RotoWire Roundtable: March Consolidated Top 350

RotoWire Roundtable: March Consolidated Top 350

This article is part of our RotoWire Roundtable series.


The RotoWire Roundtable: March Consolidated Top 350

Welcome to the second edition of the RotoWire Roundtable. Since our February update, there have been significant injury updates, closer battles and even a few prospects that look like they'll break camp with their teams. The goal of the March update is to help you refine your draft day strategy. Below you will see our rankers' consolidated top-350 players. 

These rankings were assembled for 12-team, 5x5 mixed leagues that start two catchers per team (thus there is a positional scarcity component added for catchers). Our five esteemed rankers are: Jeff Erickson, Derek VanRiper, Michael Rusignola, Kevin Payne and Jason Collette. The rankings were provided completely blinded - none of the rankers saw any of the other rankings before the publication of this article. For more background on how to use these rankings, see the introduction to last month's update
 
Upgrades since February

First, we'll go through a couple of players who have been upgraded since our February update.

- Aroldis Chapman (CL) - March Rank: 65; FebruaryRank: 114.
- Adam Eaton (OF) - March Rank: 212; FebruaryRank: 345.
- Jose Reyes (SS) - March Rank: 24; FebruaryRank: 39.
- Oscar Taveras (OF) - March Rank: 279; FebruaryRank: NR.
- Jedd Gyorko (2B) - March Rank: 223; FebruaryRank: 343.
- Matt Carpenter (3B)- March Rank: 306; FebruaryRank: NR.
- Carlos Gomez (OF)- March


The RotoWire Roundtable: March Consolidated Top 350

Welcome to the second edition of the RotoWire Roundtable. Since our February update, there have been significant injury updates, closer battles and even a few prospects that look like they'll break camp with their teams. The goal of the March update is to help you refine your draft day strategy. Below you will see our rankers' consolidated top-350 players. 

These rankings were assembled for 12-team, 5x5 mixed leagues that start two catchers per team (thus there is a positional scarcity component added for catchers). Our five esteemed rankers are: Jeff Erickson, Derek VanRiper, Michael Rusignola, Kevin Payne and Jason Collette. The rankings were provided completely blinded - none of the rankers saw any of the other rankings before the publication of this article. For more background on how to use these rankings, see the introduction to last month's update
 
Upgrades since February

First, we'll go through a couple of players who have been upgraded since our February update.

- Aroldis Chapman (CL) - March Rank: 65; FebruaryRank: 114.
- Adam Eaton (OF) - March Rank: 212; FebruaryRank: 345.
- Jose Reyes (SS) - March Rank: 24; FebruaryRank: 39.
- Oscar Taveras (OF) - March Rank: 279; FebruaryRank: NR.
- Jedd Gyorko (2B) - March Rank: 223; FebruaryRank: 343.
- Matt Carpenter (3B)- March Rank: 306; FebruaryRank: NR.
- Carlos Gomez (OF)- March Rank: 198; FebruaryRank: 285.
- Nolan Arenado (3B) - March Rank: 312; FebruaryRank: NR.
- Mat Latos (SP) - March Rank: 101; FebruaryRank: 137.
- Marco Estrada (SP)- March Rank: 219; FebruaryRank: 297.

Now that Aroldis Chapman has been named the closer in Cincinnati, he goes from intriguing starter to dominating closer. Some might even make the case for taking Chapman over Craig Kimbrel. Chapman's value gets a huge bump from the Reds leaving him where he belongs. Adam Eaton moved up because of his strong spring performance and because he is likely the best defensive outfielder the Snakes have. That translates to playing time. The injury prevents him from trending even higher, as the speed and some power is there. Shortstop is not deep this season, which is part of the reason we're seeing a bump with Jose Reyes. When Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion headed north of the border, they suddenly gained power (ah-hem, stealing signs). Any kind of power surge in addition to an elite number of steals makes him incredibly valuable (don't forget, Reyes has hit 19 in a season). Think of him as a potential Carl Crawford in his best years but qualifying at SS. 

