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Bleacher Report's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheet

After an offseason of research and preparation, it's finally here.

It's time for your annual fantasy baseball draft, and what you need now is all of that offseason research and information at your fingertips in one easy, convenient article.

That's exactly what you'll find here in Bleacher Report's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheet.

What follows is a cornucopia of fantasy information, spanning from position-by-position rankings to sleepers to top rookies to notable players to avoid.

We hope this can serve as an invaluable tool during your draft and set you on the road to winning your league.

So without further ado, let's kick things off with a fresh look at our positional rankings.

 

Updated Position-by-Position Rankings

Top 20 Catchers

  1. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
  2. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
  3. Brian McCann, New York Yankees
  4. Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
  5. Travis d'Arnaud, New York Mets
  6. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
  7. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
  8. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds
  9. Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
  10. Derek Norris, San Diego Padres
  11. Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians
  12. Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
  13. J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
  14. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
  15. Welington Castillo, Arizona Diamondbacks
  16. Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
  17. Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
  18. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates
  19. Nick Hundley, Colorado Rockies
  20. Miguel Montero, Chicago Cubs

 

Top 25 First Basemen

  1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
  2. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
  3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
  4. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
  5. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays
  6. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
  7. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
  8. Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
  9. Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers
  10. Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers
  11. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
  12. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
  13. Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants
  14. Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
  15. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
  16. Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
  17. Lucas Duda, New York Mets
  18. Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles
  19. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
  20. Adam Lind, Seattle Mariners
  21. Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers
  22. Mike Napoli, Cleveland Indians
  23. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
  24. Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
  25. Chris Colabello, Toronto Blue Jays

 

Top 25 Second Basemen

  1. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
  2. Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins
  3. Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
  4. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals
  5. Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
  6. Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers
  7. Rougned Odor, Texas Rangers
  8. Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
  9. Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
  10. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
  11. Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals
  12. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
  13. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates
  14. DJ LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies
  15. Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals
  16. Neil Walker, New York Mets
  17. Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants
  18. Starlin Castro, New York Yankees
  19. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
  20. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Dodgers
  21. Brett Lawrie, Chicago White Sox
  22. Logan Forsythe, Tampa Bay Rays
  23. Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays
  24. Cory Spangenberg, San Diego Padres
  25. Jedd Gyorko, St. Louis Cardinals

 

Top 25 Third Basemen

  1. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
  2. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
  3. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
  4. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
  5. Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox
  6. Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
  7. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals
  8. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
  9. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners
  10. Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies
  11. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
  12. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
  13. Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates
  14. Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants
  15. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates
  16. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
  17. Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota Twins
  18. David Wright, New York Mets
  19. Brett Lawrie, Chicago White Sox
  20. Danny Valencia, Oakland Athletics
  21. Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
  22. Martin Prado, Miami Marlins
  23. Yangervis Solarte, San Diego Padres
  24. Chase Headley, New York Yankees
  25. David Freese, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Top 25 Shortstops

  1. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
  2. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
  3. Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays
  4. Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
  5. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
  6. Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
  7. Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers
  8. Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates
  9. Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
  10. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
  11. Starlin Castro, New York Yankees
  12. Ketel Marte, Seattle Mariners
  13. Jean Segura, Arizona Diamondbacks
  14. Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics
  15. Asdrubal Cabrera, New York Mets
  16. Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals
  17. Erick Aybar, Atlanta Braves
  18. Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals
  19. Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds
  20. Alexei Ramirez, San Diego Padres
  21. Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees
  22. Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers
  23. Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds
  24. Eduardo Escobar, Minnesota Twins
  25. Andrelton Simmons, Los Angeles Angels

 

