed the century mark in each of the prior two full seasons. His defense remained below average, but he showed signs of improvement. With Devers still just 26-year-old, his best season is probably yet to come. He doesn't run, but Devers crushes the rest of the categories. He may not be first-round material, but he's in the discussion.

Henderson was shot out of a cannon last season, putting up a .312/.452/.573 slash line and 176 wRC+ with more walks (19.7 BB%) than strikeouts (18.3 K%) as a 20-year-old at Double-A. He subsequently got the bump to Triple-A, and while his production predictably dipped slightly, he still established himself as one of the game's elite prospects and got rewarded with a taste of the majors. Henderson's plus all-fields power is his current top skill for fantasy, and that may always be the case. However, he should also be a good enough hitter to add value in batting average and add significant value in on-base percentage. His 26.4 K% at Triple-A and 25.8 K% in the majors aren't very concerning when considering he won't turn 22 until late June and was well above the league average as a hitter at both stops. The young third baseman stole 23 bases on 27 attempts and has a 91st percentile sprint speed, so he could add double-digit steals over a full season. He primarily hit fifth in the majors and is one of Baltimore's bluechip building blocks, along with Adley Rutschman.

Suarez's time with the Reds came to an end last March when Cincinnati sent him and Jesse Winker to Seattle for outfielder Jake Fraley and two pitchers. The park downgrade didn't matter for Suarez as he continued to do what he always does; take his walks, strike out and hit homers. His strikeout rate ticked up to a career-high 31.2%, continuing what is now a five-year trend of increase in that number. With that level of swing and miss, Suarez will be prone to slumps. He's the type of player that needs a full season to find his level but in the end he's typically around 30 homers and 80 RBI. If you have the batting-average foundation already in place, Suarez makes a lot of sense in drafts as the third-base position begins to dry up. His 2021 was rocky but keep in mind the Reds were playing him at shortstop and his struggles in the field were clearly affecting him at the plate.

While he will always have his vocal detractors as a result of his purported involvement in the 2019 Astros cheating scandal, Bregman should be able to rest easy at night knowing he's lived up to expectations as the No. 2 overall pick in 2015. He's a two-time All-Star and now a two-time World Series champion, having hit .294/.379/.569 in the most recent postseason to help manager Dusty Baker secure his first ring. Bregman was limited in 2021 due to quad and hamstring issue and underwent wrist surgery in November of 2021, which may have sapped his power early on in the 2022 campaign (.410 SLG at the end of June). He would go on to slug over .500 after the All-Star break. Running is something Bregman has abandoned, but the highly-capable bat and RBI opportunities batting behind Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez make Bregman an appealing option to consider after the elite tier of third basemen are off the board.

Turner was on his way to avoiding the IL for the second straight season when he was felled by an abdominal strain just after the break. He played sparingly over the final two weeks after fouling a ball off his left shin. Turner continued to produce at an above-average clip in 2022, posting a 123 wRC+, but his .438 slugging percentage was his lowest since 2013. Turner maintained a high 43.4% fly ball rate, but he posted a low 7.7% HR/FB as his fly ball velocity dropped to its lowest level since 2018. Turner's strikeout and walk rates remained stellar, he's just lost some bat speed in his twilight years. Turner's defense is league average according to defensive runs saved, but his range is decreasing. That shouldn't be much of an immediate concern after he signed with the Red Sox, as he should see most of his time at designated hitter with Rafael Devers locked in at third base. Turner is still a mixed-league asset but be ready to pull the plug if his already waning power is slow to show itself.

Previously known as "the guy who blocked Vladimir Guerrero for a while in 2019," Drury turned himself into a trade chip for the Reds with a career first half. In the end, Drury slashed .274/.335/.520 with 20 homers in 92 games with Cincinnati. He was moved to San Diego where the numbers predictably slipped along with his HR/FB. Drury is a journeyman utility player now on the wrong side of 30, but the Angels still brought him aboard for two years and $17 million. Drury has legitimate pop and is eligible at three positions entering 2023 (1B, 2B, 3B), and it's unclear where he'll see most of his time in 2023 given the Halos' crowded infield. He is a tough sell as a starter in mixed fantasy leagues given his track record of mediocrity, though if you need flexibility off the bench, Drury makes some sense.

2022 was a mixed bag of fantasy success for Chapman. He made the adjustment from Oakland to Toronto, and an eight-percentage point reduction in his strikeout rate helped him raise his batting average 19 points last season. Yet, he still hit 14 points below the league average and simply replicated his home run total from the previous season when many were expecting a Rogers Centre boost to his homers away from O.co Coliseum. On the plus side, he once again avoided the IL as he has done for three of the past four seasons but even hitting .250 in a season appears to be a distant memory for him as he has not done so now in four seasons. He still makes excellent hard contact and could potentially benefit from the new shifting rules as his wOBA against the shift fell 103 points when he changed divisions. It would be foolish to expect a full rebound in that area as a well-positioned second baseman next to the bag still has a fighter's chance of stopping anything up the middle. He would hit higher in a less talented lineup as he did in Oakland, but that is not likely to happen in Toronto in 2023.

Miranda had an impressive rookie season by hitting 15 home runs with a .751 OPS, showing his late-blooming minor league career was no fluke. Miranda hit .344/.401/.572 with 30 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021 at age 23, but began 2022 in the minors. He was called up in early May, but hit just .164/.200/.284 in 19 games and was sent back down. Given a second chance when called up at the end of May, he caught fire and hit .287 with a .797 OPS in his final 106 games, splitting time between third base and first base and becoming a regular in the lineup. Miranda features above average power (55th percentile Avg. Exit Velocity and 63rd percentile Hard Hit rate) with strong contact rates (79.5%) and above-average strikeout rates (18.5%). He's a below-average glove at third base, which could hinder him from finding a regular spot in the lineup without the premium power needed at first base or DH. Still, Miranda has enough of a well-rounded skill set at the plate to find his way into regular playing time.

Rendon underwent right wrist surgery in June, effectively ending his season although he returned at the tail end of the campaign to serve a five-game suspension for his role in a brawl that occurred less than a week after his surgery. That's now behind him and so he enters 2023 with a clean slate, but how much he plays over the course of the season is anyone's guess. Rendon was limited to just 58 games in 2021 due to a variety of injury issues, with a hip injury ultimately requiring season-ending surgery, meaning he's played in just 105 games over the past two years. The Angels traded for Gio Urshela in the offseason, ostensibly to provide help around the infield but more to provide insurance for Rendon specifically.

LeMahieu delivered a strong first half with a .279/.383/.403 slash line and 48:45 BB:K in 83 games, but he scuffled down the stretch and hit .195 after the start of August. He was playing through a toe fracture but eventually landed on the injured list and missed most of the final month of the season. The injury likely played a role in his struggles, and he ended up with the worst BABIP (.285) of his big-league career. Overall, he played in 125 games and had a career-best 12.5 percent walk rate, while his strikeout rate (13.1 percent) remained steady with recent seasons. LeMahieu took a major step back in 2021 and was rebounding well in 2022 prior to the injury, which is encouraging news for his outlook going forward. However, he'll turn 35 years old in July and may have a more difficult time reaching the highs of his first two years in New York, both of which netted him a Silver Slugger.

Urshela bounced back from an injury-plagued 2021 season to find a home at third base with the Twins and post career highs in hits and plate appearances with a productive 119 wRC+. He may have been more valuable with his glove with a 4.6 UZR, which was sixth among third basemen. Urshela makes good contact (his 81.2 contact rate ranked 42nd among qualified batters) which typically results in a plus batting average but he also has slightly above-average power (66th percentile Max Exit Velocity). He had just 14 home runs last season but may have been held back by a 9.1% HR/FB%. He lost shortstop eligibility last season, but still has the upside of a 20-home run hitter with a near .300 batting average and a nice batting average floor. Being traded to the Angels doesn't do much to improve his outlook in a crowded infield, though Urshela should at least be able to garner a handful of starts per week. Still, the move likely represents a downgrade for his fantasy stock.

