Posted on by Michael Halpern

New York Mets 2027 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

The off-season festivities kicked off yesterday with A top 24 Sneak Peek of the 2027 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Top 5 free on the Brick Wall), and today it’s time for the first 2027 Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I will release a freebie here on Imaginary Brick Wall a few times a month with the vast majority of the content over on the Patreon. Off-season content will include these Dynasty Team Reports, along with Deep Positional Rankings, Strategy articles, Target articles, 2027 Projections, Prime/Peak Projections, predicting future prospect lists, AFL/Winter League Updates, the Top 100+ FYPD rankings, Top 500+ Prospects Rankings, and Top 1,000+ Dynasty Rankings. Here is the New York Mets 2027 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF UPCOMING EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-A TOP 24 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2027 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-SNEAK PEEKS OF THE 3 MAIN LISTS (TOP 1000+ DYNASTY, TOP 500+ PROSPECT, TOP 100+ FYPD)
-DEEP POSITIONAL RANKINGS
-DYNASTY TEAM REPORTS (TOP 10 PROSPECTS/INTERESTING MLB GUYS/STRATEGY SECTION)
-POSITION BY POSITION TARGET ARTICLES
-PREDICTING FUTURE PROSPECT LISTS
-AND SO MUCH MORE

Hitters

AJ Ewing – NYM, OF, 22.8 – I’m a man of the people. So I’m going to kick off the first Dynasty Baseball Team Report of 2027 by giving the people what they want … Targets. AJ Ewing is possibly my biggest hitter Target of 2027. If you read my work last off-season, or even back in 2024 when he was drafted, you might already have him, because I’ve been all over Ewing, predicting his rise in the Predicting the 2027 Top 50 Dynasty Rankings last off-season, ranking him 9th overall and writing, “I dropped Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow Armstrong’s name when I called Ewing a major target in 2024 FYPD’s, and now we will see the Carroll/PCA like blow up. The massively underrated power will show up with 14 homers in 120 games in the upper minors. Combined with the speed, plate skills, and defense, everyone will realize this is an elite prospect in both fantasy and real life. I will victory lap him until I drop from exhaustion ;)” … Ewing ended up blowing up so fast that I’m technically incorrect because he’s not even a prospect anymore, but that power uptick I saw coming came with 13 homers between the minors and the majors. I predicted 14 (he hit 3 in 124 games in 2025). Not bad. And 11 of those homers came in just 120 games in the majors. The plate skills were excellent, especially for a 21 year old rookie, with an above average 24.6% whiff% and 26.7% Chase%. The speed was near elite with a 29.4 ft/sec sprint and 25 steals. And like I envisioned, the power was way underrated with a damn good 42.3% Hard Hit% and 89.6 MPH EV. And again, he did this at 21 years old. I think there is more power to come. The 10.8 degree launch is completely fine, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him unlock more game power by raising that in future years. This is an absolute future fantasy stud who I still believe is being treated like a nice speed first play. Stick your neck out. Buy high. Do whatever you have to do to get him if you don’t have him already. – 2027 Projection: 88/18/72/.265/.341/.429/33 Prime Projection: 103/24/84/.278/.362/.469/39

Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 24.2 – I fell in love hard over Benge’s swing last off-season, and I can’t help but lead his blurb off again with my jaw on the floor watching him hit. It’s just a filthy thing of beauty. And it’s why I already had him knocking on the door of the top 100 dynasty assets last year (#113), and it’s why I’m completely unsurprised he took the majors by storm in his rookie year. It was funny to see him just quietly having a strong rookie year until everyone looked up at the end of the season and was like oh shit, this guy just went 20/22 with a .282 BA. The contact was there (21.4% whiff%), the launch was there (12.1 degrees), the speed was there. The only thing even slightly “concerning” is the relatively weak 38.8% Hard Hit%, but again, just look at that swing. That Hard Hit% is going up, and when it does, there will be even more homer power in here. Benge vs. Stewart for NL Rookie of the Year is now a super fun debate, and while I do think it is close, Benge’s superior defense and baserunning take it for me. Offense is important, but in real life, there are other parts of the game, and Benge beats him in those other parts. Both of them are going to be fantasy studs for years to come, so who cares who wins it for our sake, but it’s fun to debate. This is a Top 50 dynasty player at the least. – 2027 Projection: 93/24/81/.274/.348/.452/24

Pitchers

Christian Scott – NYM, RHP, 27.9 – The Mets might have had a disaster uncapped downside season, but the future is still bright with so much young talent on the MLB level. And the one who might be sliding under the radar the most for fantasy is one of my biggest pitcher Targets of 2027, Christian Scott. He returned from a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace procedure that knocked out his entire 2025 season, and he looked nearly as good as new with a 3.85 ERA and 28.3/9.9 K%/BB% in 110 IP. The thing that gets me the most excited is that his 95.5 MPH fastball notched an excellent 27.6% whiff% with a .314 xwOBA. Having a bat missing, plus fastball is a foundation that I am a sucker for. The secondaries ain’t bad either with a sweeper (30.9% whiff% and .248 xwOBA) and cutter (+8 Run Value). Even as is, that is a damn good arm, and I see two areas of potential improvement for a next level breakout. First, Scott always had plus to double plus control before the surgery. He had a 6.1% BB% his first go around in the majors. I think we see that walk rate improve. Second, a fully healthy off-season can give him the time he needs to truly work on that splitter/changeup. Refining that pitch and making it a larger part of his arsenal can unlock a whole new dynamic. Scott is going to be a mighty reasonably priced arm for his combination of floor and upside, and he’s going to be an arm scooping in drafts everywhere. Major Target. – 2027 Projection: 11/3.47/1.19/166 in 150 IP

Nolan McLean – NYM, RHP, 24.8 – Who needs whiffs anyway? McLean’s whiff% tanked to a below average 23.6%, but it didn’t stop him from putting up a near ace season with a 3.16 ERA and 26.0/9.4 K%/BB% in 179.2 IP. He did it on the back of a 95 MPH sinker that was the most valuable sinker in baseball and the 3rd most valuable pitch in baseball with a 27 Run Value. Only Misiorowski and Schlittler’s 4-seamers were more valuable. Those pitches put up a 40.2% and 34.8% whiff%. McLean’s sinker notched a 12.1% whiff%. The lack of whiffs were why I had McLean 3rd in the 3 headed pitching prospect monster of Burns/Yesavage/McLean last year. I was right to have Burns in a tier of his own, but as of now, I was wrong to have McLean 3rd in that group (for now). The profile clearly works with a 7 pitch mix, and while it’s interesting his famed sweeper is getting rocked in the majors, the curve picked up the slack with a 37.8% whiff% and .166 xwOBA. The 4-seamer sits 96 MPH and can miss bats. I’m not gonna lie, I’m still a sucker for whiffs. It’s why I secretly think Yesavage still might end up better than McLean, but I can’t deny the results are there. The ERA estimators aren’t as convinced either with all of them sitting around 3.60. It’s why I can’t anoint him into that rarified air of true young ace territory, but he’s in the tier right below that as a Top 50-75 Dynasty Asset. He’s a young stud to build your staff around. – 2027 Projection: 13/3.33/1.15/198 in 185 IP

Bullpen

Devin Williams – NYM, Closer, 32.7 – What other choice do the Mets have than to keep trotting Williams out there in 2027. They paid him $51 million over 3 years to close out games. I guess they could go to Senga again, but I have to think as long Williams pitches halfway decently, the job is his. And halfway decently is how he pitched in 2026 if you want to be generous with a 4.43 ERA, 3.22 xERA, and a 28.3/11.4 K%/BB% in 40.2 IP. The man had a 1.57 WHIP. This was his 2nd down year in a row. The stuff was down a bit and so were the whiffs. He missed almost 2 months towards the end of the season with a shoulder strain. At 32 years old, it sure feels like Williams is on the downside of his career. The stuff, whiffs, and xERA are good enough to think he’s far from washed up, so he should be good enough to hold the job, but I’m definitely not drafting him as one of the top closers in the game anymore. – 2027 Projection: 4/3.51/1.29/77/27 saves in 58 IP

New York Mets Top 10 Fantasy Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Jefferson Rojas – NYM, 3B/SS, 22.11 – Stearns might have royally screwed up the off-season, but I think he did a sneakily good job at grabbing underrated prospects at the deadline. He got back to his small market roots. And Rojas is the crown jewel of that deadline sell off. He’s had a good feel to hit with strong contact rates his entire career (17.3/8.5 K%/BB% in 2026), the righty swing is pretty damn athletic, he’s got some speed (21 steals), and then the power came in 2026 with his EV and Hard Hit way up. It resulted in 27 homers in 127 games, and he went bonkers to close out the season at Triple-A with 3 homers and a 96.8 MPH EV in 6 games. I wouldn’t expect star upside, but there is potential for him to be an impact across the board contributor in fantasy. The 2B job is wide open, and while he played a lot more 3B than 2B this year, the 3B job could open up after 2028 as well, so there is a path for Rojas to earn a full time gig if he produces when he gets his shot. – 2027 Projection: 53/12/57/.253/.308/.409/7 Prime Projection: 83/21/77/.272/.331/.445/17

2) Jonah Tong – NYM, RHP, 23.9 – Let me give some credit to the scouts out there that were able to ignore Tong’s insane 40.5% K% in 2025 and still remain lukewarm on him. I definitely got drawn in more by that gaudy number, but to my credit, I did start to get cold feet after he got rocked in the majors, writing, “It’s a small sample, and I’m not saying I don’t like Tong anymore, but I’m saying there are enough red flags from the MLB debut that I’m not flying him up the rankings wild crazy anymore.” … and then in 2026 his value got a cold splash right to the face. He put up a 4.54 ERA with a 27.0/12.6 K%/BB% in 107 IP at Triple-A. But the funny thing is, things flipped in 2026 with him actually looking better in the majors. He went out with a 9 K gem in late September and finished with a 3.82 ERA, 3.13 xERA, and a 25.4/10.4 K%/BB% in 30.2 IP. The 94.9 MPH fastball put up a damn impressive 30.6% whiff%. The killer changeup dominated with a .160 xwOBA and 32.9% whiff%. I’m the only man alive that actually doesn’t hate Tong’s curve and that pitch too put in the work with a 33.3% whiff% and .167 xwOBA. I love to see the 30.2% whiff% overall. Again, he wasn’t nearly this good at Triple-A and that was the much larger sample, but showing the stuff will play against MLB hitters is still big to see. He’s a young pitcher who was tinkering and working on stuff in the minors, so we have to keep that in mind as well when looking at those numbers. With how much his value has fallen off a cliff, I think Tong has flipped from overrated to underrated. If you own him, don’t sell low, and if you don’t owe him, I would try to grab some cheap shares if you can. – 2027 Projection: 5/4.13/1.33/122 in 120 IP Prime Projection: 11/3.73/1.28/180 in 170 IP

