2026 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings: 25-1

With The Doors in the mind, this is the end – the end of my countdown of the 2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings. I started at No. 400, and after weeks of highlighting a number of players, we have reached the end – the final 25!

No need to drone on about how great and awesome these rankings were, as everyone has agreed with every player I ranked at every! Consider this a service from me to you! Okay, enough of this lie, here is a quick breakdown of the positions and ages of the players:

• SP: 3
• SP/DH: 1
• 1B: 2 | 3B: 2 | SS: 3 | IF: 1
• LF: 2 | CF: 3 | RF: 6 | OF: 2
• Ages 20-24: 10
• Ages 25-29: 12
• Ages 30-34: 3

The players in these rankings are the players you build your team around. It is that simple. I know that there are three players over the age of 30 in my rankings below, but are you going to not take Jose Ramirez, Aaron Judge, or Shohei Ohtani because they are 31 or over? Otherwise, 22 of the 25 players ranked here are under the age of 30, meaning they will produce for years and years.

With that out of the way, let’s get started.

25-21

Notes:
*Age as if April 1, 2026
**Position = at least 10 games played at that position

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POSITION
25	Jackson Merrill	SD	22	CF
24	Wyatt Langford	TEX	24	CF|LF
23	Garrett Crochet	BOS	26	SP
22	James Wood	WAS	23	LF
21	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	28	LF

Ready To Rebound

After an impressive rookie campaign that had Jackson Merrill finish 9th in both the NL Rookie of the Year and MVP voting, thanks to 24 homers, 90 RBI, 16 steals, and a .292/.326/.500 slash line, the 2025 season brought Merrill back to Earth a bit. Thanks to three trips to the IR in 2025 (hamstring strain in April, concussion in June, sprained ankle in August), Merrill appeared in only 115 games and slashed .264/.317/.457 with 16 home runs, 67 RBI, and one steal – a result of the hamstring and ankle injuries.

Merrill didn’t forget how to play in 2025, and he didn’t suddenly see his ability diminish. There is no reason to think he will not return to the player he was in 2024 and produce at a high level for years to come.

Langford

Wyatt Langford has high expectations since the Rangers drafted him fourth overall in the 2023 draft. He was starting for the Rangers by 2024 and has produced two solid seasons to start his career. In 2024, he slashed .253/.325/.415 with 16 homers, 74 RBI, and 19 steals, and followed that up with a .241/.344/.431 slash line this year with 22 homers, 62 RBI, and 22 steals.

He just turned 24, so he is not even close to his prime. Langford should develop even more power but at the same time not lose his speed. He is already a 20-20 player, and I can see 30-30 in his future, certainly 25-30.

Proving Himself As A Starter

Garrett Crochet won’t win the Cy Young until he is no longer in a league that has Tarik Skubal or Paul Skenes. But after establishing himself as a legit starter in 2024 with the White Sox, Crochet took his game to a new level in 2025 by going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.028 WHIP while posting an 11.2 K/9 rate to go with a 2.0 BB/9 rate. He made 32 starts and threw 205.1 innings while having and ERA+ of 159.

When you look at his Statcast numbers, he ranked in the 80th percentile or better in xERA, xBA, Fastball Velo, Average EV, Chase%, K%, BB%, and Ground Ball%. That is pretty dang good.

A Future Star

James Wood can do just about everything at the plate. He can hit to all fields, and while he does not have Aaron Judge power, he gets everything out of his 6-foot-7 frame to easily drive the ball. In his first full season with the Nationals, he hit 31 homers and drove in 94 runs. And he has decent speed as he stole 14 bases in 79 games in 2024 and added 15 this year in 157 games.

He strikes out a lot (221 times in 2025 with a 32.1 strikeout rate) and his second half was ugly (.223/.301/.388 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 62 games). If you think the second half is the real James Wood, then run from him. But I think he will make the adjustments needed to return to his first half form of 2025. The worst he is going to be is a 30-homer, 90-RBI player with some steals and a .260/.360/.460 slash line. That is the floor.

Just Stay Healthy

When it comes to Yordan Alvarez, there is only one negative about his game – his inability to stay healthy. This past season, he played in only 48 games thanks to a hand injury that was later diagnosed as a small fracture and then an ankle injury after he returned in September. He also played in only 114 games in 2023.

