Fantasy Baseball Trade Values: Rest-of-season rankings for H2H, Categories leagues for the second half (2025)

FAQs

What is position rank in ESPN fantasy baseball? ›

"Pos. Rank" is the player's ranking at his ESPN primary position. "10$" are dollar values for ESPN's standard 10-team points leagues.

There are two basic formats to playing fantasy baseball: A league or contest. Leagues are where players are put in a group of typically 8 to 18 teams, chose teams by a draft or auction and compete based on year-to-date standings or head-to-head records.

Just like the NFL, you draft a best ball team before the season begins and after each week, the system optimizes your team's score for the week. You never have to set a lineup and no adds/drops.

In other words, it's a standard 5×5 roto league (batting average and saves) with 14 hitters (2 C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, 5 OF, MI, CI, UT) and 9 pitchers. The hitting lineups can be set for Monday-to-Thursday and then Friday-to-Sunday, whereas pitching lineups are set for the entire (Monday-to-Sunday) week.

Round 1 (Pick 1 overall): Christian McCaffrey is the consensus No. 1 pick. He led all of fantasy in points per game last season, scoring 100.8 more total points (and 3.2 points per game more) than any other running back did.

Most save-grabbers are valuable in all fantasy formats; non-closing relievers might not hold value in some head-to-head formats. It's for you to decide. Just acknowledge the shape of baseball is changing. And get to the ballpark early — tonight's starting pitcher might not be around very long.

Rotisserie, or "Roto," is the most common way to play fantasy baseball. In this scoring type, teams are ranked from first to last in each statistical category. Points are then awarded according to the order in each category and totaled to determine an overall score and league rank.

1 utility player (any position, including DH) 3 outfielders. 7 pitchers (can be starters or relievers) Lineup changes can be made daily.

Prepare Thoroughly: Research player rankings, understand your league's scoring system, and practice with mock drafts. Draft for Balance: Focus on building a well-rounded team. While stars can carry a team, championships are won through depth and versatility. Value Over Name: Don't get swayed by big names.

What's more important in fantasy baseball pitching or hitting? ›

It's also why fantasy players should focus more on hitting projections than pitching, as the latter requires far more guesswork. Concentrating more on underlying stats can also reveal a different set of rankings than the way pitchers will be drafted, as ADP can often mirror last season's ERA.

Many feel the single most useful pitching stat is K%-BB%. The league average was 14.3%. Pitchers over 20% are best for fantasy. Hitters who put balls in play at 90% or above are ideal, but those who put the ball in play less than 75 percent will probably wind up with poor batting averages.

Fantasy baseball's top starting pitchers are ...

Let's be honest: Starting pitcher is the most important position in fantasy baseball. You can withstand a miss at some other positions, but starters will make up 25-30% of most rosters and provide the large majority of your pitching totals.

P. Pitcher. Any starting or relief pitcher.

What Does the Abbreviation “O” Stand For? When it comes to your fantasy team, there are different labels for injuries that you might see next to your players. An “O” means the player is out for this week's game. It stands for “OUT” and they will not be available for the coming week in your fantasy league.

Positional Ranking

This measure largely ignores what the actual average pick number is for a player, but focuses instead on how their ADP relates to other players at the position.

Fantasy Football Glossary

Opponent Rank shows how a player's upcoming NFL opponent performs against that player's position. Low numbers mean it may be a tough opponent; high numbers an easier opponent.

Ratings and Levels measure your performance against your opponents, based on your gameplay in Head-to-Head Leagues only. While the game is in season, it'll update each Tuesday for Football and every Monday for Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey. At the end of each season you'll have a final Level and Rating.