Fantasy Baseball: Redrafting the first two rounds for the rest of 2023 season

A lot has changed since we drafted for the 2023 season. A lot, but also a little.

It's obvious now that Ronald Acuna is the most valuable player in Fantasy Baseball. He was in consideration from the start, but coming off a disappointing season, it was debatable. Meanwhile, new scarcities have emerged while others no longer seem as dire.

The goal here is to take the lessons we've learned and apply them to the rest of the season. Basically, if we could redraft today, what would we do differently?

You may wonder why certain underachievers still rank as high as they do, and the answer is pretty simple. It's a forecast, not a recap. You may also wonder why starting pitchers aren't ranked higher given how volatile the position has been so far, but that's because the volatility has extended all the way to the top of the position. If you're going to pay a premium for one, you better be sure he stands apart.

Note that these rankings are for traditional Rotisserie leagues (i.e., 5x5 scoring). I address Head-to-Head points leagues further below.

Round 1

1	Ronald Acuna Atlanta Braves RF
As if the return of his power stroke wasn't enough, Acuna is on pace for more than 60 stolen bases while striking out at a lower rate than ever.
2	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
Judge probably isn't headed toward another 62-homer season, but his exit velocities readings are as impressive as last year. The home run pace has picked up enough that it's not hard to imagine him leading the majors in the category again.
3	Fernando Tatis San Diego Padres RF
Tatis has been good enough after a year lost to injury and suspension, showing that his power and speed are still intact. We're still waiting for him to get hot, though.
4	Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros DH
His achy hands keep us holding our breath, but Alvarez remains a four-category monster whose Statcast page in every way backs up his production.
5	Freddie Freeman Los Angeles Dodgers 1B
If he played anywhere other than first base, Freeman would be in the running for No. 2 overall, having doubled down on his base stealing from a year ago while recapturing his home run stroke. He's also batting well over .300, as usual.
6	Jose Ramirez Cleveland Guardians 3B
Ramirez has underwhelmed so far, but the 30-year-old has such an impressive track record and still represents a rare power/speed threat at third base. The underlying data is much stronger than last year, actually, so you can trust that he'll get hot soon.
7	Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Angels DH
There's legitimate question now as to whether Ohtani is best used as a hitter or pitcher in Fantasy. Either role on its own would likely make him an early second-rounder, but the ability to choose in CBS leagues pushes him into Round 1.
8	Trea Turner Philadelphia Phillies SS
Turner seems to be pressing in his first year with a new club, and it's reflected especially in his plate discipline numbers. You may be concerned he's slowing down at age 29, but his 100th percentile sprint speed would suggest otherwise. He'll come around.
9	Bo Bichette Toronto Blue Jays SS
Some changes to Bichette's already excellent hitting profile give him the look of a .330-hitting, 30-homer guy, but the tradeoff is that he doesn't appear to be much of a base-stealer anymore.
10	Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF
Though Tucker's production has been a little below expectations so far, Statcast actually likes him more than a year ago, when he was a 30-homer, 25-steal guy. His lineup spot does him no favors, but that's always been his cross to bear.
11	Juan Soto San Diego Padres LF
Don't look now, but Soto finally seems to be coming out of the slump that dates all the way back to last season. Taking him here requires some faith, sure, but it may turn out to be a discount.
12	Julio Rodriguez Seattle Mariners CF
Though Rodriguez's sophomore season has been a struggle so far, his Statcast readings are almost identical to his rookie season, with slightly better expected stats. Now is about the point when he picked up the pace last year, and he's showing signs of doing the same this year.

Round 2

13	Paul Goldschmidt St. Louis Cardinals 1B
Goldschmidt continues to deliver five-category production, and we continue to undermine him because he's 35 and plays first base.
14	Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers RF
Betts' base-stealing days appear to be behind him, and his batting average is also suspect. He gets extra credit because of his lineup context and now triple eligibility (second base and shortstop in addition to the outfield).
15	Shane McClanahan Tampa Bay Rays SP
His durability still figures to be tested over the final two-thirds of the season, which is why he doesn't rank higher, but McClanahan has been one of the few bankable aces so far, picking up where he left off last year.
16	Spencer Strider Atlanta Braves SP
Strider has proven to be no one-hit wonder and is on a historic strikeout pace. But his starts tend to be on the shorter side, and like McClanahan, we don't really know how he'll hold up to an ace workload.
17	Rafael Devers Boston Red Sox 3B
Devers' batting average has lagged so far, but not in a way that raises real concerns. Meanwhile, his run production has been on point in a surprisingly fertile lineup.
18	Vladimir Guerrero Toronto Blue Jays 1B
Guerrero has done a better job elevating the ball this year than last, but his power numbers still aren't quite up to snuff. His Statcast page (not to mention his history) suggests he's a sleeping giant.
19	Pete Alonso New York Mets 1B
Alonso is mostly just a slugger (and at a deep position, no less) but has slugged better than anyone so far. You could argue he deserves to rank higher.
20	Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP
Too low? Cole has been fairly stable during what's been a volatile year for pitching and of course has a track record that's second to none. His strikeout and swinging-strike rates are way down, though, raising questions as to whether it will continue.
21	Wander Franco Tampa Bay Rays SS
Franco at the plate has been pretty good -- high average, decent power -- but what really puts him over the top is the explosion of stolen bases, which seems to be the Rays' philosophy under the new rules.
22	Marcus Semien Texas Rangers 2B
Semien has been a top-five player in every format while playing a historically weak position, which you'd think would earn him a higher spot on the list. While leading off for the Rangers should keep his run and RBI totals high, his batting average will almost certainly regress.
23	Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF
Though his plate discipline isn't what it once was, Trout remains a top contributor at a relatively thin position. Feels like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop health-wise, though, doesn't it?
24	Austin Riley Atlanta Braves 3B
Always a streaky hitter, Riley has been on the wrong side of it for most of this year but is showing signs of coming around finally. His exit velocity readings remain elite, and he should still do plenty of damage batting in the heart of a deep lineup.