Who are the Top Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Players? | Which Player is at the Top?

Things can change in a hurry in fantasy sports leagues. The changes aren’t quite as drastic in dynasty leagues usually, but they can still happen while a season is underway.

With most MLB teams at or nearing 70 games played, I thought it’d be fun to look back on some preseason dynasty baseball league player rankings and see how things have changed after a couple of months.

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The Original Top 10

In my preseason top 10 for dynasty leagues, Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. was my top choice.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll came in second, while Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez was third. Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. was my fourth choice, while New York Yankees’ Juan Soto rounded out my top five.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani was my sixth pick. Houston Astros’ Kyle Tucker came in seventh, while San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. was eighth. Dodgers’ Mookie Betts was ninth and Braves’ Spencer Strider was 10th.

Player Updates

Unfortunately, Acuna won’t play again this season because of a torn ACL. It’s the second time in three seasons that Acuna has torn an ACL - first doing so in 2021 before returning and winning MVP in 2023.

Acuna was struggling at the plate before the injury, which already had some fantasy owners bailing on him as the top dynasty player.

Among the players who are on my original top-10 list and not dealing with a season-ending injury, Carroll has been the biggest disappointment.

He’s batting under .215 right now, a season after he was at a .285 average. Carroll’s numbers are down pretty much across the board and now fantasy owners are wondering if the 2023 season was a fluke.

Rodriguez is also underperforming compared to the 2023 season, but at least he’s got a .268 average.

If Rodriguez continues at his current paces, it will be the second straight season he’s regressed with his average and OBP, and this time, most of his other stats would also be down. 

Witt has been even better than expected this season, hitting for a .326 average so far. 

He’s on pace to shatter all his career-best marks. Unlike Rodriguez, it would be the third straight season Witt has improved across the board in most stats.

Soto has been stellar in his first season with the Yankees, and is on pace to shatter a lot of his career marks. 

In my preseason writeup, I mentioned Soto being able to excel at Yankee Stadium. He’s done just that, and now the question becomes: will Soto be there for the long haul? Being a Yankee would definitely give him a boost as a dynasty asset.

Ohtani is clearly the best fantasy player in the game when he’s a two-way option, but he’s showing to also be a great option as just a hitter this season.

Ohtani should return to his two-way status next season, which will give him a big boost from a fantasy perspective. He’ll be 30 years old when playing next year, which is the only thing that drops him down dynasty player lists.

Tucker is currently dealing with an injury, but has been enjoying one of his better seasons in the big leagues.

His average is down, but his OBP is up, as is his pace for homers. He’s another player who would rank a little higher if he wasn’t already 27 years old.

Tatis seems like he’s a 10-year veteran, but is still just 25 years old. He’s having a better season than a year ago, and is definitely looking like a big-time dynasty asset moving forward.

Betts is 31 years old, but still producing at an elite level. Fantasy owners keep waiting for him to fall off, and it just isn’t happening.

Betts would rank quite a bit higher if it wasn’t for his age.

Strider is the second Brave on this list and the second one who is out with a season-ending injury. 

Now the big thought around Strider is whether or not he can return to his 2022 or 2023 form after a major injury. 

New Dynasty Rankings

Before the season, there was no doubt in my mind that Acuna was the top dynasty player. After the injury though, I can’t stick with him at the top spot.

I’d also skip over my original No. 2 and 3 picks and take Witt as my top option. He’s young, improving and looks like he could be the face of the league for years to come.

After Witt, I’d go down another spot from him and take Soto second (after being fifth originally). He’s an on-base machine, and it probably doesn’t matter where he’s playing. Of course, I’d feel much better about taking him second if he was with the Yankees, but I’d still prefer him over anyone else if he leaves too.

After Witt and Soto, that’s where things get really tough for me.

I’d go with Rodriguez next, although a lot of the reasoning why I took him here is because of his younger age. He’s a pretty well-rounded fantasy player, and if Seattle can build around him, I can see Rodriguez performing better in seasons to come.

In my fourth slot, I’d take Ohtani. His value as a two-way player is just too high to pass on any further, even if he will play half as long as some of these other guys. The best thing with Ohtani is that he still should hold plenty of trade value later in his career, so you can cut bait and still get a nice return.

I’d roll with Acuna next. His injury history scares me now, but he’s already proven he can come back and play at an elite level after the exact same injury. I could argue taking Acuna at three, but dropping him a couple spots makes me feel a little more comfortable at least.

I’d take Tatis in the sixth draft slot. I don’t think he’s reached his full potential yet and being only 25 years old, that is enough reason for me to take him here.

I’d take Tucker next. He’d been a pretty consistent hitter the past few seasons, but was one pace for a bigger season before the recent injury. I think his best seasons are still ahead of him.

I’d pencil Carroll in here at the eighth slot, but I also don’t feel great about it. I still think Carroll can be a highly-productive player during his career, but I am just not extremely confident about it.

Betts sticks at the ninth slot for me. It’s a tad risky to take a hitter at his age this early in a dynasty draft, but he continues to produce, and should for at least four or five more seasons at a high level. 

In my tenth slot, I’m ditching Strider for Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson. He’s just 22 years old and is enjoying a breakout season. He took another step in the right direction this season and should only get better with age.

Some other players I considered for inside my top 10 were: Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, New York’s Aaron Judge and Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers.