In fantasy leagues, where players compete to win based on their performance, Korean players are climbing the ranks with strong performances. Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels), who can score points with both his pitching and hitting, remained at No. 1 overall.
On July 7 (KST), ESPN released an updated ranking of the top 300 players for fantasy league players. Fantasy leagues allow users to draft players and score points based on their actual performance to determine the winner.
Although it is a virtual league, it reflects the actual performance of the players, so the better players are naturally more valuable and expensive.
Korean players have been rising in the rankings. Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego) and Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh) were actually outside the top 300 before the season 안전놀이터. The same was true in early May. But as they’ve established themselves in the starting lineup and performed well, their rankings have continued to climb accordingly.
Kim broke into the top 300 in mid-May, and Bae has been in the top 300 since late May. Kim has been getting more hits and stolen bases, and Bae has been gaining momentum as his batting average and stolen bases have increased.
Kim is ranked 282nd overall. This is his highest ranking this season. He’s ranked in all three positions: 31st at second base, 27th at third base, and 27th at shortstop. It’s not easy to be ranked in all three positions, let alone two, but it’s a testament to Kim’s all-around ability.
As of July 7, Kim is batting .247 with five home runs, 19 RBIs, 11 doubles, and an OPS of .731 in 57 games this season. The truth is, fantasy leagues don’t track defense. If they did, Kim’s ranking wouldn’t be as high as it is.
Bae is right behind Kim at 283rd overall. Bae ranked 32nd among second basemen and 69th among outfielders. In 55 games this season, Bae is batting .275 with two home runs, 14 RBI, 18 doubles, and a .692 OPS. He has slightly less power, but his 44 hits are the same as Kim’s.
Meanwhile, the top overall player is Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is first in designated hitter and first in starts. He can score points in both ways, so fantasy leagues are really his stage. In second place was Spencer Strider (Atlanta), who has been one of the best starting pitchers this season, and in third place was Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta), the strongest National League MVP candidate.
Jose Ramirez (Cleveland), Freddie Freeman (LA Dodgers), Juan Soto (San Diego), Kevin Gausman (Toronto), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego), Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto) round out the top 10.
In addition to Ohtani, Darvish Yu (San Diego) is ranked 31st overall, Masataka Yoshida (Boston) is 42nd, and Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs) is 144th. Yusei Kikuchi (Toronto) and Ji-Man Choi (Pittsburgh) did not crack the top 300.