Eric Cross' Top 50 Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (July 2023)

July 14, 2023

Eric Cross' updated top 50 dynasty rankings for fantasy baseball (July update). These are the top MLB players to target in fantasy dynasty leagues for 2023.

It's hard to believe that the 2023 Major League season is almost half over but here we are. The first 90 or so games of the season have been incredibly exciting with plenty of rookie debuts, injuries, and players rising or falling in dynasty rankings. That's always the case, but this season feels a bit more tumultuous than usual, especially on the pitching side of things.

With values always changing and player profiles evolving, I update my dynasty rankings monthly throughout the season with my latest update coming about a week ago. Here are the top-50 of those rankings with blurbs on several notable players.

What Factors Into My Rankings

• Recent/Current Performance
• Projected future short-term performance
• Projected future long-term performance
• Safeness of the profile
• Age

Dynasty Rankings Notes

Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks

This is a sentence I wrote about Corbin Carroll from June's version of this article...

This is a no-doubt top-10 dynasty player that could even jump as high as #3 overall behind Acuña and Ohtani by the end of the season."

When I said "by the end of the season", I really meant by the all-star break. Carroll is one of just two players in baseball to exceed 15 home runs and 25 steals by the all-star break this season. Some guy named Ronald Acuña Jr is the other. Overall, Carroll has racked up 18 home runs and 26 steals with a .289/.366/.549 slash line. On top of that, he's on pace for 112 runs scored and 85 RBI as well.

None of this is fluky either as Carroll is running above-average quality of contact metrics and plate discipline metrics. Given his 30/50 upside and elite performance already, Carroll has now jumped to #3 overall in my rankings.

Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

We've already seen Corbin Carroll jump into the top-5 and it might not be long before Elly De La Cruz joins him. Given the upside and performance since his promotion to Cincinnati, De La Cruz jumped up to #11 in my rankings this month, and honestly, I almost put him a few spots higher. In 135 plate appearances, De La Cruz already has 16 steals to go along with four home runs and a .325/.363/.524 slash line. All of his elite tools have been on full display with a 98th percentile max exit velocity, 100th percentile sprint speed, and 98th percentile arm strength.

Can you imagine what that stat line would look like if De La Cruz wasn't hitting the ball on the ground 59.1% of the time? As expected, De La Cruz is chasing, whiffing, and striking out at worse-than-league-average rates, but none of those metrics are terrible and he even has a slightly above-average zone contact rate. So, are there still improvements to be made? Yes. But those improvements happening makes De La Cruz a no-doubt top-5 fantasy player.

Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox

After a slow start in April where he slashed .202/.248/.414, Robert has been mashing to the tune of a .299/.363/.645 slash line in 260 plate appearances with 21 home runs and seven steals. Only Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani have more home runs than Robert during this timeframe.

Robert's strikeout rate has ticked up to 28.5% this season and he's still only walking 5.6% of the time, but he's also running the highest barrel rate of his entire career and has a hard-hit rate above 40% for the 4th consecutive season. In general, I'm high on Robert and always have been. But at the same time, I'm very much aware of the red flags in the profile, including durability issues. If those red flags concern you even more than they concern me, I wouldn't blame you for looking to sell high right now.

Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have been one of the best teams in baseball this season and Corey Seager has been one of the main reasons for that. In 269 plate appearances, Seager is slashing an elite .353/.413/.613 with 12 home runs, 52 RBI, and 42 runs scored. The underlying metrics have been even better than that with elite quality of contact metrics (19% BRL, 94.8 mph AVG EV, 57.1% HH) and his usual sound plate approach. As long as Seager is healthy, he's a top-25 player for dynasty leagues.

Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves

I'm old enough to remember a time when many people on social media were saying that Michael Harris II wasn't legit or that you should sell in dynasty leagues. Those were funny times, weren't they? In this "What have you done for me lately" world that we live in, a 2nd-year player coming off a near 20/20 season as a rookie couldn't even catch a break with the masses.

After an 0/4 game on June 6th, Harris' slash line fell to .163/.246/.244 with two home runs and five steals in 138 plate appearances. Certainly disappointing for those that took him with one of their first three picks on draft day. However, since then, Harris is slashing .361/.369/.630 over his last 111 plate appearances with seven home runs and six steals.

Is Harris overly aggressive? Yes. Would I like to see him chase less and walk more? Also yes. But the 20/20 caliber player we saw in 2022 is 100% legit, and Harris possesses the contact skills to hit .260+ annually as well. Throw in all the runs and RBI that come with hitting within the Atlanta lineup, and you have a well-rounded five-category impact fantasy bat that should be considered in the top-25 overall dynasty conversation.

Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

Another Atlanta hitter surging lately is Ozzie Albies. As we head into the 2nd half, Albies has 22 home runs and six steals with a .262/.316/.510 slash line. Albies has improved his zone contact, whiff, and chase rates this season while seeing his Quality of Contact metrics return to their pre-2022 levels.

With the top of the rankings for this position in flux due to injury or poor performance, Albies has reclaimed his spot on the throne as my #1 second baseman in my dynasty rankings. Well, #2 if you include Mookie Betts who is eligible in some leagues.

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings

Updated: July 2023 | The full Top 500 along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see the full Top 500 along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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