3) Mitch Voit – NYM, 2B/SS, 22.6 – Once Voit stopped trying to pull everything for a home run, his electric skillset was unleashed, and then all hell broke loose when he got the call to Double-A, slashing .347/.430/.517 with 2 homers, 9 steals, and a 17.6/10.3 K%/BB% in 29 games. The Pull% dropped from 51.1% at High-A to 42.6% at Double-A, and it resulted in fewer groundball balls and more line drives all over the field. With his hard hit ability, speed (45 steals), and plate skills, that is exactly what he should be trying to do. I see so much Tommy Pham when I watch him, and Pham was never a lift and pull guy. The 2B job is up for grabs in New York as of now, and while he’ll have competition for it, Voit at 2B and Rojas at 3B in the long term could work assuming the Mets don’t sign anyone (not a good assumption). Plus, the guy looks like he was literally chiseled by our AI overlords themselves. I’m nicknaming him AI. Voit is going to be part of the new Mets core to get fans excited, and the fantasy friendly skillset will make his fantasy owners happy too. Considering he’s not on BA’s or Pipeline’s Top 100, he makes for a pretty damn good proximity/upside target. – 2027 Projection: 31/5/23/.248/.310/.393/9 Prime Projection: 82/18/68/.264/.331/.432/28

4) Wandy Asigen – NYM, SS, 17.7 – That jump off the screen electric lefty swing that made Asigen one of the most hyped international prospects last off-season was on full display in his pro debut in the DSL. Here is he is going 106 MPH to left center for a grown man’s homer. And then here he is going lefty on lefty with a soul destroying pull side shot. This is a 16 year old kid putting up MLB level exit velocities. His talent was not overhyped, putting up a 149 wRC+ in 23 games. What was overhyped was his feel to hit as the hit tool is a genuine concern with a 28.9% K% and 38.7% whiff%. That is not good for the DSL, but I do think the 22.9% BB% mitigates it somewhat, and keep in mind it was a small sample. In his final 6 games he put up a 12.0/28.0 K%/BB%. He got a late start to the season, so everyone else was already comfortable while he was just trying to figure it out. With more time I think those contact rates would have looked better. And now you can use that hit tool risk in your favor to still get a good price on him this off-season. If you’re looking for high upside electricity in leagues where he isn’t rostered yet or in trades, Asigen makes for a great target. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 92/27/86/.258/.339/.473/21

5) Elian Pena – NYM, SS, 19.5 – I’m definitely a little scared off by the very low 23.7% Hard Hit% and 84.2 MPH EV, but I really hate to fade an 18 year old in full season ball too hard for low EV’s. That is one thing that is almost sure to improve as you go from a boy to a man. I know Pena isn’t particularly projectable, but tall skinny guys aren’t the only ones to benefit from man strength. Pena is going to keep getting stronger and stronger, and thinking he will get his EV’s to an acceptable MLB level, or maybe even higher than that isn’t that hard to believe. And if/when that comes, he’s establishing a strong foundation of complementary skills. He put up a 111 wRC+ with a .271 BA, 21.4/13.9 K%/BB%, a 35.2% GB%, and 28 steals in 96 games at Single-A. He struggled in 16 games at High-A to close out the season but I would completely ignore that. The low EV’s prevent him from being a truly hyped dynasty prospect, but I would be cautious about fading him too hard in the other direction. This still looks like a potentially impact bat at peak to me. – ETA: 2029 Prime Projection: 83/22/77/.263/.334/.442/16

6) Jonathan Santucci – NYM, LHP, 24.3 – I’ve always liked Santucci because it’s not hard to be a fan when you watch him pitch. It’s why the scouts always like him too. Dude just looks the part. He’s a 6’2” lefty with an athletic delivery, good velocity, and bat missing secondaries. Even going back to college there was hope he could develop into a top of the rotation starter, and while that hasn’t happened, the potential is there for him to end up a high K, high WHIP mid rotation starter. A heavily used slider is his best pitch which racks up whiffs. The fastball sits about 94 MPH and while it got crushed at Triple-A in 34.1 IP, that was his first taste of using the MLB ball. Give him some time to adjust. And he also mixes in a curve and change which were actually his best two pitches against Triple-A hitters. All the stuff was working at Double-A with a 3.57 ERA and 32.0/12.0 K%/BB% in 90.2 IP (5.24 ERA at Triple-A). The control is below average and the fastball is more in the good but not great category for me, so my expectations are for more of a #4 type. – 2027 Projection: 3/4.28/1.36/70 in 70 IP Prime Projection: 10/3.89/1.31/174 in 165 IP

7) Jacob Reimer – NYM, 3B, 23.1 – I’ve written about this in Strategy articles in the past, but down years happen in the minors too just like the majors. Unlike the majors, where it’s easier to identify down or career years, in the minors, a down year is always seem as regression and a career year is always seen as a true breakout. But it’s still baseball, and the ebbs and flows of a player’s career are just as relevant in the minors as it is the majors. And it sure seems like Reimer just had a down season (97 wRC+ in 80 games at Double-A). The 24.9/12.9 K%/BB% isn’t bad. The 37.4% GB% and 49.8% Pull% shows he was still lifting and pulling. He already proved he could rake and put up impressive EV’s against Double-A pitching last year when he put up a 150 wRC+. The Mets Double-A Park is also an extreme pitchers park that depresses homers, so any power slump is going to get magnified there. I’m expecting a much better 2027, and while I never expected him to be a big upside fantasy bat, the potential he flashed in 2025 is still there. He could be a rock solid fantasy player at peak. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 77/20/74/.251/.328/.438/8

8) Ryan Clifford – NYM, 1B/OF, 23.8 – I get writing Clifford off or at least tanking him down the rankings even further than this after his disastrous season. He hit .180 with a 63 wRC+ and a 37% K% at Triple-A. The hit tool was always a risk and it tanked in 2026. But I still see a guy who basically has the same profile as he’s always had. The 34.4% whiff% isn’t good, but it doesn’t look as bad as the K%. He had a 24.6% K% in 34 games at Triple-A last year, so we’ve already seen him do much better. I definitely think there was a lot of bad luck/just a down season happening here. And of course the power was still there with a 91.8 MPH EV, 49.6% Hard Hit% and 18.8 degree launch. He’s a low BA slugger. He was a low BA slugger before this year. And he’s a low BA slugger after this year. When he gets to the bigs, the guy is going to hit dingers and take his walks. Might the batting average be brutal enough to keep him as a part time player? Definitely possibly, so he’s surely moving way down the rankings. I’m just saying I’m not ready to completely forget about him. – 2027 Projection: 9/3/14/.201/.288/.411/1 Prime Projection: 61/20/66/.228/.316/.461/4

9) Sammy Stafura – NYM, SS/2B, 22.5 – If you listened to my trade deadline Podcast back in 2025, you know how much I hated that Ke’Bryan Hayes trade at the time of the trade. I went full Mike and the Mad Dog sports talk radio, losing my mind that Cincinnati was willing to take on Hayes contract even if they didn’t have to give up anything in return. But they did have to give something in return too, and that something was Sammy Stafura, who just experienced a huge power breakout to go along with his plus speed and solid SS glove. Hayes is coming off a season with a 13 wRC+ in 94 games. That is not typo. I was beside myself at the time that Cincy was willing to do that, and as hard as it is to believe, it looks even worse now. But back to Stafura who jacked out 22 homers in 81 games at mostly High-A after hitting just 6 homers in 119 games in 2025. The Hard Hit ability and EV’s took a huge jump to back up the power gains. He also nabbed 22 bags and put up a 127 wRC+. The downside to the power gains are that the contact took a step back with a 33.4% whiff% and 28.6% K%, but he wasn’t even that great of a contact hitter before, so the tradeoff was well worth it. A fantasy friendly part time player whose glove will get him on the field is still the most likely outcome, but if he can improve his hit tool, there is real upside in here. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 66/15/61/.238/.312/.429/22

10) Jack Wenninger – NYM, RHP, 25.1 – Wenninger had the big breakout in 2025, and there was hope he would ride that wave in 2026 for the hype to really start hitting, but he pulled back a bit at Triple-A with a 4.54 ERA and 24.1/13.3 K%/BB% in 115 IP. I talked about it a ton last year, but Triple-A is effing hard, and you often see guys actually put up better numbers in the majors than they do at Triple-A. Just look at Tong’s season. Santucci struggled a lot at Triple-A too. Point being, I don’t want to crush these guys for struggling at Triple-A when the stuff is still good, and Wenninger’s stuff is still good. The splitter is his devastating money maker and it did it’s job with a 47% whiff% and .213 xwOBA. The slider isn’t as good but it missed bats with a 35% whiff%. The fastball sat 93.8 MPH and can be a solid offering. He’ll also mix in a sinker and curve. At 6’4” with a wipeout secondary, solid fastball and diverse pitch mix, it’s not hard to see him carving out a good MLB career, although I’m not quite as excited for fantasy. – 2027 Projection: 2/4.33/1.35/45 in 50 IP Prime Projection: 10/3.98/1.30/158 in 165 IP

Just Missed

11) Aiden Robbins – NYM, OF, 22.3

12) Carson Wiggins – NYM, RHP, 21.10

13) Emelian Pitre – NYM, 2B, 24.6 

14) Bruin Agbayani – NYM, SS/2B, 20.0

15) Cleiner Ramirez – NYM, OF, 18.4

Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)

The Lockout. It’s the huge pink elephant in the room that is going to be impossible to ignore all off-season when talking fantasy (or baseball in general). I’m not going to pretend that I have any idea how it is going to play out, but I can tell you how I’m going to strategize around it, and my answer is that I’m not going to. I’m going to operate as if there will be some sort of 2027 season happening. I predicted last off-season that the lockout will go into April, pushing the start of games into May after the players cave on a salary cap. It’s going to be a death match, and both sides are so dug in on the salary cap issue that I envision both sides willing to push things to the absolute brink. But I still find it hard to believe that the entire season is going to get wiped out, so I’m not getting cute when it comes to making moves in dynasty. If you are more scared of a totally missed season than I am, by all means plan around it, but I’m not even 100% certain what you could do to take advantage of it. Sell veterans I guess because they will be one year older when play returns? That doesn’t even really seem like a particularly great advantage. Maybe I’m missing other things you can do, but for me, I’m not even going down that route. It’s going to get messy, there will be threats, there very likely will be some kind of shortened season, but my plan is to just keep it business as usual for my dynasty teams.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF UPCOMING EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-A TOP 24 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2027 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-SNEAK PEEKS OF THE 3 MAIN LISTS (TOP 1000+ DYNASTY, TOP 500+ PROSPECT, TOP 100+ FYPD)
-DEEP POSITIONAL RANKINGS
-DYNASTY TEAM REPORTS (TOP 10 PROSPECTS/INTERESTING MLB GUYS/STRATEGY SECTION)
-POSITION BY POSITION TARGET ARTICLES
-PREDICTING FUTURE PROSPECT LISTS
-AND SO MUCH MORE

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

A Top 24 Sneak Peek of the 2027 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon)