But when he is on the field, either as a DH or left fielder, he is one of the best pure hitters in the game. His career slash line is .297/.389/.573 with an OPS+ of 163. His 162 game average is 103 runs scored, 41 homers, and 118 RBI. From 2021 through 2024, he averaged 135 games played with 88 runs scored, 34 homers, 96 RBI, and a .296/.387/.571 slash line. Alvarez is a power hitter who is also simply a great hitter. The only area he will not help you is stolen bases. I can live with that.

20-16

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POSITION
20	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	28	2B|3B
19	Jose Ramirez	CLE	33	3B
18	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	27	1B
17	Nick Kurtz	ATH	23	1B
16	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	28	RF

Perfect Fit In The Bronx

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has always had amazing talent. He showed that off while with the Marlins before being traded to the Yankees in 2024. During his first three full seasons in Miami, Chisholm averaged 17 homers, 50 RBI, and 19 steals in 94 games per season. Translated to a 162-game season, those numbers are 29-86-33. In 2024, Chisholm played in 147 games, and his numbers were 24 homers, 73 RBI, and 43 steals.

In his 46 games with New York in 2024, Chisholm was outstanding as he slashed .273/.325/.500 with 11 dingers, 23 RBI, and 18 steals. Given a full season in a Yankees uniform in 2025, he hit 31 homers, drove in 80, and swiped 31 bases. Adding to Chisholm’s value is the fact he can also be slotted in at second base, a weak position that would give you a big advantage if Chisholm is slotted there. No matter where he is on the field, Chisholm is an outstanding talent.

If He Was Younger…

The only reason Jose Ramirez isn’t ranked a tad higher is because he is 33 years old. Ramirez is coming off a season in which he hit 30 homers, drove in 85 runs, stole 44 bases, scored 103 runs, and slashed .283/.360/.503 with a 137 OPS+. He has slugged .503 or better in five of the last six seasons and has topped 40 steals in each of the last two years. He has finished 10th or better in the MVP voting since 2020, placing third this past season.

He has shown no signs of slowing down at the plate, so there is no reason to avoid him just because he is 33.

Steady As He Goes

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just completed his seventh major league season, and the dude is only going to be 27 this year. All Guerrero Jr. has done during his career is produce. His 162-game average is 95 runs scored, 30 home runs, and 98 RBI while slashing .288/.366/.495 with an OPS+ of 136. He has never replicated his 2021 season in which he hit 48 homers, drove in 111, and slashed .311/.401/.601. But over the last four seasons, he has averaged 28 homers and 95 RBI with a .288/.365/.484 slash line – numbers that are pretty much equal to his 162-game average because he has averaged playing in 158 games per season.

He is kind of like Freddie Freeman in that he just produces solid numbers year in and year out, and at his age, those numbers are going to keep coming for many more years.

Not A One-Time Wonder

Nick Kurtz is not going to be a one-year wonder. First, let’s look at his numbers. He slashed .290/.383/.619 with 90 runs scored, 36 home runs, and 86 RBI in 117 games. That translates to 125-50-119 over 162 games. But Kurtz, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft, has been putting up numbers like that since his college days at Wake Forest. In 164 games in college, he slashed .333/.510/.725 with 206 runs scored, 61 homers, and 182 RBI. Look at those numbers again, and remember he did that in 164 games! No matter what level of competition you are facing, that is insane.

You would have thought he would have had an adjustment period in the minors. He didn’t. In only 33 minor league games Kurtz scored 34 runs, hit 12 homers, and drove in 40 while slashing .344/.440/.712. Kurtz has a great understanding of the strike zone and covers all parts of the plate. Okay, he has one “flaw” – he had a 31% strikeout rate last year. But if that leads to everything else he does, I am perfectly fine with that.

Yes, He Is Injury Prone…

The elephant in the room when it comes to Ronald Acuna Jr. is the fact that injuries have not been kind to him. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in 2021, and then he tore the ACL in his left knee in 2024. He has appeared in more than 150 games only twice, in 2019 and 2023. Otherwise, the highest amount of games he has played in 119 in 2022. When Acuna plays a full season, he puts up fantastic numbers. In 2019, he scored 127 runs, hit 41 dingers, drive in 101 runs, and stole 37 bases. In 2023, he scored 149 runs, hit 41 homers, had 106 RBI, and stole 73 bases.

