2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 25-1

Spring training is in full gear and fantasy drafts are rolling out. So that means it is time for the final installment of the 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings. This week we feature the top 25 players.

Here is a look at the breakdown of this week’s grouping:

• 6 players between the ages of 30-34
• 14 players between the ages of 25-29
• 5 players between the ages of 20-24
• 12 infielders
• 10 outfielders
• 1 starting pitchers
• 1 starting pitcher/designated hitter
• 1 infielder/outfielder

There are, once again, 25 players who I broke down into my three age categories. Leading the way by a large margin is the group of players between the ages of 25 and 29. These are the players you expect to build your team around. There are still some great players who are in their 30’s, but do you want a player with maybe a three-year window of excellence or a player who a seven-year window, or greater? I don’t. I want the player who is approaching or at the start of their prime years to maximize their production I expect from them.

And as you will see, there is a reason why so many people consider the Atlanta Braves to be a dominant team for years to come. Of the 25 players listed in this group, six play for the Braves. The next closest team is the Dodgers with three players, with the Astros, Blue Jays, Phillies and Yankees coming in with two players apiece.

Anyway, for the final time this year, let’s get to the 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: Players 25-1…

25-21

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	AGE
25	Gunnar Henderson	Bal	SS/3B	22
24	Ozzie Albies	Atl	2B	27
23	Michael Harris II	Atl	CF	23
22	Bo Bichette	Tor	SS	26
21	Luis Robert Jr.	CWS	CF	26

The ROY

The voting for the AL Rookie of the Year was pretty easy this year thanks the season Gunnar Henderson had. He pretty much helped fantasy teams across the board. He scored 100 runs, hit 28 homers, drove in 82, stole 10 bases, and had a slashed .255/.325/.489.

His Hard Hit% ranked in the 95th percentile and average EV ranked in the 91st percentile. Meanwhile, he ranked in the 75th percentile in Barrel%. The only question about Henderson over the next few years is will he be a shortstop or a third baseman? He appeared in 83 games for the Orioles at short and 84 at third. With Jackson Holliday in the Baltimore pipeline, the future for Henderson appears to be at third base. But until that happens, he will be a force as a shortstop. Then when’s a third baseman, he will be a force there.

A Great Season

Ozzie Albies was one of just a handful of players who had a great season for the Atlanta Braves last year. He hit 33 home runs to rank second among second basemen. He drove in 109 runs, ranking first. His 96 runs scored ranked fourth and his 13 steals ranked 22nd. Meanwhile, he slashed .280/.336/.513, with the SLG number ranking fourth among second basemen. Across the board, Albies had a wonderful season, will only be 27 next year, and should produce for years to come. His 162-game average over the past three years is 103 runs scored, 31 homers, 110 RBI, and 16 steals with a .266/.318/.485 slash line.

No Need to Worry

I was not happy with Michael Harris II through the first two months of the season – not because I am a Braves fan, but because he was killing my fantasy teams. Through the first two months of the 2023 campaign, Harris was slashing .174/.260/.266 with 12 runs scored, two homers, eight RBI, and five steals. He also had a 23.6% strikeout rate. But Harris finally turned things around in June and played at the level I expected of him the rest of the season. From June through the rest of the year, Harris slashed .326/.352/.535. In 104 games he scored 64 runs, hit 16 homers, drove in 49 runs, and stole 15 bases. His strikeout rate also dropped to 17.3%. By the end of the year his xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and Hard-Hit$ all ranked in the 82nd percentile or higher.

His 162-game average during his brief career is 24 homers, 78 RBI, and 26 steals. As he nears his prime, I expect his homers to increase as well as those stolen bases.

If 2023 was a Down Year…

For some people, Bo Bichette had a down year in 2023. I guess when you compare it to his 2021 season, he did. That year he slashed .298/.343/.484 with 29 homers, 102 RBI, and 25 steals. This past season his slash line was just fine at .306/.339/.475. But his homers dropped to 20, his RBI fell to 73 and he stole only five bases. Those are still very good numbers overall. When you take into account the fact he played in 135 games compared to 159 each of the previous two years, it is understandable why the home run and RBI numbers dropped.

Compared to all major leaguers, his xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and Sweet Spot% all ranked in the 85th percentile or higher. Over the last three years, his OPS+ has been 121, 128, and 123. All that adds up to a Top 25 player.

Finally Healthy

Luis Robert Jr. has had a tough time staying healthy during his career. He appeared in only 68 games in 2021 and 98 in 2022. But finally, to the joy of fantasy players across the world, Roberts played a full season in 2023, appearing in 145 games. All he did was slam 38 home runs and drive in 80 while stealing 20 bases and slash .264/.315/.542. His career slugging percentage is .500, so that .542 mark is not a one-time number. Yes, he can improve his strikeout and walk rates (28.9% and 5.0% last year), but he has speed and power – two of the big things you look for in fantasy players.