I’m just so amped to be back. I can’t put into words how insanely amazing you guys are to have been understanding and stick with me here. I read every comment/message you guys left me. I won’t forget it. The hiatus did kinda mess with my usual end of season into the off-season flow though, so I might change up my usual off-season plan to build out the Sneak Peek’s of the main lists (Dynasty, Prospect, FYPD) earlier in the off-season than usual. I’m still working out my exact off-season schedule, but I’m going to do my best to figure it out. My off-season content on the Patreon is going to be jampacked with Dynasty Team Reports (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy section), Target Articles, Deep Positional Rankings, Sneak Peeks of the 3 main lists (Top 1,000+ Dynasty, Top 500+ Prospects, Top 100+ FYPD), and so much more. I’ll be posting some free posts here on the Brick Wall like I do during the regular season. So without further ado, I decided to kick off the off-season festivities with A Top 24 Sneak Peek of the 2027 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (and yes, it’s a Top 24 and not Top 25 because I was agonizing over who to put 25, and I want more time to think about it). The Top 5 are free here on the Brick Wall:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF UPCOMING EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:

-SNEAK PEEKS OF THE 3 MAIN LISTS (TOP 1000+ DYNASTY, TOP 500+ PROSPECT, TOP 100+ FYPD)
-DEEP POSITIONAL RANKINGS
-DYNASTY TEAM REPORTS (TOP 10 PROSPECTS/INTERESTING MLB GUYS/STRATEGY SECTION)
-POSITION BY POSITION TARGET ARTICLES
-PREDICTING FUTURE PROSPECT LISTS
-AND SO MUCH MORE

1) Pete Crow-Armstrong – CHC, OF, 25.0 – Like you didn’t already know Pete Crow was going to be my new #1 Dynasty Baseball Asset 😉 … Don’t act surprised … the Vegas odds on Halp having PCA #1 was -9000. And yes, I now refer to myself in the 3rd person after my little 2nd half of the season hiatus. The fingers are well rested, the brain is in a free flow state, and PCA’s ascension to the #1 dynasty player in game has me shot out of a cannon for the kick off to the 2027 Off-Season Content. And it’s not just me playing favorites. The cold hard analysis backs me up fully. He majorly improved his biggest weakness with his Chase% going from 41.7% to 34.2%, leading to his walk rate skyrocketing to 11.4%. His whiff% took a big step forward (28.9% to 26.3%). His raw power took a big step forward with a 48.6% Hard Hit%. He remained a lift/pull god. He remained a base stealing demon. He remained an elite CF. And it all led to the insane season I knew he had in him, going 45/41 with a .290 BA. Every other contender for this top spot is either older, and/or doesn’t run as much, and/or doesn’t lift/pull as much. I have been hyping PCA so hard as a Target since the day he was drafted and every year since then. I didn’t get scared off by his down 2025 2nd half at all, ranking him 21st overall and writing, “I’m betting on the plate approach improving as he matures. Pete Crow has already paid off majorly if you’ve taken my advice over his career, and I’ll be happy to keep buying if people are scared off by the 2nd half.” … He led my 18 team league to a championship season, along with a core of James Wood, Ben Rice, Chase Burns, Andy Pages, and Konnor Griffin (all past Targets/favorites of mine, showing I put my money where my mouth is). Damn it feels great when a rebuild pays off. So yea, PCA is a favorite of mine, as you well know, but that isn’t the reason he sits #1. It’s because he deserves it. – 2027 Projection: 111/36/106/.265/.348/.521/36

2) Elly De La Cruz – CIN, SS, 25.3 – The only place Elly really falls short of Pete Crow is in lift/pull. The 9.9 degree launch and 12.1% Air Pull% just puts some kind of cap on the homer upside. Elly’s raw power exploded to such elite levels (94.7 MPH EV with a 53.7% Hard Hit%) that he did just fine, jacking out a career high 30 homers in 143 games, but when you are picking nits amongst the most talented players in the game, it’s a factor. You just have to look at Vlad Guerrero Jr. to see that it matters, unfortunately. But comparison is the thief of joy, so Elly’s breakout/leveling up in 2026 deserves it’s time to shine. The hit tool is really completely out of the danger zone now that he lowered his whiff% to a not bad at all 28.1%. The 25.1% Chase% was a career best as well. The lift/pull may cap the homer upside a bit, but it does wonders for his BA with a .283 BA and .281 xBA. I remember when Elly was a young lad in Single-A with a 31.0/4.0 K%/BB% and people were wondering if he was ever going to hit enough. Now he’s a grown man, true talent .280 hitter. If anyone tells you you can’t do something, just look at Elly, and say, if an elite athlete with the best coaching in the world can do it, so can I 😉 … The only even small blemish is that his sprint tanked from 29.1 ft/sec to 28.4 ft/sec, and it’s in a 4 year decline. Maybe you can blame a couple leg injuries from this year, and he still stole 30 bags, so I’m not concerned, but it’s worth mentioning. If Elly actually can start lifting/pulling more, my goodness, but he doesn’t have to to have a real argument for #1 overall. – 2027 Projection: 110/30/93/.271/.354/.493/32

3) Shohei Ohtani – LAD, RHP/DH, 32.9 – I think we’ve reached the point where we have to start taking Ohtani’s age into account at least a little bit for dynasty. He’ll turn 33 during the 2027 season, and he’s coming off a season where his body prevented him from truly being unleashed as both a hitter and pitcher. He was shut down from pitching in July due to knee and arm injuries, and he had a pedestrian season by his standards on offense with 30 homers, 11 steals, and a .889 OPS in 139 games. Crazy to say a .889 OPS with a 1.79 ERA in 85.2 IP is showing signs of maybe taking his age into account more, but it gave the first glimpses into the Dodgers being willing to wrap him in bubble wrap in order to keep him healthy for the long term. They are paying this man until he’s literally 50 years old! They have to keep him healthy. He’s going to make 68 million dollars in 2043!!!! Rest that arm big man! Like I wrote last year when I ranked him #1 overall, I’m betting on him being a beast deep into his 30’s, and he’s fully expected to get back on the mound in 2027, but with the Dodgers sure to be extra careful with him as he gets deeper into his 30’s, I’m moving him out of the top spot. – 2027 Projection: 112/43/101/.281/.388/.551/14 // 10/2.90/1.03/146 in 125 IP

4) Juan Soto – NYM, OF, 28.6 – Man, Juan Soto is 28 years old already. A damn near old man in dynasty baseball years. Time flies when you’re having fun I guess, because it felt like yesterday when he was a young phenom. Now he’s an old phenom. Or more accurately, a prime age phenom who is coming off his 9th straight season of dominance. His .411 xwOBA was 2nd in all of baseball behind only Yordan Alvarez. The days of even being worried a little bit about low launches are over as his 16 degree launch was a career high by far. His 19.3% Air Pull% was a career high as well. And he did that while also putting up a career best 13.5% K%. The bat is simply on another plane, even compared to the guys ranked above him on this list. The only question is steals. The 38 steals from 2025 dropped off a cliff, but at least some of that could be blamed on two separate calf strains, the first of which was in April. We can’t expect big steal totals, especially as he gets older, but I wouldn’t rule out him pushing 20 again in a healthy season. Soto remains a Tier 1 elite dynasty asset and still has a case to be #1 overall, especially in leagues that devalue steals (points, 6+ cat leagues). – 2027 Projection: 110/39/100/.278/.397/.530/15

5) Bobby Witt Jr. – KCR, SS, 27.10 – Make that 2 years in a row with subpar homer totals, and this year it got even worse with Witt hitting only 18 homers. But this year in particular it just doesn’t add up. The 50.3% Hard Hit% was a career high. The 16.4 degree launch and 16.3% Air Pull% are both up from 2025. The .378 xwOBA was much better than the .345 wOBA. I’m just not buying at all that these depressed homer totals are now who he is. You can’t even blame the ballpark anymore as Kauffman Field is now a better than average homerun park, and he hit 13 at home vs only 5 on the road. There is no way this is anything else but an aberration, and once that aberration corrects itself, the elite speed (45 steals) and high BA (career .288 BA with a .302 xBA in 2026) are going to bring him right back up to the top of the player rater. Even with the terrible power numbers, he still finished 29th overall on the Razzball Player Rater. I’m still going to rank this man like the elite dynasty asset that he is. – 2027 Projection: 101/26/89/.288/.352/.489/40

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF UPCOMING EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:

-SNEAK PEEKS OF THE 3 MAIN LISTS (TOP 1000+ DYNASTY, TOP 500+ PROSPECT, TOP 100+ FYPD)
-DEEP POSITIONAL RANKINGS
-DYNASTY TEAM REPORTS (TOP 10 PROSPECTS/INTERESTING MLB GUYS/STRATEGY SECTION)
-POSITION BY POSITION TARGET ARTICLES
-PREDICTING FUTURE PROSPECT LISTS
-AND SO MUCH MORE

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon on Hiatus

Hey guys, I thought the one month break would be enough but I’m going to need a longer hiatus. Everything is okay, but I’ve been doing this for over 10 years and the Patreon for over 5 years with no breaks and I just need a more extended period off. I will be back for the off-season content at latest and maybe before. I put the Patreon on pause this weekend already, so nobody will be charged while I’m off. Love you all. You guys are truly the best. And I hope you understand.

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

The Comeback Dynasty Baseball Rundown

*I posted this on my Patreon a few days ago, but I wanted to post it here too to let you guys know I’m back after my one month break. Much more content coming (some free here on the Brick Wall and most of it over on the Patreon). Let’s have a big 2nd half!

Pete Crow-Armstrong – CHC, OF, 24.0 – I slowly start to open my eyes. I hear a nurse yell out “he’s awake!” I look up to see my friends and family looking down on me. “You’ve been in a coma for one month, Mike.” My lips are cracking. My mouth is sand paper. I’m barely able to lift a finger to indicate for someone to come closer. “He wants to say something!” …. a coughing fit starts … “it’s not important, rest up” … but I grab my friends collar in a burst of energy, and I manage to croak out … “how is PCA doing?” … and oh man did they have news for me, because PCA turned into the best fucking player alive in my absence. When I went to sleep, he was barely scratching a .700 OPS, and after yet another dinger last night, he’s now up to a .888 OPS. He’s slashing .395/.478/.798 with 12 homers, 8 steals, and a 25.4/12.7 K%/BB% in his last 28 games. His Chase% is down to a pretty reasonable 36.6%. His walk rate is in double digits at 10.4%. He’s crushing the ball with a 50.9% Hard Hit%. It’s everything I dreamed of this off-season when I doubled down on him while everyone else was jumping ship after his 2025 2nd half. I don’t think there are doubters anymore though. But that’s okay, because there is room on this party boat for everyone. He’s arrived. This is a top 10 dynasty asset. Let’s goooo …

Ethan Conrad – CHC, OF, 22.0 – … the nurse steps in … “that’s enough, he needs his rest,” … no, I yell, as I start to regain my strength and push her out of the way ;). I need to know how Ethan Conrad is doing!!! Surely he returned from his injuries and has cracked 5 homers this month … well, not exactly, but at least he finally got back on the field to make his pro debut yesterday. And it was a good debut as he ripped a 105.1 MPH single in his first AB. He finished the day 2 for 3 in rookie ball. And while there is no video of it, there is video of him ramping up in late June, and boy oh boy does he look even more jack diesel than before. Dude is an animal, and here he is crushing a 458 foot homer in BP. Absolutely can’t wait to see what he does in the 2nd half.