Top 50 Outfielders

  1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
  2. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
  3. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
  4. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
  5. A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks
  6. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
  7. Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
  8. Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners
  9. Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
  10. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
  11. J.D. Martinez, Detroit Tigers
  12. Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
  13. George Springer, Houston Astros
  14. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
  15. Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
  16. Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
  17. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
  18. Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
  19. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
  20. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
  21. Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers
  22. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
  23. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
  24. Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs
  25. Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres
  26. Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees
  27. Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins
  28. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants
  29. Curtis Granderson, New York Mets
  30. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
  31. Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers
  32. Ben Revere, Washington Nationals
  33. Adam Eaton, Chicago White Sox
  34. Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels
  35. Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals
  36. Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals
  37. David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks
  38. Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
  39. Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
  40. Michael Conforto, New York Mets
  41. Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays
  42. Dexter Fowler, Chicago Cubs
  43. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
  44. Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics
  45. Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
  46. Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics
  47. Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
  48. Billy Burns, Oakland Athletics
  49. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
  50. Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

 

Top 75 Starting Pitchers

  1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
  3. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs
  4. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
  5. David Price, Boston Red Sox
  6. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
  7. Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins
  8. Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
  9. Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
  10. Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
  11. Matt Harvey, New York Mets
  12. Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks
  13. Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays
  14. Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
  15. Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
  16. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
  17. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
  18. Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians
  19. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
  20. Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
  21. Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs
  22. Cole Hamels, Texas Rangers
  23. Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals
  24. Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians
  25. Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants
  26. Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays
  27. Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals
  28. Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates
  29. Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels
  30. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
  31. Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees
  32. Jordan Zimmermann, Detroit Tigers
  33. Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks
  34. Tyson Ross, San Diego Padres
  35. Steven Matz, New York Mets
  36. Luis Severino, New York Yankees
  37. Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
  38. Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox
  39. Lance McCullers, Houston Astros
  40. Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
  41. Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals
  42. Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
  43. Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds
  44. Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
  45. James Shields, San Diego Padres
  46. Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays
  47. Jeff Samardzija, San Francisco Giants
  48. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
  49. Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox
  50. Collin McHugh, Houston Astros
  51. Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks
  52. Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
  53. Drew Smyly, Tampa Bay Rays
  54. Nathan Eovaldi, New York Yankees
  55. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
  56. John Lackey, Chicago Cubs
  57. Wei-Yin Chen, Miami Marlins
  58. Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals
  59. Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
  60. Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
  61. Joe Ross, Washington Nationals
  62. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
  63. Ian Kennedy, Kansas City Royals
  64. Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians
  65. Edinson Volquez, Kansas City Royals
  66. Andrew Cashner, San Diego Padres
  67. Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels
  68. Mike Fiers, Houston Astros
  69. Jason Hammel, Chicago Cubs
  70. Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Dodgers
  71. Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
  72. Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles
  73. Ervin Santana, Minnesota Twins
  74. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
  75. Alex Wood, Los Angeles Dodgers

 

Top 25 Relief Pitchers

  1. Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals
  2. Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
  3. Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
  4. Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
  5. Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
  6. Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals
  7. Ken Giles, Houston Astros
  8. Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates
  9. Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
  10. Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
  11. Jonathan Papelbon, Washington Nationals
  12. Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs
  13. Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
  14. A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
  15. David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
  16. Drew Storen, Toronto Blue Jays
  17. Shawn Tolleson, Texas Rangers
  18. Andrew Miller, New York Yankees
  19. Dellin Betances, New York Yankees
  20. Sean Doolittle, Oakland Athletics
  21. Huston Street, Los Angeles Angels
  22. Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins
  23. Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants
  24. Will Smith, Milwaukee Brewers
  25. Brad Boxberger, Tampa Bay Rays

 

Sleepers

Hitting on potential sleepers can be the difference between a good fantasy team and a championship-winning fantasy team. Here are 25 guys worth targeting in your draft as potential sleepers:

  • RP Joaquin Benoit, Seattle Mariners
  • 3B Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
  • OF Michael Conforto, New York Mets
  • SP Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks
  • 1B/DH C.J. Cron, Los Angeles Angels
  • SP Nathan Eovaldi, New York Yankees
  • SP Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles
  • SP Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels
  • SS Ketel Marte, Seattle Mariners
  • 1B/OF Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
  • OF Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins
  • OF Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
  • SP Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks
  • C J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
  • SP Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
  • SP Joe Ross, Washington Nationals
  • 2B/SS Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
  • SP Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
  • 2B Jonathan Schoop, Baltimore Orioles
  • SP Luis Severino, New York Yankees
  • 3B Travis Shaw, Boston Red Sox
  • RP Will Smith, Milwaukee Brewers
  • C Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
  • 1B/OF Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles
  • SP Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners

 

"Do Not Draft" List

Earlier this offseason, we put together our "do not draft" list of players to steer clear of to avoid busts. Players earned a spot on that list for a variety of reasons, including regression, injury risk, average draft position, playing-time questions and moving from hitter-friendly to pitcher-friendly ballparks.