20-16

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	AGE
20	Trea Turner	Phi	SS	30
19	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	Tor	1B	25
18	Rafael Devers	Bos	3B	27
17	Austin Riley	Atl	3B	26
16	Corey Seager	Tex	SS	29

Aging Well

Trea Turner might be getting older, but he is not getting less productive on the field. Yes, his numbers have declined slightly over the past three years as his SLG has gone from .536 in 2021 to .459 last year and his OPS has dropped from .911 to .779 during that period. But the dip in his numbers last year can be attributed to two bad months during the season. In May Turner slashed .208/.257/.368 with three homers and eight RBI. In July those numbers were .218/.269/.356 with two dingers and five RBI.

But Turner turned it around in August and looked like the player we are used to seeing on the field. In August he slashed .333/.376/.685 with nine homers and 26 RBI. That pace was not sustainable in September, but he still had a very good month with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and a slash line of .299/.365/.567. The player we saw over the last two months is the player I expect to see over the next three years if not five.

Don’t Overlook Vlad

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just completed his fifth season in the majors – and he will only be 25 on Opening Day next season. That is mind-boggling. Guerro spoiled us with his 2021 season in which he hit 48 homers, drove in 111 runs, and slashed .311/.401/.601. That may be a bar that he never reaches again. But only a few players will ever have that kind of season. But he still hit 26 homers and drove in 94 in 2023. And again, he is only entering his age 25 season. His StatCast numbers are still outstanding. There are still a lot of great years ahead for Guerrero.

A Loaded Hot Corner

Rafael Devers just produces, year after year after year. His career 162-game average is 102 runs scored, 33 homers, and 107 RBI with a .280/.343/.510 slash line. While he has yet to break into the top 10 in the MVP voting, over the last four full MLB seasons he has finished 12th, 11th, 14th, and 18th in the voting. The only thing Devers doesn’t do is steal bases. But I don’t look to my third basemen to add steals to my fantasy team. I want them to hit homers and drive in runs. That is what Devers does very well, year after year after year. His 162-game average since 2021 is 99 runs scored, 36 homers, and 103 RBI with a .282/.354/.520 slash line.

All Austin Riley did last year was hit 37 homers, drive in 97 runs, and slash .281/.345/.516 while scoring 117 runs. His xwOBA, xSLG, Avg. EV, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit% all ranked in the 89th percentile or higher last year. In 2022 he ranked in the 95th percentile in all of those categories. Over the last three years, Riley’s 162-game average is 101 runs scored, 37 homers, 101 RBI, and a slash line of .286/.354/.525.

Still Raking

Corey Seager had an outstanding season for the Rangers. All he did was slash .327/.390/.623 to rank first among all true shortstops. Then you add in his 33 homers and 96 RBI and it is plain to see why he was an MVP candidate. And he posted those counting numbers in only 119 games. When you look at Seager’s percentile rankings, he’s at 92 percent or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, AEV, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit%. He’s “only” in the 86th percentile for Sweet-Spot% and 84th percentile for K%.

And Seager will only be 29 on Opening Day next season, meaning he has several more years of top-rate production ahead of him.

15-11

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	AGE
15	Bryce Harper	Phi	1B	31
14	Matt Olson	Atl	1B	30
13	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	RF	25
12	Spencer Strider	Atl	SP	25
11	Freddie Freeman	LAD	1B	34

Your Newest Top First Baseman

I will admit, I have a man crush on Bryce Harper. I’m not a Phillies fan, but I love to watch Harper play baseball. And he plays the game as well as anyone. He can basically do it all. His 162-game average the last three seasons is .297/.402/.546 with 110 runs scored, 33 homers, 98 RBI, and 16 steals with a 159 OPS+. That is in line with his career 162-game average – 33 homers, 96 RBI, and 14 steals with a .281/.391/.521 slash line. Harper is an elite hitter who just produces every year.

The Slugger

Sometimes you just have to ignore some stats because the production in other areas is just that good. That is the case when it comes to Matt Olson. I love his power. Since 2018 (and excluding 2020) he has hit 29, 36, 39, 34, and 54 homers. He has driven in 84, 91, 111, 103 and 139 runs. When it comes to production, he has done an amazing job of replacing Freddie Freeman in Atlanta. Where he falls short is his batting average and OBP. Twice he has hit below .250 since 2018 (and .195 in 2020, which I’m not counting) and only once has he hit above .280, and that was this season with a .283 average. Meanwhile, his career OBP is .351 with last season’s .389 coming out of nowhere. But a career .351 OBP is nothing to sneeze and certainly will be helpful in OBP leagues.

Holding a Grudge?

Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of my favorite players, so perhaps I am holding a grudge against him for missing all of the 2022 season. In 2021, Tatis was outstanding as he hit 42 homers and drove in 97 runs while stealing 25 bases with a .282/.364/.611 slash line. Tatis returned to the field last year and went 91-25-78-29 while slashing .257/.322/.449. Did the year away from the game affect his output last year? I’m certain of it. Will he return to the level of play he displayed in 2021? Maybe. It is that maybe that keeps me from ranking him higher. Or perhaps I’m still mad about him missing the 2022 season.

Hey, a Pitcher!

Spencer Strider had outstanding seasons. Strider had an amazing 281 strikeouts to lead the majors and a 13.5 K/9 rate. And that rate proves that last season’s 13.8 K/9 rate was not a fluke. Strider also lowered his walk rate from 3.1 to 2.8 this season. The only glaring problem was allowing 22 home runs in 186.2 innings compared to only seven the previous year in 131.6 innings of work. Choosing between Gerrit Cole and Spencer Strider as the top dynasty pitcher basically comes down to age. Strider is eight years younger than Cole. That is a huge factor.

A Professional Hitter

Whether it is in Atlanta, Los Angeles, or any major league stadium, Freddie Freeman just keeps producing. His homer count since 2018 are 23, 38, 31, 21, 29 and his RBI totals have been 98, 121, 83, 100, and 102 (2020 not included). Over the last two years, he has stolen 13 and 23 bases. But what makes Freeman so special is the fact he is also just a really good hitter. For his career his slash line .310/.388/.514. Over the last three years that slash line is .319/.403/.528. Freeman’s worst batting average since 2016 is a .295 mark in 2019. Freeman hits homers, he drives in runs, he steals bases and he can hit for average.

The only knock against him is that he is 34. If you are confident he will continue to produce at this rate for the next five years, then he is a Top 10 player. I’m hedging my bets and going with younger players to fill out my Top 10.

10-6

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	AGE
10	Corbin Carroll	Ari	LF/CF/RF	23
9	Juan Soto	NYY	LF	25
8	Yordan Alvarez	Hou	LF	26
7	Mookie Betts	LAD	RF/2B/SS	31
6	Shohei Ohtani	LAD	DH/SP	28

The Other ROY

Carroll is coming off a great rookie season, hitting 25 homers with 76 RBI, 54 steals, and 116 runs scored to go with a slash line of .285/.362/.506. Those are great numbers. Carroll’s real value is his speed. Those steals are hard to ignore. And while Carroll had a great season, there is still room for improvement. His Barrel% was in the 40th percentile and Sweet-Spot% ranked in the 32nd percentile. Yet he still slugged .506. Imagine what he can do if he starts to barrel the ball on a more consistent basis.

Splitting Hairs

Yordan Alvarez’s 2023 numbers were hurt by the fact that he missed more than a month with an oblique strain. But when he is in the batter’s box, there aren’t too many pitchers who want to face him. In 114 games, he slashed .293/.407/.583. Among left fielders with 100 plate appearances or more last season, Alvarez ranked 3rd, 2nd, and 1st in those categories. He also hit 31 homers (3rd) and drove in 97 (3rd). The only thing Alvarez doesn’t do is steal bases as he failed to steal a single bag in 2023. But the fact he is a .300 hitter with massive power, who cares if he doesn’t steal bases?

When you compare Alvarez to Juan Soto, the two are very similar. Alvarez’s career 162-game average is 109 runs scored, 43 homers, 128 RBI and one steal with a slash line of .295/.390/.588. For Soto, his career 162-game average is 110 runs scored, 33 home runs, 100 RBI, and 10 steals with a .284/.421/.524 slash line. The only area Soto has the edge is he can steal bases – but not a lot. Over the last three years, the 162-game average for Alvarez is 109 runs scored, 41 homers, 117 RBI, and one steal with a .292/.385/.573 slash line and 163 OPS+. Soto’s 162-game average during the same time span is 109 runs scored, 30 homers, 84 RBI, and eight steals with a .276/.425/.502 slash line. Alvarez is the better hitter.

Is There Anything Betts Can’t Do?

I don’t think there is anything Mookie Betts can’t do. Great right fielder. Great second baseman. Great bowler. And a great shortstop. Betts produced a monster season in 2023, scoring 126 runs, hitting 39 homers, and driving in 107 runs while chipping in 14 steals. On top of that, he slashed .307/.408/.579 (ranking 3rd, 1st and 2nd) for an OPS+ of 163 with 338 total bases. Over the last three years, his 162-game average is 131 runs scored, 38 homers, 96 RBI, and 14 steals. That is great production across the board for a player you can use at right field, shortstop, and second base this season. And I’m betting that Betts still gets in enough games in right field this year to be a two-position player next year as well.

