Fantasy Baseball Rankings Movers: Munetaka Murakami climbing while Josh Naylor recedes ... but only a little

Most every week, Scott White will highlight some of the more notable changes to his rest-of-season rankings. You'll find said rankings here and are urged to bookmark them if you haven't already. There's no better resource for gauging player value throughout the long season.

"Can I drop Josh Naylor?"

Believe it or not, that's the question I've heard the most since this season started. I say "believe it or not" because seasoned Fantasy Baseballers will know the answer is an obvious "no." Naylor has been a must-start first baseman each of the past three years, is still in his prime at age 28, and just signed a long-term contract with the Mariners this offseason, having earned the trust of much smarter baseball people than you or me. There's also the more general reason that abandoning your high draft picks after a few weeks of poor performance is a suicidal approach to a game that's more of a marathon than a sprint.

Having said that, I've moved Naylor down a couple spots in the latest update to my rankings, from eighth to 10th at first base. It's due less to concerns over him (he's 9 for 17 in his past five games, after all) and more to Sal Stewart and Ben Rice simply being that good. Placing Naylor 10th keeps him in the must-start (and certainly must-roster) range of the rankings, but even if his bat bounces back fully (which I'm expecting), he'll have trouble measuring up to his 2025 production because of how unlikely his 30 steals were. This downgrade is less an overreaction to his cold start than an acknowledgment that his place in the rankings is more malleable than, say, Rafael Devers.

