The Winter Meetings and all the action before it has been so fun to follow. How stacked is Arizona?! A rotation of Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller, Patrick Corbin, and Archie Bradley! That sounds lethal. I will say though that two trades stuck out in my mind as extreme overkill to get a solid player and that would be the deals of Shelby Miller and Ken Giles. Miller is good, but Blair has a lot of potential to be a solid middle of the rotation arm and Dansby Swanson can be a franchise shortstop. And giving up Vince Velasquez for a relief pitcher? That to me was very questionable.

You may see that a lot of players no longer have the KBT (Kris Bryant Treatment) under their ETA. That is mainly because in my mind some teams may refrain from keeping players in the minors for that set period of time just because now Kris Bryant and Maikel Franco are fighting their respective teams over the issue of their delayed promotions. It won’t deter all teams from doing that to their players, but certainly it will serve as a notification to teams that they cannot do that to everybody and just expect to get away with it.

Be sure to also check out all of our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings articles and analysis. We have rankings and tiers across all positions, for MLB prospects, and for dynasty/keeper leagues.

 

Major League Prospects – Fantasy Power Rankings

1. Corey Seager (SS, LAD, MLB) – LW: 1
Stats: 550 PA, .293/.344/.487, 18 HR, 4 SB, 13.8% K rate, 6.7% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
It takes a lot of confidence for a team to plug their rookie shortstop into a starting postseason lineup, especially when he hasn’t reached even a full month of playing time in the majors. But that is the type of confidence that the Dodgers displayed with regards to Corey Seager. Seager was a part of the preseason elite three shortstops (the other two being Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa and we saw how talented they can be when given starting time) and is a lock to be the Dodgers’ starting shortstop on Opening Day next season. There are only a handful of shortstops that someone would consider drafting ahead of Corey Seager and it is highly advised for fantasy team owners that his name be taken off the board before the third/fourth round.

2. Tyler Glasnow (SP, PIT, AAA) – LW: 2
Stats: 109.1 IP, 2.39 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 11.20 K/9, 3.54 BB/9, 0.25 HR/9, 1.10 WHIP
ETA: KBT
A lot were surprised that the Pirates decided not to give Tyler Glasnow a look at the very end of the season considering how the Pirates were still in the division hunt and really needed some more pitching. They opted to leave him in the minors and wound up losing in the Wild Card game to the Chicago Cubs. Glasnow has absolutely dominated at every level of the minors that he has pitched and it looks like he is ready to face Major League hitters. It is very likely that the Pirates will leave him in the minors for those 12 days to retain his services for an extra year, but that shouldn’t prevent him from being taken in the draft.

3. Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS, AA) – LW: 3
Stats: 117.0 IP, 3.15 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 10.08 K/9, 2.85 BB/9, 0.23 HR/9, 1.28 WHIP
ETA: Mid-May
It is now official, Jordan Zimmermann will not be returning to the Washington Nationals in 2016. The right-hander signed with Detroit for five years, $110 million, thus opening the door for the Nationals to promote Lucas Giolito to the majors. Giolito has dominated the minors much in the same way that Tyler Glasnow has, though unlike Glasnow, Giolito has yet to reach Triple-A. Odds are Giolito may spend more than 12 days in Triple-A just so he can get accustomed to some upper level hitting. If the Nationals are able to survive without him, Giolito may not see time until Mid-May. If the Nationals struggle early and are in need of the arm to survive, they will likely promote Giolito to try to set them on the right course. You can’t blame them too much though for being overly cautious because we all remember what happened the last time they called up a highly touted pitching prospect a bit early.

