Cleveland Indians: 13 players in SI’s Top 300 fantasy baseball rankings

Sports Illustrated revealed their top 300 fantasy baseball players for 2017, and the Cleveland Indians were well-represented in the rankings.

Cleveland Indians fans who play fantasy baseball have likely stacked their teams with Indians players in the past. But in 2017, it will be hard to get more than a few in any given draft.

SI.com released its list of the top 300 fantasy baseball players for 2017, and the Indians had 13 players appear on the list, including seven in the top 100.

The Indians appear on the list as follows:

• No. 17: Edwin Encarnacion
• No. 22: Francisco Lindor
• No. 30: Corey Kluber
• No. 38: Carlos Carrasco
• No. 71: Jason Kipnis
• No. 86: Danny Salazar
• No. 97: Carlos Santana
• No. 111: Andrew Miller
• No. 123: Jose Ramirez
• No. 128: Cody Allen
• No. 251: Tyler Naquin
• No. 263: Michael Brantley
• No. 287: Trevor Bauer

The only real surprise on this list is Brantley, although if healthy he will certainly be better than where he is ranked now. Even if he gets a late start to the year, drafting him in a fantasy league is a smart move if it is revealed he is not dealing with any major injuries.

Related: 5 reasons Indians will win the World Series

Having four of the five starting pitchers on this list shows just how strong the starting rotation is in 2017, and it can even be argued that Josh Tomlin could replace Bauer on this list. There is not one weak spot among the five pitchers, with health being the only major question as the year progresses.

And when it comes to the starting lineup, given Brantley is healthy, seven of the starters appear on this list, which illustrates the respect given to this team’s offensive abilities heading into the 2017 season.

Next: Carlos Santana and the inevitability of moving on

So when going through your fantasy draft this year, be sure to grab your favorite Indians players early. Unlike in the past, they may not be available beyond the first few rounds. This is in stark contrast to what Cleveland Browns fans deal with in NFL fantasy drafts.