Fantasy Baseball 2022 Rankings: Deep Sleepers, Hidden Gems to Target
Opening Day of the 2022 MLB season is less than two weeks away.
Do you have your fantasy baseball draft priorities sorted out yet?
Of course you don't, because no matter how much draft preparation you've done to this point, there's always more work to do. More articles to read. More numbers to analyze. More decisions to second-guess.
After all, that's what brought you here, right? Let's not waste any time, then, and jump right into our Top 30 points league rankings and two of our favorite late-round sleepers to target.
Top 30 Rankings
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1. Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
2. Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
4. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
5. Trea Turner, SS/2B, Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
7. Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
8. Brandon Woodruff, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
9. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Bryce Harper, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
11. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
12. Max Scherzer, SP, New York Mets
13. Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
14. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Rd Sox
15. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
16. Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets
17. Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
18. Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Guardians
19. Robbie Ray, SP, Seattle Mariners
20. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
21. Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
22. Yordan Alvarez, OF, Houston Astros
23. Julio Urias, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Kevin Gausman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
25. Aaron Nola, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
26. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
27. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves
28. Lucas Giolito, SP, Chicago White Sox
29. Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
30. Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves
Sleeper: AJ Pollock, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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AJ Pollock won't challenge the league leaders in games played—he hasn't played 120-plus since 2015—but his production will be near-elite when he does make it inside the lines.
How many players offer speed, pop and a good batting average? Not many, and almost all who do fly off the draft board during the early rounds.
Pollock, on the other hand, is virtually free in shallow drafts with an average draft position of 222, per FantasyPros. The games played (or, games missed, rather) impact that number, but when he isn't playing, you can slot someone else in your lineup. So, it's not 115 or so games and then nothing. It's that number of games with top-shelf production, and the rest featuring whatever you can find off of the waiver wire.
The 34-year-old played 117 games last season and stuffed them with 21 homers, nine stolen bases, 69 RBI and 53 runs. He also batted .297 with a .355 on-base percentage. Oh, and he hits in one of the best lineups in baseball.
Draft him, chase the talent and worry about covering his absences later.
Sleeper: Tommy Pham, OF, Cincinnati Reds
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Tommy Pham is 34 years old and showing some of the statistical declines often associated with aging. But the fantasy community seems to think his decline is further along than it really is.
Yes, he's had trouble with injuries lately and owns a .226 batting average since 2020, but that didn't prevent him posting fantasy-relevant numbers last season. He had 15 homers, 14 steals and 74 runs along with a .340 on-base percentage.
Now, he's heading to one of MLB's best hitting environments after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Reds might have gutted their roster this offseason, but their home venue promotes power like few others, and Pham should face little resistance in snagging a premier spot in the lineup. His ADP is just 277, though that could climb quickly now that he has found such a favorable home.