Kody Clemens – MIN, 1B/OF/2B, 30.2 – … the nurse recovers from my shove, “sir, you need to lie back down right now or I’ll be forced to sedate you!” … I ignore her … Kody Clemens … you have to tell me how Kody Clemens is doing! … and the answer is damn well. After going 2 for 4 last night he now has a .852 OPS with 9 homers in his last 31 games. He was my favorite true blue sleeper this off-season. I doubled down on his Target call in my May Hitter Targets, and he now looks cemented as an impact fantasy player. All of the underlying stuff I loved about this off-season is back. I’m pumped.

AJ Ewing – NYM, OF, 21.8 – … I start to rip the IV’s out of my arm. I rip the catheter out of my peni …. OHHHHHWEEEEEEE … okay, that was a big mistake!!!! But the adrenaline is running through me now. AJ Ewing I yell out through the intense pain! … he had a .614 OPS when I went out. What happened? Good things happened. Very good things happened as he went 1 for 4 last night and is now slashing .314/.394/.500 with 3 homers, 4 steals, and a 18.2/11.1 K%/BB% in his last 26 games. The 22.2% whiff% shows the hit tool is transferring. The 88.8 MPH EV and 42% Hard Hit% is more than solid. The 12.1 degree launch looks good. He now has a .352 xwOBA with a 121 wRC+ in 46 games. The Mets might have made a huge mistake when they traded PCA, but at least they held onto PCA-lite. And now Ewing is starting to live up my PCA/Carroll ceiling comp on him way back when he was drafted 134th overall with a mere $675,000 signing bonus. He’s going to be a fantasy beast.

Griffin Jax – TBR, RHP , 31.7 – … the nurse runs out of the room in a huff … finally some peace and quiet … Griffin Jax I ask? When we left off I named him a target in May once he got into the rotation. He got the start last night and went 6 IP with 5 hits, 3 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB vs. KCR. The fastball sat 96.3 MPH and put up a 44% whiff%. The sweeper put up a 38% whiff%. He now has a 2.79 ERA with a 24.3/5.9 K%/BB% in 42 IP since being stretched out as a starter. The 30.5% whiff% looks even better than the K%. The walk rate looks great. The control looks great. He looks really good.

Jac Caglianone – KCR, 1B/OF, 23.2 – How about Jac I ask? When we left off I said in his Target blurb, “I’m starting to see people give up on Jac. I’m starting to see the mediocre start wear on people. I’m starting to see people lose patience. So now it’s time to take advantage of those impatient people. Patience is a virtue, so the unvirtuous don’t deserve him ;)” … He didn’t do anything yesterday, but he had a .685 OPS when I left. And since then he’s slashed .309/.387/.649 with 9 homers, 2 steals, and a 29.2/9.4 K%/BB% in his last 25 games. His OPS is now over .800 at .806. His launch is coming up with a 10.1 degree launch in June. He’s still utterly destroying the ball. His biggest weakness, Chase, isn’t even that bad at 35.1%. I would say the buy low window is closed.

 Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.4 – Sal Stewart? Did he fall off a cliff since I ranked him 12th overall? Does everyone still hate me? He stabilized. He went 2 for 4 with a 107.3 MPH homer last night. He has 4 homers and a .832 OPS in his last 19 games. He has a .809 OPS on the season with 16 homers and 11 steals in 84 games. Is he 12th overall good? No. I definitely got too excited. But I mean, he’s still really good. And maybe more Top 30 range would have been more reasonable. Which is still awesome.

Kahlil Watson – CLE, OF, 23.2 – My friend who is in my dynasty league leans in and asks, “I need to know, did you get any visions of the next still under the radar breakout?” … Yes, I say … but why would I tell you? I need to pick him up first in my leagues where he is still available hah … just playing, the visions are of Kahlil Watson. I know, I know, the hit tool risk is very real with a 33.3% K% in his 12 game MLB debut, but the 34.3% whiff% really isn’t that bad. Especially when we are talking about the truly uncommon upside he has. This dude crushes the ball. He has a 93.3 MPH EV. He had a 91 MPH EV with a 50% Hard Hit% at Triple-A. He lifted and pulled a ton. He’s a great athlete who ran a ton. I feel he is still sliding so far under the radar compared to what his upside is. That kind of low 30’s whiff rate isn’t even that bad when we are talking about a guy this talented and who hits the ball this hard. The risk is high, yes, but I’m all over his upside right now and for a super cheap price.

Gage Wood – PHI, RHP, 22.7 – I had visions of Gage Wood making a major 2nd half impact as well. He had his longest outing of the season yesterday, going 5 IP with 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 6/2 K/BB at Double-A. They are stretching him out. He’s only thrown 52 IP so far this season, and while he hasn’t thrown many career innings, it sure seems like they are preparing for him to make an MLB impact in the 2nd half as they battle it out for the division. Maybe it will be a pen role, but they have an opening in the rotation, and I think Wood might just kick the door down and take it eventually. He has a 3.86 ERA with a 32.7/8.4 K%/BB% in 25.2 IP at Double-A. And he’s doing it in the known hitter’s bandbox of Reading. The elite fastball is slicing through upper minors hitters. You can watch the filth here. I loved him as an FYPD Target, and I love him even more now.

Jackson Chourio – MIL, OF, 22.4 – Chourio might have made the leap that we were all expecting. He went 2 for 4 with a 107.8 MPH homer last night for his 11th homer in his last 29 games since dropping into a coma (12 homers in 49 games overall). He’s hitting the ball a lot harder, which is really the main thing we needed to see for the leap with a 92.8 MPH EV and 48.1% Hard Hit%. It’s no surprise as he debuted so young. He’s lifting more too with a 12.5 degree launch. The 22.8% whiff% is a career best by far. If this is his final form, that would be awesome, but he’s still just 22 years old. This might only be leap #1. There is a reason everyone, including me, still ranked him as an elite to near elite dynasty asset, and now he’s doing it.

Santiago Solarte – MIA, SS, 17.4 – I’m now standing up on the bed! I’m dancing like I’m Grandpa Joe from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! The DSL I call out! I need to know how everyone is doing! How about my boy Santiago Solarte? Is he James Wood 2.0 yet? Well, getting there. He’s slashing .275/.390/.435 with 2 homers, 16 steals, and a 31.7/11.0 K%/BB% in 20 games. I mean, that is pretty much the James Wood starter pack. Yes, the swing and miss is still way too high, but it’s actually been coming down of late. The 45.2% GB% isn’t bad at all. He’s running a ton. I’m encouraged. I’m still all in on this.

Angeibel Gomez – KCR, OF, 17.4 – How about Aneibel Gomez who I ranked right next to the more hype Francisco Renteria and wrote, “He’s very clearly a truly elite international prospect who checks just about every box you want to see checked. You could put his profile against anyone’s from this class.” And that proved to be true as his performance is one the most impressive, if not the most impressive from the class, slashing .379/.519/.672 with 3 homers, 8 steals, and a 7.8/19.5 K%/BB% in 18 games. The 26.5% GB% and 56.6% Pull% is just disgusting, in a good way. My goodness I’m dreaming of that fantasy upside when the man muscles come in. He’s on a beeline for elite dynasty asset.

Diego Frontado – MIL, SS, 18.0 – I gave you the heads up on Frontado before I conked out in the On the House Dynasty Baseball Rundown, and since then it’s just been more destruction, slashing .298/.474/.579 with 4 homers, 11 steals, and a 13.9/21.5 K%/BB% in 17 games. And almost more important than the numbers, is that he has Milwaukee at his back for his development journey. The whiff rate is still high if you can fully believe it (which I kinda don’t believe those whiff rates as I’ve talked about before), but this is a guy and team I just want to bet on.

Cleiner Ramirez – NYM, OF, 17.4 – I gave you the heads up on Cleiner too, and he also kept on raking, slashing .316/.388/.618 with 5 homers, 6 steals, and a 11.8/5.9 K%/BB% in 20 games. This is a full on little man discount situation. I don’t think he’s going to get major hype quickly because of his size (5’9”), but this dude can pack a punch and he’s proving it. He’s making contact, he’s lifting/pulling and he’s running.

Ricki Moneys – MIL, SS, 17.9 – Ricki “he’s so money and he clearly knows it” Moneys is living up to the greatest name of all time, slashing .263/.406/.513 with 3 homers, 10 steals, and a 16.8/17.8 K%/BB% in 21 games. Yup, Milwaukee got themselves another one. Here is what I wrote about him in his Top 1,000 blurb, “He has an open righty batting stance with a quick swing that is looking to do real damage. He already did real damage in the Amateur Scouting League, putting up a 1.723 OPS and winning MVP. Good feel to hit, growing power at a projectable 6’0”, good athlete, and a history of production. Pretty Money(s).” … so he already crushed the Amateur Scouting League. And now he’s killing the DSL. Plus Milwaukee. Plus that name. He’s rising.

Shane Drohan – MIL, LHP, 27.6 – … the nurse storms back into the room and plunges the needle into my arm … I start to get woozy … “wait, Shane Drohan I barely slur out” … and as I start to doze off, I hear, “he starts tonight. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Get your rest, we got a big 2nd half to prepare for ….”

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

One Month Patreon/Content Pause

I posted this message to my Patreon and wanted to post it here on my website as well — Hey guys, I’m going to be putting the Patreon (and content here on the Brick Wall as well) on pause for one month. Everything is okay! I’m good! But I’m not going to be able to put out the amount and quality of content I hold myself to this month, and the best thing to do is just put the Patreon/content on pause for this month. For Patreon members, that means that nobody will be charged and all memberships will be frozen for this month. And then everything just picks back up from where it left off after I un pause it in July. I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this for life. And it’s just me here. So I assumed at some point something like this would come up eventually. So instead of more sporadic content, I think this is the best way to go. I hope you guys understand and totally get if you want to cancel or whatever of course. Again, by putting it on pause, all the Patreon memberships will be frozen where they are today, so there will be no charges once I put it on pause today. And I might still pop in this month here and there if Patreon allows me to do that while on pause (especially if Drohan kills it today;). I appreciate the hell out of each and every single one of you. And I will be back in one month!!! Love you all. Catch you soon …

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Tuesday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/19/26)

I usually drop these on Monday here on the Brick Wall, but I’ve been doing my Target Series the last 2 Monday’s on the Patreon, so Tuesday it is for this week. The May Mailbag Podcast is coming this week and the Updated May Dynasty Rankings are coming next week on the Patreon too. But first, here is the Tuesday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/19/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP MLB HITTER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP MLB PITCHER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP PROSPECT TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (May Update coming next week)
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG! (May Mailbag coming this week)

Anthony Volpe – NYY, SS, 25.0 – Volpe’s upgraded supercharged shoulder check … 50% Hard Hit% with a 92 MPH EV … HAHA … shut the fuck up hahah … this shit is wild. Dude has a 201 wRC+ in 5 games hahah … I’m dying. I mean, I told you if Volpe came back with the supercharged shoulder that I’m going under the knife. I gotta start looking up doctors now I guess hah

Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 20.10 – Emerson got the call to the majors and it didn’t take him long to make his mark with a his first homer that really showcased his excellent feel to hit more than his power. It was impressive bat control and contact ability. He slowed the bat down to get it with a 65.1 MPH swing and only hit it 97.2 MPH, but that is a microcosm of his hit/power combo. We know he can hit it harder than that but even if he doesn’t he has the feel to hit to do stuff like that too. He wasn’t ripping up Triple-A with a 105 wRC+, but he got red hot in the 2nd half of 2025, and maybe we see the same thing this year. Just what Seattle needs, another 2nd half player.

