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Eric Karabell
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.
Here are one analyst’s very early thoughts about 2026 drafts, when it comes to roto/categories formats.
Way-too-early top 50 category-based rankings for 2026
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH/SP, Dodgers: The pitching angle is a definite differentiator over everyone else, but Ohtani has the offensive numbers, too, averaging 54.5 home runs, 39.5 stolen bases and 140 runs over his two Dodgers seasons.
2. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees: Judge has the edge on Ohtani for batting average, but he doesn’t steal many bases. For those concerned about durability, he has missed only 14 games over the last two seasons.
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.
4. Jose Ramirez3B, Cleveland Guardians: Ramirez is 33, but he shows no hint of decline, averaging 34.5 home runs and 42.5 steals over the last two seasons.
5. Juan SotoOF, 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 CarrollOF, 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.
7. Elly de la CruzSS, Cincinnati Reds: He stole 30 fewer bases and hit three fewer home runs than the year prior, but many believe he hasn’t achieved his best fantasy seasons yet.
8. Julio RodriguezOF, Seattle Mariners: He has averaged 28 home runs and 29 stolen bases over his four MLB seasons.
9. Francisco LindorSS, Mets: This consistent, durable shortstop boasts six seasons with at least 30 home runs, and at least 31 homers and 29 steals in each of the past three years.
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. Pull SkubalSP, 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 scenesSP, Pittsburgh Pirates: One should never presume Skenes will struggle to earn wins every season. His numbers are outstanding.
13. Garrett CrochetSP, Boston Red Sox: Nobody struck out more hitters, and it doesn’t appear wins will be a problem, either.
14. Kyle TuckerOF, 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 tate 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-ArmstrongOF, Chicago Cubs: Plate discipline remains a problem, but he went 30/30 in his age-23 season. He could improve.
17. Jackson ChourioOF, 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 HendersonSS, 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 RaleighC, Mariners: He may not be able to match this historic season, but he is his own tier for catchers.
20. Kyle SchwarberDH, free agent: He averaged 47 home runs per season during his four years with the Philadelphia Philliesand his skill set should remain for many years to come.
21. Trea TurnerSS, Phillies: The NL batting champion keeps stealing bases and scoring runs, with little reason for concern.
22. Mookie BettsSS, 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. Jordan AlvarezDH, 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 Machado3b, parents: He offers you similar statistics each and every season, with a safe batting average.
26. Nick Kurtz1b, Athletics: Baseball’s top rookie hit .290 and blasted 36 home runs in a mere 117 games.
27. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B/2B, yankalees: He delivered his first 30/30 season, and offers eligibility at two infield spots.
28. Pete Alonso1B, free agent: Safe power matters, and Alonso should deliver hits, regardless of where he ends up signing.
29. Junior Caminero3B, Tampa Bay Rays: He mashed 45 home runs in his first full season. Expect improvements in plate discipline and batting average in his age-22 campaign.
30. Matt Olson1B, Braves: Perhaps he will never hit 54 home runs again, but it is hard to argue with consistent power. Plus, he never misses a game.
31. Bryce Harper1B, Phillies: This certainly was not his best season and he last participated in 150 games back in 2019.
32. Rafael Devers1b, San Francisco Giants: His season for the Giants and Red Sox featured power, walks, strikeouts, drama and 163 games.
33. Freddie Freeman1B, Dodgers: He produced a comparable season to 2024, which means a safe batting average, but also only average power numbers.
34. GERALDO PERDOMOSS, Diamondbacks: He produced a stunning, breakout season with 20 home runs, 100 RBIs and 27 steals.
35. Ketel Mars2B, Diamondbacks: Investing in a middle infielder with 30-HR power is enticing, though Marte tends to miss many games, too.
36. Trevor StorySS, 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.
37. Hunter BrownSP, Astros: His expected breakout season included 206 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA.
38. Yoshinobu YamamotoSP, 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 GilbertSP, Mariners: Elbow strain cost him more than a month, but Gilbert made strides in strikeout rate.
40. Bryan WooSP, Mariners: Arguably the fantasy MVP for pitchers when considering investment cost, Woo won 15 games.
41. Chris SaleSP, Braves: We cannot count on 30 starts, especially as he turns 37 next March. Still, his numbers were outstanding as always.
42. James WoodOF, Washington Nationals: He broke out with a 31-HR season and stole 15 bases, but he must do something about the 221 strikeouts.
43. Jaren DuranOF, Red Sox: He took a large step backward from his 2024 numbers, but he remained a top-20 outfielder.
44. Logan WebbSP, Giants: He led the major leagues in innings and he was third in strikeouts.
45. Cristopher SanchezSP, Phillies: Philadelphia’s new ace led all pitchers in bWAR. We can’t assume Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is healthy for next March.
46. Freddy PeraltaSP, Brewers: He struck out 200 hitters for the third consecutive season and he lowered his ERA to 2.70.
47. Max FriedSP, Yankees: His first season with the Yankees was tremendous, but do not assume 19 wins every season, either.
48. Cody BellingerOF, Yankees: He also enjoyed his first season with the Yankees, hitting 29 home runs and appearing in 152 games.
49. Josh Naylor1B, free agent: Few expected him to go all the way from six stolen bases up to 30, but he did it. He also hit .295 with 20 home runs.
50. Picante in twin1B, Royals: Not as popular for fantasy as the other top first basemen, but he certainly had the numbers.
