The first two weeks of the baseball season have been full of surprises. Players have risen and fallen through the first few series of the season, leading to a pretty unusual group of players at the top of many fantasy leagues. For example, Mike Trout, who went No. 1 overall in most drafts, is only batting .250 and hasn’t hit a home run yet this season.
On the other hand, players like John Buck and Jed Lowrie have wowed fantasy owners by having outstanding seasons despite going in the much later rounds of drafts. The list of the best players in fantasy baseball has some familiar and some surprising names, but they are players who deserve to be respected from here on out.
10. Miguel Cabrera - 3B, Detroit Tigers
For a player who went either No. 1 or No. 2 overall in most drafts this season, Cabrera has done exactly what you would expect of him. He is hitting .378, and already has driven in 11 runs. He is lacking in homers, as he only has hit one out of the park so far, but he has scored 11 runs and even has a stolen base.
It’d be nice to see his slugging percentage go up, as it’s at the lowest average since the 2009 season. But there’s not much more he can do for a player who was drafted to be the best player on fantasy rosters.
9. Justin Upton - OF, Atlanta Braves
Upton, who is spending his first year in Atlanta, has lead the Braves to an 8-1 start, while putting up some great numbers of his own. He has already hit six home runs, driven in nine runs and scored nine runs. His power numbers are way up from last season, which was a serious area of concern for Upton owners last season. He is slugging .971, all while getting on base just less than 40 percent of the time. Some fantasy analysts downplayed the Upton acquisition by the Braves in the offseason, but he is off to a great start.
8. Adam Jones
After making the All-Star Game for the second time in his career last season, Jones is off to a fantastic start. Jones is hitting .462, and is getting on base just about 48 percent of the time. He has only one homer, but he’s driven in 10 runs. Owners would certainly like to see his power numbers improve, but with the average and on base percentage that Jones has, it’s very hard to complain.
7. Sergio Romo - RP, San Francisco Giants
Through the first two weeks, Romo has by far and away been the best reliever in the majors. Romo has taken over the closer’s role in San Francisco, after recording 14 saves last season. He has almost half of that already, saving six games in as many appearances. Romo has yet to give up a run or a walk to opposing batters, and has only allowed two hits. In a game that features rotating closers almost every week, Romo is looking like the best relief option in 2013.
6. Matt Harvey - SP, New York Mets
It’s always hard to judge a starting pitcher through just two weeks, but in two starts Harvey has been very impressive. He is 2-0 and has pitched in 14 innings in his two starts. The .64 ERA and .57 WHIP is always nice, but what’s even better is his 19 strikeouts. In his most recent start against the San Diego Padres, Harvey only gave up one hit in seven innings, and only walked two other batters. The 24-year-old certainly has a number of years left in the majors, but he is off to a fantastic start.
5. John Buck - C, New York Mets
For a player who was ranked 852 overall by Yahoo! in the offseason, a .375 average is more than enough to land Buck on this list. The 32-year-old has his best batting average of his career, and is on pace to have the most runs batted in and home runs in his career. He has driven in 15 runs and hit five out of the park in 32 at-bats. It’s unclear if he can keep this up, but anyone who took a chance on Buck in their draft is looking like a genius.
4. Alex Rios - OF, Chicago White Sox
Average has traditionally been a problem with Rios, who hits .279 on his career, but he is hitting .429 through 35 at-bats. Rios has only scored six runs and driven in eight others, but that is mainly a product of poor overall offensive production on the White Sox. Rios has stolen three bases and has been getting on base 49 percent of the time. His slugging percentage is most improved at .857 through nine games. If Chicago’s offense can get going, Rios could easily be in the No. 1 spot on fantasy rankings in a few weeks.
3. Coco Crisp - OF, Oakland Athletics
Compared to the other players on this last, Crisp’s .318 average doesn’t seem all that impressive. However, he has scored 14 runs, which is the most in the league, and he has driven in six runs. He has also made it to the plate more than anyone else in the majors, and has gotten on base during 40 percent of those appearances. Crisp’s power numbers are never going to be that high, but his run production and stolen bases are a valuable asset to any fantasy roster.
2. Clayton Kershaw - SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Perhaps the only player on this list that no one should be surprised to see, Kershaw has dominated in his first two starts this season. He continues to build on his streak of seven straight games without allowing more than one run, which dates back to last season. He has yet to give up a run this season, and even has a complete game shutout. There’s no reason why Kershaw shouldn’t be on this list, as he looks on track to contend for the Cy Young once again.
1. Chris Davis - 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles
Davis has undoubtedly been the best player in fantasy baseball this season. After struggling in 2011, Davis has come on strong the past two seasons in Charm City. He is leading the league in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS. The O’s have been very impressive so far, and Davis is one of the main reasons why. He is hitting .400, and is getting on base in exactly half of his plate appearances. It’s hard to say that he can for sure keep up this pace, as he is only hitting .261 on his career, but Davis has been the best player hands-down.