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	3	1.8	0.4	0
3	Bobby Witt Jr.	KC	SS1	3	5	3.2	0.4	1
4	Juan Soto	NYM	OF2	3	6	4.1	0.7	1
5	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B1	4	10	5.7	1.3	1
6	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF3	4	12	6.9	1.9	3
7	Tarik Skubal	DET	SP1	2	22	8.8	2.8	0
8	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF4	7	22	9.1	1.6	4
9	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	SS2	6	14	9.5	1.8	1
10	Paul Skenes	PIT	SP2	5	20	11.2	2.1	1
11	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF5	6	21	12	3.9	4
12	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	OF6	7	18	12.7	2.5	2
13	Garrett Crochet	BOS	SP3	7	23	13.1	3.4	0
14	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	SS3	9	18	13.3	1.5	4
15	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF7	5	37	15.6	8.1	-7
16	Junior Caminero	TB	3B2	10	42	15.9	5	3
17	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	1B1	12	24	17.9	2.5	5
18	Cal Raleigh	SEA	C1	11	25	18.1	2	-2
19	Nick Kurtz	ATH	1B2	15	26	18.7	1.8	1
20	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF8	10	47	19.2	4	4
21	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	DH2	15	30	20.7	2.3	0
22	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	2B1	15	36	22.3	3.9	1
23	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS4	15	38	24.1	6.8	-6
24	Pete Alonso	BAL	1B3	21	33	24.7	2.4	2
25	Trea Turner	PHI	SS5	19	79	26.9	5.6	3
26	Ketel Marte	ARI	2B2	19	37	26.9	3.7	1
27	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF9	12	40	29.3	5.3	7
28	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD	SP4	22	40	30.3	4.1	-3
29	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI	SP5	27	41	30.9	3.6	0
30	Manny Machado	SD	3B3	21	51	33.9	4.1	0
31	Matt Olson	ATL	1B4	18	61	34	6.5	10
32	Bryce Harper	PHI	1B5	23	51	34.2	5.7	5
33	Zach Neto	LAA	SS6	16	66	34.9	9.6	2
34	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF10	19	111	34.9	11.1	-3
35	James Wood	WSH	OF11	20	67	35.6	8.5	-3
36	Rafael Devers	SF	1B6	27	52	36.9	6.9	4
37	Logan Gilbert	SEA	SP6	31	71	37.3	3.4	2
38	Hunter Brown	HOU	SP7	30	53	37.7	4.1	-5
39	Chris Sale	ATL	SP8	28	52	38.1	4.4	-3
40	Mookie Betts	LAD	SS7	26	64	40.7	7.1	4
41	Bryan Woo	SEA	SP9	17	56	41.8	4.7	-3
42	Jacob deGrom	TEX	SP10	36	72	43.9	4	7
43	Logan Webb	SF	SP11	33	73	45.5	9.3	7
44	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF12	27	138	45.8	14.6	1
45	Hunter Greene	CIN	SP12	38	57	46.4	4.5	3
46	Cole Ragans	KC	SP13	32	63	47.8	6.5	9
47	Max Fried	NYY	SP14	40	67	48.5	6.5	-1
48	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF13	29	89	52.1	8.4	3
49	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF14	28	100	52.9	9.1	3
50	Freddie Freeman	LAD	1B7	17	95	55.7	14.6	3
51	Brice Turang	MIL	2B3	32	110	56.1	9.8	-4
52	Josh Naylor	SEA	1B8	40	97	56.3	7.2	5
53	Austin Riley	ATL	3B4	35	78	56.5	8.7	15
54	Riley Greene	DET	OF15	33	80	56.7	9.2	7
55	Joe Ryan	MIN	SP15	51	83	58.9	4.8	12
56	George Kirby	SEA	SP16	43	81	60.2	4.3	16
57	Mason Miller	SD	RP1	28	251	60.8	19.8	-14
58	Freddy Peralta	NYM	SP17	44	87	61.2	10.4	0
59	Cody Bellinger	NYY	OF16	45	77	61.4	8.6	5
60	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF17	33	90	61.6	11.1	5
61	Jackson Merrill	SD	CF1	47	92	61.8	11.4	2
62	Edwin Diaz	LAD	RP2	27	213	61.9	16.4	-20
63	William Contreras	MIL	C2	45	81	62.1	8.3	-7
64	CJ Abrams	WSH	SS8	41	104	62.4	9.5	2
65	Dylan Cease	TOR	SP18	51	107	68.6	12.3	5
66	Jesus Luzardo	PHI	SP19	62	106	70.2	6.4	12
67	Vinnie Pasquantino	KC	1B9	43	86	72.5	8.7	18
68	Andres Munoz	SEA	RP3	39	206	72.6	16.1	-14
69	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS9	40	101	72.6	13	-7
70	Corey Seager	TEX	SS10	49	94	73.8	9.9	20
71	Kyle Bradish	BAL	SP20	50	142	74.1	9.3	10
72	Ben Rice	NYY	1B10	48	151	74.9	15.4	1
73	Jhoan Duran	PHI	RP4	35	248	75.2	16	-14
74	Maikel Garcia	KC	2B4	65	115	75.8	5.6	-3
75	Shea Langeliers	ATH	C3	53	147	76.1	15.4	-6

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.