Hello, everyone. Welcome back to my weekly rankings. This week is the Top 50 Dynasty Shortstops for 2026.

When it comes to this position, it is full of young players with great upside or have already reached a high level of play while also featuring older players who can still be great players to have on your team.

Overall, if you need to boost your average or your on-base percentage, this is a group to hoard. Collectively, shortstops slashed .254/.317/.394, ranking first, second and fourth among all positions in those categories. The top end players will help you across the board. As you get beyond those players, you will still find shortstops who will help in at least one category, such has homers or steals or whatever you are looking for.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Tue 10/28
LAD | TOR | ARI | ATH | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | OAK | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | WSH

1. C Samuel Basallo | 21 | MLB | 2025 

Click here to read Grey’s 2026 Fantasy Outlook for Basallo

In the article, Grey is frustrated by Baltimore’s service-time machinations. Those same concerns caused me to dread writing this list for a few days. I’m not sure why. I used to have little trouble cruising through even the organizations I didn’t love following, but I start feeling like a liar at some point when I’m telling you about a Rockies or Orioles prospect like he’s going to matter someday soon. Then again, they do sneak through sometimes, and Basallo could give you a Hunter Goodman sized boost in the power categories if Baltimore lets him learn on the job. He’s not going to catch everyday with Adley in town, but who knows how much longer Adley will be in town? His production and health are both in downward spirals, and Basallo slugged .589 with 23 home runs in just 76 Triple-A games in 2025. Dang. Managed 27 bombs in 107 games on the year if you combine his minor league dominance with his 31-game big league sample. He’s the rare case where I’ll look past the org setting and cross my fingers he’ll get enough playing time to impact redraft leagues. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

1. 1B Bryce Eldridge | 21 | MLB | 2025

Here’s something Grey said the other day in his 2026 Fantasy Outlook for Bryce Eldridge: 

I’m going to go out on a sturdy limb — like this dude’s arms — and say he’s out-homering Pete Alonso by 2028. His average exit velocity in Triple-A as a 20-year-old was 95.7 MPH. At 20! Sorry to keep repeating his age, but if a 25-year-old is doing this, it’s whatever. A 20-year-old? It’s ludicrous. He was basically the top average exit velocity guy as a 20-year-old. “As a 20-year-old” repeat seventy-five times. Eldridge is unreal. 90th% EV? 108.6 MPH! Max EV? 114.6! Barrel%? 16.3! Hard Hit%? 64.5! If these numbers mean nothing to you, take my word for it. They’re nuts. Kyle Schwarber led the majors in Hard Hit%, it was 59.6! Ohtani was 58.4%. Look again at Bryce Eldridge’s — 64.5%!”

These numbers look ludicrous no matter how you slice them, but when you throw in the fact that Eldridge was a two-way prospect out of high school and that he’s 6’7” 240 pounds and still getting accustomed to his meta-human frame, the mind boggles at the possibilities. I wish he were in just about any other ballpark, but the Giants have a good lineup that should provide protection and opportunities for the young slugger who just turned 21 on October 20th. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

In our 115th episode, Mike Couillard and Jeremy Brewer discuss the conclusion of the World Series before diving into the newest major baseball card release, 2025 Topps Update Series, scheduled to hit shelves everywhere on Nov. 12. You can find us on bluesky at @cardscategories.bsky.social, @mcouill7.bsky.social, and @jbrewer17.bsky.social. Email the pod at [email protected]. Links to things discussed in the pod: World […]

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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the Top 50 Dynasty Second Basemen for 2026 rankings.

Looking at this position overall, it is weak. Second basemen this season slashed .243/.310/.378 with a wRC+ of 92. The SLG, OPS and wRC+ ranked last among all positions. I guess the good news is that as far as average and OBP second basemen ranked fourth and fifth out of the eight positions.

Additionally, many of players in this group aren’t even fulltime second baseman. Many can play third or short or somewhere in the outfield, and those may actually be their primary positions.

Once you get past the top 15 or so players, it is crapshoot as to who to target. If you are rebuilding, just go young – for players like Kristian Campbell, Christian Moore or Kyren Paris. If you are wanting to win now and need someone who will likely play a lot of games, go for a veteran like Marcus Semien, Mauricio Dubon (who can play nearly anywhere) or a Jeff McNeil.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

1. LHP Kash Mayfield | 21 | A | 2029

The 25th overall pick in 2024, Mayfield is listed at 6’4” 200 pounds and features a mid-90’s fastball and excellent changeup alongside a serviceable slider. That’s a lot of stuff for a lefty starter, and Mayfield dominated with it throughout high school, winning his state’s (Oklahoma) Gatorade Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons leading up to the draft. The Low-A level brought more of the same: Mayfield recorded a 2.97 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 60.2 innings across 19 starts. You can see the kids-gloves approach in the roughly three innings pitched per game started, so the numbers here get a little padded by avoiding the difficulties of facing a lineup multiple times in a night, but Mayfield did have three straight five-inning starts near the end of the season and dominated those nights, too, allowing just two runs and piling up 23 strikeouts. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

1. SS Ethan Holliday | 19 | A | 2029

Holliday signed for the biggest contract of any high school draftee in history ($9 million) and then struck out 39.3 percent of the time through 18 games in Low-A. It’s not a big deal. He’s a huge lefty bat at 6’4” 210 pounds, and most of his contemporaries were in the bridge leagues or on the complex. Besides, he still posted an above average 108 wRC+.

Please, blog, may I have some more?