The 10 biggest rankings moves for this week

1. I mentioned Sal Stewart as one of the two players I've moved ahead of Josh Naylor at first base, and it's a major credit to the 22-year-old that he could so quickly rank so high at a position with so many early-round fixtures. Week after week, there's simply no letup, and he's showing no signs of weakness either. His exit velocities are strong. His plate discipline is excellent. Somehow, he's already 6 for 6 in stolen bases, which wouldn't have seemed possible in even a best-case scenario. If that isn't enough, he's also on the path to gaining third and second base eligibility, which would make him an almost mythical figure in Fantasy. You never want to go too big with a rankings adjustment in April, but I'm all-in on Stewart at this point.
2. Yordan Alvarez just hit his 11th home run Wednesday and is so far looking like the most perfect hitter who ever lived. If nothing else, his underlying data compares favorably to Aaron Judge and always has, so while he's unlikely to sustain his 68-homer pace, the overall tenor of his performance might just be legit. It's unfortunately timed, coming off an injury-plagued year (or perhaps fortunately timed if you're the one who got him in Round 3), and he's no stranger to injuries in general. Between that and him being a virtual goose egg in the stolen base category, I'm inclined to slot Alvarez sixth in the outfield now that he's eligible there, at the back of a top tier that includes Judge, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna, Kyle Tucker, and Corbin Carroll.
3. Munetaka Murakami has homered in five straight games to put him just one off Alvarez's major league lead, so surely this two-time MVP winner in Japan is deserving of more love from me. Well, yes. And no. And yes and no. He's up to 14th at first base in Rotisserie and 15th in Head-to-Head points, where he had more ground to gain because of his considerable strikeout concerns. That's not going to be enough of a jump to satisfy his staunchest supporters, but rather than rage about it, you can take it as a cue to sell high, potentially. The power is legitimate, but Murakami is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to swinging and missing in the zone, which is only going to become a greater problem as his scouting report gets out. The profile he brings to the table is Joey Gallo-like, and over the long haul, I still have greater faith in Tyler Soderstrom and Michael Busch, despite their slow starts.
4. While Cal Raleigh remains No. 1 with a bullet at catcher, the No. 2 spot has always been up for grabs, and while I've toyed with other options like Ben Rice, Hunter Goodman, and Shea Langeliers, I've decided, I think conclusively, that the correct choice is Drake Baldwin. He has a rock-solid hitting profile, is a true everyday player with the Braves no longer having a dedicated DH, and holds a prominent lineup spot (second) that's already staked him to a big lead in runs and RBI at the position.
5. Edwin Diaz (loose bodies in elbow) and Raisel Iglesias (shoulder inflammation) have both gone on the IL in the past week and happen to have high-profile backups with ample closing experience. So, where am I ranking Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez? For now, 27th and 28th in Rotisserie/categories leagues, which may seem low at first blush, but there are complicating factors for both. In Scott's case, we have no assurances that he'll be a dedicated closer for the three months Diaz is sidelined. We just know he's going to be part of the saves mix. He'd be my top choice, but fellow left-hander Alex Vesia has actually gotten the Dodgers' two most recent saves. Suarez, on the other hand, is clearly the replacement for Iglesias, but it's not clear that Iglesias is going to miss much more than the minimum. I'll take Scott and Suarez ahead of Jake Junis and Ryan Walker, who may or may not be their respective teams' top choice for saves, but not over Dennis Santana, Jordan Romano, and Bryan Baker, who more definitively are.
6. Mike Trout is back, and I'm tired of pretending like he's not. It's not just that he's performed well so far; his eight home runs contributing to him being a top-five outfielder in both major scoring formats. The more compelling reason is that his strikeout rate has dropped from 32 to 20 percent, and he's once again looking like one of the most disciplined hitters in the game. He's even back to stealing bases, his four through 25 games representing his second-most in seven years. I'm not ready to call him a top-five outfielder for the rest of the season, but it's pretty easy to get him inside the top 20 with others like Tyler Soderstrom, Seiya Suzuki, and Riley Green being such disappointments early on.
7. While the ace starting pitchers, even some of the biggest disappointments like Garrett Crochet and Cole Ragans, are still generally holding their value with me, the second tier, for which I had some doubts to begin with, is more malleable. I've seen enough from Cameron Schlittler and Nolan McLean to say they belong in it, moving them up to 15th and 16th, ahead of George Kirby and Freddy Peralta, to name a couple. Peralta, I was fairly convinced, had overachieved last year anyway, and Kirby's high standing always hinged on a rebound that, to this point, I've seen no evidence of. I mean, yeah, he's been OK -- and I'm still ranking him 17th -- but his bat-missing has been way off. The concern with ranking Schlittler and McLean so high would be whether they could deliver the workload expected of such a pitcher, but both were around 150 innings between the minors and majors last year. It'll be fine.
8. I mentioned Kirby and Peralta as two of the pitchers Schlittler and McLean have surpassed. Another two would be Jesus Luzardo and Logan Webb, and the adjustment for them is even starker, taking them from 12th and 13th at starting pitcher to 22nd and 23rd. The underlying data still looks great for Luzardo, which is why I remain hopeful overall, but only one of his five starts has actually been good. He doesn't have a long track record of success either, with last year being more of an outlier than not, so his slow start warrants some caution. Webb has been a Fantasy ace for longer, but some of the warts that appeared over the past couple years are being accentuated now. He's giving up too many baserunners, not throwing enough strikes, not missing enough bats, and just generally looking like a mid-tier innings eater. Maybe that changes -- probably it does, but I've decided the risk is high enough that I'd rather have Dylan Cease and Tyler Glasnow, at least in categories leagues.
9. It's easy to forget C.J. Abrams is only 25, but once someone like me comes along to remind you, then his case for a breakout this year becomes more plausible. He's hitting the ball harder than ever on average, is barreling up the ball twice as often as usual, and is currently sporting career bests in both walk rate and strikeout rate, with the former also being twice as high as last year. He's always been regarded as more of a Rotisserie or category league option, but I've moved him up to sixth at shortstop even in points leagues. If that sounds too low, recognize that there's really no breaking into the top five right now. Royalty like Bobby Witt, Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Lindor, and Trea Turner isn't so easily surpassed.
10. With all the upheaval at closer lately, Riley O'Brien has moved into the top 10 almost by default. That's even with Kenley Jansen climbing to seventh and Devin Williams still getting great benefit of the doubt at ninth. Jhoan Duran and Raisel Iglesias, who are both on the IL, are still fifth and sixth. Shoot, some might bristle at Andres Munoz and Cade Smith still being second and third, but who else should be? It's a mess right now. O'Brien has been a surprisingly consistent ninth-inning choice for manager Oliver Marmol and has excelled in the role. Likewise, Paul Sewald, who was also a long shot choice for saves coming into the year, is up to 15th at relief pitcher.

A few other changes of note ...

• Gavin Williams has moved ahead of Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara, and Eury Perez, making him 25th at starting pitcher.
• I overlooked Seth Lugo for too long and have only now moved him into the visible range at 70th. Early returns show shades of 2024, but before you get too excited, remember that particular season was an outlier for the 36-year-old.
• Chase Dollander, coming off back-to-back nine-strikeout outings, has entered the top 100 at starting pitcher. It's clear he's talented, but the barrier to entry is exceedingly high for a Rockies pitcher.
• Otto Lopez has climbed into the top 12 at second base, surpassing Marcus Semien in Rotisserie leagues and Matt McLain in Head-to-Head points. He seems genuinely stronger this year, with his average and max exit velocities both being way up, and an improved pull-air rate is helping him actualize his power.
• Max Muncy is up to 11th at third base in Rotisserie leagues and 10th in Head-to-Head points. He's not only producing for the Dodgers but has started 15 straight games for them, including two against lefties, which suggests he's more than the platoon player we projected him to be.