Bryce Cunningham – Imaginary Brick Wall

The 2026 off-season festivities officially kicked off on the Brick Wall last week with the 2026 Dynasty Team Reports. Like during the regular season, I will release a freebie here on Imaginary Brick Wall on some Mondays (in this case Tuesday, I like to keep you on your toes sometimes 😉 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, 2026 Projections, Prime/Peak Projections, predicting future prospect lists, AFL/Winter League Updates, the Top 100+ FYPD rankings, Top 500+ Prospects Rankings, and the 2026 Top 1,000+ Dynasty Rankings. But first, here is the New York Yankees 2026 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

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Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon

Arizona Diamondbacks—Kansas City Royals—Pittsburgh Pirates (free)—Texas Rangers

Hitters

Ben Rice – NYY, 1B/C, 27.1 – Last off-season, when it looked like Rice had nowhere to play, when it looked the Yanks didn’t fully believe in him, when he was coming off a season where he hit .171 … one man stood in the face of all that adversity and said, fuck it, I’m still targeting him whether you like it or not, writing in his Target blurb, “Listen, I don’t have the slightest clue how he ends up with a full time job either. Even with Goldy only on a one year deal, the Yanks could so easily acquire another vet next off-season. And he’s already 26 years old. But sometimes I just want to bet on the bat, and let things shake themselves out, and that is how I feel with Rice. He’s obliterated every stop of the minors, and while he was always on the older side, you can only dominate the competition put in front of you. Then in his very first taste of the bigs, the man put up a 15.6% Barrel% in 50 games. All he does is rake. Is it not great that the surface were so bad with a .269 wOBA, yea, it’s not great, but that is where the value comes in. I don’t know how. And I don’t know when. But I do know who. And that who is Ben Rice.” … and then Rice went out in 2025 and rewarded my faith in him in more ways than I even expected. Not only did the big offensive breakout come with 26 homers and a 133 wRC+ in 138 games, but he also caught 36 games, giving him catcher eligibility for 2026. That is a major bonus I wasn’t even planning on. The funny thing is, the surface stats still didn’t come close to matching the underlying numbers with a .358 wOBA vs. .410 xwOBA, but when the underlying numbers say you are the 7th best hitter in the baseball, you can underperform them and be just fine. He improved everywhere you look from his rookie year with a 93.3 MPH EV, 56.1% Hard Hit%, 21.5% whiff%, and an 18.9% K%. He’s a lift and pull machine, so it’s not even like he has the type of profile that should underperform Statcast this much. He’s underperformed it considerably for two straight years, so I wouldn’t expect anything different in 2026, but there is definitely a chance he was just unlucky two years in a row. I wouldn’t rule out another level of offensive performance in 2026. And defensively, it sure seems like he will once again rack up full time at bats at catcher, 1B, and DH, giving him a good shot to retain catcher eligibility for at least a few more seasons. I was buying hard when the price was cheap last off-season, and I’m still buying high this off-season. He’s my #2 ranked catcher behind Cal Raleigh, and he ranked 82nd overall on my End of Season Top 450 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon). – 2026 Projection: 84/30/81/.265/.348/.511/4

Jasson Dominguez – NYY, OF, 23.2 – With how the Yanks used Dominguez down the stretch and into the playoffs, or more accurately, not used him, there is some fear about his role headed into 2026, but I still believe the Yanks are all in on developing him into a long term core piece. It would be so silly if they weren’t. He was a 22 year old who put up a 49.6% Hard Hit% with a 90.6 MPH EV, and did it with a 74.1 MPH swing. The special bat talent is so clearly there, and the 27.2% whiff% and 26.8/9.6 K%/BB% isn’t bad at all. He also stole 23 bags with a 28.7 ft/sec sprint. That is a really strong foundation to build on. He certainly has things to work on, like his defense, hitting lefties, and pulling the ball in the air, but that is what development is all about. Not everyone is going to be fully formed by 22 years old. And Dominguez is the type of talent with the type of upside that you want to be patient with. Bellinger and Grisham are both free agents, so it sure seems to make sense to leave a starting job open for Dominguez to take going into 2026. He won’t get endless leash, and he’ll have to show signs of development, but I’m betting he will. He’s a buy for me this off-season if his current owner is turned off. – 2026 Projection: 78/18/71/.263/.340/.428/28 Prime Projection: 88/25/83/.269/.351/.468/31

