2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Explanation
Oct 6, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) hits a single during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The quintessential fantasy baseball article is the preseason ranking where you can once and for all see the list of players to draft. After lots of time spent creating this list and then editing it and amending it even more for new perceptions of players or injuries, I finally think I have my 2015 fantasy baseball rankings ready.
I could continue to tinker with these rankings forever, but I am releasing my 2015 rankings as of today. If there are any other injuries, roster moves, or anything else, then I will go back and alter the rankings on the spreadsheets up until Opening Day.
The overall rankings are made up of 275 players that I formed from positional rankings that I made to help me create a composite list. I went 20 deep at catcher, 25 deep at 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS, 75 deep in the outfield and at starting pitcher, 5 utility only players, and 35 deep at RP. All but a few of these players in the positional rankings appear in the 2015 fantasy baseball rankings.
Also, players who are eligible for multiple positions appear on both positional lists, which will be posted after the list of the top 275 players. For example, Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals is listed as both the top second and third basemen in my rankings. (Yes, I am very high on him in 2015).
Above all, these rankings are not something that will be set in stone. They should be used as a gauge of player value. In fact, I already had an early slow draft in a keeper league, and I did not follow my own rankings exactly because I had to address certain needs to build my team. In fact, I would only use these rankings as a nice approximation and study guide after the first thirteen players. Every draft is different, and it would be foolish to stick to one list the whole way.
In my rankings, there may be a few players who go much higher (or lower) than they do on most other sites. That is okay because not everyone should have the same valuation. For example, I love Nolan Arenado and have him at #29, Neil Walker at #83, and Jimmy Rollins at #125. On the other hand, Jason Kipnis is all the way down at #84, Billy Hamilton at #100, and Pablo Sandoval at #159.
There is no magic formula for these rankings, and it is also not a precise list why you should take Nolan Arenado above anyone in the 30’s or the 40’s. You may be able to snag Arenado a round later and grab another top fantasy option instead. Again, rankings are just a part of your draft strategy.
Above all, just have fun with the rankings, and I hope it may challenge you to investigate a player that you disagree with. Also, there will be plenty of players with significantly different rankings than the site that you play on, so I would highly recommend checking those players out to see if they could represent either a major bargain or terrible draft pick.
The 2015 fantasy baseball rankings can also be viewed here on this Google spreadsheet. I can also email you my spreadsheet if you just put your email in the comments. The positions on the spreadsheet are color-coded. All of them are self-explanatory except for the players in yellow, which means dual eligibility according to ESPN.