Ranking the Top 100 players in fantasy baseball drafts in 2025, from Judge to Trout

The long, dark winter is over, and spring training is here. Welcome back to the bright green grass, the smell of pine tar, the sound of the crack of the bat, and the seventh-inning stretch. In Florida's Grapefruit League and Arizona's Cactus League, youngsters battle for a spot on the roster, and veterans shake off the rust.

That means it's also Fantasy Baseball draft season, and whether it's your first time playing or you're a seasoned veteran, everyone can benefit from reviewing the fundamentals. 

All leagues are different, so check your league's scoring settings before the draft. The standard league awards points for winning categories: runs, RBIs, home runs, batting average, and stolen bases for hitters, as well as ERA, WHIP, saves, wins, and strikeouts for pitchers.

But many leagues award points similar to fantasy football, and some leagues are just downright kooky! The number one piece of advice that I give to any newbie is don't make any assumptions and double-check your scoring settings — they can significantly affect your draft strategy and the value of certain players (for example, Juan Soto is worth a lot more in an OBP league than an AVG league).

I like to be conservative in the first couple of rounds of the draft. If, for example, your league entry fee is 100 gummy bears, then your first-round pick is worth 30 gummy bears, and your second-round pick is worth 20, etc., so you want to protect your equity early on. Draft the safest guys. They may not be as likely to finish the year as the number one player on the player rater, but they are also not as likely to get hurt or underperform.

I don't want to draft a guy coming off a career year that ends up as an outlier. There will be time to shoot for the moon in the later rounds. Remember, the draft is just a foundation; the league is won during the season on the waiver wire, and by making trades. 

I use a lot of Statcast in my player evaluations. I like hitters who hit the ball hard, barrel it and have good expected stats (xwOBA, xSLG, xAVG) and pitchers with strong advanced metrics (xFIP, FIP, SIERA, xERA, K-BB%) and at least three pitches with ~25% whiff rates, but it's not my only source of information.

Jose Altuve, for example, always has more than a few blue Statcast bars and yet he produces like a top second baseman. I also consider their finish on the previous season's Player Raters, their age curve, their lineup position (because higher in the lineup means more at-bats means more chances to produce), simple back-of-the-baseball card scouting, and a lifetime's experience following the trends of the game.

If you follow this draft kit to a tee, you will have a team heavy on starting pitchers. Last season, of the top 100 players on the Player Rater, 40 were pitchers. This year, the consensus rankings on Fantasy Pros only have 31 pitchers in the top 100. Before I did any ranking, I knew I wanted ~30 starters in my top 100 and ~10 relievers. 

Therefore, this is not a 'draft guide', because it doesn't consider the optimal draft pathing strategy. This list attempts to predict the end of season 2025 Player Rater.

Be strategic about who you draft. If the top three players on your board are pitchers, then a first baseman, then three more pitchers, draft the first baseman, and see which pitchers fall to you on your next pick. You can't win a league during the draft, but you certainly can lose one.

Don't overdraft players because they are your favorites or on your favorite team. Be objective and evaluate based on statistics. With that said, I acknowledge my implicit bias toward all Yankees; as hard as I try, I can never see them through a genuinely objective lens. 

If you want to talk ball or debate or give me feedback on the list, you can find me on Blue Sky @lucastalksball.bsky.social.

Top 100 Players in 2025 fantasy baseball

Fantasy baseball 2025 draft notes

This list is a snapshot of where I stand as of March 6th, 2025.

If you are in a daily league and Ohtani can play DH and pitch, he is the better choice over Judge.

Zack Wheeler is durable and consistent, precisely the type of guy I want anchoring my staff.

Skenes is the best pitcher in baseball, but how many games will he win on the Pirates?

I'd rather have a guy who can contribute solidly in five categories than one who can contribute a lot in four. 

I'm worried about Acuna's ability to bounce back and remain healthy. 

Ketel Marte has no red flags on his Statcast, but I'm skeptical he can replicate his age-30 breakout season since he's never had two seasons of that caliber back-to-back in his career.

There's a high correlation between wins and fantasy value for pitchers. That's why I'm high on players like Valdez and Imanaga.

Jasson Dominguez can be a rookie contributor to the five-category list, and I predict a 20 HR/20 SB floor.

Felix Bautista was as dominant as Clase before he got hurt and is one of my favorite 'sleepers.'

Willson Contreras (STL) will play a lot of first base, so I expect him to get more volume than the average catcher.

I would rank Yamamoto and Sasaki much higher, but I am worried about the injury risk of those two. They are very talented.

More Fantasy Baseball News & Analysis: