Top 100 for the 2nd Half of 2026 Fantasy Baseball

Before we get into the top 100 for the 2nd half of 2026 fantasy baseball, let’s just be glad our 18-year-old selves can’t see us now, we’d get beat up! But our twelve-year-old selves would think we’re the coolest! So, as with all of the other 2026 fantasy baseball rankings, slop this up with a grain of salt. If you need a 2nd baseman, but an outfielder is above him that doesn’t mean you can’t trade that outfielder for that 2nd baseman. Also, things change in fantasy baseball. Daily. I could put Shohei Ohtani number one, and he could strain his–Well, we won’t even mention an injury with the top players after we lost everyone else in the preseason top 10. As I say about the Giancarlo underwear I bought off eBay, why soil a good thing? This list is a road map for where I think guys are valued. This list is NOT (caps for emphasis, not aesthetics) where I see guys ending up if you were to take their first half and combine it with the 2nd half. This is simply a list of the top hundred fantasy baseball players if you were to pick them up today. So while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not have the greatest first half, he will appear on this list because, well, we have to believe in miracles — my 12-year-old self would want that, and to sleep with Cher. 12-year-old Grey loved Cher. The projections are not their combined 1st half and 2nd half numbers; these are their projections for the 2nd half of 2026. I also liberally used our rest of the season Fantasy Baseball Player Rater. That’s right, we have a Player Rater that tells you what players will do. It’s like that camera from The Twilight Zone. Welcome to the future! Anyway, here’s the top 100 for fantasy baseball for the 2nd half of 2026:

1. Shohei Ohtani – The top 10 for the 2nd half could look nothing like this next year, but, and this is mere speculation, it feels like this could be very similar, as far as the hitters go, at least. Judge will likely return and maybe someone has a huge 2nd half — Corbin Carroll? But, yeah, this top 100 is not too far off from 2027’s, potentially. Now, I’m trying to think who will disappoint me next year, because I like schadenfreude so much I think of myself in the third person then I mock myself. I should discuss this with my therapist. As for Ohtani, he’s the greatest GOAT of all-time. The GGOATOAT and occasionally I’ll get a comment something like, “Grey, handsome stuff going on above your shoulders, anyway, you think I should trade Ohtani since he’s not stealing as much?” Which leads me to believe some of you still don’t appreciate how insane it is he’s a top five hitter and pitcher. 2026 Projections: 47/18/46/.294/5 in 236 ABs, 6-1/2.23/0.95/76 in 68 IP

2. Bobby Witt Jr. – Ohtani, Witt Jr., Kurtz, Caminero, Schwarber and James Wood were the only guys in the preseason top 20 who didn’t disappoint. (I forgot I ranked Wood 20th overall, too. Think it was after Lindor injured himself.) Some top 20 guys were decent (Jazz and Corbin), but still nowhere near top 20. So, that means 12 to 14 guys disappointed from the top 20. Both pitchers and 10 to 12 hitters. That’s a lot! I get it, it was injuries, but still, that’s kinda nuts. More in the next blurb. 2026 Projections: 44/16/46/.305/22 in 267 ABs

3. Juan Soto – Now you can say, yeah, this means your rankings suck, sucker. Or “sucka,” if we’re cool. Though, because this is about fantasy baseball, we’re likely not cool. Sure, you can blame my rankings, but I don’t veer far from ADP in the top 20. If anything, others had the pitchers who sucked higher, and also had Garrett Crochet in the top 20, and he sucked too. ADP also had Cal Raleigh and Vlad Jr. in the top 20; I did not. I had Schwarber and Jazz instead. So, you were better off with my top 20 preseason. Natch! 2026 Projections: 42/17/47/.301/7 in 236 ABs

4. Junior Caminero – For what it’s Cronenworth, Nick Kurtz was ranked third overall, prior to his IL stint. Speaking of which, Caminero is Nick Kurtz in a terrible park. Great park vs. terrible park really doesn’t add or subtract much from someone as good as Juco Loco. Let’s say, maybe one ranking spot if Kurtz is healthy? 2026 Projections: 44/20/51/.283/2 in 256 ABs

5. Jacob Misiorowski – In past years I said some form of, “My 2nd half rankings depart from my 1st half rankings in one major way, I give more credence to top pitchers. A few reasons A) Pitchers get hurt and are risky, but, at this point in the season, we know which pitchers are healthy and pitching well. B) A top pitcher can make a huge difference still, whereas an upside flyer on a pitcher isn’t as valuable, i.e., if your ratios need help, a flyer on someone like Sean Manaea is only going to get you so far, whereas Misiorowski can make a difference in the final months. C) There’s no C. As long as The IO Update stays healthy, and betting on a pitcher to stay healthy is like betting on public perception recognizing Phil Collins as the greatest singer/songwriter of all-time, but here we are.” And that’s me sorta quoting me! While no one is safe, and no pitchers are less safe than “no one,” but Mis is as safe as they come, and, if something bad happens to him, you just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Betting on luck is a fair bet, as long as you’re not facing Emmanuel Clase. By the by, The IO Update is on pace for around a 300 strikeout, 50 walk season. Bizzonkers. 2026 Projections: 8-2/2.19/0.91/121 in 81 IP