Jung has been tabbed as the Rangers' third baseman of the future for a couple years now, and after foot and shoulder surgeries delayed his ascent, he finally made his big-league debut at the end of his age-24 season. Drafted eighth overall in 2019 as a hit-over-power corner infielder from Texas Tech, Jung's power has seemingly passed his hit tool as his most impactful skill. He had an elite 42.0 Hard% and a concerning 0.13 BB/K at Triple-A. Predictably, Jung whiffed plenty in the majors (38.2 K%) and didn't walk much (3.9 BB%), but he still got to that plus power in games, hitting five home runs in 102 plate appearances. The Rangers will likely allow Jung to keep playing through reasonable struggles in his first full MLB season. He was hitting in the 4-to-6 range of the lineup down the stretch, so he should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. The realistic fantasy upside this season is what we've come to expect from Matt Chapman, but Jung may also go through some prolonged struggles at the plate as a rookie.

Would you believe Diaz fell just two runs shy of leading the Rays in runs scored last season? He finished one behind Arozarena despite nearly 100 fewer plate appearances because Kevin Cash rewarded Yandy's on-base skills by hitting him very high in the lineup when he was able to play. Diaz was one of just five players (min 500 PA) with more walks than strikeouts on the season and finished 90th percentile or better in 9 of the 12 offensive measures on StatCast. He sprays the ball to all fields and the plate and is just as likely to hit the ball the other way as he is to loft a mistake in over the fence. The groundball tendencies are never going away, but he hits the ball so hard that it sometimes works in his favor so that the ball skips through or the bouncing ball buys his lumbering body enough time to get down the line safely. His ability to hit for a high average is extremely dependent on his BABIP; if it slips below .300, his average falls precipitously. He is two years removed from free agency with the Rays, which likely means he is trade bait at some point in 2023 given their track record of moving assets on a similar timeline. Overall, he remains an above-average offensive talent but a change in scenery could move him from the top of the lineup to the bottom third of a deeper offensive lineup.

Traded from the Twins to the Yankees in March, Donaldson finished below league average by wRC+ in 2022 after nine seasons of well-above-average production. By the end of the campaign, Donaldson was drawing the ire of Yankees fans, especially as he limped to a .172/.333/.207 line in the postseason. His walk rate declined, his strikeout rate jumped six percentage points from 2021 and Donaldson ranked in the bottom third of the league in terms of xwOBA. The track record should mostly outweigh his recent disappointment, but Donaldson is heading into his age-37 season and the bounce-back may not be to the extent some expect. At one point considered something of an ironman, Donaldson now seems likely to miss time at some point. He could also get more frequent days off even when healthy.

Rookies are supposed to struggle, but someone forgot to tell Witt Jr. He crushed the ball throughout the Cactus League and defied the odds to make the Opening Day roster for the Royals. While he did struggle to accept walks, leading to issues in OBP leagues, he also became just the sixth player age 22 or younger to homer at least 20 times and steal at least 30 bases, while also scoring 80 runs and driving in 80, joining the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr, Cesar Cedeno, Willie Davis and Mike Trout who did that at ages 21 and 22. Many of his age peers were still in A and AA ball while Witt Jr had an above league average OPS despite the low walk total. He has gone from wildcard last winter to a likely first-round selection in standard 5x5 leagues this winter. The OBP penalty may hang around for another season, but he could be peak Hanley Ramirez in a hurry with his bat and legs.

At the All-Star break, Bichette sat with a .257 average, a .720 OPS and seven steals in 13 attempts. Water eventually finds its level. Bichette cut his strikeouts back down -- 24.3 K percentage in the first half, 19.2 percent in the second half -- and took off to the tune of a .337/.378/.543 line after the intermission. He also improved his efficiency on the basepaths in the second half, going 6-for-8 in steal attempts. In retrospect, those who jumped Bichette into the first half of the first round last spring were a little overzealous, but don't let that disappointment keep you from investing in 2023. There are no questions about Bichette's ability with the bat. If anything, the fact that his sprint speed ranked only mid-pack might be of slight concern.

Anderson's 2022 season was a challenge on many levels for him, from managerial issues to the hand injury which eventually ended his season on Aug. 9. Through it all, Anderson maintained the ability to hit for a very high average as he is the only player in the league to hit over .300 in each of the previous four seasons. That skill helps him maintain a solid OBP despite an anemic walk rate that had him on pace to challenge his career high in steals from 2018. The batting-average talents are helped both by his ability to use all fields and the fact that he is one of the toughest batters in the league to strike out -- he lowered his strikeout rate nearly six full percentage points from 2021. The one downside to remember is that he has missed 30-plus games in three of the past four full seasons, having just once exceeded 150 games played. A new manager and a repaired hand should have him in a better place for 2023.

