2026 Fantasy Baseball Survey: The top Dynasty targets at each position and how they compare to years past

One of the perks of having an audience is leveraging that audience for ... oh, whatever you need.

What I need right now is data. OK, so it's more of a want than a need, but I want it for the sake of building more audience, which we've already established can be leveraged for more data. And there's nothing Fantasy Baseballers enjoy more than data, which is why having it grows my audience. I swear I'm going somewhere with this. 

Survey! I've conducted a survey by way of social media, specifically X and Facebook. The subject is Dynasty leagues, and in that context, I've asked respondents to name the player they want most at each position, eight in all. The top choices, it turns out, are particularly obvious this year, but what's more interesting than them is which names do and don't register down ballot. Also, it's fun to compare this year's results to past years, so I've done some of that as well.

Feed and be fed.

Catcher

Top three last year: Adley Rutschman (34.1), William Contreras (24.3), Yainer Diaz (5.8)

Boy, did Rutschman meet with a dose of reality. He's stood atop this position since his days being the most perfect catching prospect the world had ever seen. However, the past couple years have worn away whatever benefit of the doubt he was still receiving. It doesn't help that this position has seen a massive influx of talent over the past couple years, which is reflected by the sheer number of players to receive multiple responses here, more than at any other position. I feel like there's a case for any of Drake Baldwin, Samuel Basallo, Ben Rice, Agustin Ramirez, Ivan Herrera, Carter Jensen, and Hunter Goodman to be No. 2 in priority, and the same can be said for the old standby, William Contreras.

But the reason I say No. 2 in priority is because of Cal Raleigh. Sure, he's 29. Sure, he barely registered on this list prior to last year. But he just hit 60 homers, dude. No other catcher in history has come within single digits of that. Doesn't mean he'll do it again, but it makes him the obvious catcher to have in the short-term. And particularly at a position with such a high attrition rate, looking beyond 3-4 years would seem to be overthinking it. I think this comment puts it well:

My choice: Raleigh

First base

Top three last year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr (69.4), Triston Casas (7), Bryce Harper (3.8)

Guerrero's stranglehold on the position is finally broken! OK, so Matt Olson edged him out two years ago, but for the most part, the 26-year-old has had Dynasty leaguers' undivided attention since first transitioning to first base in 2020. And he remains a popular choice now, seeing as he's still in his prime, but his frequent disappointments, minor though they are, have Dynasty leaguers eyeing the new kind on the block -- and for good reason. All Nick Kurtz did after a quick sprint through the minors was homer 36 times in 117 games, which comes out to a 50-homer pace. Some respondents preferred the provenness of Guerrero, pointing out that Kurtz's elevated strikeout rate presents enough additional risk for them to overlook the four-year age difference, but I view that strikeout rate more as growing pains than a permanent part of his profile.

Youth, which is so coveted in Dynasty leagues, is in short supply at first base, which is a big reason why Guerrero had been the automatic reply here. Casas threatened to join him at one point, but has fallen off the map completely now that his future with the Red Sox is seemingly in doubt. Sal Stewart at least offers a glimmer of hope, and Bryce Eldridge deserves an honorable mention as well, even though he didn't receive enough responses to appear on the graphic.

My choice: Kurtz

Second base

Top three last year: Jackson Holliday (26.3), Kristian Campbell (12.8), Jordan Westburg (10.9)

The position with the least consensus here is also the position with the fewest standouts for redraft purposes. Respondents seem split between prioritizing the immediate impact of a Ketel Marte or cornering the next big thing in the hopes of a longer-term payoff. More opted for the latter last year, but between Holliday and Campbell, that payoff has yet to arrive.

I do think there are two players at the position who marry the opposing approaches pretty well. The first, Jazz Chisholm, actually did get the plurality of the responses, if only barely. While I don't think his skill set is the sort that will age well, he did just turn 28 at the start of February and has been an early-round fixture for a while now. I don't know if the respondents who opted for the 32-year-old Marte over him just didn't consider the age difference or didn't think of Chisholm as a second baseman, given that he's moved around so much, but his power/speed combo is basically unmatched at the position. Speedster Brice Turang began to dabble with power last year, though, and is two years Chisholm's junior. I actually thought he'd be my response here until I was reminded of Chisholm's age.

Luke Keaschall seems like the clearest up-and-comer at the position, so I'm a little surprised his response rate wasn't higher. Prospects JJ Wetherholt and Kevin McGonigle have primarily played shortstop in the minors, but speculation about a move to second base is high enough for both that I'm comfortable including them here.

My choice: Chisholm

Third base

Top three last year: Junior Caminero (39.6), Jose Ramirez (18.8), Austin Riley (15.8)

Nos. 1 and 2 are the same as last year, but No. 1 now has a bullet after hitting 45 home runs in his first full big league season. Some who opted for Ramirez instead did so out of skepticism over Caminero's performance, particularly in light of the Rays playing their home games at the Yankees' spring training facility last year. An example:

The problem with that point of view is that it ignores how highly regarded Caminero was as a prospect, not to mention how hard he impacts the ball despite being only 22. The favorable venue last year did him some good, but he seems like a reasonable bet for 35-plus homers anywhere, including Tropicana Field. His low strikeout rate gives him room to grow in batting average as well. Ramirez is an all-timer at the position and an obvious first-rounder in the short-term, but the 11-year difference between him and Caminero is too much for me to overlook here. And no, there isn't a third player who belongs in this conversation, for as much confidence as I have in Austin Riley bouncing back.

