With the All-Star break ended the next big event on the baseball calendar is Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. Most fantasy leagues will reach their own deadlines soon thereafter. The looming cutoff ushers in a flurry of player movement on both fronts. Just in time for peak trade season, Nick Mariano recently dated his rest-of-season rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 mixed).
A lot has changed since the start of the season. Some gems have emerged from those drafted late or not at all. Some stars have fallen but still carry allure based on their reputations. As such, Nick routinely revises his rankings and just in the last month, there have been some drastic adjustments to his top 300. In this column, I will identify the biggest risers and fallers since Nick’s June rankings and also check in on the injured players who might otherwise be included.
Before you offer or accept any trades take a minute to see how your players stack up rest-of-season using Nick’s rankings. Another useful tool during negotiations is RotoBaller’s Trade Analyzer tool, which allows you to compare projections side-by-side. RotoBaller regularly publishes fantasy baseball rankings articles for a variety of formats to help you navigate your season. When you are done reading my column, check out our rankings article hub to find more information that suits your needs.
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- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
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Rest-Of-Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings (July Updates)
Here are the projected rest of the season rankings from RotoBaller. Let's take a look at who is moving up (or down) this list this week!
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Biggest Risers
A whopping 36 players who were unranked in June jumped into the top 300 this time around. Twelve of these players had such an impact over the weeks leading up to the All-Star break that they cracked the top 200. Looking further down the list we see that Paul Skenes is now a top-20 player and outfielders Lane Thomas, Riley Greene, and Ian Happ rode hot streaks into the All-Star break that propelled them up the board 40 places or more. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers over the last month.
Alec Burleson, 1B/OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Previous rank: NA
Updated ROS rank: 101
Alec Burleson had himself a month and crashed the rankings, landing just outside the top 100. Since June 15 Burleson has hit .318 with eight home runs, 21 runs, 29 RBI, and five stolen bases. Season-long, the 25-year-old is striking out at 13.5% rate, good enough to rank in the 93rd percentile. Burleson played in 105 games for the Cardinals last season but he is already outperforming his 2023 stats. Entering 2024 it looked like he was destined for another part-time role but a rash of injuries at the start of the season pushed Burleson into an everyday position and he is there to stay.
Alec Burleson is now hitting .302 with 11 HR over his last 38 games.#ForTheLoupic.twitter.com/qEo9rzrsgZ
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) July 13, 2024
Jackson Merrill, SS/OF, San Diego Padres
Previous rank: 287
Updated ROS rank: 100
Jackson Merrill barely made the cut in June. Back then he was locked in as the Padres’ everyday centerfielder but there wasn’t much fantasy production to go with it. Then on June 12 swatted two home runs in one game and everything seemed to click. Since then Merrill has hit seven more homers to bring his season total to 12 and nearly doubled his RBI total. He also moved up in the lineup to the six-hole which should bring more opportunities to drive runners home. The 21-year-old rookie recently played in the All-Star game and will be looking to stay hot as the second half picks up.
Brendan Donovan, 1B/2B/OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Previous rank: NA
Updated ROS rank: 125
A hearty welcome back to Brendan Donovan. He was featured in the first edition of this column way back in April when the season was only a few weeks old. Naturally, after Donovan’s early success, he went into a slump that he couldn’t shake off until he took a few games off due to a stiff neck as May turned to June. Perhaps the extra rest did the trick. Since Donovan returned to action on June 3, he has played 39 games and failed to reach base safely only three times, batting .335 in the process.
Other Big Risers
James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals (Previous rank: 254; Updated ROS rank: 89)
Edwin Diaz, RP, New York Mets (Previous rank: 272; Updated ROS rank: 109)
Colt Keith, 2B/3B, Detroit Tigers (Previous rank: NA; Updated ROS rank: 142)
Willi Castro, 2B/3B/OF, Minnesota Twins (Previous rank: 285; Updated ROS rank: 131)
Jarred Kelenic, OF, Atlanta Braves (Previous rank: NA; Updated ROS rank: 151)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Biggest Fallers
As usual, many of the biggest fallers owe their downslide to injury. This section will focus instead on those players who have stayed healthy (for the most part) but tumbled due to a lack of fantasy production. Bo Bichette, who fell 151 places in the rankings, might be a blend of the two.