4. Trea Turner (SS, WAS, MLB) – LW: 4
Stats: 500 PA, .322/.370/.458, 8 HR, 29 SB, 19.4% K rate, 7.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
While Jordan Zimmerman is gone, Ian Desmond is still on the open market. Is there a chance he returns to Washington? Sure. Is it likely? No. Washington is probably one of the last teams he would join at this point. That is because they have Trea Turner and they are very excited about what he brings to the table. Though he didn’t dazzle in his brief time in September, he has so much potential and has really torn up the minors with his blazing speed and solid contact approach to the plate. Though I wouldn’t recommend him being one of the top five shortstops taken in a fantasy draft, I do recommend fantasy owners consider him to be a top 10 shortstop option. His speed may not be as good as Billy Hamilton’s, but stolen bases are still a valuable thing in fantasy and he has a chance to lead the NL in that category.

5. Blake Snell (SP, TB, AAA) – LW: 6
Stats: 134.0 IP, 1.41 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 10.95 K/9, 3.56 BB/9, 0.47 HR/9, 1.02 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
Blake Snell has proven that he absolutely belongs in the majors and if he puts on a good performance in Spring Training, you should expect him to be in the Rays’ rotation come Opening Day. Snell is a player much like Bryant where he has proven through his Minor League numbers (a 1.41 ERA over 134 IP) that he is nothing if not ready to face big league hitters. He has the stuff to continue to back up his numbers in the majors and should be considered as a possible back end of the rotation starter for many fantasy teams. Consider drafting him with plans of having him as your fifth starter.

6. Jose Peraza (2B, LAD, MLB) – LW: 8
Stats: 521 PA, .293/.316/.378, 4 HR, 33 SB, 8.6% K rate, 3.3% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
When this offseason started, I thought for sure Jose Peraza was going to start at second base for the Dodgers on Opening Day. But with rumors swirling of a potential Chase Utley reunion, I can’t help but be a little bit hesitant. If Peraza starts the season with the team, he possesses a lot of value at a weak offensive position as a guy who can steal a lot of bases and hit for a very solid batting average. Peraza will remain high on this list unless the Dodgers acquire another middle infielder to be the double play partner for Corey Seager at which point Peraza’s value would likely plummet.

7. Steven Matz (SP, NYM, MLB) – LW: 12
Stats: 105.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 9.14 K/9, 2.91 BB/9, 0.51 HR/9, 1.06 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
There is not much to talk about with regards to Steven Matz that hasn’t already been said. He doesn’t have the highest upside of a lot of starting pitchers on this list, but he has the highest guarantee of playing time outside of Corey Seager. Matz will break the Opening Day roster as the number four guy in a loaded rotation and provides plenty of fantasy value as an underrated starting pitcher. Because of the big names in front of him in the Mets’ rotation, Matz will likely be overlooked by a fantasy team. But make no mistake, if he were in just about any other Major League rotation, you could be looking at a number two starter.

8. Joey Gallo (3B/OF, TEX, MLB) – LW: 9
Stats: 374 PA, .240/.342/.520, 23 HR, 2 SB, 37.2% K rate, 13.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
I have probably stated on numerous occasions that Joey Gallo is, to me, one of the strangest cases of a player in Major League Baseball even with there being many players of similar style to him. He is arguably the closest thing to a left-handed equivalent to Giancarlo Stanton, yet strikes out more than any other player should. Gallo is a very high risk/high reward player. He has such potential to hit gaudy home run numbers, but if he can’t bring the strikeout numbers back down to Earth, he may not be able to find consistent starting time for the Rangers especially with Mitch Moreland at DH, Adrian Beltre at 3B, and many options in the outfield. Gallo needs to prove that he can put the ball in play more than 65% of the time before he will be a Major League starter.

9. Jose Berrios (SP, MIN, AAA) – LW: 11
Stats: 166.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 9.47 K/9, 2.06 BB/9, 0.65 HR/9, 1.05 WHIP
ETA: KBT
Jose Berrios isn’t quite as much of a guarantee to start the season in the majors as Steven Matz, but he is arguably the closest pitcher to that total. The Twins are losing Mike Pelfrey and their rotation was already questionable before he left. Berrios has pitched very efficiently to this point in his career and has earned the right to show what he has in the majors. The only question for me right now is whether or not he will receive the Kris Bryant Treatment or break camp with the team.

