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.