Here's a look at three players from each position who earned the "do not draft" distinction, including their current average draft position and the reason for their inclusion.

Catchers

  • Jonathan Lucroy, ADP: 97.8 (ADP)
  • Stephen Vogt, ADP: 165.2 (ADP, regression)
  • Matt Wieters, ADP: 183.2 (injury risk, playing time)

 

First Basemen

  • Miguel Cabrera, ADP: 11.4 (ADP, injury risk)
  • Albert Pujols, ADP: 85.6 (ADP, age)
  • Mark Teixeira, ADP: 167.4 (age, injury risk)

 

Second Basemen

  • Dee Gordon, ADP: 20.2 (ADP)
  • Jason Kipnis, ADP: 86.8 (regression)
  • DJ LeMahieu, ADP: 145.8 (regression)

 

Third Basemen

  • Todd Frazier, ADP: 42.2 (ADP)
  • Matt Duffy, ADP: 156.4 (regression)
  • David Wright, ADP: 215.4 (injury risk, playing time)

 

Shortstops

  • Troy Tulowitzki, ADP: 48.8 (ADP, injury risk)
  • Francisco Lindor, ADP: 73.0 (regression)
  • Jose Reyes, ADP: 179.6 (playing time)

 

Outfielders

  • Nelson Cruz, ADP: 39.8 (regression)
  • Billy Hamilton, ADP: 105.2 (playing time)
  • Corey Dickerson, ADP: 124.6 (Coors Field effect)

 

Starting Pitchers

  • Zack Greinke, ADP: 32.6 (ADP)
  • Tyson Ross, ADP: 94.6 (ADP)
  • John Lackey, ADP: 161.4 (ADP, regression)

 

Relief Pitchers

  • David Robertson, ADP: 104.4 (ADP)
  • Huston Street, ADP: 134.2 (ADP)
  • Brad Ziegler, ADP: 183.4 (playing time)

 

Top 25 Prospects To Watch

Stud rookies are often overhyped when it comes time to draft, so it's important not to get swept up in that hype.

That being said, we saw last season with the likes of Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Noah Syndergaard and others the type of impact a first-year player can make.

So here's a look at the top 25 rookies to watch, based solely on their expected impact during the upcoming season. This is more about opportunity than potential, so keep that in mind.

  1. SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. SP Steven Matz, New York Mets
  3. OF Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
  4. 1B A.J. Reed, Houston Astros
  5. SP Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
  6. 1B/DH Byung Ho Park, Minnesota Twins
  7. SS Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies
  8. OF Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians
  9. 3B/OF Hector Olivera, Atlanta Braves
  10. SP Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins
  11. SP Lucas Giolito, Washington Nationals
  12. SP Tyler Glasnow, Pittsburgh Pirates
  13. SS Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
  14. SS Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers
  15. SS J.P. Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies
  16. 3B Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers
  17. 2B Yoan Moncada, Boston Red Sox
  18. SP Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies
  19. OF Hyun Soo Kim, Baltimore Orioles
  20. OF Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
  21. OF Nick Williams, Philadelphia Phillies
  22. SP Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers
  23. OF Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers
  24. OF Lewis Brinson, Texas Rangers
  25. 2B/OF Jose Peraza, Cincinnati Reds

And there you have it—Bleacher Report's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Cheat Sheet, with everything you'll need laid out in one convenient place.

Happy drafting!

 

All average draft position figures come courtesy of FantasyPros.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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