Ohtani Is Just Different
Let's start here. Because we have to.
Shohei Ohtani is averaging 14.5 fantasy points per game as a designated hitter. That's it. That's the stat. He's not pitching. He's just hitting. And he's putting up 174 total points in 12 games.
You know what's wild? The gap between Ohtani at #1 DH and Giancarlo Stanton at #2? It's 87 points. Ohtani is literally doubling up the next guy. Stanton is sitting at 87 total points in 11 games. Ohtani has 174 in 12. The man is a cheat code.
And then there's Rafael Devers, now with the Giants apparently, checking in at just 6.3 PPG. Third place at DH. That number wouldn't crack the top three at any other position on this list.
The Catcher Position Has a Pulse?
Okay. Real talk. When was the last time you got excited about a catcher in fantasy baseball?
Because Drake Baldwin might change that. Atlanta's backstop is the #1 catcher with 161 total points in 13 games and a 12.4 PPG average. Read that again. 12.4 PPG from a catcher.
For context, that PPG would:
- Rank second among all first basemen (behind only Ben Rice's 13.2)
- Rank second among all second basemen (behind only Brice Turang's 12.5)
- Be competitive at basically every position
Catcher is historically a wasteland in fantasy. Baldwin is treating it like an oasis. Shea Langeliers is no slouch either at 11.2 PPG, and even the #3 catcher, Liam Hicks, is posting a respectable 9.4. Is the catcher position actually... good this year?
Sal Stewart: The Quiet Total Points King
Here's a name that might not be on everyone's radar yet. Cincinnati's Sal Stewart leads all third basemen with 162 total points in 13 games. That 12.5 PPG is rock solid.
But here's what's interesting. Among all the position players on this leaderboard, only two names have more total points than Stewart: Ohtani (174) and Baldwin (161... wait, Stewart actually beats Baldwin by one). So Stewart's 162 is the second-highest total point number across every position player listed here.
Meanwhile, Max Muncy (now in Oakland) is at 119 points, and Maikel Garcia rounds things out at 113. The drop-off from Stewart to the #2 third baseman is 43 points. That's a canyon.
The Starting Pitcher Explosion
Three games. That's all we've got from the top SPs. But those three games? Absolutely bonkers.
José Soriano is leading all starting pitchers at 42 PPG. Forty-two. Per game. In a small sample, sure. But that's 126 total points in just 3 starts. Sandy Alcantara, who's back and apparently feeling great in Miami, is right behind him at 41.7 PPG (125 points). And then there's Cam Schlittler, a Yankee, sitting pretty at 39.7 PPG.
Those per-game numbers are absolutely absurd. For comparison, Ohtani's league-best position player rate is 14.5 PPG. These pitchers are nearly tripling that.
The Reliever Who Thinks He's a Starter
Joey Cantillo is listed as a reliever for Cleveland. His PPG? 28.0. In three games, he's racked up 84 total points.
That's more than double what Aaron Ashby (10 PPG) and Mason Miller (10.8 PPG) are doing. And honestly, 28 PPG from a reliever is just strange. That number is closer to the starting pitcher leaderboard than the reliever one. The data is the data, though.
Quick Hits From the Infield
- CJ Abrams leads shortstops at 13.1 PPG. Gunnar Henderson and Xavier Edwards are tied at 133 total points, but Edwards needed 13 games to get there while Henderson only needed 12.
- Nico Hoerner leads second basemen in total points (139), but Brice Turang actually has the higher per-game average (12.5 vs. 11.6). Turang has just played fewer games.
- Christian Walker moved to Houston and is the #1 first baseman with 150 total points, but Ben Rice has the better rate (13.2 PPG vs. 11.5) in fewer games.
The early season is always chaotic. Small samples, weird splits, unexpected names at the top. But some of these numbers, particularly Baldwin at catcher and Stewart at third, are building on enough games (13 each) to start looking like real trends.
The leaderboards are talking. The question is whether anyone's listening.