6. Pete Crow-Armstrong – His 1st half was huge for my “coming to accept PCA is great for fantasy.” It hasn’t been a great 1st half for my “it’s not illegal to sneak ringworm medicine in Tatis’s coffee” legal defense. To pour some freezing cold water on PCA and James Wood, they were both inside the top 15 overall in last year’s 2nd half rankings. They did not fulfill that promise. 2026 Projections: 47/15/36/.269/18 in 270 ABs

7. James Wood – Just realized that he’s on pace for 130 runs and I want to go back to February/March to boink on the head everyone who said don’t draft a Nats hitter because they could struggle in runs or RBIs. Even if it’s only one person, it would be worth it. Call me the Boinking Time Traveler. Sounds like a Jack Finney book. (My most random reference? Possibly!) 2026 Projections: 47/16/36/.252/10 in 243 ABs

8. CJ Abrams – Would be cool if his middle name was “Jones.” Ya know, so it would be Corange Juice Jones. I saw you…and him…walking in the rain! No one? Wow, ya’ll bunch of lamers. 2026 Projections: 41/12/44/.276/15 in 261 ABs

9. Tarik Skubal – Trying to think who Tarik will be pitching for in the 2nd half and I have him in Yankee Stadium, shoving and the WFAN Caller screaming, “Ma! This is better than your manicotti!” Or Skubal goes to the Dodgers and MLB goes on strike immediately, not waiting until next year. Rooting for the Yankees, because I’d like to see a 2nd half of the season. 2026 Projections: 8-1/2.56/0.97/97 in 76 IP

10. Julio Rodriguez – Sometimes I get ten or so guys into one of these posts and see I’m at 2,000 words already and my fingers are like, “You need to shorten up your thoughts or we gonna quit.” I hear ya, fingies! JRod is consistently one of the top 2nd half guys. He might actually be under-ranked here. 2026 Projections: 45/17/44/.282/12 in 242 ABs

11. Elly De La Cruz – This is more prayer hands emoji than I’d like it to be for someone this high, but E! is too good to think his 2nd half is going to be less than wonderful just because his 1st was. Then again, his 2nd half last year was awful. Okay, might need more than one prayer hands emoji. 2026 Projections: 44/16/38/.264/15 in 261 ABs

12. Yordan Alvarez – Prolly my number one regret this year is not drafting Captain Woo Cubano in any leagues. I love him long time, and had him everywhere last year when he had the most Vlad Jr.-in-2026-type season, and liked Cubano this preseason, just didn’t draft him anywhere. The world’s longest sigh. Missing out on the career year is brutally painful. 2026 Projections: 41/19/48/.302/1 in 234 ABs

13. Jackson Chourio – We’re already in the choppy waters of “Should this guy be above this other guy” oceania. Ja-Chou, God bless you! or Captain Woo Cubano? Or Corange? It’s all personal preferences, and I wouldn’t get too hung up on exact order. If I had a league where I needed homers more than steals, I’d trade for Schwarber, Olson, Walker, Albombso before Chourio. 2026 Projections: 44/14/40/.281/12 in 264 ABs

14. Kyle Schwarber – Don’t have Schwarber in any leagues either, but I was higher on him in the preseason than anyone, so I hope you listened. This is something no one talks about either. People are like, “Wow, Grey, awesome hair, but your fantasy team stinks! Why didn’t you draft Schwarber if you liked him, you stupid, very handsome man?” I can’t draft everyone. Contrary to opinion, I don’t have endless teams. If I had the 10th pick, for unstints, I took Gunnar or Tatis (hell yeah, kill me now), and didn’t have a pick until the 20th pick (in a 15-teamer), then I took Jazz or Vlad Jr. (It’s shocking I have any good teams.) Could I have drafted Schwarber then James Wood? Sure, but I didn’t. Are you happy? 2026 Projections: 46/20/45/.241/2 in 248 ABs

15. Nick Kurtz – Ooh, Kurtz so good! I love him. I think I’m planting my flag as he’s my favorite current player. He’s basically Captain Woo Cubano minus six years. He’s Giancarlo Stanton still on the Marlins. He’s roll-out-of-bed 50-homer guy who also happens to be in the best park in baseball. It’s very fun to love the best players. Try it some time! Also, in expected Grey-loving-players fashion, Kurtz will be on the IL to start the 2nd half. Missing a week or two shouldn’t detract too much for what he can do. Assuming it’s a one-to-two week injury. I do not know, as of right now, if that is the case. 2026 Projections: 41/16/47/.288/5 in 221 ABs

16. Mason Miller – Said some variation of this many times before, but at this point in the season, I am not above buying anyone I need. Buy a high-end closer in a trade now to help my team if I can make up points in saves? Bring on dem crooked save vultures! 2026 Projections: 2-1/1.18/0.88/55, 17 saves in 30 IP

