Eric KarabellOct 3, 2025, 12:53 PM ETCloseEric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.Follow on X
Way-too-early top 50 category-based rankings for 2026
It may be boring, but good luck finding legitimate reasons to avoid taking Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge with the first picks in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
We said this very same thing one year ago and Ohtani and Judge went Nos. 1 and 2 in most ESPN average live drafts (points leagues). Well, we are saying it again. Things do get a little bit interesting after that, with 30/30 options, some ace starting pitchers and more Dodgers.
3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals: His 2024 season was better than this past season, but this wonderful five-category talent hasn’t even turned 26 years old yet.
5. Juan Soto, OF, New York Mets: He went from seven stolen bases to an incredible, NL-leading 38 of them in Year 1 (tied with Oneil Cruz) with the Mets. Even if the steals total falls again, he remains a building-block option.
6. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: Like Soto, he may never contend for a batting title, but he registered his first 30/30 campaign and he scores 100-plus runs each year.
10. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves: Talented enough to dominate the sport as he did in 2023, but multiple season-ending knee injuries over the past five seasons are a factor, too.
11. Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers: One can quibble with the order of the top pitchers or even select one early in Round 1. This crew is the top tier.
12. Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates: One should never presume Skenes will struggle to earn wins every season. His numbers are outstanding.
13. Garrett Crochet, SP, Boston Red Sox: Nobody struck out more hitters, and it doesn’t appear wins will be a problem, either.
14. Kyle Tucker, OF, free agent: Another standout season interrupted by injury, but we shouldn’t presume this is a trend. He hits, runs, and will earn a massive contract.
15. Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, San Diego Padres: He hasn’t achieved a 30/30 season yet, but competing in 155 games this past season proved he can stay healthy.
16. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs: Plate discipline remains a problem, but he went 30/30 in his age-23 season. He could improve.
17. Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers: His numbers in Year 2 nearly matched his rookie ones, but he hasn’t turned 22 yet. The best is yet to come.
18. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles: There was a big dip in his power numbers from 2024, but little reason to believe he can’t achieve a 30/30 season.
19. Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners: He may not be able to match this historic season, but he is his own tier for catchers.
21. Trea Turner, SS, Phillies: The NL batting champion keeps stealing bases and scoring runs, with little reason for concern.
22. Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers: He struggled for much of the season, offering up the worst OPS of his career, but he should bounce back in 2026.
23. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays: His power output fell from 2024, but he has become a well-established, durable, consistent force.
24. Yordan Alvarez, DH, Houston Astros: Try to forget that his 2025 season occurred and instead focus on his standout power numbers from the previous four seasons.
25. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres: He offers you similar statistics each and every season, with a safe batting average.
27. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B/2B, Yankees: He delivered his first 30/30 season, and offers eligibility at two infield spots.
28. Pete Alonso, 1B, free agent: Safe power matters, and Alonso should deliver hits, regardless of where he ends up signing.
31. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies: This certainly was not his best season and he last participated in 150 games back in 2019.
32. Rafael Devers, 1B, San Francisco Giants: His season for the Giants and Red Sox featured power, walks, strikeouts, drama and 163 games.
33. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers: He produced a comparable season to 2024, which means a safe batting average, but also only average power numbers.
35. Ketel Marte, 2B, Diamondbacks: Investing in a middle infielder with 30-HR power is enticing, though Marte tends to miss many games, too.
36. Trevor Story, SS, Red Sox: Speaking of missed games, Story performed in 157 games in 2025. It is rare to find durability after the age of 30, though.
38. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers: The lone Dodger to qualify for the ERA title was one of only six hurlers to deliver a sub-1.00 WHIP.
39. Logan Gilbert, SP, Mariners: Elbow strain cost him more than a month, but Gilbert made strides in strikeout rate.
40. Bryan Woo, SP, Mariners: Arguably the fantasy MVP for pitchers when considering investment cost, Woo won 15 games.
41. Chris Sale, SP, Braves: We cannot count on 30 starts, especially as he turns 37 next March. Still, his numbers were outstanding as always.
43. Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox: He took a large step backward from his 2024 numbers, but he remained a top-20 outfielder.
45. Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Phillies: Philadelphia’s new ace led all pitchers in bWAR. We can’t assume Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is healthy for next March.
46. Freddy Peralta, SP, Brewers: He struck out 200 hitters for the third consecutive season and he lowered his ERA to 2.70.
47. Max Fried, SP, Yankees: His first season with the Yankees was tremendous, but do not assume 19 wins every season, either.
50. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Royals: Not as popular for fantasy as the other top first basemen, but he certainly had the numbers.
CloseEric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.Follow on X
37. Hunter Brown, SP, Astros: His expected breakout season included 206 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA.
44. Logan Webb, SP, Giants: He led the major leagues in innings and he was third in strikeouts.