Baseball diamonds across the U.S. won't be empty for long. It's time to start thinking about your 2013 fantasy baseball team.
How will the biggest offseason moves affect fantasy values? What positions are deeper in 2013 than ever before? Who are the sleepers you should target late in drafts? On Tuesday and Wednesday, the ESPN Fantasy team will be answering those questions and many others as they determine the first set of staff fantasy baseball rankings for this season.
The two-day Fantasy Baseball Rankings Summit will feature discussions and debates on every position. We'll evaluate the upside and downside of hundreds of players and emerge Wednesday afternoon with the framework of our rankings and projections. There will be more than a dozen members of the team sharing their opinions, but they won't be alone.
Using the chat below, you too can bring your knowledge and advice into the event. We know you take your fantasy teams seriously and on two of the most important days of the fantasy calendar, you'll have a glimpse into our process and a voice to tell us where and why a player should be ranked. You'll also be able to see videos straight from the room addressing your questions and even get a sneak preview of some of the final rankings.
It's never too early to start preparing for your draft. Your season starts right now.
Note: All rankings are based on standard 5x5 scoring (AVG, HRs, RBIs, runs, SBs for hitters; wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP for pitchers) and all players are ranked based on where they are eligible on draft day in 2013. For instance, Emilio Bonifacio is eligible only as an outfielder in ESPN leagues and therefore is not ranked at any other position. After playing 10 games at another position, he'll gain eligibility there.
Follow along as we fill out this section with the top 10 players at every position.
Catcher Top 10
1. Buster Posey, SF
2. Yadier Molina, STL
3. Matt Wieters, BAL
4. Joe Mauer, MIN
5. Carlos Santana, CLE
6. Victor Martinez, DET
7. Mike Napoli, BOS
8. M. Montero, ARI
9. Wilin Rosario, COL
10. Salvador Perez, KC
First Base Top 10
1. Albert Pujols, LAA
2. Joey Votto, CIN
3. Prince Fielder, DET
4. Buster Posey, SF
5. Edwin Encarnacion, TOR
6. Billy Butler, KC
7. Adrian Gonzalez, LA
8. Allen Craig, STL
9. Joe Mauer, MIN
10. Paul Goldschmidt, ARI
Third Base Top 10
1. Miguel Cabrera, DET
2. David Wright, NYM
3. Adrian Beltre, TEX
4. Evan Longoria, TB
5. Hanley Ramirez, LA
6. Chase Headley, SD
7. Ryan Zimmerman, WSH
8. Brett Lawrie, TOR
9. Aramis Ramirez, MIL
10. Pablo Sandoval, SF
Second Base Top 10
1. Robinson Cano, NYY
2. Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3. Ian Kinsler, TEX
4. Brandon Phillips, CIN
5. Ben Zobrist, TB
6. Jason Kipnis, CLE
7. Aaron Hill, ARI
8. Jose Altuve, HOU
9. Neil Walker, PIT
10. Howard Kendrick, LAA
Shortstop Top 10
1. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
2. Hanley Ramirez, LAD
3. Jose Reyes, TOR
4. Starlin Castro, CHC
5. Ben Zobrist, TB
6. Ian Desmond, WAS
7. Jimmy Rollins, PHI
8. Elvis Andrus, TEX
9. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE
10. Erick Aybar, LAA
Outfielder Top 10
1. Ryan Braun, MIL
2. Mike Trout, LAA
3. Andrew McCutchen, PIT
4. Matt Kemp, LAD
5. Carlos Gonzalez, COL
6. Justin Upton, ATL
7. Giancarlo Stanton, MIA
8. Josh Hamilton, LAA
9. Jose Bautista, TOR
10. Jason Heyward, ATL
Starting Pitcher Top 25
1. Justin Verlander, DET
2. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
3. Felix Hernandez, SEA
4. Stephen Strasburg, WAS
5. David Price, TB
6. Matt Cain, SF
7. Cole Hamels, PHI
8. Cliff Lee, PHI
9. Jered Weaver, LAA
10. Zach Greinke, LAD
11. Gio Gonzalez, WAS
12. Adam Wainwright, STL
13. Madison Bumgarner, SF
14. Yu Darvish, TEX
15. R.A. Dickey, TOR
16. C.C. Sabathia, NYY
17. Chris Sale, CWS
18. Johnny Cueto, CIN
19. Mat Latos, CIN
20. Jordan Zimmermann, WAS
21. Roy Halladay, PHI
22. Aroldis Chapman, CIN
23. Kris Medlen, ATL
24. Matt Moore, TB
25. James Shields, KC
Relief Pitcher Top 10
1. Craig Kimbrel, ATL
2. Jonathan Papelbon, PHI
3. Jason Motte, STL
4. Rafael Soriano, WAS
5. Fernando Rodney, TB
6. Mariano Rivera, NYY
7. J.J. Putz, ARI
8. Joe Nathan, TEX
9. Joel Hanrahan, BOS
10. John Axford, MIL