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
0
0
2
Aaron Judge
NYY
OF1
1
3
1.8
0.4
0
3
Bobby Witt Jr.
KC
SS1
3
4
3.1
0.3
1
4
Juan Soto
NYM
OF2
3
6
4.2
0.6
1
5
Jose Ramirez
CLE
3B1
4
10
5.9
1.1
1
6
Tarik Skubal
DET
SP1
2
15
7.6
2.2
1
7
Corbin Carroll
ARI
OF3
5
12
7.8
1.4
1
8
Ronald Acuna Jr.
ATL
OF4
5
13
7.9
1.9
1
9
Julio Rodriguez
SEA
OF5
7
13
9.5
1.1
3
10
Elly De La Cruz
CIN
SS2
6
14
9.7
2.2
0
11
Paul Skenes
PIT
SP2
5
14
10.5
2
0
12
Garrett Crochet
BOS
SP3
6
19
12.2
2.2
1
13
Gunnar Henderson
BAL
SS3
10
16
13.9
1.4
6
14
Kyle Tucker
LAD
OF6
7
23
14.1
3.4
0
15
Fernando Tatis Jr.
SD
OF7
8
20
14.1
1.7
0
16
Junior Caminero
TB
3B2
10
42
15.2
2.2
2
17
Francisco Lindor
NYM
SS4
15
18
16.4
0.9
0
18
Cal Raleigh
SEA
C1
18
21
19.1
0.8
-2
19
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
TOR
1B1
12
26
19.3
1.7
3
20
Jackson Chourio
MIL
OF8
12
47
19.9
2.1
3
21
Nick Kurtz
ATH
1B2
16
22
19.9
1.8
-1
22
Kyle Schwarber
PHI
DH2
19
32
22
1.3
-1
23
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
NYY
2B1
15
36
22.4
1.1
1
24
Pete Alonso
BAL
1B3
23
33
24.8
2.5
2
25
Trea Turner
PHI
SS5
21
76
26.6
2.9
4
26
Ketel Marte
ARI
2B2
23
34
27.9
3.6
1
27
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
LAD
SP4
22
38
29.5
3
-2
28
Cristopher Sanchez
PHI
SP5
26
40
30.2
2.7
0
29
Zach Neto
LAA
SS6
26
41
31.3
3.2
5
30
Yordan Alvarez
HOU
OF9
25
40
31.6
3.5
2
31
Manny Machado
SD
3B3
21
51
33.6
4.8
0
32
Pete Crow-Armstrong
CHC
OF10
26
133
34.2
6
-2
33
Bryce Harper
PHI
1B4
26
51
36
5.5
3
34
James Wood
WSH
OF11
27
64
36.1
7.8
-1
35
Logan Gilbert
SEA
SP6
29
43
36.1
3.9
5
36
Chris Sale
ATL
SP7
26
51
36.6
5
2
37
Matt Olson
ATL
1B5
24
61
36.9
6
2
38
Hunter Brown
HOU
SP8
30
60
37
4.3
-3
39
Rafael Devers
SF
1B6
27
52
38.4
7.3
2
40
Bryan Woo
SEA
SP9
17
54
41.2
4.3
-3
41
Jacob deGrom
TEX
SP10
38
73
42.7
2.4
6
42
Logan Webb
SF
SP11
33
62
43.4
8.6
6
43
Mookie Betts
LAD
SS7
34
64
44.1
5.6
-1
44
Hunter Greene
CIN
SP12
38
58
45.8
4.9
2
45
Cole Ragans
KC
SP13
28
63
47.9
4.8
7
46
Brent Rooker
ATH
OF12
27
140
49.6
15.1
-3
47
Wyatt Langford
TEX
OF13
29
85
51.3
8.3
2
48
Max Fried
NYY
SP14
41
67
51.5
7
-4
49
Roman Anthony
BOS
OF14
28
150
53
16.3
1
50
Brice Turang
MIL
2B3
44
79
53.6
7.5
-5
51
Mason Miller
SD
RP1
28
201
53.8
15.9
3
52
Edwin Diaz
LAD
RP2
27
82
56.6
15.1
1
53
Josh Naylor
SEA
1B7
50
100
57.3
5.6
3
54
Riley Greene
DET
OF15
41
80
58
6.1
4
55
Austin Riley
ATL
3B4
35
79
59.3
9.9
9
56
CJ Abrams
WSH
SS8
41
83
59.3
9.3
7
57
Joe Ryan
MIN
SP15
51
72
59.6
5.1
10
58
Jackson Merrill
SD
CF1
48
89
59.7
7.1
8
59
Jarren Duran
BOS
OF16
33
86
61.5
10.7
2
60
George Kirby
SEA
SP16
45
77
61.5
3.9
11
61
Freddie Freeman
LAD
1B8
28
96
61.9
10.5
-10
62
William Contreras
MIL
C2
45
81
63.2
7.6
-7
63
Freddy Peralta
NYM
SP17
47
87
63.4
10.5
-6
64
Cody Bellinger
NYY
OF17
45
77
64.8
8
1
65
Spencer Schwellenbach
ATL
SP18
53
88
65.6
7.4
16
66
Andres Munoz
SEA
RP3
39
83
66.8
11.5
-7
67
Dylan Cease
TOR
SP19
52
107
68.5
13
9
68
Jhoan Duran
PHI
RP4
35
260
69.4
12.1
1
69
Ben Rice
NYY
1B9
48
108
70.1
10.5
1
70
Geraldo Perdomo
ARI
SS9
46
92
70.4
10.4
-8
71
Jesus Luzardo
PHI
SP20
59
99
71
6.1
9
72
Kyle Bradish
BAL
SP21
45
142
72.3
7.6
11
73
Cade Smith
CLE
RP5
38
264
73.5
19.9
1
74
Vinnie Pasquantino
KC
1B10
43
87
73.9
10.8
4
75
Shea Langeliers
ATH
C3
53
118
75.6
16.2
-15
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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