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Fantasy Baseball 2022: Micah Henry’s Tiered Positional Rotisserie Rankings

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The 2022 MLB season is right around the corner. Despite all the tension between the MLBPA and the owners, both want to get paid in 2022. 

The original plan was to do tiered rankings for both category and points leagues, but when I started the process, there were just too many similarities between the two rankings, especially when it came to pitchers. Because of this, we’re going to stick with just category league tiered rankings. If these were full rankings as opposed to tiered, doing points and category rankings would be more ideal. I sincerely apologize if this disappoints anyone, but I felt like it makes the most sense. And at the end of the day, I’m sure that this format can still be a somewhat helpful reference point if you’re drafting in points leagues. 

Now, the overall process for these rankings is simple: most projected overall production first, least projected overall production last. Logical upside, injuries/injury concerns, positional eligibility, contributions across all five categories, projected workloads, and underlying metrics have all been factored into these rankings. With 50 catchers ranked, 50 first basemen, 50 second basemen, 50 shortstops, 50 third basemen, 100 outfielders, 100 starting pitchers, and 50 relief pitchers, a total of 500 players have been ranked in my official 2022 tiered positional rankings. Opening Day is less than a week away, so I hope that these rankings help you out and here’s to another exhilarating MLB season! 

Positional eligibility is determined by a 20-game threshold. 

* = multi-positional eligibility; ** = injured 

Catcher  

Tier 1

1) Salvador Perez

2) Will Smith 

3) J.T. Realmuto

It’s these three against the world when it comes to catchers.

Tier 2

4) *Daulton Varsho

5) *Yasmani Grandal

6) Willson Contreras

7) Keibert Ruiz

I might be too high on Keibert Ruiz, but if he adds some more game power to his already impressive offensive profile, look out. 

Tier 3

8) *Tyler Stephenson 

9) Mitch Garver

10) Sean Murphy

11) Alejandro Kirk

12) Carson Kelly

13) Omar Narvaez

14) Christian Vazquez

15) Mike Zunino

16) **Adley Rutschman

With Rutschman out for a few weeks with a triceps strain, he probably should be in tier four or lower, but this shows just how much upside he has. He’ll find himself in tier one on an annual basis very soon.

Tier 4

17) Gary Sanchez

18) Travis d’Arnaud

19) Elías Díaz

20) Joey Bart

21) Yadier Molina

22) Max Stassi

23) James McCann

The perfect tier for all your second catcher needs in two-catcher leagues, headlined by the one and only, Gary Sanchez. 

Tier 5

24) Austin Nola

25) *Eric Haase 

26) Danny Jansen

27) Yan Gomes 

28) *Jorge Alfaro

29) Tucker Barnhart

30) Jacob Stallings

Austin Nola is underrated: very strong plate discipline, above average contact skills, he hits the ball hard, and he’s a great defensive catcher. The only caveats? Playing time and injury concerns.  If he’s awarded regular playing time and manages to stay healthy, he’ll be in tier three, or better, by summer. 

Tier 6

31) Francisco Mejia 

32) Luis Torrens

33) Ryan Jeffers

34) Jonah Heim

35) William Contreras

36) Kyle Higashioka

37) Tom Murphy

38) Roberto Perez

I still believe in Francisco Mejia, but it’s starting to feel like blind optimism. He did have a career low 17.7% strikeout rate in 2021 over a career high 277 plate appearances, so maybe, just maybe, there’s still hope. 

Tier 7

39) Victor Caratini

40) Dom Nuñez

41) Pedro Severino

42) Cal Raleigh 

43) Zack Collins 

44) MJ Melendez

45) Luis Campusano

46) Jose Trevino 

47) Gabriel Moreno

48) Manny Pina

49) Kevin Plawecki

50) Martín Maldonado

MJ Melendez hit 41 home runs with a .288/.386/.625 slash line over 448 at-bats in 2021 (AA-AAA). Maybe he should be ranked higher? Unfortunately, the best catcher in fantasy is currently blocking his path to the majors. 