10. Byron Buxton (OF, MIN, MLB) – LW: 5
Stats: 327 PA, .305/.367/.500, 7 HR, 22 SB, 19.3% K rate, 9.2% BB rate
ETA: Late April
Byron Buxton may concern a lot of fantasy owners because he didn’t set the world on fire in his brief stint of Major League action last season. Honestly, saying that he “didn’t set the world on fire” is an understatement as he was really bad. But many will forget that he started off his Double-A career really poorly as well before settling in and tearing it up. Buxton could be a bust, but it is far too early to give up on a player with as much raw talent as he possesses. Paul Molitor did recently state that there is a chance Buxton begins the season in Triple-A so fantasy owners are advised not to draft him early, but don’t pass him up if he is still available as a stashable fourth/fifth outfielder.

11. Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX, AAA) – LW: 7
Stats: 558 PA, .296/.366/.443, 14 HR, 2 SB, 18.3% K rate, 9.3% BB rate
ETA: Late April
Speaking of players who have played like they deserve to be in the majors, Nomar Mazara certainly fits that description. Mazara played extremely well in Double-A and proceeded to tear up Triple-A (granted in a limited 88 PA). The Rangers have a very perplexing outfield at the moment where they have a lot of players who are very selective in their skills and aren’t good at everything. I would be shocked if Mazara broke with the team after Spring Training, but he could very likely see Major League action in late April or early May. His power bat in the outfield and surprisingly good discipline at the dish could make him a valuable asset for teams in need of outfield fantasy depth. Without a guarantee of playing time however, fantasy owners would be advised to not take him until very late in the draft.

12. JP Crawford (SS, PHI, AA) – LW: 10
Stats: 500 PA, .288/.380/.414, 6 HR, 12 SB, 10.8% K rate, 12.6% BB rate
ETA: Early May
Based on the current state of the Phillies team, if they hope to sell any tickets at any point next year, they will need to promote JP Crawford. A team that a few years back looked like a dynasty now looks to be many years away from contention. JP Crawford hasn’t put up eye popping numbers in the minors, but brings so much to the table that fans and fantasy owners alike cannot wait to see him up in the majors. Crawford has decent pop (maybe 10 home runs a season) and great speed (30 per season) and can hit for a high enough average to make fantasy owners happy. He may not see Major League action until May, but he has so much potential that if promoted he immediately becomes a must own. Fantasy owners confident that he will be promoted could even risk a draft pick in the last couple rounds on him and stash him away in the event that he gets promoted early and tears up the majors.

13. Josh Bell (1B, PIT, AAA) – LW: 16
Stats: 518 PA, .320/.396/.450, 8 HR, 9 SB, 11.9% K rate, 11.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
It’s official: the Pirates have removed everybody ahead of Josh Bell in their first base depth chart. Pedro Alvarez is gone, Aramis Ramirez has retired, and Sean Rodriguez is now a free agent. Josh Bell is on the Bucco’s 40-man roster and should be starting at first base on Opening Day. His numbers are not going to blow anybody away at first and he should not considered to be a top-ten option at first base, but his combination of discipline and ability to make consistent contact make him a lock to hit near .300 and he has shown in the past flashes of 20 home run power. If fantasy owners would prefer to use early draft picks to stock up on great hitters in weak positions, then they should give very serious thought to drafting Josh Bell to be their first baseman.