17. Brice Turang – Became the new Treat Urner. Call him Bricet Urang. 2026 Projections: 44/10/41/.271/17 in 262 ABs

18. Corbin Carroll – Someone is going to go off in the 2nd half, and betting on a guy who is now three months removed from his hamate bone surgery isn’t the worst bet. There’s also something about a guy who could steal 15 bags in a month for a nice upside bet. 2026 Projections: 42/14/39/.263/14 in 261 ABs

19. Chris Sale – Yes, Sale is currently ranked before Skenes, but I already know Sale is not going to be this high next year. He’s too old. At this point, you just want a few months from Sale. Next March, you’ll want six more months and that’ll be too much to hope for from a soon-to-be 38-year-old. It is very hard to find fault in anything Sale is currently doing though. Reminds me of how Randy Johnson was still doing it into his 40s. 2026 Projections: 6-3/2.83/1.07/88 in 71 IP

20. Matt Olson – [looking at my own projections] 16 more to go! 2026 Projections: 46/16/54/.272/1 in 266 ABs

21. Ronald Acuña Jr. – He misses three weeks with an IL stint like he’s popping Pez. Tildaddy can put up a number one overall half or not even a top 100 overall player, so he’s ranked to reconcile both possibilities. I am the Reconciler. 2026 Projections: 38/12/33/.286/12 in 221 ABs

22. Bryce Harper – At one point, I was talking about how there was no Zombino seasons this season, and I think I forgot Harper. He qualifies. Also, if you’ve seen any of his TikToks, he looks like a zombie, so perfect. 2026 Projections: 44/13/46/.271/5 in 243 ABs

23. Zach Neto – He’s gone from a 23.3 K% to 32% in roughly 18 months. His walk rate has gone up from 6 to near-11%, and I wonder if he fell asleep watching Shrek, because he’s become a donkey. 2026 Projections: 46/15/39/.230/13 in 251 ABs

24. Jose Ramirez – More so than any other hitter, JoJoRam seems determined to get his stats, through hell or a hamate bone. Before the break (his hand not the All-Star), he seemed like he wanted to get to 50 steals. If he were to relax and cruise to his HOF induction, no one would fault him, but he doesn’t seem like that type. 2026 Projections: 31/10/30/.261/16 in 203 ABs

25. Jhoan Duran – Ya know how good Duran is? He managed to overcome a decade-plus of the Phils’ pen being diseased, stricken by the Curse of A Former Closer Who Shall Not Be Named. A hunchback drooling pus, bent over, “Yes, my Lidge. Excuse me, I’m sorry, you said to call you Brad. I forgot.” 2026 Projections: 1-1/1.98/0.98/49, 15 saves in 32 IP

26. Cade Smith – Every team should look at what the Guards did with their pen over the last year plus. No, not take down Polymarket odds hung on the wall, though that would be a good start. I mean, they lost a great closer, and they didn’t try to sign someone dumb like Kenley Jansen or whoever. They turned to their great in-house option and allowed him to excel. 2026 Projections: 2-1/2.48/1.11/48, 15 saves in 32 IP

27. Jordan Walker – Not having him in any leagues hurts less than Yordan, if you’re wondering. Yes, I could’ve had Walker in every league at a cost of next to nothing, compared to the past two years when I was drafting him way too high, but also this season was basically a lottery ticket vs. Yordan. What I mean is, Yordan was going to perform well if he was healthy, so it was just a matter of drafting him. With Walker? No one thought he was suddenly fixed. Can’t be mad at lottery tickets I missed on. Not even Spring Training showed anything, not that it ever does. His Spring Training numbers are in blue below. It’s wild people still pretend Spring Training matters. Wouldn’t it matter more for a guy about to break out than anyone? And there’s zero indication. 2026 Projections: 37/13/44/.278/7 in 247 ABs

P.S. how awesome is it that Jordan Walker won the Home Run Derby? I love him so much. Thankfully, there’s no way a guy who took two years to find his home run stroke would be bothered by the Home Run Derby, right? [the sound of a thousand whispers] Right?

28. Pete Alonso – Even though they seem separated by a decent amount, the only real calculation I made ranking Albombso was, did I want him or Allahson? Praying to Mecca or praying to the guy who left Metca? They’re likely close, but I think Olson gives a little bit more average. 2026 Projections: 41/16/51/.252/1 in 256 ABs

29. Hunter Goodman – Our first catcher with a bullet! Hopefully he wore his catcher’s mitt made of kevlar. This isn’t about catcher eligibility, this is about Goodman’s stats look like Albombso minus five points in average. 2026 Projections: 40/15/46/.247/2 in 241 ABs

30. Shohei Ohtani – Gonna check real quick if I ranked him yet….Hmm, seems like I did at number one. That’s awkward, haha! Oh, this is just him as a pitcher. I see. But where is he as only a hitter?! Oh, still number one. Gotcha, okay, brain no longer doing AI hallucinations. 2026 Projections: 6-1/2.23/0.95/76 in 68 IP

