2024 Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the Top 10 Players in New York City

The start of the MLB regular season is right around the corner, which also means that the fantasy baseball season is approaching. Every year, there are high hopes for players from the New York Mets and New York Yankees. The tricky part about fantasy sports is that those high hopes could end up leading to unexpected problems.

This season has brought in many new players while keeping some of the same big faces in the Big Apple. From minor league call-ups to big league trades, the two teams will have pretty different rosters entering the 2024 season.

With the season rapidly approaching, let’s rank the top 10 players from New York City for the upcoming 2024 baseball season.

Juan Soto (OF) - NYY

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .284 AVG, 38 HR, 104 RBI, 117 R, 131 BB, 11 SB

Soto and the Yankees were a match made in heaven. The Yankees have been looking for a left-handed hitting corner outfielder that gets on base and doesn’t strike out often and that is precisely what they are getting in Soto. After being acquired from the San Diego Padres on December 7th, Soto immediately became the number one option in fantasy baseball for the Bronx Bombers.

Last season, Soto hit .275 with 35 HR and 109 RBI. He also led the majors in walks with 132. Soto ended last season as one of six players to finish with more walks than strikeouts, which the Yankees desperately needed. Now that he gets to play in Yankee Stadium for 81 games, he has a chance to top his career high of 35 home runs in a season with the short porch in right field.

Soto has become an instant force and spark in this Yankee lineup and has already shown some flashes this spring. His plate discipline, power, and dependability are why he catapulted himself up the fantasy rankings for the entire league, not just with the Yanks. At only 25 years old, Soto has the chance to lead the Yankees to the postseason and many fantasy teams to the postseason as well.

Gerrit Cole (SP) - NYY

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): 32 G, 14-9, 200.0 IP, 3.72 ERA, 225 K, 53 BB

The Yankee ace is coming off of an award-winning season that had him take home his first Cy Young award. In 33 starts, Cole led the AL with a 2.63 ERA. This led him to 15 wins and four losses while also striking out over 200 batters for the sixth time.

An important thing about Cole for fantasy purposes is his availability. He has started over 30 games each of the last three seasons and played throughout the shortened COVID season in 2020. Fantasy managers would love to have a true ace on their rosters and Cole provides the durability and skill to make himself worth a top pick in drafts.

Aaron Judge (OF) - NYY

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .270 AVG, 46 HR, 114 RBI, 111 R, 103 BB, 8 SB

Judge has been the face of the Yankees for years now, so it’s weird to put him at third on this list, specifically behind two of his teammates. After a record-breaking season in 2022, which saw him win his first AL MVP award, Judge battled a toe injury for a good portion of the 2023 season.

In 2023, Judge appeared in 106 games for the Yankees, and he still had an outstanding season. He hit 37 home runs and drove in 75 RBIs while also having a .267 batting average. Barring an injury, Judge could easily be higher on the list, but those are things you can’t predict. However, when he is on the diamond and inside the batter’s box, he is arguably the most dangerous hitter in all of baseball.

Francisco Lindor (SS) - NYM

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .253 AVG, 27 HR, 89 RBI, 87 R, 63 BB, 21 SB

Since joining the Mets in 2021, Lindor has had some high expectations every season. After struggling in his first season and improving into year two with the Mets, 2023 may have been his best since he put on the blue and orange.

Lindor won the NL Silver Slugger award last season for shortstops after launching 31 home runs and bringing home 98 RBIs. If Lindor can keep his batting average over the .250-.260 mark this season, he is instantly one of the best shortstops in fantasy baseball. In a vital position of need, Lindor has shown in the past why he is one of the best shortstops in the league and will continue to be for the years to come.

Pete Alonso (1B) - NYM

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .250 AVG, 41 HR, 110 RBI, 92 R, 66 BB, 4 SB

Since bursting onto the scene in 2019 and launching an MLB record 53 home runs for a rookie, Alonso has been in the public eye and caught the attention of fantasy managers around the country. Unfortunately, last season was possibly the worst version of Alonso.