Volpe's season line (.246/.341/.450) was fine, but he got off to a pretty rough start at Double-A, whether due to an adjustment to the pitching, the cooler spring weather in the Eastern League, or just random variance. From June 10 on, he hit .268/.360/.492 with 14 home runs, 29 steals (on 32 attempts), a 17.7 K% and an 11.4 BB% -- numbers much more in line with preseason expectations. Volpe has always been a hit-over-power prospect whose minor-league steals totals have exceeded his speed grades from scouts (generally considered a 55-grade runner). Considering Isiah Kiner-Falefa (26 SB attempts) and Gleyber Torres (15 SB attempts) had the green light, Volpe should get the same, but it would still be unwise to expect him to approach the 41.5 steals he averaged over the past two years in the minors. Slow starts aside, Volpe's AVG declined steadily as he climbed the ranks (.302 at Single-A, .286 at High-A, .251 at Double-A, .236 at Triple-A). He only got 99 plate appearances at Triple-A to close the year, posting a career-worst 30.3 K%. That said, he was 21 and won't turn 22 until late-April. The Yankees are keeping the middle infield clear for some combination of Torres, Oswald Peraza and Volpe, and Volpe is the least ready of that trio, so it shouldn't be assumed that he will be given the job early in 2023.

The Rays bet big on Franco last winter in the form of an 11-year, $182 million contract extension. This was after just 70 games at the big-league level for Franco, so it's clear Tampa Bay, a notoriously "frugal" franchise, is head over heels as are most evaluators. His 2022 season did not go as planned as Franco battled a quadriceps injury before undergoing surgery in July to repair a fractured hamate bone. While his numbers in 83 games leave something to be desired, Franco continued to display excellent contact skills, with Statcast putting him in the top 4% of the league in terms of xBA. He was also a perfect 8-for-8 on the basepaths. The switch hitter returned to play in 25 regular-season games down the stretch, slashing .322/.381/.471. In time, Franco could prove to be a better-in-real-life-than-fantasy sort of player, but beware of any definitive labels put on this all-world talent as they could look silly a year or two from now.

The pressures that come with a 10-year, $325 million contract didn't seem to faze Seager, who established a new career high with 33 homers in his first season with the Rangers. He also drove in 80-plus for the second time in his career, and while his batting average was slightly disappointing, that was largely the result of a .242 BABIP that should be expected to return closer to his career norm (.317). The Statcast numbers suggest it was mostly bad luck as he crushed the baseball to the tune of a 97th percentile xSLG. Seager does not run but he puts bat to ball with great consistency -- his strikeout rate has ranged from 15.5% to 16.1% over the past three seasons -- and he's still just entering his age-29 season. A three-time All-Star, Seager is the type of player that could be an MVP candidate with sustained health and a little better luck on the field.

Correa returns to Minnesota after a wild offseason that saw him agree to $300+ million, 10+ year contracts with the Giants and then Mets only to be negated by concerns over the long-term health of his right ankle during a physical. Correa suffered the injury in the minors in 2014 and had a plate inserted in his ankle. Fantasy managers have given up any hope for steals out of Correa (where the risk to his leg may be a factor), but he is a solid four-category player as long as he remains on the field. A bruised finger kept him on the IL for a spell last season, but he closed the campaign on a high note, finishing with an .853 OPS that was nearly identical to his mark from his last season in Houston. And while the concerns over the long-term risk of his leg prevented him from getting a larger contract, it doesn't appear to be an issue in the short term. Correa's run and RBI totals took a big step back in both categories in 2022 despite enjoying relatively good health, but he could improve if the rest of Minnesota's lineup has better health after an injury-plagued season.

Pena had the task of replacing the void left by Carlos Correa's departure in free agency over the winter. Pena had no major league experience coming into the season and had just 160 plate appearances at the minor league level the previous season, but finished the season slightly better than league average with a 102 wRC+. Few would have projected him with double-digit steals let alone double-digit homers, yet the rookie did both hitting more homers in 2022 than he had in his professional baseball career from 2018-2021 and stole more bases than he did in 2019 and 2021 combined. He didn't accept many walks in Triple-A in 2021 and accepted even fewer as a rookie while striking out often, but the Houston lineup was deep enough to absorb these risks and keep his excellent defense in the lineup as often as it was. The profile is rather reminscent of a younger Javier Baez with perhaps a little more contact, but the same types of risks apply with the conditions ripe for a sophomore slump.