31. Ben Rice – [standing in Von’s, pointing at boxed rice] “Rice-A-HRoni!” Another customer, “Can I squeeze in and grab a Lundberg Wild Blend?” Me, screaming, “NOOOOOOO!!!” 2026 Projections: 42/15/36/.257/2 in 255 ABs

32. Cristopher Sanchez – Not sure where I’m going to fall next year on Sanchez or Skenes as the 3rd pitcher off the board, but I am leaning this direction. A Skenes 2nd half of 8-0, 1.50 ERA could erase that though, and I don’t think you can rule that out, even if recent trends point in this direction. Also, another Sanchez May in August could shut up my brain noise. Sanchez’s July has also moved him down from before Sale to here in just a week, so this is far from a done deal. 2026 Projections: 7-2/2.74/1.06/98 in 88 IP

33. Paul Skenes – This is gonna blow your mind, but Skenes is actually pitching better this year than last. His insane ERA luck of having an ERA under 2, uh, two years in a row was bound to end. Now when’s his luck gonna end of being 24 and living everyone’s dream life? Huh?! 2026 Projections: 6-3/2.89/0.99/91 in 76 IP

34. Zack Wheeler – Wheeler had so much stuff to give that he was able to lose “top two starter stuff” and still walk away with “top five starter stuff.” 2026 Projections: 6-3/2.87/0.96/80 in 76 IP

35. Cam Schlittler – Ya know what’s fun about starters, there’s ten great ones, then more question marks than you’d find on the Riddler’s leotards. I don’t do tiers in the 2nd half ranks, but, if you wanted Schlittler instead of Ohtani or Sanchez or Skenes? Meh, fine with me. Ain’t gonna fight ya, though I could take you, I know Muay Thai. It’s when you’re eating Thai food and make kissy sounds. 2026 Projections: 7-2/2.97/1.01/81 in 72 IP

36. Sal Stewart – If he reaches the projections, he will go around 30/18/.260 as a 22-year-old and how is he not a top 20 pick next year? Is he a pizza bagel? He is now because I’m talking about a star mitzvah. 2026 Projections: 33/13/38/.255/6 in 251 ABs

37. Andy Pages – He’s incredibly hot and cold. He could have a 14-homer August and September and be as good as anyone in the top 20 or two months of his June and hit 6 HRs and .225. Hard to know what you’re going to get unless you’re sitting in a psychic’s waiting room right now like me. “I need my lucky numbers, Miss Cleo!” 2026 Projections: 38/14/41/.251/5 in 241 ABs

38. Otto Lopez – He’s on pace for a 15/25/.320 season. Pardon me, are you prime cut Treat Urner? 2026 Projections: 41/7/31/.308/10 in 254 ABs

39. Michael Harris II – One nice thing about Acuña being injured this year (vs. his multiple other years of injuries) is Megahertz has come into his own. Mega’s adjusted his swing, hitting the ball as hard as ever and is finally the guy you thought he was for the last four years. Notice how I’m not fighting anyone about whether Harris is good anymore, because, unlike past years, he is actually good now. 2026 Projections: 38/14/39/.288/5 in 259 ABs

40. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Hate to be a natural born hater always and forever, but I still don’t trust the Dodgers to not be like, “Yamamoto has a [covers mouth] and he’s going to miss a month,” to get him ready for the playoffs. 2026 Projections: 6-3/2.87/0.94/69 in 74 IP

41. Ketel Marte – He’s the most 28/8/.270 hitter you’re ever going to find, while never actually doing exactly those stats. Vibes, my good man, I am talking vibes! [puts on top hat and walks out of the apothecary] 2026 Projections: 37/11/41/.271/4 in 237 ABs

42. Riley Greene – If Greene were to attend Josh Naylor’s offseason Ramada Inn seminar, “You too can steal bags, even with a full diaper,” then Riley would be sneaking into the top 20 convo. He’s hitting everything hard as anyone, and having as little fantasy value as you can from that. Not to say he doesn’t have fantasy value. He does, but he should have so much more. 2026 Projections: 36/12/35/.283/2 in 244 ABs

43. Jacob deGrom – Truly remarkable pitcher. He’s come down this year in stuff and his peripherals are saying he’s merely a number one and not an otherworldly ace. Some players should get in the HOF without even being voted in. Automatic guys like Verlander and Scherzer. And, yes, like deGrom. 2026 Projections: 5-3/3.08/1.01/76 in 68 IP

44. Miguel Vargas – Through a little more than a half a season, Vargas has put up a full season’s of stats. Quietly too. The quietest star mitzvah since Rod Carew’s bar mitzvah, because it never happened. Sorry, if you’re identity is built brick by brick on top of Rod Carew being a Jew. Not a Jew. Did not convert. Sandler lied to you. 2026 Projections: 37/12/34/.242/5 in 246 ABs