The “Polar Bear” hit for a career low .217, but still managed to hit 46 home runs with 118 RBI. Alonso also happened to strike out 151 times, the second most of his career, while walking only 65 times. On the bright side, it is hard to imagine Alonso having a worse season when it comes to getting on base. He’s also been a very durable player for his entire career, as he has never had less than 152 games played in four seasons (excluding the shortened COVID season). That should give all fantasy managers something to look forward to if they see Alonso a couple of rounds into the draft.

Brandon Nimmo (OF) - NYM

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .269 AVG, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 97 R, 77 BB, 6 SB

Heading into his ninth season in the big leagues, Nimmo has always felt like one of the most underrated players on the Mets. Nimmo has held down centerfield for the Mets for a few years now, and it seems like he may be the one consistent on-base guy for the team.

Since 2020, Nimmo hasn’t had a batting average below .274,, which you don’t see too often in the game today. He may not be known for his power, but he will get on base, considering he has a career OBP of .380. Nimmo is one of those players you can draft in leagues and have confidence that he will produce in multiple ways.

Edwin Diaz (RP) - NYM

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): 64 G, 4-3, 35 SV, 64.0 IP, 2.78 ERA, 96 K, 23 BB

Diaz had one of the greatest seasons by a closer in 2022 when he struck out 118 batters in 62 innings while serving a tremendous 1.31 ERA. The Mets had won 101 games and looked set on repeating that in 2023. However, after celebrating with his Puerto Rican teammates in a 5-2 win in the World Baseball Classic over the Dominican Republic, he tore his right patellar tendon and missed the entire 2023 MLB season.

After some outings in Spring Training, Diaz looks ready to be back in the big leagues, and the Mets are hoping he can return to his previous form. Considering he had a record-breaking contract, Diaz and the team would love for nothing other than a remarkable comeback season.

Gleyber Torres (2B) - NYY

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .270 AVG, 25 HR, 87 RBI, 84 R, 61 BB, 14 SB

Torres has quietly put up great numbers for the Yankees since he joined the team in 2018. Outside of his down year in 2021, Torres has had over 20 home runs in every 162-game season. Along with that, he hasn’t had below 68 RBI in those years as well.

Coming into this season, Torres will be hitting somewhere in the middle of the order with players like Soto, Judge, Anthony Volpe, and Giancarlo Stanton in front of him, giving him a ton of opportunities to produce runs. Torres looks to continue his hot stretch after two great seasons in a row and carry it into the 2024 campaign.

Carlos Rodon (SP) - NYY

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): 29 G, 11-8, 163.1 IP, 3.77 ERA, 194 K, 52 BB

After a stellar 2022 season with the San Francisco Giants, Rodon signed a massive contract with the Yankees, looking to be the proven number-two starter in the rotation. It definitely didn’t feel like he was a $162M pitcher last season, though.

In just 14 starts, Rodon had a win-loss record of 3-8 while pitching to a 6.85 ERA. That 6.85 ERA was the highest in his career, and he started at least 10 games a season. The Yanks are hoping Rodon can return to his proper form that saw him finish sixth in the NL Cy Young race in 2022. Rodon may be one of the riskiest players in fantasy this upcoming season. But, you know what they say; high risk, high reward.

Francisco Alvarez (C) - NYM

2024 Projections (via Fangraphs): .232 AVG, 28 HR, 76 RBI, 68 R, 52 BB, 3 SB

Alvarez had a solid rookie season in 2023, where he crushed 25 home runs for the Mets. In a huge position of need, Alvarez filled in nicely and demolished his earlier expectations.

Even though he had a low batting average of .209 in his first full season, there were signs of flashes for Alvarez, and he is at a very important position in fantasy. With a full year under his belt now, he could break into the top 10 for fantasy baseball catchers and have the chance to go even higher if he can improve his plate discipline.