“Only” a Hitter in 2024

If Shohei Ohtani was healthy and a two-way player, then he would be battling for the top-ranked player honor. Instead, he “only” comes in as the 6th-ranked player. He would be higher if he played an outfield position, but the fact he is only a DH means you can only slot him in the Utility slot. If that is no big deal, then move him into your top 5 or even top 2, because despite the fact he can’t pitch this season, Ohtani will still be hitting in a loaded lineup.

Over the last three seasons, Ohtani’s 162-game average is a .277/.379/.585 slash line with 107 runs scored, 45 homers, 105 RBI, and 21 steals. And those numbers have come with Ohtani also concentrating on pitching. Instead of typing how impressive Ohtani’s StatCast numbers are, just go and see for yourself. There are a lot of dark red numbers there. Ohtani is once-in-a-lifetime talent and there is likely no limit to what he can do at the plate.

5-1

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	AGE
5	Aaron Judge	NYY	CF/RF	31
4	Kyle Tucker	Hou	RF	27
3	Bobby Witt	KC	SS	23
2	Julio Rodriguez	Sea	CF	23
1	Ronald Acuna Jr.	Atl	RF	26

All Rise for the Judge

Judge was having another MVP level season before running into a fence at Dodger Stadium and suffering an injury that forced him to miss most of June and July. In the 106 games that Judge did play in last season, he hit 37 homers and drove in 75 while slashing .267/.406/.613. Since his first full season in 2017, Judge has never slugged lower than .528 and his OPS has never been lower than .891.

I love his power – who doesn’t want his homers RBI and slugging percentage on their team? But he does not match the speed the rest of the players in this group do and aside from his amazing 2022 season, he has never hit higher than .287 in a season. That is not a bad batting average, but when it comes to this group, it is all about splitting hairs.

An All-Around Talent

In 2018 and 2019, Kyle Tucker appeared in a total of 50 games and got a total of 131 at-bats for the Astros. In that brief time on the field, he did not look like a future Top-5 player as he slashed .206/.278/.374 with four homers and 15 RBI while striking out 33 times. But over the last three seasons, Tucker has become one of the best players in the game, hitting 89 homers, driving in 311 runs, and stealing 69 bases while scoring 251 runs. His 162-game average since 2021 is 91 runs scored, 32 homers, 113 RBI, and 25 steals with a .278/.353/.517 slash line and 139 OPS+.

He hits for power, drives in runs, gets on base, and steals bases. And he is only 27 years old. He is a player to build a dynasty team around.

Could Be No. 1 Soon

If you had any doubts about Bobby Witt Jr. and his outstanding rookie year in 2022, then 2023 should have put those doubts away. As a rookie, Witt slashed .254/.294/.428 with 20 homers, 80 RBI, and 30 steals. As an encore in 2023, he went out and hit 30 homers, drove in 96 runs, and stole 49 bases while slashing .276/.319/.495. While he doesn’t walk a lot (5.8% walk rate), he limits his strikeouts (17.4% to ranking in the 79th percentile). Witt also does a good job of hitting the ball hard, ranking in the 74th percentile in AEV, 76th percentile in Barrel% and 73rd percentile in Hard-Hit%. Oops, almost forgot to talk about his speed – it ranks in the 100th percentile.

And making fantasy owners who already own Witt drool is the fact he will only be 23 on Opening Day. Witt has not come close to reaching his extremely high ceiling.

Rodriguez

Rodriguez won the 2022 ROY award and finished seventh in the MVP voting after slashing .284/.345/.509 with 84 runs scored, 28 homers, 75 RBI, and 25 steals in 132 games. So what did he do for an encore? Well, he finished fourth in the MVP voting as he scored 102 runs, hit 32 homers, drove in 103, and stole 37 bases while slashing .275/.333/.485. And those numbers were posted despite “struggling” the first three months of the season.

From April through June, Rodriguez slashed .238/.302/.407 with 47 runs scored, 13 homers, 42 RBI, and 18 steals in 78 games. But Rodriguez hit another gear from July through the rest of the season. In 77 games, he slashed .312/.364/.561 and scored 55 runs with 19 dingers, 61 RBI and 19 steals. Rodriguez is the type of player you build your fantasy team around.

Acuna

The Braves right fielder scored 149 runs, hit 41 homers, drove in 106 (one behind Betts), hit .337, had a .416 OBP and .569 SLG, and a 1.012 OPS. His SLG and OPS trailed only Judge. What separates Acuna from the rest of the pack is the 74 steals he racked up. Will he reach that total again in 2024 or ever? Probably not. But he is easily a 50-steal player with 40-homer, 100-RBI production for years to come as he is only 26 on Opening Day.

Thank You!

If you have followed the entire series or just jumped into a few of the articles, thanks for reading. If you have comments or thoughts, fire away.

Need to catch up? Here are the previous rankings:

• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 300-201
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 200-176
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 175-151
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 150-126
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 125-101
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 100-76
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 75-51
• 2024 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings: 50-26