Oscar Taveras tore the cover off the ball this spring, and with Carlos Beltran adding a toe injury to his chronic knee trouble, it seems as though Taveras's call-up is closer than we previously thought. The Cards won't bring him up without playing him every day, which makes him a more valuable prospect-type to own than most. Jedd Gyorko looks to have a clear path now at third base to begin the season without Chase Headley and Logan Forsythe, and as the regular second baseman thereafter. The thin nature of second base makes him a great late target, as he possesses more upside than the typical keystone options available that late. The best argument I've heard in favor of Carlos Gomez is "What is the difference between Gomez and B.J. Upton other than 150 ADP spots?" More playing time is in store for Gomez this year too with the new contract. Even though he was sent down by the Rockies on Thursday, Nolan Arenado looks like he's much closer to breaking through this season. Chris Nelson is a nice utility type, but Arenado may only have four-to-six weeks in the minors to delay his service time before taking over a spot near the middle of the lineup in the best hitter environment in the league. 

Downgrades since February

Here are the players who have seen their ranking fall since February.

- Curtis Granderson (OF) - March Rank: 89; FebruaryRank: 22.
- Mark Teixeira (1B) - March Rank: 172; FebruaryRank: 54.
- Hanley Ramirez (SS) - March Rank: 94; FebruaryRank: 41.
- Chase Headley (3B) - March Rank: 100; FebruaryRank: 47.
- Danny Espinosa (2B) - March Rank: 164; FebruaryRank: 95.
- Roy Halladay (SP) - March Rank: 103; FebruaryRank: 64.
- Scott Baker (SP) - March Rank: 347; FebruaryRank: 227.
- Jonathan Broxton (SP) - March Rank: 343; FebruaryRank: 226.
- Brett Lawrie (3B) - March Rank: 80; FebruaryRank: 58.
- David Ortiz (DH) - March Rank: 158; FebruaryRank: 118.

Targeting Curtis Granderson depends on your league's DL rules, but in the RotoWire Staff League, for example, we have no spots to stash injured players. Granderson should be productive once he's ready to return, but our heavy downgrade is more for the lack of flexibility owning him provides than anything else. If you play in a shallow mixed league with several or unlimited DL spots, a more aggressive draft slot is acceptable because the replacement level from the waiver wire is substantially higher. The concern with Hanley Ramirez is that even after he returns, his power may be sapped by the injury. He's already a liability of sorts in the batting average category, and the added risk of lackluster production in an area that he needs to deliver in order to return steady value is problematic. 

Chase Headley's injury, something that is en vogue for his position these days, hurts his value. People already had concerns about a power regression, but losing time due to injury only compounds the issue. Each time Roy Halladay pitches, his top fastball velocity gets closer to mine (and I'm not much of an athlete). Halladay looks shaky and after many seasons of being a stud, he is showing dud warning signs this spring. Side issues, like what Brett Lawrie is suffering, tend to linger. Pitchers adjusted to Lawrie last season and the question is now: can Lawrie adjust to them? Third base is a crapshoot; there can be a ton of injuries. At this point in one-year leagues, Lawrie vs. Will Middlebrooks is fairly close.
 
And on with...

The List

RankFull NamePosJeffDVRMichaelKevinJasonMedian
1Miguel Cabrera3B112222
2Ryan BraunOF221312
3Mike TroutOF373133
4Matt KempOF634444
5Andrew McCutchenOF595955
6Robinson Cano2B467666
7Carlos GonzalezOF759888
8Albert Pujols1B9138578
9Joey Votto1B84111599
10Giancarlo StantonOF11101871010
11Jose BautistaOF101110111211
12Prince Fielder1B13815101111
13Justin UptonOF121412122012
14Clayton KershawSP14176201414
15Troy TulowitzkiSS151522131815
16Bryce HarperOF161617141516
17Justin VerlanderSP171816161917
18Buster PoseyC202213181318
19Adrian Beltre3B182114211618
20Stephen StrasburgSP191232172919
21Josh HamiltonOF222723191722
22Edwin Encarnacion1B212933222122
23Jason HeywardOF231931262424
24Jose ReyesSS262420246124
25Evan Longoria3B302049272627
26David Wright3B243428382728
27David PriceSP282335284328
28Dustin Pedroia2B273129254529
29Jacoby EllsburyOF253026334230
30Paul Goldschmidt1B322830453030
31Ian Kinsler2B313847233333
32Jay BruceOF333241512533
33Adrian Gonzalez1B343919372234
34Cliff LeeSP294424353535
35Adam JonesOF354121403135
36B.J. UptonOF363338362336
37Starlin CastroSS394037303637
38Allen CraigOF374625552837
39Billy Butler1B403734523237
40Ryan Zimmerman3B382642423738
41Craig KimbrelCL433640346440
42Cole HamelsSP414336394641
43Yadier MolinaC426444653444
44Aramis Ramirez3B543546445446
45Freddie Freeman1B454756714747
46Felix HernandezSP484955324848
47Carlos SantanaC514270494049
48Yoenis CespedesOF502554415250
49Matt HollidayOF445048505750
50Jason Kipnis2B536250464150
51Jered WeaverSP606945485151
52Joe MauerC495551914951
53Matt CainSP475353317453
54Alex GordonOF5851431085353
55Yu DarvishSP465780565056
56Madison BumgarnerSP565659597659
57Brandon Phillips2B527257617761
58Anthony Rizzo1B627561753862
59Melky CabreraOF735939816262
60Miguel MonteroC638660735963
61Wilin RosarioC648869606364
62Aaron Hill2B654876547165
63Matt WietersC556674704466
64Gio GonzalezSP669064538366
65Aroldis ChapmanCL674568826868
66Michael BournOF6810452876068
67Adam WainwrightSP575477697069
68Ben Zobrist2B696085438769
69Desmond JenningsOF718773627373
70Paul Konerko1B8373581415573
71Chris SaleSP7458786610374
72Kris MedlenSP728427857575
73Eric Hosmer1B617667808076
74Shin-Soo ChooOF7668711058176
75CC SabathiaSP5971927611876
76Jose Altuve2B776366799377
77Jonathan PapelbonCL8677101726677
78Johnny CuetoSP7078757710877
79Jimmy RollinsSS7874985710178
80Brett Lawrie3B796586925879
81R.A. DickeySP937079648479
82Austin JacksonOF806763839080
83Ike Davis1B815295967881
84James ShieldsSP908262986982
85Ryan Howard1B10680841015684
86Alex RiosOF8411572946584
87Mark TrumboOF10812182888989
88Max ScherzerSP89921435810792
89Curtis GrandersonOF85160102689494
90Ian DesmondSS75111972910297
91Asdrubal CabreraSS94971097418297
92Matt MooreSP10783190679898
93Jordan ZimmermannSP88791009910499
94Hanley RamirezSS1011351534739101
95Adam LaRoche1B9810111018996101
96Carlos BeltranOF1041029010797102
97Yovani GallardoSP1029114790130102
98Pablo Sandoval3B9161112103116103
99Torii HunterOF1301039420492103
100Chase Headley3B10013610478136104
101Mat LatosSP9581139104141104
102Chris Davis1B1101068811482106
103Roy HalladaySP1189510789176107
104Nelson CruzOF1141088712386108
105Elvis AndrusSS9711310886160108
106Josh WillinghamOF1091598112267109
107Mariano RiveraCL9289116110110110
108Nick SwisherOF1121109116788110
109Fernando RodneyCL8712211112579111
110Angel PaganOF1111316517391111
111Rafael SorianoCL121105194113105113
112Mike NapoliC8212683115128115
113Jesus MonteroC11512510313072115
114Hunter PenceOF1341179615885117
115Ian KennedySP132123105117115117
116Brandon MorrowSP11785152106154117
117Jason MotteCL14115011797112117
118Norichika AokiOF14910989124119119
119Kyle Seager3B113158119165117119
120Zack GreinkeSP1269412063126120
121Shane VictorinoOF120129106112120120
122Sergio RomoCL96127113160122122
123Rickie Weeks2B124100155120156124
124Jon LesterSP103124208109203124
125Victor MartinezC1359312884127127
126Salvador PerezC127107141118164127
127Cameron MaybinOF133128124199125128
128Justin Morneau1B1299899144167129
129Josh ReddickOF146175127129123129
130Kendrys Morales1B152120131127135131
131Martin PradoOF13999132116180132
132Carl CrawfordOF178116187100133133
133J.J. PutzCL119140135148109135
134Dan HarenSP116151126149137137
135Alfonso SorianoOF13719111419699137
136Jayson WerthOF138155118142129138
137Jonathan LucroyC136118150145139139
138Will Middlebrooks3B140145129102150140
139Mike Moustakas3B143119167140140140
140Pedro Alvarez3B128143189175138143
141Coco CrispOF144148115183121144
142Alejandro De AzaOF15114793203131147
143Mike MorseOF147245121126169147
144Joe NathanCL99149148174106148
145Jim JohnsonCL148192172137145148
146Nick MarkakisOF163114149150124149
147Chase Utley2B125169151121212151
148Josh JohnsonSP153152163157152153
149Ryan DoumitC172154165138147154
150Howie Kendrick2B155157146135191155
151Andre EthierOF162156123151166156
152Greg HollandCL123177156180134156
153Jeff SamardzijaSP158153170143157157
154Tom WilhelmsenCL122195158168113158
155Jon NieseSP105181159198153159
156Brian McCannC181137204134159159
157Derek JeterSS206142145159183159
158David OrtizDH197162160156114160
159C.J. WilsonSP145132184161161161
160John AxfordCL142164226171100164
161Adam Dunn1B165133245181144165
162Brett AndersonSP160166168166216166
163Dayan ViciedoOF222138166212155166
164Danny Espinosa2B1761681929595168
165Joel HanrahanCL166231229164168168
166Hiroki KurodaSP131193144169170169
167Jake PeavySP169112202163213169
168Doug FisterSP170202136147171170
169Neil Walker2B159170142185174170
170David Freese3B204171137128178171
171Alexi OgandoSP171165157228193171
172Mark Teixeira1B287215171153143171
173Ryan LudwickOF177172138240132172
174Michael CuddyerOF203139173132184173
175Dexter FowlerOF173134161195217173
176Jason KubelOF215173169211165173
177Ryan VogelsongSP157295162218173173
178Ben RevereOF186205122152175175
179J.P. ArencibiaC156176219227146176
180Corey Hart1B211161176119274176
181Todd Frazier3B174141198177202177
182Grant BalfourCL198178164191148178
183Glen PerkinsCL168232178210111178
184Tim HudsonSP150264134254179179
185Starling MarteOF180208130213158180
186Rafael BetancourtCL179252182202172182
187Alexei RamirezSS167221183178192183
188Jarrod ParkerSP183180214179200183
189Homer BaileySP184197180193162184
190Dustin Ackley2B154184179221295184
191A.J. PierzynskiC182218185184187185
192Alcides EscobarSS190183186133222186
193Michael SaundersOF185187193220151187
194Chris PerezCL164190199188149188
195Mike MinorSP161196217187190190
196Brett GardnerOF192130222139242192
197Lorenzo CainOF193273177186198193
198Carlos GomezOF194146206111324194
199Erick AybarSS191244195162218195
200Anibal SanchezSP187198239192201198
201Addison ReedCL201174270182199199
202Matt HarveySP188266203131239203
203Wade MileySP195296197206205205
204Huston StreetCL207163218176211207
205Ernesto FrieriCL209269188207194207
206Michael Young3B205213125248208208
207Jeremy HellicksonSP189229216209204209
208Carlos QuentinOF223206209247195209
209Tim LincecumSP2139633393235213
210Ichiro SuzukiOF214250181155233214
211Steve CishekCL208253220217186217
212Adam EatonOF217209287170217
213A.J. BurnettSP218265235214177218
214Dan Uggla2B175219224136294219
215J.J. HardySS238222211208219219
216Mark Reynolds1B199220213283271220
217Brandon LeagueCL202345273219220220
218Brandon Moss1B221277133298163221
219Marco EstradaSP212228191222255222
220Juan PierreOF228211175226223223
221Brandon Belt1B196167267224273224
222Manny Machado3B236182225223236225
223Jedd Gyorko2B253200210225225
224Trevor CahillSP226179244245207226
225Derek HollandSP227203242241221227
226Jason GrilliCL200285227266181227
227Kenley JansenSTP244224154344228228
228Alex AvilaC219201248233230230
229Alex CobbSP210230205285291230
230Lance LynnSP231194243146240231
231Garrett Jones1B233276221234210233
232Russell MartinC234233290239214234
233Josh BeckettSP235199236197253235
234Kyle LohseSP265321207236188236
235Wil MyersOF232235325238313238
236David MurphyOF239274196256225239
237Jean SeguraSS241271237232250241
238Chris Carter1B240144279279243243
239Justin RuggianoOF216246140271247246
240Jarrod SaltalamacchiaC225261266246197246
241Hisashi IwakumaSP247332174278209247
242Josh RutledgeSS252293230154248248
243Tyler FlowersC230248280340189248
244Brandon McCarthySP266226228249270249
245Ryan DempsterSP249324309230234249