Acuna returned to the field in May of this year, and in 95 games, he hit 21 homers and had 42 RBI to go with nine steals and a .290/.417/.518 slash line. His 2025 season wasn’t a smooth ride as he slumped badly in July and August, but he came back to life in September when he slashed .294/.429/.518 with six home runs, 11 RBI, and three steals in 24 games. By the end of the year, he ranked in the 92nd percentile or higher in xwOBA, xSLG, Avg. EV, Barrel%, Hard Hit%, Bat Speed and BB%.

If you want to ding Acuna for being injury-prone, I’m not going to stop you. But when he is healthy, he is one of the best all-around talents in the game and may actually not be ranked high enough here.

15-11

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POSITION
15	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	24	CF
14	Jackson Chourio	MIL	22	LF|CF|RF
13	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	27	RF
12	Tarik Skubal	DET	29	SP
11	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	25	CF

PCA is A-OK

Pete Crow-Armstrong gave us a taste of his talent in 2024 when he hit 10 homers, drove in 47, and stole 27 bases in 123 games. He then gave everyone a full display of what he can do this past season. While his slash line of .247/.287/.481 was not great and needs improvement, he hit 31 bombs, recorded 95 RBI, and swiped 35 bases. His Statcast numbers don’t jump off the page, but he was in the 79th percentile in xSLG and 82nd percentile in Barrel%.

He has plenty of power and plenty of speed, as his sprint speed ranked in the 96th percentile. Lots of players have great spring speed but can’t turn that into stolen bases. Cros-Armstrong is not one of those players, as he was only thrown out eight times in his 43 attempts. I know he had a poor second half (216/.262/.372, six homers and 24 RBI in 62 games), but I think his first half (.265/.302/.544, 25 homers, 71 RBI in 95 games) is more indicative of the player he is and the numbers he will produce.

Jackson Chourio

After finishing third in the 2024 ROY voting thanks to a .275/.327/.464 slash line with 21 homers, 79 RBI and 22 steals, Jackson Chourio basically duplicated that season again in 2025, slashing .270/.308/.463 with 21 homers, 78 RBI and 21 steals, though in 17 fewer games. He should only get better.

Chourio started the majority of his games in center field, but he also started 27 games (and appeared in 40) in left field and started another 15 (with 20 overall appearances) in right field. So Chourio is a great hitter with developing power and can play anywhere in the outfield. Sign me up for that.

The Slugging Padre

When the 2026 season starts, it will be the beginning of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s eighth MLB season, if you count 2022 when he did not play due to injury and PED suspension. So Tatis is a seasoned veteran, yet he is only going to be 27 years old next season. The 2025 campaign was a typical season for Tatis as he slashed .268/.368/.446 with 25 homers, 71 RBI, and 32 steals.

Since 2021, the average Tatis season has been 35 homers, 91 RBI, and 30 steals with a .270/.349/.494 slash line. There are some right fielders who will hit more homers, or some will drive in more runs, while others may have more steals. But you may need three players to do what Tatis does by himself.

The Best Lefty On The Mound

I made a list, so someone had to be ranked second-best pitcher, and someone had to be ranked as the best. Despite winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards in the American League, I ranked Tarik Skubal as the second best pitcher. But he is a great consolation prize if you can’t get Paul Skenes (and Shohei Ohtani’s ranking is due more to his hitting, not his pitching).

The lefty led the American League in ERA, again, at 2.21. He had an 11.1 K/9 rate and a 1.5 BB/9 rate. In 195.1 innings, he posted an AL-best 187 ERA+ and had a WHIP of 0.891. Those are pretty impressive numbers, and he is an impressive pitcher who is only 29.

Just Take Him

It seems Julio Rodriguez likes to start a season slowly or have some bad months during the first half of a season. But when all is said and done, I want Rodriguez on my team because at the end of the year, he is going to have great numbers. The 2024 season was Rodriguez’s worst season with the Mariners, and that meant 20 homers, 68 RBI, and 24 steals with a .273/.325/.409 slash line.

But in 2022, he was the Rookie of the Year and 7th in MVP voting, then finished 4th in the MVP voting in 2023, and then finished sixth this past season. His 162-game average is 31 homers, 94 RBI, and 32 steals – and this is with his 2024 season included.

For his career, his Average EV is 92.1 mph (88.4 is MLB average), and his Hard Hit% is 49.9 (MLB average is 39.5). Yes, he will have his slumps. But he will also carry your team for weeks or even a few months, and at the end of the year, you will be happy to have him on your team.

