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Thunder Dan Palyo projects which ten hitters will finish the season in the top 10 for the 2025 fantasy baseball season.
It's never too early to examine the first month of results in fantasy baseball and start making some predictions about the value of hitters for the remainder of the season.
Some first-round picks, such as Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Juan Soto, have failed to produce big numbers just yet, but should we expect them to be in the mix for a top-10 finish when the dust settles in September? Meanwhile, some other players, such as Jung Hoo Lee and Tyler Soderstrom, are producing at an elite rate despite being taken late in drafts. Can they sustain these hot starts, or will they surely fall in the rankings as the season goes along?
It's a long season, and there is much baseball left to be played. But, just for fun, let's take a look at the current top-ten hitters in fantasy and make some predictions about who ends up there at the season's end.
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Current Top 10 Hitters Fantasy Baseball
According to Yahoo's player rankings, here are the top 10 most valuable hitters in 5x5 roto leagues as of April 17, 2025.
| Hitter | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG |
| Aaron Judge | 20 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 0.409 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | 16 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 0.348 |
| Kyle Tucker | 19 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 0.301 |
| Tyler Soderstrom | 16 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 0.324 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 21 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 0.329 |
| Corbin Carroll | 16 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 0.329 |
| Jung Hoo Lee | 19 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 0.338 |
| Pete Alonso | 12 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 0.365 |
| Wilmer Flores | 11 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 0.242 |
| Jackson Chourio | 15 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 0.262 |
Aaron Judge continues to crush the baseball and is hitting over .400 while also flexing his power numbers. There's not much chance that he pulls a Ted Williams and finishes at .400 this season, but he's on pace to match his HR numbers from prior seasons, and if he can keep hitting for average, then the No. 1 spot in the rankings feels like a lock.
Aaron Judge is in a league of his own 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mpPHB6AobR
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 17, 2025
Don't look now, but Fernando Tatis Jr. is healthy and also being aggressive on the basepaths. He's the ultimate power/speed guy and on pace for the best year of his career. If he fell to you in the second round, you have to be feeling good about his performance so far, and I like his chances of keeping it going for the rest of the year.
Before the season, Tatis Jr. said it was the best that he had felt in three years, and he may finally be ready to reclaim his place among the top hitters in fantasy baseball. Stay healthy, Fernando!
Kyle Tucker's first year in Chicago is going quite well. He's cooled off a bit over the last week, but he's hitting in the middle of what looks like a very solid Cubs lineup and should be in a great spot to drive in 100 runs this season while also swiping 20 or more bags.
The biggest surprises here are Soderstrom and Lee. Both are talented young players who are proving they can hit with the best in the league. Soderstrom's power is legit, and the small park dimensions in Sacramento could help him push for a 35 or even 40-homer campaign.
He doesn't make enough contact to hit .300, but his power should carry him to a strong year, and he's easily the best value pick from drafts so far. I wouldn't be selling high on him right now, even if this red-hot start isn't entirely sustainable. Just enjoy the value and know that you have one of the best-hitting young first basemen in the game.
Conversely, Lee doesn't have nearly as much pop in his bat (don't tell Carlos Rodon that as Lee homered twice off him in one game this week), but he does have a terrific hit tool, and I could see him in the mix for the NL batting title. His .338 average is no fluke; he's making great quality of contact and is set up for long-term success, hitting third for a Giants offense that has surprised many with their hot start.
Jung Hoo Lee has 9 singles and 10 doubles. 😮 pic.twitter.com/P6csuPNi5c
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 17, 2025
Pete Alonso has been smoking the baseball and has some of the best contact metrics of any hitter in the game right now. He's striking out less often than in other years of his career while hitting for power to all fields. We've never seen him do this for a full season, but if he can keep the high rate of contact up, he's going to hit a ton of home runs and doubles this year and drive in a bunch of runs.
Highest xwOBA - Last 2 Weeks
Tyler Soderstrom: 0.496 xwOBA
Kerry Carpenter: 0.485 xwOBA
Jonathan Aranda: 0.481 xwOBA
Pete Alonso: 0.476 xwOBA
James Wood: 0.471 xwOBA
Corbin Carroll: 0.468 xwOBA
Corey Seager: 0.462 xwOBA
Aaron Judge: 0.461 xwOBA— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) April 17, 2025
If there's one fluke here, it's Wilmer Flores. His 23 RBI are carrying him despite a weak .242 average. He's going to come back to earth with those power numbers, and the rest of his profile is very average. We know who Wilmer is, and he's not an elite hitter by any means.
Projected Top 10 Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Using a blend of ATC projections, Nick Mariano's projections, and my own opinions, here is my projected top-10 finish for hitters in the 2024 fantasy baseball season.
| Hitter | Projection | Current Rank |
| Aaron Judge | 1 | 1 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 2 | 5 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | 3 | 2 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | 4 | 32 |
| Corbin Carroll | 5 | 6 |
| Kyle Tucker | 6 | 3 |
| Elly De La Cruz | 7 | 24 |
| Juan Soto | 8 | 122 |
| Jose Ramirez | 9 | 152 |
| Mookie Betts | 10 | 51 |
I have to keep Ohtani near the top, even if I do think Judge can unseat him for the top spot. Tatis Jr. has staying power as long as he's in the lineup. Bobby Witt Jr. will make his move sooner or later, and I'd be amazed if he isn't a top-5 hitter when all is said and done.
Tucker can stick around, this production is sustainable, and we've seen him do it in Houston when he's been healthy. I'm keeping Tatis Jr. in there (stay healthy, Fernando!) and Corbin Carroll, too, who I didn't mention in the first section and is ripping the baseball. If Carroll starts stealing some bases, look out! We could see him end up having the season in 2025 that many managers who drafted him last year were expecting.
HE DOES IT AGAIN 😤
Fernando Tatis Jr. is now tied for the Major League lead in home runs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rm2pdENst0
— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2025
I think Elly De La Cruz will find his way up there, too, especially once he starts stealing more bases. His average is always going to hold him back, but the lineup around him this year is improved, and the Matt McLain effect should help propel him to a big year.
Juan Soto and J-Ram are too good not to find their way back into the top 10; they'll get hot here sooner rather than later. I'm not too worried about either guy, and I might be shaking the trees on a trade with a manager in my leagues who is disgruntled about their slow starts.
And the 10th spot was down to Mookie Betts or Jackson Chourio. For now, I'm going with the veteran Mookie, but Chourio has looked great and will certainly be in the mix all season long, too. It all comes down to health with Mookie, as he wasn't able to stay on the field enough last year to pay off his price in drafts.
Chourio was taken by many in the second round and is paying off that tag already. If he keeps this up, he could be a first-round pick in 2026.
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