First Base

Tier 1

1) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

No other first basemen possess Vladimir Guererro Jr.’s upside. Simply put, he’s in a class of his own going into 2022. 

Tier 2

2) Freddie Freeman

Similar to Vlad, I couldn’t justify putting any other first basemen in this tier with Freeman. A couple are close, but I’m not confident in their abilities to belt 30+ homers while maintaining a .300+ batting average. 

Tier 3

3) Matt Olson

4) Pete Alonso

5) Paul Goldschmidt 

6) Jose Abreu

7) Joey Votto

The power production we witnessed from Joey Votto in 2021 was no fluke (in my opinion). I’m envisioning another big year from the veteran. 

Tier 4

8) Josh Bell

9) C.J. Cron

10) Luke Voit 

11) Anthony Rizzo 

12) Jared Walsh

13) *DJ LeMahieu

14) Rhys Hoskins

15) *Ryan Mountcastle

I’ve adjusted this tier more times than I can count, mainly due to all the free agent signings, but all eight of these bats are primed to receive regular playing time and be reliable fantasy contributors in 2022. 

Tier 5

16) *Jake Cronenworth

17) *Alex Kirilloff

18) Brandon Belt

19) Yuli Gurriel 

20) *Ty France

21) *Trey Mancini

Alex Kirilloff’s hit tool/power combo has me giddy, and it has for a while. I would not be surprised to see him exceed even my expectations in 2022.

Tier 6

22) *Jonathan Schoop 

23) Miguel Sanó

24) Rowdy Tellez

25) Spencer Torkelson

26) Frank Schwindel

27) Jesús Aguilar

28) Nathaniel Lowe

Due to the implementation of the NL DH, I believe that we’re all about to witness a Rowdy Tellez breakout campaign. His quality of contact metrics are truly impressive. 

Tier 7

29) *Tyler Stephenson 

30) Bobby Dalbec

31) Christian Walker

32) Eric Hosmer

33) *Max Muncy

34) *LaMonte Wade Jr. 

35) Bobby Bradley

36) Carlos Santana

37) *Pavin Smith

I’m not convinced that Max Muncy’s elbow is going to hold up for the entire season. He suffered an ulnar collateral ligament injury late last season and I just don’t believe that he’s going to be completely fine going forward. I could be wrong, I could be right, time will tell. 

Tier 8 

38) Keston Hiura

39) *Yoshi Tsutsugo

40) *Yandy Díaz

41) *Wilmer Flores

42) *Jurickson Profar

43) *Miguel Cabrera 

44) Ji-Man Choi

45) *Darin Ruf

46) Triston Casas

47) Juan Yepez

48) Evan White

49) Nick Pratto

50) Lewin Díaz

Oh Keston Hiura. The talent is undeniable, but can he find a way to make more contact against high fastballs? If he manages to make the necessary adjustments, and receives regular playing time, he’ll be making a multi-tier leap in these rankings. 

Second Base

Tier 1

1) *Trea Turner

No other second baseman has Trea Turner’s upside and it’s not really close. He should be the first 2B-eligible player off the board in every 2022 fantasy draft. 

Tier 2

2) Ozzie Albies

3) *Marcus Semien 

4) Whit Merrifield

Marcus Semien did move to a worse lineup, a slightly worse hitter’s park, and a worse team overall, but his profile still fits that of a hitter who can mash 30+ home runs, steal 10+ bags, rack up 180+ runs/RBI, and finish with a batting average in the .255-.285 range. 

Tier 3

5) *Ketel Marte

6)  *Javier Báez

7) José Altuve

If you weren’t aware, Ketel Marte finished 4th in NL MVP voting in 2019. His power caught up to his elite contact skills and he flourished. The shortened 2020 season and injuries have limited his opportunities over his last two seasons, but if he can stay healthy in 2022, .300+/30 campaign is on the table.

Tier 4

8) Brandon Lowe

9) *Jorge Polanco

10) *Tommy Edman

11) Jonathan India

12) *Jazz Chisholm Jr

13) *DJ LeMahieu

Tommy Edman had 35 stolen base attempts in 2021. We know that he’s a great contact hitter and if he can learn to pull more fly balls and line drives, he’d have legit 20/35+ upside. 

