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	63	1.5	1.1	0
2	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF1	1	2	1.7	0.5	0
3	Bobby Witt Jr.	KC	SS1	3	7	3.1	0.3	1
4	Juan Soto	NYM	OF2	3	6	4.1	0.7	1
5	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B1	4	18	5.8	1.2	1
6	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF3	4	12	5.9	0.8	2
7	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF4	5	13	8.4	1.8	4
8	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	SS2	5	14	9.4	2.3	1
9	Tarik Skubal	DET	SP1	2	22	9.5	2.9	-2
10	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF5	6	20	10.3	2.3	3
11	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	OF6	7	17	11.4	1.7	5
12	Paul Skenes	PIT	SP2	8	20	11.8	2.3	-2
13	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	SS3	8	22	12.8	2.6	4
14	Garrett Crochet	BOS	SP3	7	24	14.1	4.2	-2
15	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	1B1	4	24	16.6	2.8	5
16	Nick Kurtz	ATH	1B2	9	34	18.1	3.1	3
17	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF7	8	37	19	5.5	-3
18	Cal Raleigh	SEA	C1	11	33	19	2.9	-3
19	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF8	10	47	19.4	3.8	4
20	Junior Caminero	TB	3B2	10	44	19.9	8.3	-2
21	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	2B1	15	51	21.3	4.2	3
22	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	DH2	14	38	21.5	3.4	-1
23	Pete Alonso	BAL	1B3	13	33	23.1	2.5	3
24	Ketel Marte	ARI	2B2	15	40	26.3	4.3	3
25	Trea Turner	PHI	SS4	19	79	26.4	7	4
26	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF9	14	49	27.9	6.6	7
27	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS5	17	41	29.4	6.9	-5
28	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI	SP4	14	41	30.6	4.8	0
29	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD	SP5	21	42	30.9	5.3	-4
30	Matt Olson	ATL	1B4	24	53	33.5	5.2	6
31	Bryce Harper	PHI	1B5	20	49	33.6	7.6	7
32	James Wood	WSH	OF10	22	67	33.6	5.7	0
33	Manny Machado	SD	3B3	21	41	33.6	4.5	-2
34	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF11	23	111	34.4	9.4	-4
35	Hunter Brown	HOU	SP6	25	53	34.7	5	-1
36	Zach Neto	LAA	SS6	16	57	35	8.9	-1
37	Rafael Devers	SF	1B6	14	65	35.1	7.5	3
38	Logan Gilbert	SEA	SP7	28	72	38.4	2.5	1
39	Chris Sale	ATL	SP8	32	47	38.6	3.4	2
40	Mookie Betts	LAD	SS7	26	64	41.9	8	8
41	Bryan Woo	SEA	SP9	33	71	42.4	3.7	-4
42	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF12	28	136	42.4	9.4	1
43	Jacob deGrom	TEX	SP10	34	57	44	5.6	9
44	Cole Ragans	KC	SP11	30	55	44.9	6.8	10
45	Hunter Greene	CIN	SP12	38	52	45	2.3	-1
46	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF13	31	89	47.5	9.3	3
47	Logan Webb	SF	SP13	36	73	49	10	3
48	Max Fried	NYY	SP14	42	73	51.3	5.9	-2
49	Freddie Freeman	LAD	1B7	25	94	51.7	13.3	4
50	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF14	27	71	52.1	10.9	1
51	Austin Riley	ATL	3B4	35	90	55.7	8.4	10
52	Freddy Peralta	NYM	SP15	41	84	56.5	7.3	8
53	Brice Turang	MIL	2B3	26	160	59.2	14.4	-6
54	George Kirby	SEA	SP16	41	81	59.2	7.3	16
55	Riley Greene	DET	OF15	40	162	59.4	8.7	8
56	Jackson Merrill	SD	CF1	36	92	59.6	11.6	10
57	Josh Naylor	SEA	1B8	40	183	60.9	12.6	0
