Fantasy Baseball 2022 Rankings for Each Position and Latest Mock Draft

The return of baseball means fantasy managers will soon be hovering around computers, assembling with buddies and selecting the teams they hope will guide them to a championship in 2022.

There's a wealth of talent across the majors, and questions about which position to select first in hopes of amassing the best pool of talent for fantasy campaigns will dominate the discussion. 

Which players should you target first? Shortstop or first base? Trea Turner or Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? 

Find out now with this positional guide and mock draft. 

2022 Mock Draft (First Round, Standard Scoring)

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

1. Trea Turner, 2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B/DH, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
4. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
5. Juan Soto, RF, Washington Nationals
6. Bryce Harper, RF, Philadelphia Phillies
7. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
8. Mookie Betts, 2B/CF/RF, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
10. Mike Trout, CF, Los Angeles Angels

First Basemen

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1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
2. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Paul Goldschmitt, St. Louis Cardinals
4. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
5. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
6. Jared Walsh, Los Angeles Angels
7. Pete Alonso, New York Mets
8. Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
9. Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles
10. Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies

    

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should be your consensus No. 1 first basemen.

The 23-year-old had an MVP-caliber season in 2021, smashing 48 home runs, driving in 111 runs and amassing a .311 batting average and .401 on-base percentage. He was otherworldly for the offensive juggernaut that was the Toronto Blue Jays, and there is no reason to believe he cannot replicate that success in 2022.

Should fantasy fans expect close to 50 home runs again? Probably not, but Rogers Centre is a hitter-friendly park and will undoubtedly help Guerrero's stat line. He does not need it, though. The second-generation star is one of the league's best players, regardless of position, and he is perfectly capable of swinging for the fences in any ballpark and should find himself hovering around 40 runs this year.

If he can increase his batting average and manage to drive in more runs, any team with him on it may prove unstoppable.

Second Basemen

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1. Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
3. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
4. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
5. Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
6. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals
8. Javier Baez, Detroit Tigers
9. Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins
10. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

     

Brandon Lowe helped lead the Tampa Bay Rays to the postseason in 2021 and will be a major contributor in the team’s attempt to get back there and past the divisional round. An elite second baseman a season ago, he blasted 39 home runs and tacked on 99 RBI. 

Both figures marked increases in his performance in those categories from years past. Yes, he dipped in batting average and on-base percentage, but those numbers are destined to fall when he is hitting the ball out of the park nearly three times as much as he ever did before.

The question will be whether Lowe can replicate the hitting performance of a year ago. 2021 was such a statistical upgrade from previous years that one would be hard-pressed to decide if it was an anomaly or the birth of a star.

There are better players at the position, but if Lowe is available and fills a need at second base, do not hesitate to pick him up because the reward versus risk ratio is far too high. 

Third Basemen

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1. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
2. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
3. Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
4. Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
5. Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies
6. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
7. Adalberto Mondesi, Kansas City Royals
8. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees
10. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

      

The Cleveland Guardians may have a new name, but they are plenty happy to have their same old third baseman in Jose Ramirez. 

The 29-year-old may be under-the-radar to some, but fantasy managers watched him hit 36 home runs and 103 RBI en route to north of 600 fantasy points in 2021. He was an elite player, easily the tops at his position—even if he does not have the name recognition of others on the list.

Austin Riley is equally as under-recognized but put up similar numbers to Ramirez a year ago. The defending World Series champion Braves, as well as fantasy managers with him in their lineups, will hope for a repeat performance here in 2022.

Machado had more hits and a better batting average than Ramirez but did not perform as well in fantasy as the Cleveland All-Star. That should change, making him a valid top-three option at the position.

Shortstop

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

1. Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
4. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
5. Trevor Story, Free Agent
6. Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox
7. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
8. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
9. Carlos Correa, Free Agent
10. Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins

    

In his first season in Los Angeles, Trea Turner wasted little time making the case for his inclusion among the elite fantasy baseball studs.

The former Washington National had a career year in hits, RBI, and home runs. A strong batting average (.328) and the second-best on-base percentage of his career (.375) have fans salivating over what he might do in year two in Hollywood. 

An improved team and the desire to win a second World Series should fuel him and the Dodgers to return to the league's elite. Turner has trended upward, with his last two seasons being his best so far. Barring an injury, there is no reason to believe he will not be right back in this same position a year from now as the apple of the fantasy baseball manager's eye.

Outfielders

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1. Juan Soto, Washington Nationals
2. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
5. Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves
6. Starling Marte, New York Mets
7. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
8. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
9. Cedric Mullins II, Baltimore Orioles
10. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

     

Every so often, a player comes from out of nowhere to make himself a star, both on the field and in the world of fantasy sports. In baseball's 2021, that player was Baltimore's Cedric Mullins II.

The center fielder exploded on to the scene with 30 HR and 30 stolen bases, earning him league-wide recognition and an All-Star appearance. He added 59 RBI and was a rare bright spot in another dismal year for the Orioles, and he has fans excited about the possibilities of a repeat in 2022.

He should also be on fantasy managers' radars, despite a loaded outfield list.

Sure, there is reason to be wary about picking Mullins too high. Without a proven track record to corroborate his season a year ago, it is nearly impossible to prognosticate whether he can make it happen again. Mullins had a tendency to find the ball, though, and in a hitter-friendly park in Baltimore, he will have every opportunity to match his numbers from a year ago.

He may never have the stats of a Soto, Harper or Trout, but Mullins will be a value pick in later-rounds and, potentially, the difference between a so-so fantasy season and a championship one.

Pitchers and Catchers

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Pitchers

1. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
2. Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
3. Max Scherzer, SP, New York Mets
4. Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets
6. Shohei Ohtani, SP, Los Angeles Angels
7. Zack Wheeler, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Brandon Woodruff, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
9. Julio Urias, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Guardians

     

Catchers

1. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
2. JT Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Wilson Contrares, Chicago Cubs
4. Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox
5. Mitch Garver, Texas Rangers
6. Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds
7. Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
8. Daulton Varsho, Arizona Diamondbacks
9. Gary Sanchez, Minnesota Twins
10. Christian Vazquez, Boston Red Sox

       

Gerrit Cole may have finished second in last year's AL Cy Young race, but he is the obvious No. 1 pitcher for fantasy managers this season.

With 16 wins and 243 strikeouts in 2021, he was fantastic and earned every one of those Cy Young votes. It was also his third-best fantasy season to date, with all three coming in the last four years, according to FantasyData.com. 

It is a favorable trend, especially among managers debating whether to take him early in their drafts. Corbin Burnes and Max Scherzer are also worthy of early-round consideration, but Cole was so good a year ago that there is reason to believe he will only build on his numbers in year three with the Yankees.

If there is one area Cole will have to improve upon in 2022, it is his ERA. His 3.23 was his highest since 2017, and his 65 earned runs stymied what would have been an even more impressive fantasy season. If he can reign that in this season, managers who select him early could laugh all the way to the championship.

At catcher, Salvador Perez is a trendy top pick after a career year in 2021, while JT Realmuto remains one of the most consistent catchers in fantasy. Either would make a quality No. 1 pick at the position but should be taken in mid-to-late rounds.

    

Stats from MLB.com.