Tier 5

14) *Chris Taylor

15) *Jake Cronenworth

16) *Ty France

17) *Brendan Rodgers

18) *Ryan McMahon

19) *Eduardo Escobar

The ‘Mid-Round Multi-Positional Eligibility Tier’. The title is derived from the fact that all five of these guys can be acquired in the mid-rounds and all five have multi-positional eligibility. More than that, they all make for useful middle infield fantasy options. 

Tier 6

20) Jean Segura

21) *Jonathan Schoop

22) *Gavin Lux

23) *Enrique Hernandez 

24) Kolten Wong

25) *Max Muncy

26) *Luis Urías

Luis Urías would be near or at the top of this tier if he wasn’t dealing with a left quad strain, but alas, he is projected to start the 2022 season on the injured season. He has multi-positional eligibility and a higher batting average ceiling than most think. See tier seven of my first base rankings if you’re curious about Muncy.

Tier 7

27) *Jeff McNeil

28) *Ha-Seong Kim

29) *Garrett Hamspon

30) *Josh Rojas

31) Nick Solak

32) Nick Madrigal

33) *Andres Gimenez

34) Adam Frazier

35) Nico Hoerner

36) *David Fletcher

37) César Hernández

38) *Luis Arráez

Jeff McNeil could be a clear outlier in this tier by season’s end. If he can find a way to get his pulled line drives percentage back up to its 2019 levels (45.3%), he’s going to be a very valuable late-round selection. 

Tier 8

39) *Ramón Urías

40) Tommy La Stella

41) *Wilmer Flores

42) *Tony Kemp

43) *Abraham Toro

44) Robinson Canó

45) Leury Garcia

46) *Dylan Moore

47) *Edmundo Sosa

48) Luis Garcia

49) Michael Chavis

50) Nolan Gorman

I don’t think that Ramón Urías going .270-.280/15-20 is impossible. Add him to your sleeper list if you haven’t already. 

Shortstop

Tier 1

1) *Trea Turner

2) Bo Bichette

With Fernando Tatís Jr. out for a few months due to a broken left wrist, tier one is now home to just two bonafide studs. Both have .300+/30/30 upside and are optimal first round selections. 

Tier 2

3) Xander Bogaerts

4) *Marcus Semien

5) Tim Anderson

6) Wander Franco

7) Francisco Lindor

8) Trevor Story

9) *Javier Báez

10) Corey Seager

Wander Franco’s inefficiency on the basepaths as a minor leaguer has some questioning his stolen base upside, but he’s still fast (85th percentile sprint speed in 2021) and he still has time to learn how to be more efficient on the basepaths. If he does so, while continuing to improve his game power, the sky’s the limit. Massive upside here. 

Tier 3

11) *Jorge Polanco

12) Carlos Correa

13) *Jazz Chisholm Jr.

14) Willy Adames

15) Bobby Witt Jr.

16) **Fernando Tatís Jr.

Tatís Jr. does not belong here and I hate to see him here, but for a player who might not return until June-July, the fact that he’s still in tier three tells you everything you need to know about his upside.

Tier 4

17) Dansby Swanson

18) *Chris Taylor

19) *Jake Cronenworth

20) Gleyber Torres

21) *Brendan Rodgers

22) Amed Rosario

23) Brandon Crawford

Dansby Swanson is one high BABIP campaign away from having a batting average in the .260-270 range. He hit a career high 27 home runs over a career high 588 at-bats in 2021 and he has enough speed to reach 10 stolen bases. Hitting in a star-studded lineup, don’t let anyone tell you that he’s not one of the safer middle infield fantasy options.

Tier 5

24) *Eugenio Suárez

25) *Ha-Seong Kim

26) *Gio Urshela

27) *Gavin Lux

28) Oneil Cruz

29) *Luis Urías

Both Urías and Cruz will likely graduate from this tier when they’re back with their major league clubs. Until then, they’re stuck here. 