45. Gunnar Henderson – It’s with much regret to myself that I will be drafting Gunnar again next year. Ya know what, put me down for drafting Gunnar every year until he finally gets back to his 37/21/.281 2024 season numbers. I’m too pot-committed now to get out. I refuse to ever not draft him. 2026 Projections: 31/12/32/.236/8 in 248 ABs

46. Logan Gilbert – Really feel like he can be the best pitcher of the 2nd half. Am I saying that because I have him in multiple leagues? Yes, naturally! 2026 Projections: 6-2/3.01/1.02/74 in 71 IP

47. Joe Ryan – Had him ranked a little lower, but moved him last minute because his peripherals are so gorge. Really has top five starter peripherals while allowing a bit too many barrels, like he’s Niagara Falls. 2026 Projections: 5-4/3.41/1.04/72 in 67 IP

48. Dylan Cease – His command is scary, but we see with Misiorowski what can happen if a guy goes on a Strong Command Run. Need an SCR from Cease. SCR is also the most confusingly named tribute band. It’s like a Creedence tribute band with CTE. “Think you guys are gonna know this one, so sing along…Moud Prairie, reep on kollin! Rillin on the rover! Rillin, rillin, rillin on the rover!” 2026 Projections: 5-4/3.71/1.21/104 in 74 IP

49. Shea Langeliers – May all your Bing Bongers have home games in the heat of SacTown with the bouncy ball. Amen. 2026 Projections: 37/15/39/.259/1 in 231 ABs

50. Byron Buxton – Tried to think of someone else who has taken this career path — bit of a mess in his 20’s only to be remarkable valuable in his 30’s, and the closest I’ve come to is Nelson Cruz. Like a reverse Grady Sizemore. Call him Sady Grizemore. Since he’s on the IL right now, I’m not sure if I’m a bit more optimistic about him avoiding more IL stints in the 2nd half or this is the start of a multi-month, day-to-day deal with his hip. Is the glass half full or half empty? Tell me how much water is in the gee-dee glass! 2026 Projections: 38/14/32/.261/5 in 231 ABs

51. Luis Garcia Jr. – LuGaJu! LuGaJu! LuGaJu! The good Ju before we get into a tier of lots of bad Jus. I said what I said, let them stew in their own juice. LuGaJu’s last six weeks actually shows how fickle fantasy baseball can be, and how this top 100 is really grasping at straws, and how this could all change in two weeks. Six weeks ago, LuGaJu would’ve been around a top 150 guy, now he feels too low. 2026 Projections: 32/10/34/.274/3 in 211 ABs

52. Fernando Tatis Jr. – We’re about to begin the most painful fantasy baseball tier in history. The stuff that makes grown men cry. The kind of player seasons that will have you making the most bald-faced lie excuses like, Tatis hasn’t actually been that bad, he’s still stealing bags and hitting for a decent average. Sure, and I have an AI bridge with six fingers made by ChatGPT to sell you. 2026 Projections: 43/8/32/.281/15 in 261 ABs

53. Manny Machado – His career BABIP is near-.300. He’s been under .200 for the better part of the 1st half. Sounds like a BUY! Also, maybe he got old and stinks now. 2026 Projections: 37/13/41/.251/2 in 243 ABs

54. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – Seeing Tatis Jr., Vlad Jr. and Jazz Jr., should we actually be mad at dads? Stop teaching your kids how to hit, and send them to Driveline! 2026 Projections: 32/10/33/.231/14 in 227 ABs

55. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Truly the saddest thing I can say for Tatis, Vlad Jr. and these other guys is I can’t even muster up saying their nicknames, Cake Batter or Fun The Jewels, and celebrate them in anyway. Just the saddest garbage you’ve ever seen. What’s sadder than sad garbage? Nothing. That’s what! 2026 Projections: 31/10/36/.281/5 in 241 ABs

56. Francisco Lindor – Clearly, should be Francisco Lindor Jr. This is a super depressing area of the top 100. A area of the ranks that can easily be, “Are these guys just turds now?” The assumption is all of these guys will be better, but what if they’re not. An emoji that is just an old guy saying, “Age comes for us all.” Shut up, old guy emoji! 2026 Projections: 42/8/30/.251/5 in 243 ABs

57. Logan Webb – Wrestled with my thoughts on Webb like a great philosopher of Ancient Greece because I was wearing a toga. Ended up here because his Ks are down, but he’s done this before and had a 3.30-3.60 ERA season and that’s worthwhile with his innings. 2026 Projections: 5-3/3.47/1.16/70 in 81 IP

58. Cody Bellinger – As good as this is going to sound to him, if he doesn’t have a good 2nd half, Yankees fans might stone him. 2026 Projections: 38/11/39/.261/6 in 237 ABs

59. Kyle Tucker – How bad has Tucker been? I couldn’t even justify shoving him in that tier of underperforming guys with Tatis and Vlad Jr. 2026 Projections: 37/8/32/.252/7 in 229 ABs