Everyone remembers the infamous ceremonial first pitch by 50-Cent years ago, yes? Baez absolutely would have swung at that pitch in 2022. The first year Tiger led the league with a 49% out of zone swing rate last season chasing anything and everything thrown toward home plate and only Luke Voit had a worse swinging strike rate baseball last season. Perhaps the pressures of a big free agent in a new home fell upon him as this was easily the worst season of his career as he struggled to adjust to the spaciousness of Comerica Park after so many years in the Friendly Comfines in Chicago as he hit .220 with 7 homers at home compared to .253 with 10 homers on the road this past season. Despite his lack of selectiveness, he did surprisingly well with runners in scoring position hitting .296 with a .496 slugging percentage which allowed him to drive in 47 of his 67 RBIs on the season.However, a .212 average with a .260 OBP with the bases empty, which they often were in Detroit, impacted his abilities to score runs and steal bases. The second year rebound many free agents have seen should come into play here with Baez as he reduces his impulse to swing his way out of his struggles. He has never been the most disciplined hitter, but 2022 was as bad as we have ever seen from him and not the new reality.

Rosario essentially repeated his 2021 campaign with two exceptions. First, he was more durable, playing in 153, a dozen more than the previous campaign. More importantly, Rosario's defense markedly improved, which is key since the Guardians have a treasure trove of promising middle infielders and Rosario's newfound defensive prowess makes it tougher for the club to replace him. At the dish, Rosario's strikeout rate dropped to a career best 16.6%, helping to offset a small dip in BABIP. Rosario swiped 18 bases in 22 chances and is a candidate to run more with the new rules. Rosario hit second most of the season, helping buoy run production, but he's a candidate to drop down, lessening his impact as a compiler. Rosario remains a mid-tier asset at a position replete with top-end talent, but he isn't a sure thing to repeat last season's volume.

Andrus had a .237/.301/.373 slash line in 106 games for the A's before he was cut loose in August, but he found success for the White Sox the rest of the way with a .773 OPS. In total the veteran shortstop had 17 home runs (the second-highest total of his career), 58 RBI and 18 stolen bases, production that's worth noting given the depressed offense around the league. He also continues to provide a strong glove, and his 105 wRC+ was the first time he's delivered an above-average bat since 2017. Andrus' late resurgence should be able to secure him a major-league contract during the offseason, though it remains to be seen if any team is willing to sign him to be their primary shortstop given his overall struggles over the few years.

Crawford took a small step back from his .273/.338/.376 slash line in 2021, but poorer offensive production across the league meant he still had a 104 wRC+ despite a .675 OPS last season. His usually-strong defense also took a step back with a minus-three DRS and minus-11 OAA. Crawford inked a $51 million extension in April, so his spot in Seattle's infield is secure, and he won't be shifting off shortstop following the acquisition of Kolten Wong. Crawford's contact and on-base skills (13.3 percent strikeout rate, 11.6 percent walk rate) remain solid, but his lack of power and speed doesn't provide much broad fantasy appeal. He hit leadoff 26 times in 2022, but the Mariners will likely want a more consistent bat atop the order, so he shouldn't be expected to be a strong source of runs either.

Mateo played all over the diamond in his first two seasons, but he was installed as the Orioles every day shortstop and stayed there all season. Defensively, Mateo was superb, but at the dish, a poor approach resulted in an up and down campaign, though through it all Mateo ran as he led the American League with 35 steals. A 27.6% strikeout rate and a .286 BABIP suppressed his average. The low BABIP came from a 41% fly ball rate, which supports low double-digit power, but clashes with a player possessing below average exit velocity and hard-hit rate but runs with 90th percentile sprint speed. Entering his 28-year-old campaign, Mateo could still improve his contact and hit more grounders, but there are no indications he'll adjust. Baltimore signed Adam Frazier and has a wave of more well-rounded infield prospects ready to help in 2023, so Mateo may start shifting to a utility role sooner than later