Tier 6 

30) Nicky Lopez

31) *Jonathan Villar

32) *Andres Gimenez

33) *Josh Rojas

34) Paul DeJong

35) *Ramón Urías

36) J.P. Crawford

37) Miguel Rojas

38) Isiah Kiner-Falefa

39) Didi Gregorius

40) *David Fletcher

41) *Joey Wendle

Jonathan Villar is now with the Cubs, meaning that he’s just an injury or two away from playing regularly. The batting average won’t excite anyone, but another double digit HR/SB campaign is within the realms of possibility.  

Tier 7

42) Bryson Stott

43) *Edmundo Sosa

44) Kyle Farmer

45) Elvis Andrus

46) Kevin Newman

47) Thairo Estrada

48) José Barrero

49) Taylor Walls

50) Nick Ahmed

Bryston Stott is raking to begin spring training and he’s a capable defender. If he manages to find regular playing time at some point this season – likely at the expense of Alec Bohm or Didi Gregorius – he’ll be worth rostering in the majority of fantasy formats. 

Third Base

Tier 1

1) José Ramírez

There’s simply no other third baseman in fantasy land that offers more upside than José Ramírez. In your typical 12-team leagues, he’s the only third baseman who should be going in the first round.

Tier 2

2) Rafael Devers

3) Manny Machado

Couldn’t put them any lower, couldn’t put them any higher. Both are bonafide studs who should be high-end, if not elite, fantasy contributors in 2022. 

Tier 3

4) Austin Riley

5) Adalberto Mondesí

6) Nolan Arenado

7) *Kris Bryant

8) Anthony Rendon

9) Alex Bregman

I’m all in on Adalberto Mondesí for 2022. I’m not a huge risk-taker, but there’s always a right time to gamble on upside. If Mondesí manages to play in at least 130 games, he could be on a lot of championship rosters.

Tier 4

10) Justin Turner

11) Ke’Bryan Hayes

12) *DJ LeMahieu

13) Matt Chapman

14) Yoán Moncada

15) *Ryan McMahon

16) Josh Donaldson

17) *Eduardo Escobar

18) *Eugenio Suárez

I still don’t trust Chapman’s ability to hit for average, but playing in that Jays lineup increases his RBI/runs potential and he still has easy 30+ home run upside.

Tier 5

19) Jeimer Candelario 

20) *Ha-Seong Kim

21) *Gio Urshela

22) *Luis Urías

23) Alec Bohm

24) *Jonathan Villar

25) Cavan Biggio

I know that Bohm doesn’t have the best defense, but his bat is simply full of potential. Whether it’s with the Phillies or another club, Bohm should be in the starting lineup of a major league club on Opening Day.

Tier 6

26) **Evan Longoria

27) Patrick Wisdom

28) *Wilmer Flores

29) *Hunter Dozier

30) Brian Anderson

31) *Yandy Díaz

32) J.D Davis

33) Mike Moustakas

34) *Josh Harrison 

35) *Joey Wendle

36) *Luis Arráez

37) Jose Miranda

38) Rougned Odor

39) *Abraham Toro

The Royals signed Hunter Dozier to a four-year extension in February and through ten spring training games, he’s 14-for-30. At a position as shallow as third base, Dozier makes for one of the more appealing late-round third base options. Longoria would be in tier five if he was healthy. 

Tier 7

40) Carter Kieboom

41) Colton Welker

42) Santiago Espinal

43) Tyler Wade

44) Mike Brosseau

45) Jon Berti

46) Jake Burger

47) Nolan Jones

48) Yu Chang

49) Joshua Fuentes

50) **Josh Jung

This tier is just depressing. Though, I am intrigued by Jake Burger’s raw power. If the White Sox start to deal with injuries, he’s a name to keep in mind.

Outfield

Tier 1

1) Juan Soto

2) Bryce Harper

3) Luis Robert

4) Mookie Betts

5) Kyle Tucker

6) Mike Trout

7) Ronald Acuña Jr.