Steele Hall – CIN, SS, 18.9, RK – We can now officially say that Hall is annihilating rookie ball after going 4 for 4 with a homer, double and stolen base. He’s slashing .282/.451/.641 with 3 homers, 7 steals, and a 19.6/21.6 K%/BB% in 11 games. The 26.5% whiff% isn’t bad and has been getting better. He’s lifting and pulling and he’s running a ton. He’s still only 18 years old and age appropriate for the level. While he has to show it at higher levels, that explosive true top level upside is clearly shining through. I thought he was getting faded way too hard in FYPD’s, predicting he would end the year in top 20 prospect land, and while he has a long to way to go to get there, this is step one. I would imagine he gets the call to Single-A pretty soon, and then if he keeps it up, the hype is going to hit hard.

Sam Antonacci – CHW, 2B/3B, 23.3 – Antonacci continues to do nothing but hit, going 2 for 3 with 0 K. He’s now hitting .298 with a 12.5% K%. Just call him Sam McAntonacci. The guy has a .400 xwOBA. He doesn’t hit the ball weakly or anything either with a 10.1% Barrel%, 88.6 MPH EV, and 36.3% Hard Hit%. He hasn’t been a big lift and pull guy in his career, so he’s probably not going to hit a ton of homers, but he should hit enough combined with his BA and steals. He’s getting a caught stealing a ton right now, going 3 for 7 on the bases, but he was a really good base stealer in the minors, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt right now. He’s potentially on track to be one of the best hit/speed/enough power combos in the game.

Xavier Edwards – MIA, SS/2B, 26.9 – Dude is a power hitter now after drilling his 5th homer at 101.2 MPH. And the power is most certainly up with an 88.5 MPH and 36.2% Hard Hit%, but he’s also clearly not this good. He doesn’t lift and pull enough with those still only decent hard hit numbers. With his contact and speed though, any uptick in power is a big deal. Just call him Xavier McEdwards.

Noah Schultz – CHW, LHP, 22.9 – 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 6/0 K/BB vs. SEA … not a bad outing but the 20% whiff% and 92.5 MPH EV are a bit less impressive. He really hasn’t been all that impressive in his MLB debut in general with a 4.93 ERA and 21.6/14.2 K%/BB% in 34.2 IP. The 25.1% whiff% is only average. It’s not great. If we are looking for silver linings, the 95.4 MPH 4-seamer is a really good pitch with a 27.7% whiff% and .299 xwOBA. His sweeper and change are also missing plenty of bats with a 34% and 40.7% whiff% respectively. He’s got 3 fastballs with the sinker and cutter. The ingredients are so obviously in here to breakout but it’s not quite there yet. Maybe he’ll get traded to Milwaukee and make it easy on all of us ;).

Shane McClanahan – TBR, LHP, 29.0 – 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. BAL … not his best outing, but even in this one we see the old Shane starting to pop up more and more with a 33% whiff% and 95.8 MPH heat. His season line looks like the old Shane too with a 2.82 ERA and 25.8/9.3 K%/BB% in 44.2 IP. The K/BB really isn’t back to prime form, and neither is the 28.1% whiff%, so he’s still not the guy who was arguably the #1 pitcher in dynasty at one point, but he’s clearly re-establishing himself as an impact fantasy pitcher. I’ll put #2/3 borderline on him right now. After all of his setbacks and long road recovery, it’s just genuinely great to see him back to where he is.

Max Meyer – MIA, RHP, 27.2 – 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. ATL … The excellent slider led the way as usual with a 43% whiff%, leading to a 27% whiff% overall. He now has a 2.85 ERA with a 26.7/8.4 K%/BB% in 53.2 IP. The 31.9% whiff% backs up the strikeouts. But I have to say that I’m still not willing to treat him as a young ace or near ace. The 4.28 xERA isn’t buying it at all. All of his pitches have been getting lucky according to xwOBA. Even in this outing the 93.8 MPH EV against showed luck was on his side. The other ERA estimators are kinder to him, but even those mostly have him as a mid 3’s ERA guy, which is where I land on him too. So more of an impact mid rotation guy is how I would value him in trades personally.

Junior Caminero – TBR, 3B, 22.9 – 2 for 4 with a 105.8 MPH homer for his 13th homer of the season and 7th homer at home. I didn’t have much doubt to begin with, ranking Caminero 12th overall on the Top 1,000, but if you did, I think we can put the minor league ballpark thing to rest now. It don’t matter what ballpark he’s in, he’s going to be one of the premier power hitters in baseball for a long time.

Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.5 – Nice to see Stewart come back alive as he went the opposite way on a 77 MPH swing that cleared the fence for his 11th homer. He also tacked on a 106 MPH single. He now has 2 homers, 3 steals, and a .820 OPS in his last 11 games. He’s starting to stabilize. He’s still running a ton which I love. The only thing I would like to see is more pulling in the air, but I know he has that skill in him, so I’m not too concerned about. He also has the power and ballpark to be just fine hitting oppo field dingers (this one was in Philly). I was buying low through the struggles and it seems he’s now come out the other end of it.

Kendry Rojas – MIN, LHP, 23.5 – Rojas slowly worked his way into the starting rotation, and now that he’s in, he’s not letting the opportunity slip through his fingers, going 4 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 3/1 K/BB vs. HOU. He’s coming at you with 96 MPH from left side and it put up a 45% whiff%. The slider notched a 50% whiff% and the changeup notched a 40% whiff%. He had a 81.2 MPH EV against. It was utter domination. He wasn’t quite this good out of the pen, but the stuff is nasty and fastball/slider/changeup combo all miss bats. There is control risk and he can still be raw, but his upside is worth the pick up if you are a pitching needy team.

Michael King – SDP, RHP, 30.11 – 7 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 9/2 K/BB vs. LAD … This one was against the Dodgers and he both missed bats (29% whiff%) and induced weak contact (82.7 MPH EV against). He now has a 2.31 ERA with a 25.8/10.5 K%/BB% in 58.1 IP. He looks pretty much back to where he was when he was dominating last year. The only slight concern is that the walk rate is up and the K/BB isn’t great, but he wasn’t even really a great K/BB guy last year either. At the least, he’s a fully locked in #2 and that could be light.

Walbert Urena – LAA, RHP, 22.4 – 6 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 4/2 K/BB vs. ATH … he’s a weak contact machine with an 85.1 MPH EV against in this one and a 86.1 MPH EV against on the season. He also missed bats in this one with the changeup (50% whiff%) and sweeper (43% whiff%). The more he keeps it up, the more you gotta believe in him, but I’m still only treating him as a guy to ride until we see more. 1.35 WHIP isn’t good. The 20.7/13.1 K%/BB% isn’t good. The stuff is big, he can miss some bats and he induces weak contact, so again, I’m down to ride it, but I’m not paying up big for him or anything.

JT Ginn – SAC, LHP, 27.0 – 8 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 10/1 K/BB vs. LAA … it’s Ginn’s 3rd lights out performance in a row. He has a 94.3 MPH sinker that can keep the ball the ground. The slider and change can miss some bats. The cutter and 4-seamer give him the 3 fastball combo. Like Urena, it’s hard to buy in too hard with a mediocre K/BB (21.7/8.4 K%/BB%), and his 23.2% whiff% isn’t great either, so he’s just a guy I’m happy to ride but not pay up for.

Tatsuya Imai – HOU, RHP, 27.11 – 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 5/0 K/BB vs. MIN … yea, this sucks, but the guys still put up a 43% whiff%. The fastball sat 95.8 MPH. The slider and change missed a ton of bats. He’s been brutal, I know, but I would stay patient here. I think he’s going to figure it out.

Nick Becker – SEA, SS, 19.5, RK –  Time for a Nick Becker check … and it’s not good. He’s a 19 year old in the rookie ball and has a 35.4% K% and a 41.8% whiff%. He’s actually hitting well with a 135 wRC+, but that swing and miss, especially at already 19 years old, just puts him in insane danger zone territory. It’s more or less exactly what we didn’t want to see. His value is on the decline.

Andrew Painter – PHI, RHP, 23.1 – 6 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 3/2 K/BB vs. CIN … solid outing but the 4-seamer put up a 0% whiff% and he had a 9% whiff% overall. He now has a 5.77 ERA with a 19.1/7.2 K%/BB% in 43.1 IP. The ship sailed on Painter being a true ace level pitching prospect last year, but nobody wanted to believe it. I get it. It’s sad when an injury diminishes such a great prospect. But if you didn’t believe then, you better believe now. He’s still talented with breakout potential down the line, but it’s just not the guy from 2022.

JR Ritchie – ATL, RHP, 22.11 – 4 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 4/1 K/BB vs. MIA … the 93.8 MPH 4-seamer didn’t get a single whiff and put up a 95.2 MPH EV against. He put up a 24% whiff% overall. Ritchie has just never been my guy, and that take is cementing with his MLB debut. He has a 4.91 ERA with a 18.4/14.0 K%/BB% in 25.2 IP. The 4-seamer isn’t that good and the whiffs are below average overall. I’ve never been impressed with the stuff. I do still believe he can become a solid MLB pitcher in time. I don’t hate him, but I didn’t see the big fantasy value to go after as a pitching prospect.

Nick Lodolo – CIN, LHP, 28.3 – 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 3/5 K/BB vs. PHI … he’s been rusty as hell since returning with a 7.20 ERA and 16.4/13.4 K%/BB% in 15 IP. Nothing to worry about though. It’s just all part of the plan. He’s not nicknamed the Eternal Target for nothing. He’ll get hot and start pitching well, but because of these early blowups and late start to the season the season line won’t look great, making him, yup, a legit Target going into 2027 for the 29th year in a row. You know something had to happen to keep him a Target. The Universe works in mysterious ways.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP MLB HITTER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP MLB PITCHER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP PROSPECT TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (May Update coming next week)
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG! (May Mailbag coming this week)

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Top 310 May 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings (Patreon)

This is a non debuted prospects rankings, which I love to do, because it really highlights the next wave of talent that we haven’t been ranking over and over again for years now. You can reference my Top 417 April 2026 Dynasty Rankings (Patreon) for my rankings on all the fun already debuted “prospects”. It’s still early in the season, but you know me, I lean being aggressive, for better or worse, and I was aggressive in this full shuffle up and re deal. The full Top 310 along with a spreadsheet is on the Patreon. Top 20 free on the Brick Wall down below. So without further ado, here is the Top 310 May 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

*Off-season ranking in parenthesis but keep in mind my off-season rankings have the most lenient eligibility possible (under 130 BA or 50 IP) and these have the most strict eligibility possible (0 AB or IP in the majors)

1) (4) Jesus Made – MIL, SS, 19.0 – Made vs. Leo is the new Griffin vs. McGonigle which was the new Chourio vs. Holliday which was the new Gunnar vs. Carroll which was the new Witt vs. Julio which was the new Wander vs. Kelenic which was the new Acuna vs. Vlad which was the new … you get the point. We have an old fashioned #1 prospect standoff right now. Both are 19 years old with excellent across the board production at Double-A. Neither are showing major hit tool issues or groundball issues. Both are running. It’s dead even, but someone has to be #1 and it’s Made. The tie breaker was the better K% and more steals/better success rate.