58	Dylan Cease	TOR	SP17	54	92	62.2	4.5	15
59	CJ Abrams	WSH	SS8	41	80	62.3	8.8	9
60	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF16	49	90	62.6	8.4	5
61	William Contreras	MIL	C2	34	80	62.9	9.5	-3
62	Cody Bellinger	NYY	OF17	51	158	63.8	10.3	-6
63	Joe Ryan	MIN	SP18	43	95	65.1	10.6	6
64	Jesus Luzardo	PHI	SP19	59	82	68.6	6.6	13
65	Mason Miller	SD	RP1	29	158	69.1	28.2	-23
66	Edwin Diaz	LAD	RP2	28	187	69.6	36.1	-21
67	Vinnie Pasquantino	KC	1B9	43	163	70.9	9.8	15
68	Framber Valdez	DET	SP20	59	92	73.2	8.4	10
69	Kyle Bradish	BAL	SP21	51	120	73.6	8.4	11
70	Corey Seager	TEX	SS9	41	169	74.8	13.3	20
71	Ben Rice	NYY	1B10	47	166	75	16	-4
72	Shea Langeliers	ATH	C3	51	105	76.6	15	0
73	George Springer	TOR	OF18	44	172	77.8	16.4	2
74	Andres Munoz	SEA	RP3	34	147	78.1	25.9	-19
75	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS10	36	159	78.4	13	-11
76	Maikel Garcia	KC	2B4	47	165	79.4	15.7	-5
77	Byron Buxton	MIN	CF2	53	164	79.9	17.4	-3
78	Jhoan Duran	PHI	RP4	36	182	80.1	30.7	-19
79	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF19	51	177	80.3	10.5	4
80	Bo Bichette	NYM	SS11	54	191	81.2	14	1
81	Nick Pivetta	SD	SP22	65	113	84.8	10.2	7
82	Randy Arozarena	SEA	OF20	60	174	85.1	10	5
83	Jeremy Pena	HOU	SS12	67	168	85.1	9.9	11
84	Eury Perez	MIA	SP23	67	132	87.4	13.6	17
85	Blake Snell	LAD	SP24	48	175	88.8	24.8	0
86	Tyler Soderstrom	ATH	1B11	46	161	90.4	12.9	0
87	Hunter Goodman	COL	C4	49	175	90.6	24.1	-11
88	Nolan McLean	NYM	SP25	66	128	92.9	17	19
89	Alex Bregman	CHC	3B5	29	187	93.9	19.9	8
90	Eugenio Suarez	CIN	3B6	58	178	94.1	14.1	3
91	Spencer Strider	ATL	SP26	63	171	96.6	26.3	7
92	Cade Smith	CLE	RP5	37	189	96.7	41.8	-30
93	Kevin Gausman	TOR	SP27	63	120	96.7	12.7	15
94	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF21	70	170	96.7	13.8	10
95	Nico Hoerner	CHC	2B5	60	180	98.7	10.2	0
96	Tyler Glasnow	LAD	SP28	73	132	99.6	16.9	18
97	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B6	66	193	101.2	20.5	5
98	Oneil Cruz	PIT	CF3	84	176	103.6	16	-6
99	Michael Busch	CHC	1B12	93	189	104.6	7.3	10
100	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SP29	77	153	109.4	15.1	15

Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Player Spotlight

Cal Raleigh (C – SEA)

Cal Raleigh had the year of his life in 2025, smacking 60 home runs while batting .247, far and away his best batting average ever. He drove in 125 and scored 110 times for a Seattle Mariners team that came very close to the World Series. Catcher is such a thin position that it is tempting to spend an early-round pick on Raleigh to be able to set-and-forget the position. His 2026 projections again place him among the position’s home run leaders, with playing time security supporting strong counting stats, but we aren’t going to see a repeat of his career year, and that is the current draft cost for the Big Dumper. Do you still want to spend a second-round pick on him if he’s “only” getting you 40 homers with a .230 batting average? If so, he’s easily the best catcher on the board. If not, wait three or four rounds to pick from the second tier.

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.