These are your 2022 elite outfield options. There are plenty of high-end producers to come, but all seven of these batters – even the rehabbing Ronald Acuña Jr. – are worthy of a first round selection.

Tier 2

8) Teoscar Hernández

9) Aaron Judge

10) Yordan Alvarez

11) Starling Marte

12) *Whit Merrifield

13) Cedric Mullins

14) Byron Buxton

15) George Springer

16) Nick Castellanos

Buxton stands out here. He plays hard and that often leads to lengthy absences due to injury. But when healthy, he has the upside to be a tier one outfielder. 

Tier 3

17) Eloy Jiménez

18) Tyler O’Neill

19) J.D Martinez 

20) *Ketel Marte

21) Bryan Reynolds

22) Giancarlo Stanton

23) Randy Arozarena

24) **Fernando Tatís Jr.

It’s easy to envision Eloy Jiménez making the jump to a higher tier very soon. Massive power upside, he just needs to stay on the field. And yes, Fernando Tatís Jr. will be in tier one when healthy. No question. 

Tier 4

25) Cody Bellinger

26) *Kris Bryant

27) Jesse Winker

28) *Tommy Edman

29) Christian Yelich

30) Mitch Haniger

31) Jarred Kelenic

32) Kyle Schwarber

33) Marcell Ozuna

Oh Cody Bellinger. Bellinger, Bellinger, Bellinger. Personally, I still fully believe in his abilities, but he’s easily one of the most polarizing players in fantasy land. Hitting in arguably the most potent lineup in baseball, once he finds his rhythm at the plate, I expect a fun bounce back campaign from the 26-year-old. Haters aren’t going to know what to do with themselves. 

Tier 5

34) *Alex Kirilloff

35) *Ryan Mountcastle

36) Austin Meadows

37) Tommy Pham

38) Avisaíl García 

39) *Daulton Varsho

40) Trent Grisham

41) Akil Baddoo

42) Michael Conforto

43) *Chris Taylor

44) Myles Straw

45) Alex Verdugo 

46) Andrew Benintendi

47) Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 

48) Robbie Grossman

49) Lane Thomas

50) Jorge Soler

51) Adam Duvall

52) Joey Gallo

Tommy Pham has a career 9.2% barrel rate and 46.4% hard hit rate over 1,769 batted ball events, but a suboptimal career launch angle (6.4 degrees) has capped his home run upside. Nonetheless, if he can stay healthy, Pham remains more than capable of finishing with a .275 batting average and double digit home runs and stolen bases. Whether he steals 20 bags ever again remains to be seen, but I believe that he still possesses 20/20 upside.

Tier 6

53) Eddie Rosario

54) Hunter Renfroe

55) Dylan Carlson

56) Seiya Suzuki

57) AJ Pollock

58) Ramón Laureano

59) **Andrew Vaughn

60) Ian Happ

61) Harrison Bader

62) Charlie Blackmon

63) Michael Brantley

64) Randal Grichuk

65) *Jeff McNeil

66) Mike Yastrzemski

67) Jo Adell

68) Austin Hays

69) Anthony Santander 

70) *Enrique Hernández 

71) Jesús Sánchez

72) Max Kepler

73) Mark Canha

74) Adolis García

75) Andrew McCutchen

Charlie Blackmon doesn’t steal much anymore and his 30 home run days are likely over, but his floor remains steady thanks to his strong contact skills. Plus, he still plays for the Rockies. If his HR/FB% can sneak into the 10-15% range, a .270-.290/20 finish is very possible. 

Tier 7

76) Willie Calhoun

77) Wil Myers

78) Dominic Smith

79) *Josh Rojas

80) Garrett Cooper

81) Brandon Nimmo

82) Manuel Margot

83) Raimel Tapia

84) Brandon Marsh

85) Trevor Larnach

86) Michael A. Taylor

87) Connor Joe

88) *Garrett Hampson

89) Julio Rodriguez

90) Nick Senzel

91) Rafael Ortega

92) Victor Robles

93) *Hunter Dozier

94) Aaron Hicks

95) Jorge Mateo

96) Bradley Zimmer

97) Jake Fraley

98) Chas McCormick

99) *Pavin Smith

100) **LaMonte Wade Jr.