2) (5) Leodalis De Vries – SAC, SS, 19.7 – No shame in being #2 to Made. This is a battle that could flip flop their entire careers.

3) (17) Edward Florentino – PIT, OF/1B, 19.6 – Florentino got a late start to the season but has looked like a superstar since returning, slashing .306/.469/.722 with 4 homers, 1 steal, and a 20.4/24.5 K%/BB% in 11 games split between Single-A and High-A. Maybe it’s a little risky moving him to 3rd overall above some of these upper minor bats, but he’s showing a level of potential superstar that I’m not sure those upper minors bats are showing at the moment.

4) (22) Josue De Paula – LAD, OF, 20.1 – … other than De Paula, who most certainly has that superstar potential, but I still fear he’s not a guy going to sell out for game power. That is only a quibble though, as he’s conquering Double-A with no issue, slashing .309/.442/.454 with 3 homers, 9 steals, and a 15.0/18.3 K%/BB% in 26 games. The 17% whiff% is impressive. Even without selling out for game power, he has the raw juice to hit dingers anyway. The other snafu is the Dodgers. It’s really hard to trust this team to actually roll out the red carpet for their young prospects, especially one who isn’t great on defense. But other than that, you know Josue has been my guy since he was a complete unknown in the DSL, and with him dominating the upper minors, the restrictor plates are completely off. I was debating Florentino vs. De Paula for awhile, but Florentino’s lift/pull and a clear path in Pitt in general is what swayed me.

5) (6) Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 21.2 – Down goes Walker again. This time with a shoulder injury after colliding with the OF wall. The Twins curse strikes again … and again and again and again. So disheartening. He was just starting to heat up at Triple-A and the underlying numbers looked good with a 92.1 MPH EV, 17.8% whiff% and 13.8 degree launch. He would have ranked 3rd, but with yet another injury, I just can’t put him there. So frustrating, and maybe this is even still too high but I don’t want to kill him yet. If you are fed up, I get it

6) (40) AJ Ewing – NYM, OF, 21.9 – Ewing is my best call on the Predicting the 2027 Top 50 Prospects Rankings this off-season, predicting he would be a Top 10 prospect by this off-season, and writing, “I dropped Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow Armstrong’s name when I called Ewing a major target in 2024 FYPD’s, and now we will see the Carroll/PCA like blow up. The massively underrated power will show up with 14 homers in 120 games in the upper minors. Combined with the speed, plate skills, and defense, everyone will realize this is an elite prospect in both fantasy and real life.” … and now I think he’s there already. He has a 92.4 MPH EV with a 50% Hard Hit% in 6 games at Triple-A. His 2 homers has already almost matched his entire homer total from 2025 (3 homers). And of course, everything else is there, slashing .388/.500/.588 with 2 homers, 16 steals, and a 16.0/18.9 K%/BB% in 24 games. He’s still not a home run hitter, but this is a fantasy beast even if he can get to 15-20, and there is clearly raw power to tap into down the line. I was all in on Ewing in his draft year, I was all in this off-season, and I’m staying all in. I know this looks high, but using Max Clark as an anchor, why does Clark deserve to be over Ewing? It’s close of course, but I think Ewing has the edge

7) (89) Franklin Arias – BOS, SS, 20.5 – I had Arias ranked 46th overall on my End of Season Prospects Rankings. I gave him a strong blurb in my Top 1,000, writing, “The hype has definitely cooled a bit from last off-season, and the funny thing is I now see I might be slightly higher on him than other places, or at least I’m fully on board with his current value.” … and then I just slowly got cold feet and slipped him to 89th overall this off-season. To be fair, 89th overall was about his value other places too, but I just can’t help myself with hit tool first types hah … I’m going to keep ranking these types high in the future though, and Arias is proving he deserved a lofty ranking, slashing .359/.433/.731 with 8 homers, 2 steals, and a 11.1/7.8 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s lifting a lot more with a big leg kick, the raw power should only keep ticking up as he gets older, and he’s now proving the hit/plate skills against advanced competition. I’m still not sure the power/speed combo will be huge, but this is obviously a special bat, and I’m done underrating hit tool first types.

8) (9) Max Clark – DET, OF, 21.5 – Doing everything at Triple-A but showing power with only 1 homer and a mediocre 35.4% Hard Hit% in 29 games. He’s still young and the power is only going to tick up from here, but he’s a bit more contact/speed than optimal, and I think it means a few guys sneak past him right now

9) (12) Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 20.10 – He’s only 20 at Triple-A, so we have to grade on a curve, but he hasn’t been that great with a 94 wRC+, 29.3% K%, 87.1 MPH EV and 50.8% GB%. Again, he’s only 20, and his value holds steady, but he’s not blowing up yet

10) (39) Rainiel Rodriguez – STL, C, 19.4 – Obliterating High-A like he’s obliterated every level before it, slashing .306/.433/.529 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 18.3/16.3 K%/BB% in 23 games. There is little doubt this is one of the most special bats in the lower minors. I predicted I was going to be too low on Rodriguez in my Predicting the 2027 Prospects Rankings, ranking him 6th overall (so why didn’t you raise him you ask, idk, I’m stubborn I guess ha)

11) (75) Seth Hernandez – PIT, RHP, 19.10 – I have zero regrets about having some caution on high school righties, but he ain’t in high school anymore with a 1.23 ERA and 50.0/7.3 K%/BB% in 22 IP. The fastball sits 97.2 MPH and the 3 secondaries (changeup, slider curve) all have about 70% whiff percentages. If you want to find a quibble, the fastball actually isn’t missing a ton of bats with a 26.6% whiff%, but that isn’t even that bad. His upside seems to be on a level all to himself. He’s the new #1 pitching prospect in baseball

12) (15) Thomas White – MIA, LHP, 21.7 – 2.13 ERA with a 39.6/8.3 K%/BB% in 12.2 IP at Triple-A. The 95.1 MPH fastball/sweeper combo has been dominant. The change has been solid. He’s done nothing to lose his hold on the #1 non debuted prospect in baseball, but Seth Hernandez just took it from him

13) (47) Kade Anderson – SEA, LHP, 21.11 – 0.37 ERA with a 43.2/4.5 K%/BB% in 24.1 IP. He still doesn’t have the overpowering fastball, so the true test will be vs. MLB hitters, but clearly he is putting the Anderson vs. Doyle to rest, and he’s now in the running for #1 pitching prospect in baseball. I just think Hernandez’ and White’s stuff are on another level, but he’s right there

14) (55) George Lombard – NYY, SS, 20.11 – Very clearly looks like the Yanks SS of the future, and that future can come in the 2nd half with across the board destruction of Double-A. He projects as an impact all category contributor. Just when the entire industry cooled on him, the explosion came

15) (37) Zyhir Hope – LAD, OF, 21.3 – Seeing the hit tool transfer was the most important thing in the upper minors, and it’s passing with flying colors with a 22.8% K% and 24.1% whiff%. Obviously the majors is the ultimate test, but this is big to see, because the power/speed combo will do the rest (5 homers and 4 steals in 26 games)

16) (41) Caleb Bonemer – CHW, SS, 20.7 – Power is exploding at High-A with 11 homers in 26 games, but the reason I was slightly cautious on Bonemer this off-season was because I thought there could be some hit tool risk against more advanced competition, and that hit tool risk is showing with a 30.3% K% and 34% whiff%. For the record, Bonemer was an FYPD Target for me and I was all over his 2025 breakout. I also love to see him smashing High-A. But I do think we can’t completely hand wave away the hit tool risk.

17) (20) Aidan Miller – PHI, SS, 21.11 – Yet to debut with a back injury. Back injuries can be recurring and a constant problem, so it’s not a great, but I don’t want to completely tank him for it. If I owned him, I would want to remain patient

18) (21) Sebastian Walcott – TEX, SS, 20.2 – Yet to debut with internal brace surgery which he’s hoping to return from in August in a best case scenario. We’ve seen hitters return from TJ/elbow injuries with no problem, so it’s really mostly a concern defensively. I’m buying low here.

19) (49) Robby Snelling – MIA, LHP, 22.4 – Just patiently waiting for the call to the majors as he beats up on Triple-A hitters

20) (70) Charlie Condon – COL, 1B, 23.1 – Hit tool concerns are stabilizing at Triple-A with a 18.5% K%, although he’s only been solid overall with a 107 wRC+. I still want to bet on this power bat in Coors, and he’s knocking on the door of the bigs

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Welcome to the First Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings Week of 2026!

The first Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings Week of the season has arrived! I’m going over 300 deep with new blurbs for every player. These will be for non debuted prospects as the purpose is to truly highlight the next wave of talent. And there is a ton of talent popping right now in the next wave. Top 25-ish will be free here on the Brick Wall. Full rankings will be on the Patreon along with a spreadsheet. First post is dropping tomorrow. Can’t wait. See ya then …

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/27/26)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/27/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (dropped last week)
-TOP 300+ UPDATED DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS (coming next week)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

Eric Hartman – ATL, OF, 19.10, A+ – There is a new collection of beasts breaking out in the prospect world, and they took my Updated Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon) by storm last week. Hartman checked in at #305, and then he went lefty on lefty, smacking out his 8th homer in 19 games. I hate to say it, because it’s going to give some people nightmares, but tell me that doesn’t give you shades of Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic used to be good! He used to be a top 2 prospect! I’m not saying that to scare you off, because he’s performing like Kelenic did in the minors, slashing .316/.388/.711 with 8 homers, 8 steals, and a 27.1/8.2 K%/BB%. And he’s doing it at High-A as a still 19 year old. Many of the other similar breakouts are at Single-A, and since the minor league contraction, Single-A pitching can sometimes be closer to rookie ball than anything else. So Hartman doing it at High-A matters to me. I also like the 24.7% whiff% which is much better than the K rate. He’s lightning fast. He’s lifting a ton. He’s leading the charge of the next wave.

Ronny Cruz – WSH, 3B/SS, 19.8, A+ – But Ronny Cruz was right behind Hartman in the Updated Rankings at #307, and he kept pace, coolly knocking out a dinger going the opposite way. When I watch Cruz, I see shades of Alfonso Soriano, and he’s putting up Soriano like numbers, slashing .346/.446/.654 with 6 homers, 15 steals, and a 22.8/12.0 K%/BB% in 20 games. The last 6 of those games came at High-A (3 homers at the level already), which tells you how much Washington believes in this kid that they promoted him so quickly. Unlikc Hartman, some of the underlying stuff isn’t quite as impressive with a 49.1% GB% and 38.7% whiff%, but it’s hard to focus too much on that with his utter destruction at a scouts dream, long and lean 6’2”. Ranking in the Top 300 area on the Updated Top 417 Dynasty Rankings puts him in Top 75 Prospect range, and when I update the Top 300+ Prospects Rankings next week, these guys might just start cracking the Top 50 already.