Peraza got off to a really slow start to his first full season at Triple-A, but he slashed .311/.378/.555 with 14 home runs and a 21.4 K% over his final 53 games and was excellent (.306/.404/.429, 10.5 BB%, 15.8 K%) in small sample (57 PA) against big-league pitching to close out the year. Despite his Triple-A exploits, Peraza may not hit for significant game power in his age-22/23 season (104.6 mph max exit velocity), but his speed should play right away. He pilfered 35 bases on 40 attempts last season and has a 90th percentile sprint speed. His ability to make fairly consistent contact while playing solid defense at shortstop and second base gives him a high real-life floor, although he is likely ticketed for the bottom third of the lineup when the Yankees are at full health. The big questions are whether New York will enter the season with Peraza atop the depth chart at shortstop, and what Anthony Volpe's eventual arrival means for him. Peraza should be able to beat out Isiah Kiner-Falefa with a good spring training. From there, it would be up to him to perform well in order to stave off internal threats.

Another year, another season down the drain due to injuries for Mondesi. Former Royals GM Dayton Moore said in August 2021 that the infielder couldn't be counted on as an everyday player, and that was confirmed again in 2022 as he played in only 15 games before he suffered a torn ACL in May. Mondesi played in all but one game during the shortened 2020 campaign, but he's otherwise been unable to remain off the injured list since he made his MLB debut in 2016. He has 119 steals over the past five seasons despite the limited action and his .255 average during that stretch is respectable, though his 4.4 percent walk rate is poor. Mondesi will turn 28 years old in July and is entering his final year of arbitration, which prompted the Royals to move on, trading him to the Red Sox. Boston's middle infield is a mess with Trevor Story out after elbow surgery and Xander Bogaerts now in San Diego, so it's about as favorable landing spot as possible for Mondesi. Even if he manages to begin the season as a starter, the injury concerns leave Mondesi as nothing more than a late-round dart throw, albeit with some upside on the basepaths.

Judge and the Yankees were unable to agree on a contract extension prior to the 2022 campaign, and the slugger delivered a recording-breaking season in his final year before free agency. The outfielder, who will turn 31 years old in April, set an American League record with 62 home runs and also totaled 111 walks, 131 RBI and 133 runs scored with a .311/.425/.686 slash line. The thing that really vaulted him into rarefied fantasy air was a surprise 16 steals on 19 attempts after previously having a career-high nine steals back in 2017. He endured his share of injury issues in the past but played in a career-high 157 games and has missed only 19 contests across the past two seasons. Judge is unlikely to deliver a repeat performance in 2023, though he should remain one of the most productive hitters in MLB after landing a huge nine-year deal to stay in pinstripes. If he remains aggressive on the bases and stays relatively healthy, Judge should return first-round fantasy value even with regression across the board.

A strong spring from Rodriguez forced Seattle to break camp with him as their centerfielder. He did not disappoint, capturing the AL Rookie of the Year award. Rodriguez's season could have been even better as he improved over the second half, but wrist and back issues limited him to 41 games after the break. Rodriguez's exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel percentage and speed were all at least 90th percentile. His 25.9 percent strikeout rate and 7.1 percent walk rate could use some work, but that should come as the 22-year-old continues to develop. While it's fair to point out Rodriguez swiped 21 bags in his first 82 games but then stole only four bases in his final 52 contests, playing hurt could have slowed him down as he initially jammed his wrist sliding, so he may have just been cautious the rest of the season. Rodriguez merits top-five overall consideration, with a salient argument for him to be the first player off the board.

Tucker broke out during the shortened 2020 campaign with an .837 OPS and has established himself as a key cog in the Astros' lineup over the past couple years. During 2022 he hit exactly 30 home runs for the second straight season and also stole 25 bases while being caught only four times in 150 games. He saw his batting average and ISO drop about 40 points each to .257 and .221, respectively, but he showed minor improvements in both his strikeout (15.7 percent) and walk rates (9.8 percent). Tucker's solid defense in right field further cements his spot in the everyday lineup, and his 129 wRC+ in the heart of Houston's potent order will continue to provide ample opportunities to rack up counting stats during his age-26 season in 2023.