Though Garrett Cooper has had trouble staying healthy, his offensive profile tells the story of a hitter who can go .260-.280 with 20+ home runs. Not to mention the fact that the DH will help get his bat in the lineup more often than not. 

Relief Pitchers

Tier 1

1) Josh Hader

2) Liam Hendriks

The dynamic duo. Playing for teams that could eclipse 90 wins, both Hader and Hendricks are everything you want in your fantasy closer.

Tier 2

3) Emmanuel Clase

4) Raisel Iglesias

5) Edwin Díaz

6) Aroldis Chapman

7) Craig Kimbrel

8) Kenley Jansen

9) Ryan Pressly

10) Jordan Romano

Kenley Jansen landing on the Braves has him knocking on the door of top-five relief pitcher territory. I’m envisioning an abundance of save opportunities for Jansen in 2022. 

Tier 3

11) Taylor Rogers

12) Mark Melancon

13) Giovanny Gallegos

14) Matt Barnes

15) Corey Knebel

16) Gregory Soto

17) Jake McGee

For a guy who has a career 3.15 ERA and 22% K-BB, you’d think that they would be one of the more popular relief pitcher targets in fantasy. Trade rumors have been swirling, but Taylor Rogers is set to begin 2022 with a clear path to save opportunities.

Tier 4

18) Camilo Doval

19) Scott Barlow

20) Rowan Wick

21) David Bednar

22) Joe Barlow

23) Lou Trivino

24) Dylan Floro

As of today, all of these pitchers (except maybe Floro who could be hurt) could become their teams go-to closer. The search for late-round saves starts in this tier. 

Tier 5 

25) Kyle Finnegan

26) Alex Colomé

27) Ken Giles

28) Andrew Kittredge

29) Drew Steckenrider

30) Anthony Bender

31) Art Warren

32) Garrett Whitcock

33) **Lucas Sims

34) Paul Sewald

35) Cole Sulser

36) Josh Staumont

37) Devin Williams

Plenty of talented arms here, but only so many will routinely receive save opportunities for their respective teams in 2022. Keep an eye on Art Warren, the Mariners’ bullpen situation remains a mystery, and rostering a Rockies closer is always a gamble. 

Tier 6

38) Will Smith

39) Ian Kennedy

40) Dinelson Lamet

41) Tanner Rainey

42) Daniel Bard

43) Pete Fairbanks

44) Carlos Estévez

45) Héctor Neris

46) Brusdar Graterol

47) Blake Treinen

48) Daniel Hudson

49) Jonathan Loáisiga

50) Amir Garrett

Dinelson Lamet should be the closer for the Padres in 2022. Hopefully the Padres try it out; what’s the worst that could happen?

Starting Pitchers

Tier 1

1) Gerrit Cole

2) Corbin Burnes

These two are bonafide aces with no pressing injury, workload, or skills concerns. Both could reach 200 innings pitched in 2022, all while providing great ratios and double digit wins. You should feel very comfortable with either of them as your SP1. 

Tier 2

3) Max Scherzer

4) Walker Buehler 

5) Brandon Woodruff

6) Sandy Alcántara

7) Shane Bieber

8) Zack Wheeler 

9) Aaron Nola

A number of these pitchers are waiting at the gates of tier one, but something is keeping them out.  Reports have recently stated that Max Scherzer is dealing with a hamstring issue. Buehler’s strikeout rate is always strong, but not at the level of those guys who are sitting in tier one. Zack Wheeler’s shoulder worries me, no matter how confident he is that it’ll be fine. Shoulders can be tricky. All in all, I can see several of these arms rather easily jumping into tier one by mid-season.

Tier 3

10) Julio Urías

11) Logan Webb

12) Lucas Giolito

13) Robbie Ray

14) Kevin Gausman

15) Freddy Peralta

16) Dylan Cease

17) Yu Darvish

18) Justin Verlander

This tier probably looks different than most rankings, the consequence of being higher on Verlander, Cease, and Darvish than consensus. Verlander could be a top-10 starting pitcher if he stays healthy. Dylan Cease is Dylan Cease. Darvish’s ceiling is a 1st/2nd round pick.