Taitn Gray – TBR, 1B, 18.9, A – Gray hasn’t reached High-A yet, but this dude is still 18 years old, and he rocketed his 3rd homer to the outfield bar. He’s old enough to hit them in the bar, but he’s not old to go in one himself yet. 3 long years left big man, although I don’t know how many bouncers who would even have the ability to stop you if you wanted to get in at 6’4”, 220 pounds. He’s slashing .344/.451/.563 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 17.1/17.1 K%/BB% in 18 games at Single-A. The 24.5% whiff% is strong. Showing this level of elite plate skills at such a young age means he’s got a chance to be a true do everything, middle of the order masher. I was all over him in my FYPD Rankings, ranking him high, and now he’s checked in at #339 on the Updated Dynasty Rankings.

Braylon Payne – MIL, OF, 19.9, A+ – Payne isn’t a new name, he was a FYPD favorite of mine, I stayed high on him this off-season because in Milwaukee we trust, and now that trust is paying off with him going full breakout as a 19 year old at High-A. Just watch the bat control on this one as he goes down to get it and drills it out for 6th bomb. He looks so much more refined out there this year, doing everything we needed to see with more lift (38.2% GB%) and fewer strikeouts (24.6%). He’s slashing .367/.492/.796 with 6 homers, 6 steals, and a 24.6/18.0 K%/BB% in 14 games. He’s now inside the Top 300 at #295, and considering he’s homered in 3 straight games since that ranking, he’s going to rank in an even loftier territory on next week’s Top 300 Prospects Rankings.

Samuel Basallo – BAL, C/1B, 21.8 – Let’s move off the youngsters ripping up the lower minors for a minute, and let’s talk about the youngsters ripping up the majors. And Basallo is at the top of that list with his blow up seemingly here. He went 2 for 4 with a 101.5 MPH homer off Connelly Early. He’s now homered in back to back games, giving him 5 homers with a 114 wRC+ and 22.9/12.0 K%/BB% in 21 games. I’ve been preaching patience with Basallo, and everything you want to see is there with lift (17.5 degree launch), hard hit (46.3% Hard Hit%) and plate skills (22.9/12.0 K%/BB%). His rise to elite power hitter in the realm of Caminero and Kurtz has started.

JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B/SS, 23.8 – Make it back to back games for JJ as it’s clear everything is transferring to the majors. This one came at 107.4 MPH. He’s hitting it hard with a 43.8% Hard Hit%, he’s lifting it with a 15.6 degree launch, he’s running with 4 steals, and the plate skills are excellent with a 18.5/12.1 K%/BB%. That is everything. He’s going to be a 20/20 machine with a good BA for a long, long time.

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 24.6 – And maybe the most exciting/biggest surprise young breakout kept up the magic yesterday, going 7 IP with 5 hits, 0 ER, and 7/2 K/BB at NYM. The 98.6 MPH fastball put up a 28% whiff%. The slider and curve missed a ton of bats. He now has a 2.25 ERA with a 30.0/6.9 K%/BB% in 32 IP, and as crazy as it is to say, I think I’m in on this. Or as in on a Coors pitcher as I’ve ever been.  It really did feel like things were going to be different in Colorado when they hired Paul DePodesta. And then you saw those little things smart franchises do in spring and early in the year. And now there is hope maybe we can actually get our first good Coors pitcher with Dollander blowing up. Keep in mind Coors gets it’s most treacherous as he continues to heat up, so I can’t go true young ace, but I gave him a strong #273 ranking in the Updated Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon), and I’m thinking I could have maybe even went higher. We are in the upside down world now.

Kyle Harrison – MIL, LHP, 24.9 – Milwaukee doesn’t fucking miss. Boston is spiraling right now enough, and Harrison is just the final nail in that coffin after going 6 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 12/1 K/BB vs. Pit. The 94.8 MPH fastball was filthy as usual with a 37% whiff%. The slurve dominated with a 53% whiff%. And the changeup was useful with a 82 MPH EV against. He now has a 2.28 ERA with a 31.3/8.3 K%/BB% in 23.2 IP. Milwaukee didn’t even need to unleash the changeup for the breakout. The elite fastball was enough, and the slurve is performing well too. This is why you bet on organization. He checked in at #358 on the updated rankings, and that is looking low after this outing.

Carlos Cortes – ATH, OF, 28.10 – Cortes ain’t young, but he’s looking like one of the more exciting true late career breakouts we’ve seen in a little while. He went 3 for 4 with a triple and 3 hard hit balls yesterday, and his numbers are impossible to deny to right now. He’s slashing .377/.433/.689 with 4 homers and a 6.0/9.0 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s crushing the ball with a 52.6% Hard Hit% and the 14.8% whiff% backs up the K% mostly. He’s not lifting a ton right now, but he’s had no lift issues in his career. He put up a 132 wRC+ in the majors last year in 99 PA. I’m pretty excited. I think I’m buying this.

Ildemaro Vargas – ARI, 2B/3B, 34.9 – The 34 year old Vargas laughs at calling the 28 year old late career. This is truly late career, and he keeps raking after going 3 for 5 with a double, triple, and homer. That is one single shy of the cycle. He hit for the tricycle. The 37.7 Hard Hit% and 7 degree launch means I’m not buying this one, but I mean, super fun start.

Jose Fernandez – ARI, 1B, 22.7 – Fernandez is the Diamondack that is much easier to buy in, and he homered yesterday too at 103.1 MPH off Michael King. He tacked on a 109.6 MPH and 93.6 MPH single too. I’ve been slow to buy fully in, and I still am with a .308 xwOBA vs. .379 wOBA, but the more he rakes, the more he draws me in. He hits it pretty hard, he can lift/pull a bit, he’s not showing any major hit tool issues, and he’s a great athlete at 6’3” with double plus speed. He’s not a good base stealer, the walk rates are low, and he’s not a huge launch guy in his career, so I still can’t go all in, but it’s clear his value is on the rise.

Ozzie Albies – ATL, 2B, 29.3 – I usually hate to give sells, because if you have a guy on your roster, it means you like him, and if he’s hitting well, why get cute and try to do too much, but Albies is my top sell right now. If you are looking to get off this ride, now is the time to do it. The surface stats are on fire with 5 homers, a .316 BA and .371 wOBA, but the underlying numbers are telling a different story with a 3% Barrel%, 28.7% Hard Hit%, 86.3 MPH EV, and .298 xwOBA. He has the Statcast Killa profile of lift/pull/contact/weak contact, so I’m not saying all of it is lucky, but I’m just not buying it. He’s still not running either. I think now is the time to take that off ramp if you aren’t going for the title this year.

Rhett Lowder – CIN, RHP, 24.1 – While we’re on the topic of guys I’m not buying, Lowder pitched damn well again, going 5 IP with 6 hits, 2 ER, a 7/1 K/BB vs. DET. The 24% whiff% and 94.9 MPH EV is not as impressive as the surface line, and that sums up his season. He has a 3.18 ERA in 34 IP, but the 4.07 xERA, 17.9/7.1 K%/BB% and 20.4% whiff% aren’t as impressive. I think Lowder can be a solid MLB pitcher, but I don’t buy he’s this good.

Foster Griffin – WSH, LHP, 30.8 – 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 8/2 K/BB at CHW … he was a bat missing machine in this one with a 35% whiff%, and as usual, he threw the kitchen sink at them with a 7 pitch mix … which got me thinking, where did the expression “throw the kitchen sink” even come from. The kitchen sink is pretty basic. It does like one thing. So why the expression? I AI’d it … “It stems from the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink,” which gained popularity during World War II to describe throwing everything possible at the enemy.” … of course it stems from war. So many sports idioms stem from war. And I actually read a book that claimed sports in general evolved from war. When troops had down time, they would sharpen their skills by competing in “games” that tested speed, throwing accuracy, etc … everything is war, sigh. But back to Griffin, he’s been pitching well all season with a 2.61 ERA and 21.9/7.3 K%/BB% in 33.2 IP. I don’t fully believe in it. The 4.51 xERA is preaching caution, but the 25.2% whiff% actually isn’t that bad. The K/BB isn’t too bad for this type of pitcher either. I think he can be a solid arm.

Spencer Arrighetti – HOU, RHP, 26.3 – 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 8/1 K/BB vs the Yanks … The 22% whiff% and 92.1 MPH EV isn’t as impressive. He’s been good over 3 outings with a 2.00 ERA, but the 4.99 xERA isn’t buying it, the stuff isn’t great with a 92.5 MPH fastball, and the 11.5% BB% shows the volatility. I can’t buy back in too hard yet.

Tate Southisene – ATL, SS, 19.6, A – Now back to the youngsters ripping up the lower minors. Southisene didn’t crack the Updated Dynasty Rankings, but he had a case for it, and his case got stronger yesterday, slicing an opposite field dinger on one he didn’t even get close to all of. His terrible pro debut scared me off in 2025, but he’s wiping that memory away completely with destruction of Single-A, slashing .270/.444/.527 with 4 homers, 15 steals, and a 23.2/17.2 K%/BB% in 20 games. The 52% GB% is still high, but that is the only thing to nitpick. Atlanta obviously knew what they were doing when they surprised people by taking him 22nd overall. Credit to the Braves front office.

Coy James – WSH, SS, 19.1, A – James was another FYPD player that I wasn’t sticking my neck out for, and he’s making me regret it, hitting one into the forest for his 4th dinger in 19 games at Single-A. He was known as a hit tool first type coming out of the draft, and he’s playing to the complete opposite of that profile, slashing .197/.369/.409 with 4 homers, 11 steals, and a 27.4/19.0 K%/BB%. He’s clearly showing hit tool risk, but the .231 BABIP says he’s definitely getting unlucky. He’s on the rise.

Emil Morales – LAD, SS, 19.7, A – The new kids on the block are getting all the attention right now, but don’t forget about my boy Emil who is handling his business at Single-A after drilling his 3rd homer in 19 games. He’s slashing .318/.394/.553 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 24.2/9.1 K%/BB%. The 29.8% whiff% ain’t bad, and as long as it stays in that range the power will most certainly do the rest. I’ve been high on him and I’m still high on him.

Seaver King – WSH, SS, 22.11, AA – King had a rough first full season of pro ball in 2025, but he came out on fire in the AFL, giving hope for a 2026 bounce back, and the 2026 bounce back is quite clearly here after tattooing one the opposite way for his 3rd homer in 6 games. He’s now slashing .278/.402/.542 with 4 homers, 3 steals, and a 21.5/17.2 K%/BB% in 19 games at Double-A. This is what Washington envisioned when they selected him 10th overall. The GB% is down to a respectable 44.2% and he’s making tons of contact with a 21.4% whiff%. His value is back on the rise.

 Justin Gonzales – BOS, 1B/OF, 19.3 – Let’s check in on the beast himself, Justin Gonzales, as he looks to top 4 whole homers in all of 2025. It took him 93 games to get there. It’s 2026 now, and he’s already at 3 after crushing a grand salami to dead center. Just one away from tying what he did all of last season, and it’s only 17 games. The homer power coming was so obvious with how hard this dude cranks the ball. The 50% GB% is still high, but it’s better than last year, and he hits it so hard that he doesn’t have to be a lift/pull guy. He’s still making tons of contact with a 16.9% K%. He’s living up to his off-season hype.

