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    FantasyPros Staff | Thu, Feb 26th 2026, 7:09am EST

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Expert Picks & Predictions

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 1.1 0.3 0
2 Aaron Judge NYY OF1 1 2 1.8 0.4 0
3 Bobby Witt Jr. KC SS1 3 5 3.1 0.3 1
4 Juan Soto NYM OF2 3 6 3.9 0.5 1
5 Jose Ramirez CLE 3B1 4 10 5.7 1.3 1
6 Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL OF3 5 12 6.4 1.5 2
7 Elly De La Cruz CIN SS2 5 14 8.9 2.1 2
8 Julio Rodriguez SEA OF4 5 22 9 2 3
9 Tarik Skubal DET SP1 5 22 9.3 2.5 -2
10 Kyle Tucker LAD OF5 6 20 10 2.5 4
11 Fernando Tatis Jr. SD OF6 7 17 11.6 2 4
12 Paul Skenes PIT SP2 8 20 11.6 1.9 -2
13 Gunnar Henderson BAL SS3 8 18 12.7 2.3 4
14 Garrett Crochet BOS SP3 7 24 14.1 4 -2
15 Junior Caminero TB 3B2 10 42 16.4 4.8 3
16 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR 1B1 12 24 17.3 2.5 4
17 Nick Kurtz ATH 1B2 15 34 18.3 2.8 2
18 Cal Raleigh SEA C1 11 33 18.8 3 -2
19 Corbin Carroll ARI OF7 8 37 19.6 5.6 -6
20 Jackson Chourio MIL OF8 10 47 19.8 4.6 3
21 Kyle Schwarber PHI DH2 14 38 20.6 3.3 1
22 Jazz Chisholm Jr. NYY 2B1 15 51 21.9 4 2
23 Pete Alonso BAL 1B3 16 33 23.6 1.7 3
24 Trea Turner PHI SS4 19 79 26.4 7.2 5
25 Yordan Alvarez HOU OF9 12 49 27.2 7.5 6
26 Ketel Marte ARI 2B2 19 40 27.3 4.4 1
27 Francisco Lindor NYM SS5 17 41 29.5 6.1 -6
28 Cristopher Sanchez PHI SP4 23 41 31.1 4.3 0
29 Yoshinobu Yamamoto LAD SP5 21 42 31.3 5.7 -4
30 Manny Machado SD 3B3 21 41 32.9 4 2
31 James Wood WSH OF10 22 67 33.9 6.5 2
32 Bryce Harper PHI 1B4 23 49 33.9 7.6 6
33 Matt Olson ATL 1B5 18 53 34 5.2 3
34 Zach Neto LAA SS6 16 66 34.7 10.3 0
35 Hunter Brown HOU SP6 25 52 35.1 5 0
36 Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC OF11 23 111 36 11.3 -6
37 Rafael Devers SF 1B6 27 65 37.4 7.5 3
38 Chris Sale ATL SP7 30 53 38.1 4.2 3
39 Mookie Betts LAD SS7 26 64 39.9 8.7 8
40 Brent Rooker ATH OF12 28 136 41 9.9 3
41 Logan Gilbert SEA SP8 33 71 41 8.6 -2
42 Bryan Woo SEA SP9 32 70 43.4 4.8 -5
43 Jacob deGrom TEX SP10 34 57 44.9 5.2 8
44 Hunter Greene CIN SP11 38 57 45.5 3.5 1
45 Cole Ragans KC SP12 31 60 47.1 6.4 9
46 Logan Webb SF SP13 36 73 49.5 9.9 4
47 Roman Anthony BOS OF13 27 71 50.5 10.8 8
48 Max Fried NYY SP14 40 73 50.6 6.3 -2
49 Wyatt Langford TEX OF14 31 89 51.6 9.6 0
50 Freddie Freeman LAD 1B7 17 94 53.7 12.1 2
51 Austin Riley ATL 3B4 35 90 57.4 10.1 13
52 Freddy Peralta NYM SP15 41 84 57.4 9 7
53 Riley Greene DET OF15 33 162 57.6 10.1 9
54 George Kirby SEA SP16 41 81 59.4 6.9 16
55 Edwin Diaz LAD RP1 28 213 60 16 -11
56 Brice Turang MIL 2B3 26 160 60.2 19.4 -8
57 Cody Bellinger NYY OF16 46 158 60.5 10.8 -1
58 Jackson Merrill SD CF1 36 92 61.1 12.4 8
59 Mason Miller SD RP2 29 251 61.7 17.8 -17