14. Jon Gray (SP, COL, MLB) – LW: 18
Stats: 114.1 IP, 4.33 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 8.66 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 0.71 HR/9, 1.49 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
Jon Gray is right up there with Steven Matz as a lock to start on the 25-man roster for his team come Opening Day. And considering the Rockies’ current rotation, Gray could very likely start Opening Day for them. Maybe that’s too much pressure for the kid, but ERA aside (a ghastly 5.53) he was very solid in his time with Colorado in posting a 3.63 FIP, 3.84 xFIP, and 3.88 SIERA. Those numbers would suggest a middle of the rotation starter if placed in a stadium not named Coors Field. His numbers on the road were straight dominant too from the 2.70 ERA to the 2.63 FIP. If nothing else, Gray would be a very solid starter to stream for fantasy owners where they only start him on days that he is not pitching in Coors. Make no mistake, Jon Gray is capable of producing big time numbers in the majors.

15. Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN, MLB) – LW: 14
Stats: 525 PA, .288/.339/.386, 6 HR, 19 SB, 13.9% K rate, 7.4% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
The bat of Jorge Polanco is nothing spectacular, but for a shortstop it is fairly good. Polanco neither has blazing speed nor does he possess outstanding pop, but what he lacks in extraordinary skills he makes up for in overall consistency. He can hit for a solid average (.280 seems probable), swipe his fair share of bases (somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 per season), and occasionally hit one out of the yard (but don’t get your hopes up on those totals). Is he a top 20 shortstop for fantasy? Probably not. But outside of a few heavy hitters at the top, shortstop is arguably the weakest offensive position in baseball and many fantasy owners lack any sort of production from that position. Think of Jorge Polanco as a slightly better hitting version of Andrelton Simmons. Not outstanding at anything, but decent at everything.

16. Rob Refsnyder (2B, NYY, MLB) – LW: 17
Stats: 522 PA, .271/.359/.402, 9 HR, 12 SB, 14.0% K rate, 10.7% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
The addition of Starlin Castro muddies the water a little bit with regards to the Yankees middle infield situation, but one would imagine that Castro would play on the left side of the infield. Didi Gregorious has shown that he is not a completely terrible offensive player (and he is very talented defensively), but there is no doubt that Castro is a better hitter than him and Rob Refsnyder is arguably a better hitter than Gregorious as well. While it is no longer a guarantee that Refsnyder will start at second base for the Yankees next season, he is worth following up on because he brings a very intriguing bat that has decent pop, decent speed, and great plate discipline to a very weak offensive position.

17. Robert Stephenson (SP, CIN, AAA) – LW: 13
Stats: 134.0 IP, 3.83 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 9.40 K/9, 4.70 BB/9, 0.67 HR/9, 1.30 WHIP
ETA: Late April/Early May
Unlike Matz or Berrios, there is almost no doubt that Robert Stephenson will not break camp with the team. Stephenson has one of the best fastballs in the minors and a phenomenal curveball to go with it, but without proven control of either he will need to spend some time touching up in the minors before he is ready to pitch for the Reds. To this point, the Reds have been quite successful with developing young pitching and Robert Stephenson is the best arm to come through their system since Homer Bailey and could very possibly begin May with the team. Fantasy owners are not advised to draft Stephenson because of the risk that he may spend a significant amount of time in the minors, but his situation should be monitored as he has the potential to be a top of the rotation arm if called up.

18. AJ Reed (1B, HOU, AA) – LW: 15
Stats: 622 PA, .340/.432/.612, 34 HR, 0 SB, 19.6% K rate, 13.8% BB rate
ETA: Early May
AJ Reed has shown that he is very capable of hitting Double-A pitching, but he has yet to see one pitch at Triple-A. Kris Bryant had 330 PA at Triple-A before being promoted to the majors and while I don’t think Reed will be down in the minors that much longer, it is still unlikely that he sees any Major League playing time in before May. The Astros do have a glaring hole at first base and Reed could receive the Kris Bryant treatment if he absolutely tears up Spring Training, but for right now he is not necessarily draft worthy. Unlike many other power hitters on this list, he is really a medium risk/high reward player as he has not demonstrated at any level a tendency to strikeout at high rates. He will be in a Houston Astros’ uniform at some point this season and one would presume early, but at this point it is anyone’s guess.

