It can be helpful to get an early sense of where the experts stand in terms of initial fantasy baseball draft rankings. We’ll have you covered as we approach the spring and new season, but for now let’s take a look at 2026 fantasy baseball rankings.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Rankings
RK
PLAYER NAME
TEAM
POS
BEST
WORST
AVG.
STD.DEV
ECR VS. ADP
1
Shohei Ohtani
LAD
DH1
1
2
1.3
0.4
0
2
Aaron Judge
NYY
OF1
1
2
1.6
0.5
0
3
Bobby Witt Jr.
KC
SS1
3
4
3.1
0.3
1
4
Juan Soto
NYM
OF2
3
6
3.9
0.3
1
5
Jose Ramirez
CLE
3B1
4
10
5.8
0.9
1
6
Ronald Acuna Jr.
ATL
OF3
5
13
7.5
1.9
3
7
Corbin Carroll
ARI
OF4
5
11
7.5
1.8
1
8
Tarik Skubal
DET
SP1
5
21
8.9
2.8
-1
9
Julio Rodriguez
SEA
OF5
7
11
9.2
1.2
4
10
Elly De La Cruz
CIN
SS2
6
18
9.9
2.3
0
11
Paul Skenes
PIT
SP2
7
18
11.3
1.9
0
12
Fernando Tatis Jr.
SD
OF6
8
21
12.9
2.7
2
13
Garrett Crochet
BOS
SP3
6
23
13.5
2.4
-1
14
Gunnar Henderson
BAL
SS3
11
20
13.9
1.4
5
15
Kyle Tucker
LAD
OF7
6
23
14.4
3.7
1
16
Francisco Lindor
NYM
SS4
12
18
15.4
0.9
1
17
Junior Caminero
TB
3B2
8
44
15.6
2.6
1
18
Cal Raleigh
SEA
C1
12
21
18.8
1.3
-3
19
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
TOR
1B1
15
24
19.4
2.3
3
20
Nick Kurtz
ATH
1B2
17
27
19.4
1.9
0
21
Jackson Chourio
MIL
OF8
12
48
19.8
2.1
2
22
Kyle Schwarber
PHI
DH2
15
32
21.3
2
-1
23
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
NYY
2B1
13
24
21.6
1.8
1
24
Pete Alonso
BAL
1B3
22
29
24.4
1.5
2
25
Ketel Marte
ARI
2B2
20
34
27.5
3.2
2
26
Trea Turner
PHI
SS5
21
77
28.2
5.6
3
27
Yordan Alvarez
HOU
OF9
24
36
29.7
3
5
28
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
LAD
SP4
22
48
31
4.4
-3
29
Cristopher Sanchez
PHI
SP5
26
41
31.3
4.1
-1
30
Bryce Harper
PHI
1B4
26
42
32.9
3.3
7
31
Manny Machado
SD
3B3
25
37
33.1
3.1
0
32
Matt Olson
ATL
1B5
24
48
33.3
5.1
4
33
Rafael Devers
SF
1B6
26
50
35.1
6
8
34
Zach Neto
LAA
SS6
26
47
35.7
5.4
1
35
Hunter Brown
HOU
SP6
30
60
36
4
-1
36
Pete Crow-Armstrong
CHC
OF10
25
134
36.3
9.8
-6
37
James Wood
WSH
OF11
27
64
36.7
6.6
-4
38
Chris Sale
ATL
SP7
26
49
37.2
3.8
2
39
Logan Gilbert
SEA
SP8
29
44
37.6
3.6
0
40
Logan Webb
SF
SP9
33
76
41.6
6.2
8
41
Mookie Betts
LAD
SS7
27
53
41.7
3.7
1
42
Bryan Woo
SEA
SP10
32
54
41.9
3.7
-4
43
Jacob deGrom
TEX
SP11
35
73
42.6
5.2
4
44
Hunter Greene
CIN
SP12
40
65
46.6
4
2
45
Cole Ragans
KC
SP13
28
63
46.7
5.6
7
46
Brent Rooker
ATH
OF12
31
153
49.3
16.1
-2
47
Max Fried
NYY
SP14
43
72
52.1
8.3
-4
48
Wyatt Langford
TEX
OF13
29
86
52.3
8.8
2
49
Roman Anthony
BOS
OF14
28
150
53.8
10.9
0
50
Riley Greene
DET
OF15
42
70
55
5.6
7
51
Freddie Freeman
LAD
1B7
28
100
55.1
13.6
0
52
Austin Riley
ATL
3B4
42
79
55.7
8.5
14
53
Josh Naylor
SEA
1B8
40
101
55.9
6.3
3
54
Brice Turang
MIL
2B3
32
79
57.3
11.2
-9
55
Joe Ryan
MIN
SP15
43
86
58
6
12
56
Jarren Duran
BOS
OF16
33
87
59.6
9
6
57
Cody Bellinger
NYY
OF17
45
73
60.1
5.5
8
58
Jackson Merrill
SD
CF1
48
90
60.6
12.3
6
59
George Kirby
SEA
SP16
46
84
61.1
5.9
13
60
William Contreras
MIL
C2
46
80
61.7
4.7
-5
61
CJ Abrams
WSH
SS8
47
83
62
9.6
2
62
Freddy Peralta
NYM
SP17
47
84
62.5
9.6
-4
63
Spencer Schwellenbach
ATL
SP18
53
83
63.8
4.8
18
64
Blake Snell
LAD
SP19
48
108
64
14
7
65
Dylan Cease
TOR
SP20
52
95
65.3
12.1
11
66
Jesus Luzardo
PHI
SP21
59
92
69.1
4.1
14
67
Vinnie Pasquantino
KC
1B9
38
86
71
10.7
11
68
Geraldo Perdomo
ARI
SS9
40
92
71.6
13.5
-8
69
Mason Miller
SD
RP1
34
201
71.9
32.1
-15
70
Corey Seager
TEX
SS10
58
89
72
5.6
12
71
Bo Bichette
NYM
SS11
51
117
73.5
12.8
14
72
Kyle Bradish
BAL
SP22
45
93
75.2
8.7
11
73
George Springer
TOR
OF18
44
105
76.1
9.6
4
74
Ben Rice
NYY
1B10
58
139
76.1
14.1
-5
75
Byron Buxton
MIN
CF2
56
163
77.5
10.6
-7
What is Fantasy Baseball?
Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.
Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success
1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring
Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.
2. Drafting Your Team Wisely
A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:
Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.
3. In-Season Management
Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.
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