Posted By:Bretsky on March 8, 2021

Third base is loaded and one of my favorite positons to draft. We’ve got 30/30 contenders at the top, rock solid 30-100 corner guys in the middle rounds and a fat tier of undervalued veterans. I tend to lean towards the outfield early if my league has five outfield spots, but if not securing a third baseman from the top couple tiers with one of my first three picks is a solid strategy.

Jose Ramirez is thisclose to being in his own tier, with a power/speed combo that is not likely matched by anyone else at the position. He’s the only first-rounder at the position, but if you don’t tend to prioritize steals, there is a clear path for any one of Manny Machado, Alex Bregman, Anthony Rendon or Nolan Arenado to out-earn Ramirez on the season. For the record, Arenado will be just fine away from Coors.

ADP Targets

Alex Bregman (37) and Anthony Rendon (31) lost some ground comparing their 2020 ADP to early drafts this year, though there is little to point to in terms of diminished skills that would warrant the drop. I’m fine with buying the dip on either. I love Max Muncy (97) as I do every year (and even moreso in OBP and points leagues), but he looks a little better in a second base slot if eligibility allows.

Gio Urshela (156) remains a bit of an underrated name in a loaded offense. Josh Donaldson (195) and Kyle Seager (235) get the job done whenever they’re on the field. Ty France (419) looks to be earning his way some at-bats and remains an interesting flier in deep leagues

Top 40-ish Third Base Rankings for 2021

Posted By:Bretsky on March 5, 2021

Second base has proven to be the trickiest position to tackle in drafts. There is a bit of a larger first tier without a whole lot of gap between them. The problem? There really aren’t any truly elite options that can contribute across the board. While DJ LaMahieu and Ozzie Albies can provide solid bankable production, I’m not likely to spend a pick on a second sacker in the first two round of the draft.

Unfortunately, the secret is out on Brandon Lowe, who has been my favorite second base target over the past couple of seasons. Lowe’s 2020 power surge has made him a top-70 pick on draft day. Love the power stroke, hate the strikeouts. Lowe likely wont end up on any of my teams in 2021, and thats disappointing.

ADP Targets

I’m confident in a bounce back from Ketel Marte and his power/speed upside makes sense around pick 75. If Max Muncy keeps his second base eligibility in your format, he’s always a nice power option that can provide some versatility. I am willing to take a chance on a Jose Altuve bounce back inside the top-100 and veteran slugger Mike Moustakas remains a fine value in the Dan Uggla mold.

Beyond that the real value at the position comes at the back end and even outside the top 200 draft picks on average. Jonathan Villar (175) is just a year removed from a 24 homer, 40 steal season. Jean Segura (186) give you a little bit of everything, Cesar Hernandez (330) has a very nice average and runs floor witha  touch of speed and Jonathan Schoop (347) continues to be an underrated power option with 20+ homer upside coming off a very strong .278/.324/.475 season in 2020.

Top 40-ish Second Base Rankings for 2021

Posted By:Bretsky on March 4, 2021

Let’s kick of the 2021 season in style here at BretskyBall with our first base rankings. It’s a fun group of power bats to anchor your squad. The tough decisions start right at the top with Freddie Freeman and Cody Bellinger battling it out in the top tier. Bellinger showed us his upside in 2019 with a .305-121-34-115-15 line before struggling a bit out of the gates last season. Still, 12 home runs and six steals in 56 games is nothing to scoff at from Dodgers stud. The primary worry about Cody coming into the season is the health of his shoulder — injured celebrating his Game 7 NLCS bomb — but all indications are that the slugger should be just fine.

Freddie Freeman capture the NL MVP award in the shortened 2020 season, slashing .3341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI over 60 games. He’s been a rock at the dish, putting together a .306-110-34-108-8 per 162 pace.

When forced to choose between the top two first baseman, Bellinger gets the slight edge in our ranks with his ability to provide double digit steals. Both are fine picks in the late-first, early-second rounds but the strength of the second tier at this position likely has us looking elsewhere early in the first this season.

ADP Targets

New York sluggers Luke Voit (57) and Dominic Smith (120) leap off the page as some of our favorite values in drafts so far this season. Two of 2020’s breakout players should both continue to mash in prime run-producing spots in the middle of productive lineups. Digging a little deeper, betting on a bounceback from Josh Bell as he moves from Pittsburgh to DC to add a little pop behind Juan Soto in the Nationals lineup. Bell is currently the 141st player taken in drafts on average.

Looking even deeper, C.J. Cron in Coors is an intruiging late round option as is Jeimer Candelario who should be entrenched in the middle of the Tigers lineup.

Top 40-ish First Base Rankings for 2021

Posted By:Bretsky on March 4, 2021

I guess we gotta rank the catchers, right? It’s not really a fun prospect and I’m unlikely to spend on top-200 pick on a backstop. J.T. Realmuto remains in a tier of his own — so long as the pre-season hand injury does not hamper him.

You probably want to walk away with a top-12 catcher on this list in a single catcher league, so if it’s a 12-teamer, take whoever falls. In a deeper league, it’s fine to get ahead of the run, but don’t go nuts.

ADP Targets

If I’m grabbing a backstop in the top-200 picks, it’s probably Travis d’Arnaud whose currently sitting in the 135 range on average. Mitch Garver (213) and Wilson Ramos (271) look like solid gambles in the end-game.

Top 30 Catcher Rankings for 2021

Posted By:Bretsky on August 25, 2020

From our little corner of this crazy world, it’s hard to believe that we are already in the THICK of fantasy football drafting season. The lack of preseason games has limited the football action for those of you that thirst to watch second and third stringers duke it out for roster position, but in the fantasy world, that hasn’t stopped the hype and, unfortunately, the injuries from piling up.

As I sit here preparing for my first official draft of the 2020 season, this is how our rankings shake up. Things are changing with the news on an almost daily basis, so be sure to check back frequently as we tweak our ranks ahead of the season kickoff.

Have fun drafting and stay safe everyone!

Posted By:Bretsky on July 23, 2020

Though it felt like we may never get here, it is finally Opening Day. As we wrap up a second frantic draft season, it’s time to release one last set of our overall and positional rankings for the 2020 fantasy baseball season.

Enjoy the baseball and stay safe everyone!

Posted By:Bretsky on September 5, 2019

The season has arrived. Check back each week to find out weekly player rankings.

Posted By:Bretsky on September 5, 2019

The season is upon us. Here’s how we see the value stack up across the fantasy football universe.

Posted By:Bretsky on March 20, 2019

Struggling on draft day? We’ve done the work for you.

We’ve broken each position out into tiers, but if you don’t have time to get into all of that, find our positional rankings below in one nice big cheat sheet.

As always, feel free to send any question to help you at the draft table and throughout the season over us on twitter @BretskyBall.

Happy Drafting!

2019 Draft Day Cheat Sheet

Posted By:Bretsky on March 20, 2019

Draft season is in full swing. Let’s get right to it. Personally, I believe the positional tiered rankings are the way to approach your draft, but hey, sometimes you just want a big long list.

2019 Overall rankings