Fantasy Baseball Top 300 Rankings, Dollar Values 2023: Top players, sleepers, breakouts

It's fantasy baseball season, one of the most wonderful parts of spring each year. With the first pitch clock of 2023 MLB opening day set to start on March 30 at 1:05 p.m. ET, the countdown to regular-season baseball — and the start of fantasy baseball — is on. That means we're all on the clock when it comes to draft prep, roster strategizing, and the ever-important tasks of setting rankings and dollar values. Luckily for you, we live for this kind of stuff, and we've prepared a top 300 rankings list as well as individual rankings for each position. 

For many, the first round is a piece of cake. You can't go wrong when you're picking between AL home run king Aaron Judge and guys with 30-30 upside like Trea Turner and Ronald Acuna Jr. But selecting the best available player can become increasingly difficult as the draft rolls on, so following a well-researched ranking system can pay off handsomely in the long run. 

Of course, these rankings should not be taken as gospel or followed to a tee like a mock draft blueprint. However, it always helps to have a plan, and our top 300 rankings can help you visualize your targets for every round of the draft. Map out your picks, determine your ideal squad, then follow the plan as tightly as possible. But remember: deviate when a massive value arises. If Corbin Burnes falls to you in the third round, you're taking him even if you initially planned to avoid drafting pitching in the opening rounds.

2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs

Our plan this year: grab an elite outfielder in the first round — someone like Judge, Acuna, Julio Rodriguez, or Juan Soto — then pick a third baseman in the second round (here's looking at you, Rafael Devers and Manny Machado). If we happen upon either of our third-round Juniors — Fernando Tatis or Bobby Witt — we'll scoop 'em up. If not, we'll grab a stud starting pitcher who offers a mixture of 200-inning volume and strong ratios. Then in the fourth round, we'll take the best available of whichever position we haven't yet selected: SS, 2B, or SP (Jose Altuve in the fourth round would be a dream).

2023 FANTASY SLEEPERS & VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | RPs

We don't want to load up on pitching too early, so we'll try to obtain one top-tier hurler before the sixth round and otherwise focus on offense. Similarly, we'll target a mid-tier closer we can select in the range of Rounds 7-9 and make sure we pinpoint a second closer who lies within our top 12-15 RP rankings. Pitching is so deep that we trust in our ability to (a) find sleepers later in the draft and (b) acquire emerging talent as they break out during the season. 

Speaking of emerging talent, Rodriguez and Witt (both 22) have company within the top 30 from fellow youngsters Michael Harris II (22) and Bo Bichette (25). Shane McClanahan (25) and Spencer Strider (24), both among the top 40, represent the pitching side of the 25-and-under crowd. But the vast majority of the top 50 remains 27 and older. Keep an eye on the young speedsters this spring, though — the MLB clipping pitchers' wings when it comes to pickoff attempts could lead to a record-breaking year in terms of stolen bases. 

Our individual positional rankings and columns on sleepers and breakouts will discuss in greater detail the players we're laser-focused on this preseason, but the cream of our sleeper crop bears repeating. We love Andrew Vaughn by pick No. 63 — he's finally playing his natural position at first base, he's hitting the cover off the ball this spring, and he still has outfield eligibility. We've been drafting hard-hitting Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson by Round 7 in nearly every draft. We're also pinpointing one of our favorite pitchers in that range, stud Guardians workhorse Triston McKenzie.

The rest you can see for yourselves in our rankings, which we'll be slightly tweaking here and there between now and opening day. You can also read more about our preferences and strategies in the many columns and draft guides we'll be posting in the coming weeks.

Good luck and happy draft prepping!

Fantasy Baseball Top 300 Rankings 2023: Top players, sleepers to target on draft day

Position eligibility based on Yahoo's default settings

*currently suspended until April 20

Fantasy Baseball Overall Projected Dollar Values

Dollar values courtesy of Fantasy Pros and based on a 12-team mixed league with a $260 budget (70 percent allocated for hitting)

All other players valued at $0