Pitchers

Cam Schlittler – NYY, RHP, 25.2 – I wasn’t on Schlittler last off-season, which was a mistake, but I like to think I made up for it in a major way during the season. Before he was getting any major hype, before he was getting any Top 100 love, before he got the call to the majors, I rang the major buy bell on him in June, writing in the Rundowns, “The stuff is nuts, he’s 6’6”, 225 pounds, and he’s been a strikeout machine in the upper minors. He’s so easily a Top 100 pitching prospect, and he should probably be valued right in that tier with Jump, Tong, and Yesavage.” … He was already starting to fly up my rankings in May too. Not too long after that he got the call to the majors in July, and the rest is history. He very clearly proved he belonged in that already hyped, pitching prospect tier, and quite frankly, he may have proved to be the best of that bunch with a 2.96 ERA and 27.6/10.2 K%/BB% in 73 IP. He was lights out in 14.1 playoff innings too. He did it on the back of an elite 98 MPH fastball that he threw 54.7% of the time, notching a 27.8% whiff% and a +9 Run Value. His beast status is so clearly locked in, but I can’t lie, I fear he might get a little overrated this off-season. None of his other pitches really stood out. His cutter was his best secondary, but it only put up a 27.3% whiff% with a +1 Run Value. The curve put up a lowly 21.8% whiff% and he barely went to the sweeper. To not have a true dominant, whiff, put away secondary is a tad concerning to me, especially when he also has below average control. The ERA estimators also had him as more of a high 3’s true talent level this year. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s a beast, just like I did back when there was a good chance you could have picked him up for free in your league, which I know a lot of my subscribers did, but with his massive ascent, I would be a bit too scared to pay up for him like he’s already a young true ace. I think the price might be a tad too high for me this off-season. – 2026 Projection: 13/3.59/1.24/187 in 170 IP

Gerrit Cole – NYY, RHP, 35.7 – I wrote this in the Corbin Burnes blurb in the Arizona Diamondbacks Team Report on the Patreon, but it’s worth repeating for Cole, and really, almost the entire blurb can be repeated for Cole as their dynasty value profiles are starting to look very similar, albeit Cole is also 4 years older. 2025 couldn’t have made it any clearer that taking the Tommy John discount on pitchers is a total roll of the dice. McClanahan got hurt again and never returned. Strider, Eury, and Alcantara all looked rustier than the 30 year old lawn furniture my parents gave me when I moved into my house. I think it’s time to buy some new lawn furniture. I’m overdo 😉 Andrew Painter was simply not the same perfect pitching prospect he was pre-injury. While on the other hand, Emmett Sheehan returned and immediately re-established himself as one of the most exciting young pitchers in the game. deGrom was awesome, but even he was diminished from true prime. Bradish looked even better than before, and Bieber looked damn good for the most part. Really nobody knows exactly what level of health/rust these guys will have when they return. And while Cole is generally the type of guy I like taking the Tommy John discount on, he was already in decline even before the injury. His days of being that 30%+ K rate guy were already done with a 27% K% in 2023 and then a 25.4% K% in 2024. His whiff rates match that decline. So you are buying a 35 year old pitcher who was already in decline coming back from Tommy John, which we see can be a treacherous recovery. He underwent the surgery on March 11th, so he may miss a big chunk of 2026 as well depending on the recovery. It’s just a lot, and I fear his name value will keep his price higher than I’m willing to go. – 2026 Projection: 7/3.71/1.20/130 in 130 IP

Bullpen

David Bednar – NYY, Closer, 31.6 – Hometown boy David Bednar, born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, risen to fame as the dominant closer on his favorite childhood team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, was told to pack up his shit, because he was getting shipped off to the Big City, New York. Ain’t no loyalty in baseball. Was he going to wilt under the big lights? Could he handle the pressure that many have succumbed to? You damn right he could, as he came riding in on horseback and done stole the closer job out from under Devin Williams with a 2.19 ERA and 36.1/9.3 K%/BB% in 24.2 IP with his new team. When the pressure was even higher in the playoffs, he was even better with a 1.50 ERA and 40.9/4.5 K%/BB% in 6 IP. He proved his down 2024 was just an aberration, likely due to injury and pitch tipping. The stuff is filthy with 97 MPH heat and two nasty bat missing secondaries in his curve and splitter. He doesn’t get quite treated like it, but he’s a truly elite closer. – 2026 Projection: 4/2.88/1.09/81/34 saves in 62 IP

New York Yankees 2026 Top 10 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings

1) George Lombard – NYY, SS, 20.10 – I get why Lombard gets ranked extremely high on many real life lists. He’s a good SS with projectable power at 6’2”, good athleticism, a mature approach, and some semblance of a good feel to hit. Scouts love this type, and for good reason. But for fantasy, I find it hard to already put him in that nearly elite prospect range. He slashed .215/.337/.358 with 8 homers, 24 steals, and a 26.4/13.6 K%/BB% in 108 games at Double-A, Granted he was only 20 years old, and he hit a lot better at the age appropriate High-A (1 homer with a 193 wRC+ in 24 games), but it’s still not screaming elite fantasy stud to me. I put him in the mold of a Geraldo Perdomo and Jeremy Pena, two guys who are obviously very good and both had excellent 2025 seasons, but neither of those guys got this type of elite prospect love, and it took them into their mid 20’s until they really came into their own. So I like Lombard a lot. I have him as a Top 50 fantasy prospect, which is really good, but I just can’t shoot him up in to that Top 20 range already. He should end the 2026 season in that area though if things go right. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 86/18/73/.261/.338/.430/26

2) Spencer Jones – NYY, OF, 24.11 – Let’s be honest, the odds are really good that Jones just won’t be able to hit enough to truly be a fantasy beast. The guy had a 41.6% whiff% and 36.6% K% in 67 games at Triple-A as a 24 year old. That is beyond the danger zone. That is the Chernobyl nuclear disaster zone, the Exclusion Zone, the Black Zone … okay I think that is all the nicknames for the Chernobyl area. A guy who hits .200, if he’s lucky, can only provide so much fantasy value no matter how big the power/speed combo, but boy oh boy is that power/speed combo humongous. He’s 6’7”, 240 pounds with a 94.8 MPH EV and plus speed. He hit 35 homers with 29 steals in 116 games on the season. If there is an exception to the rule, it will be him. A .200/30/30 guy would be absolutely hysterical, but that is obviously a pipe dream. If he were 22 years old, I could see giving some more leeway for the hit tool, but he’s going to be 25 for most of 2026. The most optimistic comp we can point to is Joey Gallo, who had a career 106 wRC+ in 939 games with a 41.4% whiff%. Matt Wallner is another good one with a career 131 wRC+ in 273 games with a 36.6% whiff%. Jones has to improve majorly to even get down to Wallner’s whiff%, but at least it’s example that it’s not impossible to thrive with super high whiff rates. All indications also point to the Yankees still really believing in him. The upside is so massive, I think they want to roll that dice and eventually give him a shot, and because I’m a sucker for upside, I’m also willing to roll the dice. I still think he’s a Top 50-75 prospect just on the off chance he can get that hit tool into a good enough area. Maybe I’m crazy. – 2026 Projection: 15/4/19/.192/.279/.399/3 Prime Projection: 68/23/73/.218/.309/.438/17

3) Dax Kilby – NYY, SS, 19.5 – If you know me at all, you know I’m the OG pro debut breakout hype beast, going back to 2016, and nobody had a pro debut breakout like Kilby had. He slashed .353/.457/.441 with 0 homers, 16 steals, and a 13.6/16.0 K%/BB% in 18 games at Single-A as an 18 year old. Sure he didn’t hit a homer, but when it comes with a 91.9 MPH EV and 45.6% Hard Hit%, I’m not that concerned about it. The only flaw of the debut was the 1 degree launch, but this type of profile can still thrive with a low launch, and if he can raise that launch, watch out. I was already a big fan before the debut, ranking him highly in my original FYPD Rankings, writing, “Selected 39th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, Kilby is a projectable 6’2” with a vicious and smooth lefty swing that has power potential written all over it if he can put on good weight. He’s currently more of a line drive, hit tool focused prospect with good speed, so either the power can tick up naturally to enhance that profile, or he can make an approach change to really tap into that hopeful raw power gain in the future. I love the swing, projection, hit tool and athleticism, which is a lot to like. If you can’t draft high enough to grab one of the top high school bats with big present power, you might as well take your shot on a guy who could develop that power down the line.” … obviously his awesome debut, where he showed more raw power than even I was expecting, is going to push his price way up, but I think he’s worth that high price. He ranked 10th overall on the Updated Top 60 2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings (Patreon), and I’m not even sure that is high enough. I’m all in. ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 93/20/79/.278/.357/.445/30