My choice: Caminero

Shortstop

Top three last year: Bobby Witt (68.9), Gunnar Henderson (12.1), Elly De La Cruz (9.1)

There was never any doubt that Witt would dominate this position for a third straight year, but what a testament that he does. Shortstop is the most loaded position for Dynasty purposes, offering two more franchise cornerstone types on the right side of 25 (Henderson and De La Cruz), not to mention the top prospect in the game (Konnor Griffin). Shoot, the top seven prospects might be shortstops, and you see another of them represented here (Jesus Made). Witt, though, looks like he'll forever be in the discussion to go No. 1 overall, a 25-year-old who excels in all five Rotisserie categories. Even with some slippage in home runs last year, nobody is batting an eye. His share of responses has only gone up, in fact.

Griffin, who slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers and 65 steals across three minor league stops last year, is an exciting talent for sure and may well wind up in the No. 1 overall discussion someday. But a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, particularly when that bird is still only 25. 

My choice: Witt

Outfield

Top three last year: Juan Soto (25.8), Jackson Chourio (17.6), Ronald Acuna Jr (8.8)

Are the 31 extra steals to credit for Soto improving his margin of victory from a year ago? Not entirely. You'll notice that Acuna, who has been linked with Soto since the two were competing for NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, has slipped further behind. He was the runaway leader with 70.2 percent of the responses two years ago, but then he missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL and showed less willingness to run in his return last year. Will it always be so? Well, he's been running wild again in the Venezuelan Winter League. Meanwhile, Antoan Richardson, the coach most credited for unlocking Soto's base-stealing potential with the Mets last year, has joined Acuna in Atlanta. I do think Soto's skill set is more durable, with or without the steals, which rightfully gives him the edge here, but it's only an edge and not the chasm the above graph would have you believe.

Further illustrating this point is that Julio Rodriguez, Kyle Tucker, and Fernando Tatis -- three first-round regulars still in their prime -- got only six responses between them. There are just too many Dynasty studs at this position to represent them all fairly. You know who didn't get a single vote? Everyone's favorite 23-year-old breakout from a year ago, Pete Crow-Armstrong. Is it because he stumbled in the second half? Well, James Wood stumbled even harder but showed pretty well here. There was a point last year when any critique of Crow-Armstrong was considered blasphemy, but the results of this survey would seem to suggest widespread skepticism over his future performance, likely tied to his poor plate discipline.

Also, Aaron Judge has never shown particularly well in these surveys. He's about to turn 34, so I get it, but those who were prioritizing speculative Roman Anthony types over him four years ago probably wish they hadn't done that now.

My choice: Soto

Starting pitcher

Top three last year: Paul Skenes (56.5), Tarik Skubal (19.1), Garrett Crochet (4.6)

Pretty easy call, right? There are three starting pitchers who stand head and shoulders above the rest but rate pretty similarly in the short term. Among them, Skubal is 29, Crochet is 26, and Skenes is 23. So why not opt for Skenes? I suppose the main reason, just to play devil's advocate, is that pitchers are particularly susceptible to career-altering injuries, so projecting 10 or even five years out is kind of ridiculous. The three-year trajectory for Skubal doesn't look any different from the three-year trajectory for Skenes, and Skubal is the preferred choice for 2026. But he's the preferred choice by so little that I'll dare to dream of a long and uncommonly healthy career for Skenes.

Notably, Spencer Strider didn't get a single response after getting 60 percent of them two years ago, which goes to show why you can only project so far ahead for pitchers. Also notable is that Chase Burns and Bubba Chandler are represented in the above graph, while Nolan McLean and Trey Yesavage are not. Look, they're all great Dynasty assets, but in the interest of prioritization, I think the respondents have it right here.

My choice: Skenes

Relief pitcher

Top three last year: Jhoan Duran (18.8), Edwin Diaz (14.3), Emmanuel Clase (14.3)

Miller had just wrapped up a full season of closing when respondents named him the top Dynasty choice a year ago, and I thought they were getting out over their skis in doing so. But now, even with Miller having finished out 2025 as a setup man, I'm in complete agreement. He's the obvious choice to step in for the departed Robert Suarez in San Diego and had a 0.77 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 17.4 K/9 in 22 appearances for the Padres last year. No one else can touch that, and even if it means a little more injury risk and role insecurity, oh well. Nobody should be thinking long-term at closer anyway. The role is entirely too volatile for that.

What I find interesting are Nos. 2 and 3 on this list. Fittingly, Cade Smith just assumes the spot Emmanuel Clase had held in recent years, and I presume he'll continue to perform well in the role. Yet, for not being as proven as Clase, he's still getting the same benefit of the doubt over closing mainstays like Edwin Diaz and Jhoan Duran. It's not a huge deal because, again, I think Smith will be great. But the five years' difference between him and Diaz, who will likely be even better, counts for nothing in my mind. Again, the role is entirely too volatile for that.

My choice: Miller