2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings: FYPD (Fantasy Baseball)

The 2025 MLB Draft is behind us, which means the table is set for the 2026 First Year Player Draft (FYPD) rankings. The draft as a whole lacks some clarity at the top. We usually have a few key names, then the field opens up, but an early indication is that it is the wild west, according to multiple fantasy prospect rankers, not only on who the top of the class is, but who is number one overall.

Because of the volatility of this class, I will not only share my top-15 rankings (FYPD first round), but I will put them in tiered buckets to give a better sense of the range instead of only giving them in numerical order. This class lacks college hitting, which presents fantasy owners with two scary schools of draft, high school or college pitching.

If you are in the market for either, you’re in good shape. This is also a draft based on need, making it easier to accommodate moving players to that need. No one will fault you if you moved Kade Anderson, a college pitcher, to number one, or if you moved a Tyler Bremner way up due to pitching need and proximity (we know how the Angels are).

My last note is on strategy. This is the first class in a while where I have felt having middle-to-late-round picks and/or multiple picks in the teens was a better value than hugging onto the third overall pick. The depth is rounding out to be very nice, so trading down isn’t my least favorite thing to do. With that, let’s take a look at the FYPD ranks.

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2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings & Tiers

Tier 1

Ethan Holliday (SS – COL)

Son of Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson, Ethan Holliday has some of the best power in this class. There are some questions on the overall hit tool as a whole, but I am putting a lot of trust in the Holliday family as a whole.

Going to Colorado brings up his floor considerably, and that evens out with what I feel is tremendous upside. This is the draft to not play it safe and target upside. He is my 1-1.

Kade Anderson (SP – SEA)

What a great landing spot for Kade Anderson to avoid the Angels and go to Pitching U. He led Division I (DI) in strikeouts and led LSU to a College World Series win. Anderson has four above-average pitchers, with a solid shape fastball and a hammer curve.

One fun note is that Anderson already had a Tommy John surgery in 2022. Seen as one of the best pitchers in the class, going to one of the best environments for pitchers creates a great ceiling and floor.

Eli Willits (SS – WSH)

Be it that he is taking a haircut to go number one or he is just the Nationals’ top player, Eli Willits has five-tool upside with a high floor for a high school player.

Willits’ hit tool is very high, but has average power. He runs a ton, stealing 46 bases this past season. I think he could have flares of Trea Turner in him if all things come together, so he does deserve to be drafted pretty high for a high school bat.

Aiva Arquette (SS, 3B – MIA)

Aiva Arquette is the best college bat in the class. He’s a big 6-foot-5, 220-pound shortstop with an overall solid hit tool and potentially above-average power.

Arquette had high barrel and 90th percentile exit velocity college numbers, which could translate well. He may move to third base, based on his size, but there is a decent chance he sticks at shortstop.

Seth Hernandez (SP – PIT)

High school pitchers in fantasy are scary, especially if you are considering them high. Seth Hernandez is a special case, as he has the stuff to be the best pitcher out of this class. His fastball has tons of spin and grades between 65-70.

Hernandez’s change-up is a huge strikeout pitch and is graded near the top of the entire class, plus he has an above-average slider and curveball. Pittsburgh has done a fantastic job with pitching development, so if you’re shooting for the stars, Hernandez is that guy.

Tier 2

Liam Doyle (SP – STL)

Liam Doyle holds the best fastball in this class with great shape and high-90s velocity. He led college baseball in K/9 last year with a 15.4 K/9 mark.

Doyle’s splitter held a strong whiff rate, and he throws a slider/cutter, which the Cardinals may tweak a bit. He could be the top fantasy option out of this class if his non-fastball pitches continue to develop.

JoJo Parker (SS – TOR)

Some see JoJo Parker as the best combination of hit tools from the high school crop. He’s a big kid at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. During the MLB Draft Combine, he put up solid exit velocities and sides a bit more on the power to Eli Willits, who sides more on contact.

Tier 3

Jace LaViolette (OF – CLE)

Jace LaViolette is a polarizing player. He struggled with contact and batting average last year, as well as an injury. He also put up some troublesome strikeout numbers. On the positive, he has some of the best raw power, barrels the ball and pulls it in the air almost more than anyone.

Despite the strikeouts, LaViolette doesn’t chase a ton. I think he has a chance to be the best college bat from this class. I am higher on him than most.

Jamie Arnold (SP – ATH)

There was a time when Jamie Arnold was near the top of the draft boards. He puts elite spin on his slider, which delivery and shape remind many of Chris Sale. He’ll need some work on attacking right-handed hitters at the pro level, but he has a chance to move quickly through the Athletics’ system.

Xavier Neyens (3B – HOU)

This is another player I am higher on than most. Neyens is a big 6-foot-4, 210-pound third baseman. He has some of the best power from the high school class, and a swing geared toward hitting bombs. Neyes is a big target of mine and continues to rise in FYPD ranks.

Tyler Bremner (SP – LAA)

Tyler Bremner is the most likely player from this draft class to get to the Majors first. The main reason is that the Angels took him, but I believe they took him over Anderson and Doyle because they believed he was the most pro-ready. The plus fastball and change-up should wreak havoc on the minors, and ultimately, I could be ranking him too low.

Kayson Cunningham (SS – ARI)

Take the Diamondbacks’ side of this out and calling me a homer, but before they took him, Kayson Cunningham was one of my favorite bats to bet on in this draft. He has a well-above-average hit tool, plate presence and completely underrated power.

Cunningham is a real five-tool middle infielder. His bat speed is one of the best I’ve seen from this class. Frankly, he may deserve to be closer to Tier 1 than where I have him. He is a big target in FYPD at any discount.

Tier 4

Gavin Fien (3B, SS – TEX)

Gavin Fiens falls in line similar to Neyes in that I love the combo of his hit tool and power. The power might need a little more development, but he has a chance to be everything that Josh Jung did not become.

Ike Irish (OF – BAL)

The Orioles had an incredible draft and were gifted Ike Irish at 19. He has a lot of similar data points as Aiva Arquette, with less pull and launch angle, but possibly more raw power. Irish can play at both catcher and outfielder, and should move pretty quickly up their system.

Gavin Kilen (SS – SF)

Gavin Kilen had one of the better bat-to-ball ratings from the college level. He ran well above overall contact and in-zone contact rates. He gets the ball in the air, which helps play up his great ability to make contact. He has a chance to be a 20+ home run infielder with a great average.

Outside the Top 15 Targets

• Andrew Fischer (1B – MIL)
• Ethan Conrad (OF – CHC)
• Kyson Witherspoon (SP – BOS)
• Steele Hall (SS – CIN)
• Quentin Young (SS – MIN)

Top 15 2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings

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