4) Carlos Lagrange – NYY, RHP, 22.10 – Carlos Lagrange gives me major Dellin Betances vibes when watching him, and the similarities are really striking in so many ways. I have a hard time believing any Yankees fan that watches Lagrange won’t get those exact same vibes. Lagrange is a tall drink of water at 6’7”, 248 pounds with an upper 90’s fastball that gets over 100 MPH, a plus breaker, a solid, lesser used changeup, and double below average control. The control looked like it was taking a huge step forward in the beginning of the year at High-A with a 7.1% BB% in 41.2 IP, but it ballooned when he got to Double-A with a 14.9% BB% in 78.1 IP, showing the major control risk is still there. The upside is equally as high though with a 3.53 ERA and 33.4% K% in 120 IP on the season. I can’t help but feel he is most likely going to take the same path as Betances and become a hopefully elite reliever, and possibly closer, but the door isn’t even close to shut on him remaining a starter. Just look at Jacob Misiorowski, who is equally as tall and had almost equally bad control. And ending up a closer is a pretty damn good outcome anyway. – 2026 Projection: 2/3.82/1.29/32 in 30 IP Prime Projection: 4/3.30/1.19/80/33 saves in 65 IP

5) Elmer Rodriguez Cruz – NYY, RHP, 22.8 – Don’t call it a breakout. Just look at Cruz’ career minor league stats. He put up a 1.88 ERA in 38.1 IP in 2022, a 2.60 ERA in 55.1 IP in 2023, a 2.91 ERA in 89.2 IP in 2024, and now a 2.58 ERA in 150 IP in 2025. Just because nobody seemed to notice all that much or care all that much, doesn’t mean Cruz hasn’t been dominating professional baseball for 4 seasons now. And this year he was able to continue the dominance in the upper minors with a 2.64 ERA and 30.3/8.2 K%/BB% in 61.1 IP at Double-A. He has the talent to back up the excellent production with size (6’3”), velocity (95+ MPH heat), pitch mix (he threw a 4-seamer, sinker, curve, change, cutter, and probably his best secondary, the slider, in his one start at Triple-A to end the season), and bat missing ability. That is a lot of boxes to check. The control/command took a step forward in 2025, but it’s still on the below average side. I wouldn’t put top of the rotation upside on him, but maybe that is just the continuation of the underrating he’s gone through his entire career. An impact mid-rotation starter wouldn’t be a bad outcome though, and that deserves a spot in the Top 100 Prospects. – 2026 Projection: 3/4.07/1.31/62 in 70 IP Prime Projection: 12/3.68/1.22/175 in 175 IP

6) Ben Hess – NYY, RHP, 23.7 – Hess was underrated in First Year Player Drafts last off-season, and he’s still underrated now. The Yanks took him 26th overall for a reason, and that reason was that he’s a big man at 6’5”, 255 pounds with big stuff, and while he didn’t have that truly dominating Junior Year breakout, the breakout came in pro ball this year. He put up a 3.22 ERA with a 33.0/10.9 K%/BB% in 103 IP at High-A and Double-A, and he was even better at Double-A with a 2.70 ERA and 31.3/9.0 K%/BB% in 36.2 IP. He dominated with a plus mid 90’s fastball/curve combo, and the lesser used changeup is really good when he goes to it too. He also throws a solid slider. The control/command is below average, likely limiting his reasonable upside projection to a mid-rotation starter, but a high K mid-rotation starter is an impact fantasy starter. He should be valued as a back end Top 100 pitching prospect, but he doesn’t seem to get that kind of respect, making him a really good pitching target. – 2026 Projection: 2/4.14/1.33/47 in 50 IP Prime Projection: 11/3.71/1.24/171 in 165 IP

7) Bryce Cunningham – NYY, RHP, 23.3 – Cunningham was on the way to being a major pitching prospect breakout after the first 46.2 IP of his pro career with a 1.93 ERA and 25.7/6.0 K%/BB% at High-A, but he just didn’t look the same after returning from a shoulder injury he suffered in June. He put up a 5.11 ERA with a 20.0/16.4 K%/BB% in 12.1 IP over 5 outings after returning, and he looked just as bad in his latest AFL start. The most concerning part is that the stuff was down. The mid 90’s fastball that could get into the upper 90’s was down to about 93 MPH. The hope is that he was just taking it easy to end the season coming off the injury, and that he’s just trying not to hurt himself again before having a full off-season to ramp back up. That does make sense to me, and that is the way I’m leaning, but it does add some extra risk heading into the off-season. When healthy, he’s a beast of a man at 6’5”, 230 pounds with the big stuff to match. Along with the mid 90’s heat, he has a plus, bat missing changeup that is probably his best secondary, a solid slider, new cutter, and he threw the curve in the AFL game. The most impressive part of the start to his season was the excellent walk rate, because he had below average walk rates in college, but that disappeared when he returned. He might have been knocking on the door of the Top 100 had he remained healthy, but the injury put a halt to that, and he’s now a Top 200-ish prospect for me. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 10/3.85/1.29/147 in 155 IP