10-6

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POSITION
10	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	24	SS
9	Paul Skenes	PIT	23	SP
8	Junior Caminero	TB	22	3B
7	Kyle Tucker	CHC	29	RF
6	Aaron Judge	NYY	33	RF

Scratching The Surface

Gunnar Henderson is a great shortstop, yet he has yet to really reach his full potential. But if 2025 was his floor, I am excited to see what comes next.

Henderson hit 17 homers this past season with 68 RBI and 30 steals to go with a .274/.349/.438 slash line. That production is a pretty steep drop from the 37 homers and 92 RBI last year – but he also was fully healthy in 2024, unlike the 2025 season.

Henderson’s underlying numbers in 2025 aren’t that different from his previous two seasons, except for a big drop in his fly ball rate, as it was 18.9% this season compared to 26.5% and 23.6% his two previous seasons. I will assume this is a blip on the radar and that he will get back to thumping homers and driving in runs at this previous level.

The Top Pitcher

If Paul Skenes played for a real baseball team and not the Pirates, he would have won 25 games in 2025. This is what Skenes did last year – 1.97 ERA, 0.948 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 rate. He had an absurd 217 ERA+. In his first two MLB seasons, Skenes has a 1.96 ERA and 0.948 WHIP in 55 starts and 320.2 innings of work. Just amazing.

One year after winning the Rookie of the Year award and finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting, he was even better this year as he will win the Cy Young. That Cy Young is the first of many for Skenes. It is rare for a pitcher to immediately live up to expectations, but Skenes has done that and more.

What Will He Do Next?

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero had an amazing season in 2025, slashing .264/.311/.535 with 45 home runs and 110 RBI. Was he helped by the fact half of his games were played in a minor league park? Yes and No. The yes part is his home-road slash line. At home, he slashed .313/.358/.595 while he slashed .218/.266/.477 on the road. But that is the only significant difference in his home-road splits. At home he hit 22 homers. On the road, he hit 23. At home he had 54 RBI. On the road he had 56 RBI.

And as the season progressed, Caminero got better. In the first half, covering 91 games, he slashed .252/.292/.499 with 23 homers and 60 RBI. In 63 second half games, those numbers are .282/.338/.588 with 22 dingers and 50 RBI. His walk rate also increased (5.5% to 7.4%) while his strikeout rate decreased (20.3% to 17.4%). A 22-year-old player who only got better as the season progressed.

The Newest Dodgers Toy

Kyle Tucker is very similar to Tatis in that he can do just about everything on the field. His 162-game average is 31 homers, 103 RBI and 25 steals with a .273/.358/.507 slash line. His average OPS+ is 140 and his career OPS is .865. From 2021-2023, he averaged 30 bombs, 104 RBI and 23 steals with a .278/.353/.517 slash line and in 2024 he was on his way to a monster season before being derailed by a foul ball off his right shine that turned out to be a fracture. In the 78 games he did play, he smashed 23 home runs, had 49 RBI and stole 11 bags with a .289/.408/.585 slash line.

Injuries have hampered him the last two years, but when healthy Tucker puts up fantastic numbers.

The Veteran

It’s hard to justify ranking Aaron Judge outside the top 5, but age has to be a factor at times, and he is 33 years old right now and will play most of the 2026 season as a 34 year old. At some point, age will catch up to him, so here he sits at No. 6. Otherwise, if you want a player who can bash the ball and produce an eye-popping slash line, you can start with Judge. His 162-game average – AVERAGE – is 52 homers and 117 RBI with a .294/.457/.688 slash line. Since 2021, he has finished 4th, 1st, 15th, 1st, and 1st in the MVP voting.

Over the last four years, his average season is 59 home runs, 131 RBI, and a .311/.439/.677 slash line with an OPS+ of 209. About the only thing Judge doesn’t do is steal a lot of bases. OK, I’ll just have to settle for the massive amount of homers and RBI.

5-1

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POSITION
5	Corbin Carroll	ARI	25	RF
4	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	24	SS
3	Juan Soto	NYM	27	RF
2	Bobby Witt Jr.	KCR	25	SS
1	Shohei Ohtani	LAD	31	DH/SP

Best Snake In The Desert

Corbin Carroll has been an outstanding player the last three years, but I still think there is another level to his game that he hasn’t reached. Yet what he has done so far is pretty good. Since his rookie season in 2023, Carroll’s 162-game average is 28 homers, 83 RBI, and 43 steals with a .258/.341/.491 slash line. In two of the last three years, he has finished in the top 5 in MVP voting, and he just turned 25 in August.