Despite missing 43 games, Trout smacked an even 40 homers in 2022, tying Pete Alonso for third in baseball. The missed time was the result of a rare back condition called costovertebral dysfunction, but he returned to hit 16 of those aforementioned 40 homers in his final 40 games (.308/.370/.686 in that span). Running seems to be a thing of the past, as Trout attempted just one steal last season and has a total of four stolen bases over the past three seasons, but there's no doubt the hitting skills are still elite. Eliminate running from the equation and the only variable is health; we should realistically bake in roughly a month of missed time, but Trout can do more in 130 games than most can contribute over a 150-game season. He's headed to the Hall of Fame one day, and Trout is still a ways from his twilight years.

Alvarez has few peers in Major League Baseball; Juan Soto is perhaps the only player on his level in terms of zone management and overall hitting skills. Alvarez's Statcast page is comical, as he led MLB in average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and barrel percentage. Alvarez drew 78 walks while striking out only 106 times in 561 plate appearances during the regular season. Despite playing in only 135 games and stealing only one base, Alvarez finished as a top-10 roto hitter in 2022. We still have to worry about his knees, although his absences last season weren't directly related. The 25-year-old is under contract with the Astros long term and maintains outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues entering 2023.

With Hernandez heading into his final season before free agency and due well north of $10 million through the arbitration process, the Blue Jays traded him to the Mariners in November in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and prospect Adam Macko. The move comes with a park downgrade for Hernandez, though he should slot into the heart of a quality order in Seattle. Hernandez didn't come all that close to replicating his All-Star 2021 season from a run-production standpoint, but it was still an excellent campaign, as he reached 25 home runs in his third consecutive full season. He will chip in a handful of bags around the extra-base hits and strikeouts (career 29.4 K percentage). While his defense does not grade well, that's not going to cost him playing time in 2023, as the M's need his bat in the lineup every day.

In a season where we saw offense decline as a whole across the league, Jimenez had a chance to shine at the plate in what was a loaded lineup on paper in Chicago. Like many things on the southside, things worked out poorly and Jimenez played in just 84 games on the season. The .295/.358/.500 slash line with 16 homers and 54 RBIs in essentially half a season shows what the young man is capable of when his body and mind are in sync. We should be thankful he did not injure himself in Spring Training with silly stunts, but the hamstring injury in mid April kept him out until early July. Once he shook off the rust, he hit .323/.391/.558 in the second half with 14 of the 16 homers. We do not know what baseball awaits us in 2023, but we do know that this young man has all the potential in the world even if we have yet to see it over the course of a full major league season.

When Buxton is on the field, he's one of the best players in baseball. Alas, he hasn't played more than 100 games since 2017. Buxton hit a career-high 28 home runs in just 92 games (and his second best 382 PA) with a .832 OPS and was the starting center fielder for the AL All Star team. Buxton hurt his knee in Minnesota's 7th game of the season which caused severe tendinitis. He avoided the injured list for the injury but the Twins rested him frequently with a pattern of playing in center field, DH and then a day off every three games. He then suffered a hip strain Aug. 23 which landed him on the injured list and he was shut down for the season once the Twins fell out of the playoff race. He had offseason surgery on the knee and is expected to be ready for spring training. Buxton can strike out too frequently (30.4% last season) but has elite power and bat speed. He ranked 11th in MLB in Barrel rate and 7th in average Exit Velocity (both per Baseball Savant). Buxton may be the fastest player in MLB, which results in supreme efficiency on the base paths, but the Twins limit his opportunities for both strategy (the Twins were last in SB attempts) and health concerns. Buxton has 40-30 potential if he has a full healthy season, but Minnesota's strategy of frequently resting him last year could cap his fantasy upside if that becomes the norm.

Mullins lost more than 100 points off his slugging percentage, but he stole 30 bases for the second consecutive year and thus remains a star in the rotisserie game. His HR/FB was effectively cut in half from 2021, and fittingly, his homer total was essentially halved. Mullins struggled against left-handed pitching, slashing .209/.265/.313 against same-side pitchers compared to .279/.340/.441 against right-handers. Those splits were not nearly as pronounced in 2021, but if they continue, Mullins will leave himself open to platooning, especially if the Orioles do indeed push into a competitive window. The speed is so rare nowadays that Mullins is worthy of early-round consideration in many fantasy formats even if there are lingering questions about his bat.