8) Dillon Lewis – NYY, OF, 22.10 – Lewis was the 394th overall pick in 2024 despite going 22/20 with a .371 BA in his Junior year in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He was one of only 2 players to go 20/20 in Division 1, and yet, nobody believed in him. He was a very athletic 6’3”, 205 pounds, so he looked the part too, and yet, still nobody believed in him, Well, I guess the Yanks did in the 13th round, giving him a $150,000 signing bonus, but in hindsight, it’s pretty wild he was so disrespected. And that hindsight was provided by what he did in pro ball in 2025, slashing .237/.321/.445 with 22 homers, 26 steals, and a 23.5/10.2 K%/BB% in 122 games split between Single-A and High-A. His K/BB actually improved majorly at High-A, which is big to see with a 20.8/10.8 K%/BB% at that level, and it’s big to see because this dude absolutely smokes the ball with a 93.7 MPH EV and 54.6% Hard Hit%. He also has no issues lifting and pulling. The upside here is truly pretty damn massive, and you still hear barely anything about him. The reason for that is because nobody really believes in the hit tool, and a 21/22 year old in the lower minors with a .237 BA definitely isn’t good. He also doesn’t have a standout OF glove, projecting to be a solid corner outfielder. This is the type of player who can potentially breakout on the Marlins at 27 year old, so I get the lack of hype, but I mean, those EV and Hard Hit numbers deserve real respect. The power/speed combo is mouth watering for the price he’s going to go for this off-season. He’s a great high upside target. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 64/21/71/.239/.307/.433/16

9) Brendan Jones – NYY, OF, 23.11 – I talked about Lagrange inevitably reminding Yankees fans of Dellin Betances, so let’s keep the nostalgia going with Jones, because the shades of Brett Gardner are strong with him. The controlled and simple lefty swing looks super similar to Gardner, and so does his size at 5’10”. The profile is super similar too, slashing .250/.365/.415 with 7 homers, 28 steals, and a 20.9/15.3 K%/BB% in 80 games at Double-A. That was good for a 131 wRC+. He doesn’t have big raw power, but he can lift and pull with a 33.1% GB% and 44.4% Pull%, giving him the chance to take advantage of that short porch, just like Gardner did. And like Gardner, he has a standout OF glove. It’s most likely a 4th outfielder profile, but that is what they said about Gardner, and if he does work his way into a full time job, the speed will make a fantasy impact. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 66/10/48/.247/.324/.380/25

10) Chase Hampton – NYY, RHP, 24.8 – I could have went a number of ways with this 10th spot as nobody really fully deserves it, so let’s give it to Hampton who was trending towards being a consensus Top 100 prospect before injuries derailed his career. He had an elbow injury tank his 2024 season where the stuff and production were both down majorly, and then he once again felt elbow pain when ramping up for the 2025 season, succumbing to Tommy John surgery in February 2025. At full health, he’s 6’2, 200 pounds with mid 90’s heat, a diverse set of secondaries (slider, curve, cutter, change), and solid control/command. He put up a 3.63 ERA with a 33.1/8.4 K%/BB% in 106.2 IP split between High-A and Double-A in 2023. If he comes back 100% from the surgery, the hype can definitely get going again, but who knows how he will look after 2 lost seasons. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 6/4.18/1.34/103 in 120 IP

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

Jumping off from the Ben Rice blurb, the beauty of dynasty leagues especially, is that you don’t have to panic if a player you believe in doesn’t have a perfectly clear path to a full time job to start the season. People have short memories, so maybe you don’t remember how his lack of clear path was absolutely killing his value last off-season, but it was real. The same thing happened with Spencer Torkelson, and Torkelson was also a major off-season target for me and big hit. Taking advantage of that playing time uncertainty created monster value to be had on both of them, with both of them going for soooooo cheap. Even a little uncertainty of a players full time job status will scare so many fantasy/dynasty managers away, and it’s an area to 100% take advantage of when it happens. I get in redraft leagues being a bit scared, but in dynasty, you have the long term view to fully stay the course if you believe in the bat. And Rice and Torkelson both had very clear reasons to believe in their bats.

Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon

Arizona Diamondbacks—Kansas City Royals—Pittsburgh Pirates (free)—Texas Rangers

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