Yes, the shortstop recently hit the injured list due to a calf injury but his poor performance has been an albatross around fantasy managers’ necks all season long. Despite the dramatic drop, Bichette isn’t this month’s biggest faller though. Let’s take a look at the player who managed to fall even further next.
Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees
Previous rank: 55
Updated ROS rank: 250
Woof. What a turnaround for Anthony Volpe. At the end of April, he had 20 runs and seven stolen bases. In May, he enjoyed a 21-game hitting streak and was looking like he was taking the next step to stardom. Then June reared its ugly head and things have gone downhill for the 23-year-old. Volpe, who had a 20-20 season last year as a rookie, has now gone 55 games without a home run and hasn’t stolen a base since June 14. The young shortstop still ranks 15th in runs scored but was shifted to the bottom third of the Yankees’ order before the All-Star break. If that trend continues in the second half he will no longer benefit from being immediately followed by Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in the lineup.
Christopher Morel, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Previous rank: 122
Updated ROS rank: NA
Christopher Morel’s 18 home runs are tied for 20th-most among major leaguers. He also has 42 runs scored, 50 RBI, and seven steals. The numbers look pretty good for the season, so why the demotion out of the top 300? For one, it’s a case of what have you done for me lately? In the month preceding the All-Star break, Morel added just eight runs and 10 RBI to his season totals. His strikeout numbers have been on the rise, too. Morel started July by striking out twice in seven consecutive games. Lastly, the batting average is downright abysmal. It is no secret that Morel’s value lies in his power at the cost of contact but his average has held steady at around .200 all season long which will sink a team in that category and impact counting stats.
Luis Arraez, 1B/2B, San Diego Padres
Previous rank: 133
Updated ROS rank: NA
Luis Arraez is a one-category contributor who derives his value from his ability to dominate that category. The two-time batting champ is pursued in fantasy because of the great effect he can have on the batting average category. However, Arraez was far from dominant in the month before the All-Star break. In that span, he hit “just” .250 which doesn’t do any harm, but it doesn’t move you up in the standings either. Nor does it offset the damage done to the category by the Christopher Morel’s of the world. A thumb injury suffered on June 25 may be to blame. It has made swinging a bat painful but Arraez has missed only two games since.
Other Big Fallers
Maikel Garcia, 3B/SS, Kansas City Royals (Previous rank: 87; Updated ROS rank: 252)
Bobby Miller, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous rank: 137; Updated ROS rank: 291)
Daulton Varsho, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (Previous rank: 147; Updated ROS rank: 294)
Gleyber Torres, 2B, New York Yankees (Previous rank: 116; Updated ROS rank: 240)
David Fry, C/1B, Cleveland Guardians (Previous rank: 186; Updated ROS rank: NA)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Notable Injuries
When looking at the differences in rankings month-to-month, the biggest drops are often populated with injured players who are out long-term or indefinitely. Kyle Bradish was ranked 53 a month ago but is no longer found after suffering a sprained UCL and his subsequent Tommy John Surgery. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (previous rank 35; updated ROS rank: 255) took a big slide after he was moved to the 60-day IL, guaranteeing he will miss at least another month. With no encouraging developments to bolster their rankings Starling Marte, Max Muncy, and Jordan Romano all fell out of the top 300.
Injured players close to returning to action and recently activated players are often given boosts to their rankings. Junior Caminero crashed back into the top 300 after beginning his rehab assignment with the FCL Rays. So far he is 4-for-17 with three of those hits being home runs. Among players still working their way back, Mike Trout, who is now swinging and hoping to return in just a few weeks, jumped 32 places. Both Triston Casas and Matt McLain recently received news that rehab assignments are on the horizon, pushing them up the rankings 24 and 16 spots, respectively. Among the recently reinstated, Garrett Mitchell and Xander Bogaerts also broke back into the rankings, landing at 296 and 208, respectively.
Welcome back, Bogey 👋 pic.twitter.com/4kVyf6flWv
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 14, 2024
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