Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings 2018: Advice and Top Prospects, Stars to Draft
There are strategies to being successful at fantasy baseball, but it takes a special kind of talent and mentality to be great in dynasty leagues.
The ultimate goal of winning a championship remains the same. There are just different ways of doing it in a league built around determining which young players will emerge as superstars and which prospects will fulfill their potential upon being called up to The Show.
Things are a bit easier heading into 2018 because there are so many excellent young players in the sport. Mike Trout, who has been the best player in Major League Baseball for six years, is only 26.
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Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are among the superstars all 25 years of age or younger.
Looking at the current wave of young stars and prospects still to come, here are the best dynasty options for your fantasy team starting in 2018 and how to navigate adding them.
Top 10 Dynasty Rankings (Current MLB Players)
1. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
2. Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals
3. Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
4. Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox
5. Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros
6. Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
7. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
8. Manny Machado, SS, Baltimore Orioles
9. Trea Turner, SS, Washington Nationals
10. Cody Bellinger, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
The top two are hardly a surprise. Trout has had more consistent success since 2012, hitting at least 27 homers, driving in at least 72 runs and scoring at least 92 runs in each of the past six seasons. Harper's peak is on par with Trout's best seasons. In 2015 the Nationals outfielder tied for the NL lead with 42 homers, led the NL with 118 runs scored and hit a robust .330 in his MVP campaign.
Injuries have stunted Harper's production. He's only reached the 140-game mark twice in the past five seasons. Skeptics could use that to knock him down a spot or two on dynasty lists, but his upside at 25 years old is still so high that only one other current big leaguer is a better long-term fantasy bet.
Correa was on the cusp of reaching Trout and Harper's level last season before a torn thumb ligament landed him on the disabled list for six weeks. It's not a long-term concern, and the Houston Astros star still had 50 extra-base hits in 109 games last season.
Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve, Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado and Machado are usual standards on dynasty lists. Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger have the potential to keep moving up these rankings in the coming years.
Turner, in particular, is a player worthy of taking a first-round gamble on. Since making his MLB debut in 2015, the 24-year-old's average numbers over the course of a full 162-game season would come out to be .304/.348/.491 with 20 homers, 70 RBI, 109 runs scored and 66 stolen bases, per Baseball Reference.
Injuries limited Turner to 98 games last season, though he still managed to hit 11 home runs and steal 46 bases. He has MVP potential, possibly as soon as this year, if he can avoid another long stint on the DL.
Bellinger could become the next Paul Goldschmidt with his combination of hitting, power and baserunning. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year stole 10 bases last season in addition to hitting 39 home runs in 132 games.
Top Future Dynasty Stars
1. Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
There hasn't been a prospect hyped to the degree that Shohei Ohtani has been since Harper was drafted in 2010.
Ohtani is also the biggest anomaly in fantasy baseball because the Los Angeles Angels are going to let him pitch and hit. He's going to be limited to DH duty, hurting some of his positional value, but that's a minor quibble.
MLB.com has ranked Ohtani as the No. 1 prospect for 2018, grading him higher as a pitcher (70 overall) than as a hitter (60 overall) with this scouting report:
"He threw the fastest recorded pitch in Japanese history (102.5 mph in 2016), sits in the upper 90s with late finish on his heater and maintains premium velocity into the late innings. Both his diving splitter, which reaches the low 90s, and his hard slider, which climbs into the high 80s, can be plus-plus pitches at their best. He also employs a curveball and a changeup that are at least average. ...
"He has top-of-the-scale raw power and launches tape-measure shots with ease from the left side of the plate. He struck out in 27 percent of his plate appearances in Japan, so he doesn't project as a .300 hitter, but he could bat .270 with 30-plus homers per year."
Even if Ohtani turns into an average pitcher capable of hitting enough to reach 20 homers, there's no telling how valuable that will be in reality or fantasy circles. The Japanese sensation could be among the top five players on every dynasty list in 2018 because of his unique dual role.
2. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Even though Rafael Devers exhausted his rookie eligibility last year by appearing in 58 games, the Boston Red Sox stud showed flashes of becoming a superstar if he can make some minor adjustments.
He hit .284/.338/.482 with 10 home runs in 222 at-bats and provided one of the best moments of last season with this opposite-field blast off New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman:
One reason to be optimistic about Devers' ceiling, as evidenced by that homer, is his approach against left-handed pitching. He hit better against southpaws (1.004 OPS) than right-handed pitching (.743), which is a rare feat for a young left-handed hitter.
3. Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves
Three years into their rebuilding effort, the Atlanta Braves are going to start showing the fruits of their labor at some point in 2018 with the arrival of top prospect Ronald Acuna.
Just 20 years old, Acuna had a meteoric rise through the minors last season. He went from High-A to Triple-A by posting a .325/.374/.522 slash line in 139 games. His 21 homers were nearly triple the amount he had the previous two seasons combined (eight).
ESPN.com's Keith Law, who has Acuna ranked as the best prospect in MLB, said in his top-100 list that the Braves youngster could have a "Mike Trout-ish profile" if he's able to stay in center field and continue to develop his power.
Even if the Braves start Acuna in Triple-A to start this season, it won't be long before he's in The Show and usurps Freddie Freeman as the face of the franchise in Atlanta.
4. Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees
Since the New York Yankees don't have enough good young talent already on their roster, shortstop Gleyber Torres is coming to help them out soon.
Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in a 2016 trade for Chapman, Torres missed most of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. That did set back his timetable to reach the big leagues, though it shouldn't be a huge deterrent to his future value.
Torres told Newsday's Erik Boland last month he was back to 100 percent, though Yankees senior director of player development Kevin Reese tried to pull the reins in on the 21-year-old.
"It's kind of like we have a leash on him, trying to hold him back a little bit," Reese said. "He just wants to go, go, go."
Prior to being shut down last season, Torres was on a tear across two levels. He hit .287/.383/.480 with seven home runs in 55 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Yankees don't have a need at shortstop with Didi Gregorius doing a fine job. After they traded Chase Headley to the San Diego Padres during the offseason and Todd Frazier signed with the New York Mets, third base has opened up for the star prospect to take during spring training.
Torres was reassigned to minor league camp on March 13, but the Yankees won't wait long to bring him up if a need arises at shortstop or third base.
Torres' greatest value will come when he becomes New York's full-time shortstop, but a third baseman who can hit .300 with 20 home runs and steal 10-15 bases is still a valuable fantasy asset.
5. Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
There's a strong case to be made for putting Nick Senzel higher on this list of dynasty players, but it's also a testament to how strong MLB's crop of prospects is at the moment that he comes in at No. 5.
Originally drafted No. 2 overall by the Cincinnati Reds in 2016, Senzel has done nothing but hit well in professional baseball. The 22-year-old has a .315/.393/.514 slash line in 187 minor league games and doubled his home run total from 2016 to 2017 (14).
The Reds could hold Senzel in the minors at the start of the season since he only has 57 games at Double-A. They also aren't lacking for production at third base after Eugenio Suarez hit .260/.367/.461 with a career-high 26 homers last season.
Eventually, though, the Reds will have to make room for Senzel on their roster because his bat will force the issue. He's a special hitter whose power production will grow as his comfort level against upper-level pitching grows.