This past season, he ranked in the 87th percentile or higher in Hard Hit%, Barrel%, Avg. EV, xSLG, and xwOBA. He was a bit inconsistent last season, but by the end of the year, he is going to put up great numbers and make you happy that he is on your team.

Ready To Explode

Elly De La Cruz is coming off another solid season (.264/.336/.440, 22 homers, 86 RBI, 37 steals), though his steals were down from the 67 he recorded in 2024. But Cruz can be and should be so much better, and I believe he will be.

Over the last two years, his average season is 104 runs scored, 24 homers, 81 RBI, and 52 steals with a .261/.337/.445 slash line. My guess is his steals will be closer to 35 over the next few seasons, but his homers and RBI will increase over the years. You have to remember that he only turned 24 in January. He has a ton of room to improve.

Simply One Of The Best

Juan Soto hasn’t entered his prime yet, but when it comes to hitting, he is one of the best in baseball. It is not so much that he has a great batting average, because for his career he is a .282 hitter. But in most fantasy leagues today, OBP is the stat that is used and not AVG, and when it comes to getting on base, Soto is a master at that. His career OBP is .417, and he has led the league in OBP three times during his career.

But Soto does more than just get on base at a 42% clip. He also hits for power and drives in runs. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 40 home runs, 108 RBI, and 19 steals with a .275/.408/.538 slash line while finishing 6th, 3rd and 3rd in the MVP voting. And this past season, he unleashed his speed by stealing 38 bases, blowing away his career high of 12. Will he steal 38 bases again? Maybe. Do I care if he does? Not really, especially if he continues to hit 40 homers and drive in 100 runs each season.

Getting Better And Better

Since breaking in with the Royals in 2022, Bobby Witt Jr. has easily become the top shortstop in the game. Was this past season as good as his 2024 season? No. But if you are complaining about a .295/.351/.501 slash line with 99 runs scored, 23 homers, 88 RBI, and 38 steals, then there is likely no pleasing you.

Through his first four seasons, Witt is averaging 157 games, 101 runs scored, 26 homers, 93 RBI, and 37 steals per season with a .290/.340/.504 slash line. And he doesn’t even turn 26 until June. It is not often that the top-ranked prospect lives up to the hype, but Witt has done that and more.

The Magical Unicorn

When it comes to Shohei Ohtani, he would likely be my top-ranked player due to his hitting ability alone, since the last time he played in the field was in 2021, when he appeared in six games in right field and one in left. All he has done is win three straight MVP awards and four in the last five years, with the only blemish being a second-place finish in 2022.

His 2025 numbers are just silly – 55 home runs, 102 RBI, 20 steals, and a .282/.392/.622 slash line for a 1.014 OPS and a 179 OPS+. Below is his average season since 2022:

• R: 115
• HR: 47
• RBI: 104
• SB: 27
• AVG: .285
• OBP: .384
• SLG: .606

Those are ridiculous numbers. Just amazing, and why I stop what I am doing and watch him bat when he comes to the plate. But wait, there’s more – he also pitches!

Ohtani was able to return to the mound in 2025, and while the Dodgers protected him by limiting his innings, in his 47 innings of work over 14 starts he had a 2.87 ERA, 1.043 WHIP with a 1.7 BB/9 rate and 11.9 K/9 rate. The restraints on Ohtani should be lifted in 2026, and those numbers will only carry over for an additional 10-15 starts.

Thank You!

If you have been reading this series from the beginning, I truly want to say thank you. That just means you are a little sick in the head, like I am when it comes to fantasy baseball, especially dynasty leagues. This has been an adventure to rank 400 players, and all I really hope is that it offered a little bit of help with your rankings. I never expect anyone to agree with everything I write, but I do hope these rankings have served as a starting point for you – especially if you are new to dynasty formats.

Next week, I will post the entire rankings in one very long post. All 400 players will be listed starting with No. 400 at the top and working down. So if you have missed some entries, you can wait until next week to see the entire list, or you can click on a link below, as there are writeups about most of the players (especially from rankings No. 200).

2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 400-301
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 300-201
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 200-176
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 175-151
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 150-126
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 125-101
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 100-76
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 75-51
2026 Dynasty Baseball Rankings: 50-26