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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