60. JJ Wetherholt – Spent more time than I care to admit deciding between these rookie shortstops (20 seconds). Ended up Jamba Juice here because he had the best 1st half. That was really all it came down to, and more in next blurb. 2026 Projections: 39/8/24/.265/7 in 249 ABs

61. Kevin McGonigle – The rookie shortstops could easily be completely reversed in the 2nd half. If I were going for the safest guy, I’d go McGonigle. I had Konnor SB/HRiffin third, for what it’s Cronenworth, but removed him when it came to light about his finger tendon injury. 2026 Projections: 38/6/27/.280/8 in 251 ABs

62. Bryce Miller – Because he’s still in the small sample size range, I didn’t want to overemphasize his stats, but there’s a case to be made he’s actually a top five starter and should be up by Skenes. [calling up an attorney whose number I read off a park bench] “Can you help make the case that Bryce Miller is actually a top five starter?” 2026 Projections: 5-2/2.87/0.97/64 in 58 IP

63. Ozzie Albies – Mentioned this a few roundups ago, but it’s too bad Ozzie isn’t stealing this year, because you put his 25 homers up with a .270 average and it’s niiiiiice. Five I’s. he does that with 12 steals? That’s nine I’s, easily. 2026 Projections: 33/10/31/.266/3 in 249 ABs

64. Munetaka Murakami – With every single player, I open their latest news and stats on the year, and, when I opened Murakami’s, I was reminded of how great he was doing. He was sitting on 20 homers and missed the last month. 2026 Projections: 31/15/36/.223/1 in 179 ABs

65. Oneil Cruz – So similar to what I was saying for Acuña that he’s actually done exactly what I was saying in that blurb just this year. Cruz was a top guy this year early on and then he wasn’t at all, and now he’s being ranked somewhere in-between those two outcomes, i.e., he’ll either be great or awful. With his hand injury, well, hopefully it’s great, but I’m concerned. 2026 Projections: 26/7/24/.236/9 in 187 ABs

66. Chase Burns – I feel like I’m down on Burns while also being slightly too high on him, if that makes sense. It does in my head, and, if it makes sense to you, you might also be in my head. Hey, are you going to shut the door of my head or did you grow up in a barn head? 2026 Projections: 6-3/3.33/1.10/78 in 68 IP

67. Sonny Gray – Wonder if I can galaxy brain voodoo into the Red Sox’s GM Breslow and get him to trade Gray to the Rangers. I like Gray in Fenway; he’s a ground ball pitcher; it’s fine. But in Arlington? I sing Divinyls’s top song in the shower. 2026 Projections: 6-2/3.13/1.11/70 in 73 IP

68. Gerrit Cole – This is more of a “hopefully he returns to his previous form” then “cold, hard facts based on his stats.” His stats look a lot more like a number three to four fantasy starter than anywhere close to this ranking. 2026 Projections: 6-2/3.61/1.13/66 in 68 IP

69. Freddie Freeman – If your league has a category for the biggest chiclets in a guy’s mouth, I’d move Freeman up to the top five. Dude’s a one category beast there. 2026 Projections: 38/8/35/.283/3 in 247 ABs

70. Colson Mongtomery – He’s gonna have 40 homers this year and still be underrated next year. He’s become the newest Eugenio Suarez. Call him Freshgenio Newerez. 2026 Projections: 31/15/38/.226/1 in 243 ABs

71. Willson Contreras – Has been incredibly valuable this season, and there’s no end in sight, but, if there is, I hedged my bets on Polymarket by putting five dollars on Contreras being ejected from ten more games. With an extra parlay on him getting into a fight with the “Ted Williams seat” in the right field stands at Fenway. 2026 Projections: 38/11/44/.273/2 in 249 ABs

72. William Contreras – Had to put the Contrerasses together, for no other reason than to see if it could be a calming force for Willson. 2026 Projections: 39/8/44/.283/2 in 237 ABs

73. Dillon Dingler – Here’s how I feel with all the catchers in the top 100, and how I feel in general with the catchers, and how I’ve always felt. If you can hold their stats up to players near them in the rankings and there’s zero difference, then I have no problem with them. That was how I ranked Cal Raleigh in the preseason and how I look at all these catchers now. Well, with Dingler I also think about this toilet paper I printed out with his face called the Dingler Dangler Remover and maybe I shouldn’t have invested my entire 401K in it but I will stand outside of Comerica until I’ve sold all my stock. 2026 Projections: 31/14/34/.272 in 231 ABs

74. Drake Baldwin – Been little iffy since he returned from the IL, but, before that, he was a top 10 guy in all of fantasy. Again, as I said with Dingler, this is about what Drake can do in his own right. Assuming there’s no Howie Kendrick Jr. coming up. Don’t want to see what happens when Drake comes in contact with a Kendrick. 2026 Projections: 30/13/32/.267/1 in 228 ABs