Logan Henderson – MIL, RHP, 24.1 – 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 9/1 K/BB at Triple-A … how much longer do we have to watch Brandon Sproat get shelled? I liked Henderson much more than Sproat this off-season, but Milwaukee disagreed, and now they are paying the price for that decision. Hard to question Milwaukee, but sometimes you gotta do it. Nobody is perfect. I have to think the switch is coming soon though. I’m not budging off Henderson. He’s got a 1.02 ERA with with a 35.6/12.3 K%/BB% in 17.2 IP. I’m buying low if you can.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ UPDATED DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS (coming next week)
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–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

April 2026 Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon)

The first Dynasty Baseball Rankings Week of the season has arrived! It’s always dangerous dealing with small samples, but the wheeling and dealing doesn’t wait for large samples, so decisions must be made with the information we have. I went over 400 deep with new blurbs for every player. Full Rankings and the spreadsheet are on the Patreon with the Top 30 free down below here on the Brick Wall. Here is the April 2026 Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING SOON
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

Off-season Ranking is in parenthesis

1) (1) Shohei Ohtani – LAD, RHP/DH, 31.10 – Stole his first bag of the season yesterday, which was the only thing lacking in his profile this year. Well, I guess saves are actually the only thing lacking in his profile. Come on Ohtani, with Edwin Diaz out, you can’t save a few games too? Slacking.

Shadow1) (1) Shohei Ohtani – LAD, DH only/Weekly Leagues, 31.10 – This is where I would rank Ohtani as a hitter only or in weekly leagues. I’m keeping him Shadow 1, but it he’s still not running that much by next month, I might slip him closer to the Top 5 range

2) (2) Juan Soto – NYM, OF, 27.6 – Hit the IL after 8 games with a calf injury. The only thought is will the calf injury be a reason to not run very much again? But other than that, there is nothing to move off him #2 yet

3) (3) Bobby Witt Jr. – KCR, SS, 26.10 – 0 homers in 23 games, and I can’t say I didn’t at least warn you a little bit, writing in his Top 1,000 blurb, “Witt hit only 23 homers in 157 games, and while I want to completely hand wave it away as just a down power season, I don’t think we can completely dismiss it.” … but just like the off-season, I’m still not letting it scare me away. The dude has a 53.1% Hard Hit% with a 19 degree launch. The homers will come, and everything else is there. I’m not budging off him.

4) (5) Corbin Carroll – ARI, OF, 25.8 – The hamate looks like no problem with a .990 OPS in 20 games

5) (6) Elly De La Cruz – CIN, SS, 24.3 – Power is leveling up with a 95 MPH EV, 53.4% Hard Hit%, and 14.5 degree launch. The 31.7% whiff% with a career 31.8% whiff% really isn’t even that bad. We’re seeing a new level of Elly, and I love it, but the guys I ranked ahead of him still do have more hit tool safety

6) (4) Ronald Acuna Jr. – ATL, OF, 28.4 – .719 OPS vs. .401 xwOBA … if you can buy Acuna even slightly low, I would be all over it

7) (7) Aaron Judge – NYY, OF, 34.0 – The decline ain’t here yet with 9 homers, 4 steals, and a .426 xwOBA. Elite win now piece

8) (16) Paul Skenes – PIT, RHP, 23.10 – Pitt actually has a good offense now. Skenes already has 3 wins. His only weakness is now maybe a strength. He easily ascends to top dynasty pitcher in the game and he might not give up that crown for a long, long time. I don’t remember the last time I had a pitcher in my top 10 dynasty assets.

9) (10) Gunnar Henderson – BAL, SS, 24.10 – Nobody was more frustrated by the 17 homers last year than Gunnar, because he’s out for blood this year with a launch explosion to 19 degrees. The 30.8% Air Pull% has also exploded. It’s working with 7 homers already, which is what we want to see for fantasy, but it is impacting the hit tool with a .196 BA and 30% K%. Hopefully he can find a nice middle ground, but for fantasy, I like the direction he’s headed in assuming the hit tool normalizes

10) (8) Fernando Tatis Jr. – SDP, OF, 27.3 – 67.7% Hard Hit%, 14.5% Barrel%, 94.1 MPH EV, .384 xwOBA … he’s going to be fine. Buy low if you can

11) (9) Julio Rodriguez – SEA, OF, 25.4 – .609 OPS in 24 games … like fucking clockwork … you know the drill, don’t sell low because the big 2nd half is coming. Just gotta sweat it out for 2-3 more months … torture

12) (98) Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.5 – Maybe I’m a little crazy. Maybe I’m buying too much into a small sample. But tell me what this man doesn’t do. Power (8 homers with a 49.2% Hard Hit%), plate skills (18.4/14.3 K%/BB%), lift (13.9 degree launch), stolen bases (5 steals), and ballpark. And all of these things are things he’s done in the minors and last year in the majors. He’s slow, but he’s in the mold of a Kyle Tucker on the bases. Again, that is everything. I was all in this off-season ranking him in the Top 100 already at #98, and I’m staying all in now. He doesn’t have the hit tool risk of Kurtz. He runs more than Kurtz and Caminero. I can only tell you how I would play the game, and there are just very few guys I’m trading Stewart for right now.

13) (11) Nick Kurtz – SAC, 1B, 23.1 – 98.5 MPH EV with a 64.3% Hard Hit% and .410 xwOBA. I really hope you didn’t panic after his slow start, because he’s already starting the blow up, swing and miss be damned. The 38.6% whiff% is still just a tad high, not gonna lie ha

14) (12) Junior Caminero – TBR, 3B, 22.9 – 5 homers with a 16.8/11.9 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s lifting and pulling even more. It’s super “fun” that he has a .689 OPS with only 1 homer at the Trop, so we can’t quite put that minor league park career 2025 to bed, but everything still points towards him being one of the premier power hitters in the game for a long time

15) (17) Tarik Skubal – DET, LHP, 29.5 – 2.08 ERA with a 28.0/5.1 K%/BB% … Skenes’ pull ahead with the new and improved Pitt offense, but that is no slander towards Skubal

16) (13) Roman Anthony – BOS, OF, 21.11 – .311 wOBA vs. .348 xwOBA …  he’s lifting more with a 10.2 degree launch … the 26.1/13.6 K%/BB% looks good … he’s nabbed 2 bags … the heater is coming. Buy low if you can. I’m not moving off him as an elite core dynasty bat. And those are the type of bats I just don’t trade

17) (14) Kyle Tucker – LAD, OF, 29.3 – Not off to the best start but even when he’s not hot he still produces with 3 homers and 3 steals in 21 games. We know what we are getting from Tucker when it’s all said and done

18) (18) Zach Neto – LAA, SS, 25.2 – 15.7% BB% shows he’s maturing as a hitter. 5 homers and 2 steals in 23 games shows the near elite power/speed combo ain’t going anywhere. A mediocre BA is the only blemish, but he’s backing up my aggressive ranking of him from this off-season

19) (23) Jose Ramirez – CLE, 3B, 33.7 – 6 homers, 10 steals and a .421 xwOBA in 23 games. I would say the decline ain’t here yet. As always, in pure win now mode, he would rank higher

20) (26) Yordan Alvarez – HOU, OF, 28.10 – I started Alvarez’ Top 1,000 blurb by writing, “Alvarez is the easiest buy low call in the history of buy low calls” … and yea, he has a 1.261 OPS in 23 games. .553 xwOBA leads all of baseball by a mile (Dillon Dingler is #2 at .475). Too easy to even victory lap. Just stay healthy

21) (39) CJ Abrams – WSH, SS, 25.7 – The mid 20’s power explosion could be here with a 48.4% Hard Hit% and 90.4 MPH EV. It’s resulted in 6 homers and a 1.016 OPS. I will say he got off to this same hot start last year before cooling off, so maybe he’s a first half player, but I’ve stayed high on Abrams, and it feels great to see the hot start. Plus, a 20/30 floor is why I kept ranking him high

22) (20) Jackson Chourio – MIL, OF, 22.1 – Yet to debut with a fractured hand that is expected to keep him out until early May

23) (27) James Wood – WSH, OF, 23.7 – When you put up a 96.2 MPH EV with a 64.8% Hard Hit%, who even needs to make contact or hit the ball in the air that often? Both of those things are still bad, but I mean, it doesn’t matter with 7 homers, an .893 OPS and .421 xwOBA. And he’s a perfect 4 for 4 on the bases. He’s putting that scary 2nd half in the rearview mirror, but the .237 BA, 32.4% K% and 35.8% whiff% is still lurking

24) (22) Konnor Griffin – PIT, SS/OF, 20.0 – Rough start to his MLB career both surface and underlying numbers wise, but quite clearly we need to be as patient as a saint with a 19/20 year old in his first taste. Hold strong

25) (25) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – TOR, 1B, 27.1 – 2 homers with a .354 BA … he continues to be far too much of a BA play for fantasy. It’s why I didn’t rank him higher than 25th this off-season. He just doesn’t lift and pull enough and it doesn’t seem like he’s interested in trying to lift and pull more, but he’s still rock solid beast regardless

26) (37) Kevin McGonigle – DET, SS/2B, 21.9 – No adjustment period needed as McGongile is exactly as advertised with a 12.8% whiff% and .317 BA. A 39.4% Hard Hit% with a 18.5 degree launch and 27.3% Air Pull% says the homer power is going to come (1 homer). He’s not running a ton with 1 steal, so that might be the only thing that holds him back even slightly, but he’s already a near elite dynasty asset and this is just the start. I get going McGonigle over Griffin right now, but I can only tell you what I would do, and my gut still can’t part with Griffin. Griffin’s fantasy upside is still on another level

27) (33) Yoshinobu Yamamoto – LAD, RHP, 27.8 – 2.10 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 30.9% whiff%, and a 3.2 BB% in 25.2 IP. He’s backing up being the top pitcher in Tier 2, and with Crochet’s struggles, I can’t say I would take Crochet over Yamamoto. Welcome to Tier 1, Yoshi! And I really don’t think he’s far off from Skenes/Skubal right now. He might get there next month

28) (86) Brice Turang – MIL, 2B, 26.5 – The power ain’t going anywhere, and in fact, it’s leveling up again with a 94.5 MPH EV and 58.8% Hard Hit%. He’s lifting a bit more too with a 11.7 degree launch. And he’s back to running a ton with 6 steals. That is a near elite dynasty asset at the least. We gotta start treating him like it

29) (36) Bryan Woo – SEA, RHP, 26.3 – 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 21.1/4.9 K%/BB% and a 24.2% whiff% in 32 IP. The only thing keeping him out of Tier 1 is the whiffs, and quite frankly, maybe that shouldn’t even matter. True ace on the Tier 1/2 border, and right now, would I really trade Woo for Crochet? I don’t think I would. It could look silly by next month though. That is the small sample game

30) (49) Cristopher Sanchez – PHI, LHP, 29.5 – Bad BABIP luck (.413) has led to a 1.41 WHIP, but he’s so good that it doesn’t even matter with a 1.59 ERA and 31.7/6.5 K%/BB% in 28.1 IP. 32.3% whiff% is in the elite of the elite. Hard to say he’s not a Tier 1 ace right now, or close to it, and like Woo, could I really trade him for Crochet? I don’t think I could

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ APRIL 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING SOON
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)