19. Archie Bradley (SP, ARI, MLB) – LW: 19
Stats: 29.1 IP, 2.76 ERA, 4.81 FIP, 9.82 K/9, 3.07 BB/9, 1.53 HR/9, 1.40 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
The Diamondbacks rotation may have added a pair of really nice arms, but the Diamondbacks appear to be committed to further Archie Bradley’s development in the majors. He will likely serve as their number four starter behind Greinke, Miller, Corbin, and Rubby De La Rosa, but he has too much upside to be necessarily passed completely on. He did however struggle in his limited Major League action last season so fantasy owners are advised to leave him on the bench for a while and prove that he can handle the big leagues before throwing him into the starting lineup. He is worth a potential add for fantasy owners willing to take high risk/high reward guy.

20. Aaron Judge (OF, NYY, AAA) – LW: 22
Stats: 540 PA, .255/.330/.448, 20 HR, 7 SB, 26.7% K rate, 9.8% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
It sounds likely that Brett Gardner will be traded this offseason. And though nothing has actually happened yet, the fact that the Yankees are even considering dealing him means that he very well could be gone this offseason. Even if Gardner were to remain with the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers did just lose their lefty masher in <a title="Chris Young: Fantasy Baseball Player News & Analysis" target="blank" href="http://www.rotoballer.com/mlb/player/432934/Chris+Young">Chris Young. Aaron Judge has a very good chance of starting off the season with the Yankees in either left field or right field and he has such high potential as a player that he should not be ignored. The high strikeout totals cannot be overlooked however and fantasy owners are warned that he could be a potential rung below Joey Gallo in all facets of his offensive game (except speed) in that he will hit for slightly less home runs and will strike out slightly less. He could finish the season with a lot of home runs, but some fantasy owners may not be comfortable taking on the risk of a high strikeout guy.

21. Jesse Winker (OF, CIN, AA) – LW: 20
Stats: 526 PA, .282/.390/.433, 13 HR, 8 SB, 15.8% K rate, 14.1% BB rate
ETA: Early May

22. Christian Walker (1B, BAL, MLB) – LW: 21
Stats: 592 PA, .257/.324/.423, 18 HR, 1 SB, 23.0% K rate, 8.3% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day

23. Brian Johnson (SP, BOS, MLB) – LW: 24
Stats: 96.0 IP, 2.53 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 8.44 K/9, 3.00 BB/9, 0.56 HR/9, 1.10 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day

24. Hunter Renfroe (OF, SD, AAA) – LW: 23
Stats: 558 PA, .272/.321/.462, 20 HR, 5 SB, 23.7% K rate, 6.6% BB rate
ETA: KBT

25. AJ Cole (SP, WAS, MLB) – LW: 25
Stats: 105.2 IP, 3.15 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 6.47 K/9, 2.90 BB/9, 0.77 HR/9, 1.18 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day

26. Gary Sanchez (C, NYY, MLB) – LW: NR
Stats: 515 PA, .276/.336/.503, 25 HR, 11 SB, 19.6% K rate, 7.8% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day

27. Hector Olivera (3B, ATL, MLB) – LW: NR
Stats: 125 PA, .272/.326/.376, 2 HR, 0 SB, 11.1% K rate, 6.7% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day

28. Dylan Bundy (SP, BAL, MLB) – LW: 29
Stats: 22.0 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.81 FIP, 10.23 K/9, 2.05 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 1.18 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day

29. Tyler Goeddel (3B, PHI, AA) – LW: NR
Stats: 533 PA, .279/.350/.433, 12 HR, 28 SB, 18.4% K rate, 9.0% BB rate
ETA: Late May

30. Aaron Blair (SP, ATL, AAA) – LW: NR
Stats: 160.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 6.74 K/9, 2.81 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9, 1.17 WHIP
ETA: Early May

 

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