75. Braxton Ashcraft – In the broadest sense of what’s going on here with the starters vs. hitters, it feels like there’s a lot fewer starters I can rely on. The truth is: A number three starter in the 2nd half or the Streamonator? Streamonator prolly can edge it out. 2026 Projections: 6-3/3.43/1.09/77 in 69 IP

76. Louis Varland – Became a lights-out closer this year, and good on the Jays for allowing it and not trying to keep jamming Hoffman into the role. Prolly comes with spending $700 million and struggling to stay out of 4th place. 2026 Projections: 2-0/2.12/1.01/41, 13 saves in 30 IP

77. Bryan Baker – Who will emerge as the King of SAGNOF this year? Baker, Varland or Latz? 2026 Projections: 1-0/2.14/0.92/29, 13 saves in 27 IP

78. Jacob Latz – Him, Bryan Baker and Varland are going to have to arm wrestle for the SAGNOF of the Year trophy. Imagine their surprise when they realize it’s an imaginary trophy. Embarrassing! 2026 Projections: 1-1/2.36/0.91/29, 12 saves in 28 IP

79. Kazuma Okamoto – Seems very likely that he’s going to exceed the number of homers he hit in his last full year in Japan, while striking out a lot more. MLB has become the Dave Kingman of professional leagues. 2026 Projections: 31/14/36/.231 in 238 ABs

80. Trea Turner – “Aging superstar who has taken a legit step backwards” comes to mind when I look at Treat Urner’s stats. He looks like a .250 hitter now, not a .300 hitter as he was as recently as last year, when he won the NL batting title. 2026 Projections: 37/7/24/.256/13 in 251 ABs

81. Aaron Judge – This is more of a play for at-bats than anything else. If you think Judge is going to get 200 ABs in the 2nd half, then he’s a 18-22 homer hitter and worth a top 20 pick. If you’re thinking he’s a 100-ish AB guy, then that’s 9-11 homers. He could win people some H2H leagues though if you can sit on him until September. 2026 Projections: 24/10/29/.272/2 in 125 ABs

82. Brandon Marsh – Just thought about the funniest scenario my stupid brain has ever conjured up. Or haas ever, if Eric is reading. That thought is, “Do I want Brandon Marsh or Aaron Judge?” Ha! 2026 Projections: 35/8/31/.291/6 in 239 ABs

83. Rafael Devers – Fair time to point out the rankings are not simply, this guy is a 13-homer guy with a .260 average so he’s ranked just above the 12-homer guy with a .260 average. Is Judge’s 10 homers better than Devers’s 14? Well, yes, because if Judge returns in July and shocks the world, he’s going to be hugely valuable. Devers playing every game is fine, and valuable, but has less upside on his stats. 2026 Projections: 31/14/36/.243 in 251 ABs

84. Randy Arozarena – He was in Friday’s Buy/Sell. Hint: It wasn’t the Buy. 2026 Projections: 38/8/28/.248/12 in 237 ABs

85. Josh Hader – He looks back to the nasty closer he was, then again he can’t go in multiple days in a row, then again again the Astros don’t have that many back-to-back games with saves chances, then again again again there is no then again again again. 2026 Projections: 1-1/1.94/0.93/31, 12 saves in 20 IP

86. Aroldis Chapman – Not sure why teams wait until the last possible moment to make trades. You’d think a team, like the Pirates, would be better off with Aroldis as their closer today vs. in a month. I’d think it, at least. Hence, saying it. 2026 Projections: 2-0/2.88/1.24/32, 13 saves in 26 IP

87. Seiya Suzuki – This ranking is based on my thinking that Seiya has to be great for at least one half a season, even though it’s usually the 1st half. Based, indeed. 2026 Projections: 31/14/36/.271/2 in 231 ABs

88. Josh Naylor – I admittedly like Naylor a bit more than I should because of how goofy it is that he runs like he has a diaper filled with quicksand, and is still managing to challenge 30 steals again this year. Has any reporters asked him why he woke up two years ago and decided to start stealing bags with the speed of ketchup coming out of the bottle without hitting the 57? 2026 Projections: 28/8/32/.266/8 in 241 ABs

89. Mookie Betts – Mookie Subpar-at-Best! Snap. I snapped him. I did a ‘ouchie’ on his self-worth. Mola Ram’d out his heart! 2026 Projections: 29/10/31/.254/3 in 229 ABs

90. Hunter Greene – This is a complete roll of the die. Roll snake eyes to symbolize the 2 ERA with a 11 K/9. Roll seven and, craps, you’re devastated with a 7 ERA. Roll a ten and it’s the IL stint he’ll be on for two months. Prefer Ranger Suarez or Gavin Williams ranked here instead of Greene? Go for it, I’m not mad at it. Just wanted to merely point out Greene can still be excellent. I’m putting shine on him. That’s what this is. 2026 Projections: 5-2/3.66/1.04/68 in 54 IP