60 Josh Naylor SEA 1B8 40 167 61.7 12.6 -3
61 Jarren Duran BOS OF17 33 90 62.7 10.1 4
62 CJ Abrams WSH SS8 41 104 62.9 9.9 6
63 William Contreras MIL C2 35 81 63.4 8.7 -5
64 Joe Ryan MIN SP17 54 95 64.5 9 3
65 Dylan Cease TOR SP18 54 92 66.6 8.7 8
66 Jesus Luzardo PHI SP19 60 102 71.1 7 11
67 Kyle Bradish BAL SP20 50 99 71.7 5.2 11
68 Vinnie Pasquantino KC 1B9 43 163 71.8 10.4 14
69 Andres Munoz SEA RP3 34 206 72.2 17.9 -16
70 Jhoan Duran PHI RP4 36 248 72.2 18.4 -10
71 Corey Seager TEX SS9 41 171 73.4 14.9 18
72 Shea Langeliers ATH C3 51 147 74.1 13.6 0
73 Framber Valdez DET SP21 54 92 74.7 7.8 6
74 Geraldo Perdomo ARI SS10 36 159 77 14.8 -13
75 George Springer TOR OF18 44 169 78.6 16.8 0
76 Bo Bichette NYM SS11 51 189 79.1 15.7 4
77 Maikel Garcia KC 2B4 60 165 80.2 17.9 -6
78 Seiya Suzuki CHC OF19 51 177 82.6 12.8 10
79 Byron Buxton MIN CF2 53 164 82.8 19.5 -5
80 Ben Rice NYY 1B10 47 166 83.1 23.9 -11
81 Jeremy Pena HOU SS12 67 170 84.2 10.4 15
82 Nick Pivetta SD SP22 70 114 85.6 9.9 5
83 Randy Arozarena SEA OF20 60 175 87.8 10 3
84 Cade Smith CLE RP5 37 180 87.9 35.3 -21
85 Eury Perez MIA SP23 67 142 87.9 13.9 14
86 Blake Snell LAD SP24 32 175 89.6 25.6 -3
87 Nolan McLean NYM SP25 66 130 89.9 13.6 20
88 Hunter Goodman COL C4 49 173 90.4 27.6 -12
89 Tyler Soderstrom ATH 1B11 46 161 91.8 21 -4
90 Eugenio Suarez CIN 3B5 58 178 94.7 15.1 4
91 Alex Bregman CHC 3B6 29 182 95.1 22.9 6
92 Michael Harris II ATL OF21 69 172 96.6 17.6 12
93 Kevin Gausman TOR SP26 64 116 99.1 11.5 15
94 Tyler Glasnow LAD SP27 73 134 100.7 15.9 18
95 Oneil Cruz PIT CF3 75 176 100.9 15.5 -3
96 Michael Busch CHC 1B12 93 187 102.4 6.5 13
97 Spencer Strider ATL SP28 59 176 102.5 33.4 1
98 Nico Hoerner CHC 2B5 77 180 103.3 9.2 -3
99 Jose Altuve HOU 2B6 66 191 104.5 21.3 1
100 Yandy Diaz TB 1B13 50 206 108.1 17.5 24

 

Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Player Spotlight

Ronald Acuna Jr.’s 2025 was uneven as he worked his way back from knee surgery, flashing his MVP-level ceiling early before fading in the second half. Looking ahead to 2026, fantasy projections still view him as a first-round caliber talent, forecasting roughly 135-145 games with elite across-the-board production in the neighborhood of 30 homers, 90 runs, 90 RBI, and 20-plus steals. Durability remains the clear risk. He has topped 150 games only twice outside of the shortened 2020 season, but the per-game impact is still unmatched when he’s on the field. If Acuna slips even slightly in drafts due to health concerns, he’s a strong pick under the “anyone can get hurt” philosophy. However, managers who prefer safer volume can justify pivoting to another elite bat.
– Kelly Kirby

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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