Tier 4

19) Joe Musgrove

20) Max Fried

21) José Berríos

22) Lance Lynn

23) Charlie Morton

24) Luis Castillo

25) Alek Manoah

26) Frankie Montas

27) Trevor Rogers

28) Shohei Ohtani

29) Carlos Rodón

 If Carlos Rodón’s velocity looks fine to start the season (sitting 95-96 mph), resulting in several strong performances, he’ll be making a sizable leap in these rankings. 

Tier 5

30) Zac Gallen

31) Shane McClanahan

32) Blake Snell

33) Pablo López

34) Nathan Eovaldi

35) Clayton Kershaw

36) Eduardo Rodriguez

37) Michael Kopech

38) Chris Bassitt

39) Tyler Mahle

40) Framber Valdez

41) Ian Anderson

The Michael Kopech breakout is going to be spectacular. As long as he can stay healthy, Kopech’s fantasy value is going to be considerably higher in 2023. 

Tier 6

42) Logan Gilbert

43) Marcus Stroman

44) Hyun-Jin Ryu

45) Sean Manaea

46) Luis Garcia

47) Luis Severino

48) Sonny Gray

49) Mike Clevinger

50) Noah Syndergaard

51) Ranger Suárez

52) John Means

53) **Chris Sale

54) **Jack Flaherty

This is an interesting tier: several pitchers who could return to high-end status in 2022, young arms who should continue to improve, injured pitchers who should be in higher tiers, and a veteran innings-eater. For what it’s worth, I anticipate all three of Severino, Syndergaard, and Clevinger being in higher tiers by season’s end. 

Tier 7

55) Germán Márquez

56) Alex Cobb

57) Jordan Montgomery

58) Aaron Civale

59) Joe Ryan

60) Patrick Sandoval

61) Alex Wood

62) Tanner Houck

63) Tarik Skubal

64) Triston McKenzie

65) Jon Gray

66) José Urquidy

67) Anthony DeSclafani

68) **Shane Baz

69) **Lance McCullers Jr. 

70) **Jacob deGrom

Sucks to see deGrom, McCullers Jr., and Baz in this tier. Baz is only here because he’s dealing with an elbow injury. Armed with a high-octane four-seamer and fun secondaries, Baz is the future of MLB pitching. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while before we get to witness his ceiling. Jacob deGrom was in tier two before the injury (stress reaction in right scapula), and now he’ll be sitting here at the end of tier six until further notice. On another note, Alex Cobb reportedly sitting 94-96 and touching 97 mph with his fastball is music to my ears. This year’s Kevin Gausman?

Tier 8

71) Tylor Megill

72) Kyle Hendricks

73) Casey Mize

74) Drew Rasmussen

75) Steven Matz

76) Luis Patiño

77) Carlos Carrasco

78) Tony Gonsolin

79) Aaron Ashby

80) Matt Brash

81) Adam Wainwright

82) Bailey Ober

83) Jameson Taillon

84) Cal Quantrill

85) Zach Plesac

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kyle Hendricks eat about 180 innings while finishing with an ERA in the 3.50-4.00 range. His strikeout upside will remain less than desirable, but he’s capable of being a strong depth piece for any fantasy roster in 2022. 

Tier 9

86) Jesús Luzardo

87) Andrew Heaney

88) Zach Eflin

89) Eric Lauer

90) Huascar Ynoa

91) Yusei Kikuchi

92) Josiah Gray

93) Kyle Gibson

94) Reid Detmers

95) Nestor Cortes Jr.

96) Wade Miley

97) Dane Dunning

98) Jake Odorizzi

99) Taijuan Walker

100) Zack Greinke

Jesús Luzardo has the ingredients to be a strong fantasy asset. Going forward, he’ll just have to figure out a way to make his fastballs more effective offerings. 

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