246Jed LowrieSS294207242249249
247Mike FiersSP334339251250241251
248Matt HarrisonSP224286254235261254
249Matt GarzaSP271217281201256256
250Chris YoungOF281259256243229256
251Carlos RuizC220313257200269257
252Matt JoyceOF245257275280245257
253Lance Berkman1B286188319258142258
254Michael BrantleyOF251275200315259259
255Lucas DudaOF259304241342244259
256Justin MaxwellOF255281260312224260
257Jeff FrancoeurOF260308238251260
258Yonder Alonso1B261185286261298261
259Omar Infante2B301234262259297262
260Denard SpanOF276210284263246263
261Wandy RodriguezSP248323264286232264
262Phil HughesSP264263295262327264
263Drew StubbsOF278258292253267267
264Shaun MarcumSP267309232293264267
265Cody RossOF343214306267263267
266Edwin JacksonSP237268271282215268
267Zack CozartSS256255268268278268
268Marco Scutaro2B269319215190302269
269Everth CabreraSS257270289172289270
270Emilio BonifacioOF305249272215306272
271Kyuji FujikawaCL306299240274227274
272Daniel Murphy2B274249244315274
273Stephen DrewSS316216274275281275
274Delmon YoungOF277250276260276
275Kevin Youkilis3B246290277205280277
276Colby RasmusOF283278308255272278
277Kelly Johnson2B254278321238278
278Jurickson ProfarSS279239260279
279Oscar TaverasOF280237281281
280A.J. EllisC282282291284268282
281Casey JanssenCL250284314194329284
282Adam Lind1B285254296297277285
283Andy PettitteSP275287283288320287
284Wei-Yin ChenSP263331288320275288
285Ricky RomeroSP288225329286288
286Jhonny PeraltaSS292294258296283292
287Hyun-Jin RyuSP273340322294288294
288Clay BuchholzSP262288346300296296
289Will VenableOF296347297324287297
290Welington CastilloC229312298231298
291Bobby ParnellCL299262265332332299
292Chris Johnson3B284327299322292299
293Trevor BauerSP300299293300
294John JasoC242325318302276302
295Chris IannettaC302283290304302
296Hiroyuki NakajimaSS303310233252303
297Tommy MiloneSP270328257303303
298Peter BourjosOF293212312310310
299Johan SantanaSP279331310301310
300Jon JayOF340311307270311
301Miguel GonzalezSP311282311311
302Scott FeldmanSP312303312312
303Billy HamiltonSS313238295313
304Yasmani GrandalC314314326327314314
305Tyler ColvinOF315186229337315
306Matt Carpenter3B298315246323315
307Jordan Pacheco3B327316212345284316
308Dillon GeeSP267216316316
309Chris CapuanoSP261316237316
310Lonnie Chisenhall3B317223320311321317
311Ross DetwilerSP297333304317317
312Nolan Arenado3B308251317317
313Justin Smoak1B243318323272318
314Mike Olt3B318240343257318
315Mitch Moreland1B319189317330322319
316Paul MaholmSP300338309319319
317Josh Donaldson3B321302279321
318Chris Nelson3B322317305339325322
319Chris TillmanSP323227340251343323
320Carlos Pena1B309326308326
321Edinson VolquezSP320326323326
322Gordon Beckham2B258328339292328
323Logan MorrisonOF330242273330330
324James McDonaldSP272335331266331
325Travis d'ArnaudC331329304340331
326Al AlburquerqueCL332223262332
327Cory LuebkeSP336231334328334
328Andrelton SimmonsSS268334269334
329Wade DavisSP307334348307334
330Gavin FloydSP326337285337
331Ervin SantanaSP339327265339
332Kurt SuzukiC289341346282341
333David HernandezSTP341253331341
334Andy DirksOF342294289349342
335Vance WorleySP306342335342
336Travis SniderOF280343350344344
337Chad BillingsleySP344344290344
338Trevor Plouffe3B302231346346
339Ryan MadsonSTP346343321346
340Mark BuehrleSP346337342346
341Yunel EscobarSS350298347308347
342A.J. GriffinSP349315303349
343Jonathan BroxtonSP237185387.5
344Sean MarshallSTP234206387.5
345Jason HammelSP204287387.5
346Aaron HicksOF295201387.5
347Scott BakerSP307196387.5
348Carlos MarmolCL291265387.5
349Erasmo RamirezSP305254387.5
350Derek NorrisC338226387.5

NR = Not Ranked
Abst = Abstained from Ranking

Players with the same median were ranked secondarily by their average ranking. Players who were not ranked were assigned a ranking of 387.5 (the midpoint between 351 and 424, the total number of ranked players) for the purpose of computing the median and average.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Rusignola
Michael Rusignola has been covering fantasy baseball for RotoWire since 1998. He roots for the NY Mets and SF Giants, his two hometown teams.
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