91. Cal Raleigh – Someone should find someone who drafted Raleigh in the top 25 this year and ask them if they rostered him last year. I bet at least 75% of them did. Psychologically, I believe it’s called “playing with the house’s money.” Even this ranking might be too high, but it’s the last vestige of The Ass Man being more man than ass in the 2nd half. 2026 Projections: 31/15/38/.221/2 in 219 ABs

92. Max Meyer – Liam Hicks, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz. Any ideas what those three have in common? As I was writing this, they were inside the top 50 on the Player Rater and not in my top 100. They’d all be very close to the top 100 if this was the top 200, or even the top 120, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Mention this now because I almost didn’t include Meyer and he’s a top 50 guy too (as of Thursday of last week). Just not sure how many more innings Meyer can throw. 2026 Projections: 4-3/3.51/1.14/69 in 65 IP

93. Xavier Edwards – It’s hard to rank guys who are steals-first, after the pitch clock, but it’s doubly hard to rank them for a half, because someone like Edwards can steal 12-ish bags, and be barely a top 100 guy, or 25-ish bags and be a top 50 player. Also, it’s impossible to say “doubly” out loud and not sound drunk. 2026 Projections: 39/2/21/.304/15 in 241 ABs

94. Mickey Moniak – Hearing Moniak might be traded and that gives me a little bit of pause and why I ranked him down here vs. much higher, because, if he stays in Coors, he’s much better than this ranking. If he’s traded, he might be much worse. Depending on where he goes, of course. He’s randomly traded to the Mariners? Oh, bejesus-be-forewarned. 2026 Projections: 31/12/33/.251/4 in 211 ABs

95. Jackson Merrill – Could Dominic Canzone be better than Merrill? Yes, absolutely. Lots of the guys in the latter half of this ranking could be off this list entirely and guys who aren’t listed here could be ranked instead. This is more of a flyer for one last hope out of Merrill. There’s a very good chance he’s a draft pick next year around 120 overall that I don’t want any part of. A player who Grey doesn’t want to draft? The lowest life form! 2026 Projections: 28/9/32/.241/8 in 254 ABs

96. Hunter Brown – There’s only 65 to 75 innings left for most starters. So, if a guy has one or two bad starts, he likely won’t be a top 100 player in the 2nd half. This is a tightrope. I mention this now because Brown could be a top five starter or not even a top 100 player. This is basically a hedge rank. Do I worry about Hunter Brown a lot since he returned? Yes, I’d be very surprised if he’s right, but on the off chance he’s healthy, he could be as good as anyone. 2026 Projections: 3-2/3.71/1.33/81 in 71 IP

97. Jac Caglianone – Ya know how they called Kobe “Black Mamba?” I honestly don’t know what it meant and I live in LA, where there’s still weekly tributes to Kobe. Any hoo! If Jac-Cag can have the 2nd half that I think he’s capable of, I’m going to start calling him Mambo Italiano. 2026 Projections: 33/13/36/.261/2 in 231 ABs

98. Jeremy Pena – Nothing in his 1st half warrants this ranking, but, in March, if I ranked Jordan Walker in the top 30, you would’ve thought I lost my mind, and now you’re thinking to yourself that I ranked Walker too low. I get it, so much of this is people just wanting “What have you done for me lately” and not caring about what a guy can do in the future, which this is actually ranking for. If you just want “What have you done for me lately,” then just look at the Player Rater. 2026 Projections: 35/8/27/.281/8 in 244 ABs

99. Bryan Reynolds – The spotlight sits on the opening in the curtains, backstage there’s noise, the audience quiets as anticipation grows. First, a hand comes out and then his head pops out, smiling, it’s the one and only Bryan Reynolds, Mr. Excitement! The 24-homer, 10-steal, .265 hitting extraordinaire! Pittsburgh has never felt so alive. A man in the front row, places his sandwich, that’s overstuffed with lunchmeat and fries on his lap, and cheers wildly and the crowd follows. Every lap, a sandwich with fries, and wild applause. 2026 Projections: 31/11/34/.259/3 in 237 ABs

100. Cole Carrigg – Yes, this is a random guy to finish the top 100 to illustrate how anyone can be worthwhile in a half season. Brooks Lee could be a top 100 guy in the 2nd half, Kyle Stowers could, Jarren Duran–you get the idea. If you want to take a flyer on upside in a trade, I don’t hate it. Will Freddie Freeman be better than say Maikel Garcia, Wilyer Abreu, Chandler Simpson combined? Prolly, but those three guys have upside and you just never know. Sometimes you gotta take those risks. It’s not like anyone thought Jordan Walker would be ranked in the top 30 here and there will be people who say, “He’s too low!” 2026 Projections: Dream/A/Little/Dream in Fantasy

101. Whoever Helps You Win – Don’t get tied to projections and rankings and “I drafted this guy in the 4th round this year.” Yeah, we all hate Austin Riley, not just you. The worst thing you can do at this stage is hold onto players just because of what they could do vs. what they are doing. What they are doing is what wins championships and that’s what excites the ladies in your daydreams and your daydreams are real to you.