Arozarena turned in his second consecutive 20-20 campaign despite not hitting his first long ball until May 9. He added 12 bags to his 2021 total and cut his strikeout rate by close to four percentage points. Statcast's expected stats paint Arozarena's game in a rather unfavorable light, but keep in mind only Trea Turner, Jose Ramirez and Arozarena have gone 20-20 the past two seasons in Major League Baseball. This is a rare skill set and the outfielder seems to like his round numbers as he briefly talked about the possibility of 20-40 after reaching 20 homers in late September. A lot hinges on Arozarena continuing to play every single day, which generally goes against the Rays' philosophy. He has been the exception to the rule the past couple seasons.

Robert's durability issues subsist after he was able to play in only 98 games, albeit a new personal high. He dealt with a groin issue, COVID-19, lightheadedness/blurred vision, a sprained wrist and a bruised hand. Through it all, Robert lowered his strikeout rate to a career-best 19.2%, but his average exit velocity dropped, and he hit more groundballs. The result was a drop in both power and batting average though Robert's running picked up a tad. With so many injuries over his first three seasons, it's impossible to gauge Robert's true skill level, other than to say it has the potential to be elite. Nothing in his litany of injuries appears to be chronic, so there is hope Robert can shake the health bug and develop. The temptation of a healthy season showing off plus power and speed is keeping Robert as a top-12 outfielder in early drafts. Giving in is a matter of risk management with such a huge reward.

Vaughn continued to see inconsistent playing time early and spent time on the injured list with a hand bruise, but in the end he totaled 555 plate appearances, second most on the team. The White Sox used the third overall pick in 2019 to select Vaughn out of college and brought him up quickly even with a lost year of development time due to the pandemic. He has more than held his own, offensively, hitting for respectable power (32 homers) and average (.255) in 261 big-league games to date. While Vaughn has not been good in the outfield, it looks like he will get to move back to his natural position of first base now that Jose Abreu is in Houston. Expect another step forward with the bat in Vaughn's age-25 season and perhaps two if he can be a bit more discerning and selective with the breaking ball.

Most of what was expected of Springer since he signed with Toronto has come true, good and bad. 2022 saw Springer dip back into the fountain of youth and swipe 14 bags in 16 attempts marking the first time since 2015 he finished with a double-digit steals total. He also hit 25 homers for the first time away from Houston and/or minor league parks while continuing his OBP skills thanks to his ability to both accept walks and punish the baseball to all fields. The downside of his tenure in Toronto has been a signfnicant amount of time missed as he has played in 211 of the 324 contests over the past two seasons and dealt with knee and elbow troubles down the stretch in 2022. He had minor elbow surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow after Toronto was knocked out of the playoffs so Springer should at least begin the season healthy. He has 30/100/100/10/.270 potential if he can figure out a way to avoid the IL in 2023.

Kwan finished third in a strong field for AL Rookie of the Year. His game is contact as he sported a 3rd percentile average exit velocity and 1st percentile hard-hit rate. along with a 78th percentile sprint speed. Even after Kwan became Cleveland's regular left fielder, fantasy managers were skeptical he'd offer ample category juice to warrant a pickup. He mustered only 38 extra base hits, but Kwan surprisingly swiped 19 bases in 24 tries. Add in 90 runs and Kwan was a three-category contributor, the perfect complement for high-power, low-average sluggers. A hitter of Kwan's ilk will be subject to the whims of BABIP, but a minuscule 9.4% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate offer a batting average floor. Kwan's low-power profile is more palatable with the new MLB rules, especially since he plays for a club designed to take advantage. The team build needs to accommodate Kwan, but there's a pathway to profit.

The trepidation over Garcia's poor plate skills proved unwarranted as he essentially repeated his 2021 campaign, even adding a few more steals. To his credit, Garcia's strikeout rate improved from 31.2% to 27.9% while his walk rate went up a tick to 6.1%. His defense declined, but he was still a plus defender and Garcia played a career high 156 games. Garcia's fly ball exit velocity was well above average. In fact, his xHR suggests he was shortchanged in the department. Garcia ran a lot more and should continue to do so with the new rules. Last season, Garcia was available at a discount but that's vanished. However, despite the small improvements in approach, Garcia's subpar plate discipline still puts him at risk for a downturn. The power-speed combo is enticing, but chasing it is dicey.