This is the sixth-annual First-Year Player Draft Blueprint for dynasty leagues. The top 400 prospect rankings for fantasy baseball and the top 150 FYPD rankings with tiers, ETA, blurbs, etc... are fully updated, so make sure you check those out. The FYPD rankings work well in tandem with the blueprint. I've also written outlooks for most of the top guys (and over 200 total prospects with dozens more outlooks coming), so you can check those out on their player pages or ask me in the comments if you want further detail on a prospect.
First-year player drafts are a crucial opportunity for you to add premium talent to your dynasty farm systems. You can always add pop-up prospects in season, but this is your only chance to add the best prospects from each class. It's also an opportunity to add big-league ready talent from Asia. You should approach your FYPD with a strategy that works best for your tendencies and your specific dynasty roster. This article is just a tool for you to make sure you're looking at the right prospects in the right range of your FYPD.
Make sure to sync your league using RotoWire's My Leagues feature before and during your FYPD. That way you can reference the top 400 prospect rankings to see who the best players available are, as non-FYPD prospects become strong options midway through most FYPDs.
Here's a First-Year Player Mock Draft that I did on the podcast Jan. 14, which should also be
This is the sixth-annual First-Year Player Draft Blueprint for dynasty leagues. The top 400 prospect rankings for fantasy baseball and the top 150 FYPD rankings with tiers, ETA, blurbs, etc... are fully updated, so make sure you check those out. The FYPD rankings work well in tandem with the blueprint. I've also written outlooks for most of the top guys (and over 200 total prospects with dozens more outlooks coming), so you can check those out on their player pages or ask me in the comments if you want further detail on a prospect.
First-year player drafts are a crucial opportunity for you to add premium talent to your dynasty farm systems. You can always add pop-up prospects in season, but this is your only chance to add the best prospects from each class. It's also an opportunity to add big-league ready talent from Asia. You should approach your FYPD with a strategy that works best for your tendencies and your specific dynasty roster. This article is just a tool for you to make sure you're looking at the right prospects in the right range of your FYPD.
Make sure to sync your league using RotoWire's My Leagues feature before and during your FYPD. That way you can reference the top 400 prospect rankings to see who the best players available are, as non-FYPD prospects become strong options midway through most FYPDs.
Here's a First-Year Player Mock Draft that I did on the podcast Jan. 14, which should also be a useful tool as you prepare for you FYPDs:
Pick 1
1. Tatsuya Imai, RHP, HOU, 2026 ETA, 3-Year, $54M contract
I play in six dynasty leagues and while I'm not contending in all six, I'd happily take Imai 1-1 in all six, so I'm struggling to think of a context where it would make sense to opt for a prospect over the 27-year-old Imai. His contract was lower than I was expecting, but he just needs to be a No. 3 starter for this to be the right pick, and I believe he could be a No. 2 starter as early as this season.
Options: Take Imai, or trade the pick
Top-400 Range: 10-15
Picks 2-8
2. Kade Anderson, LHP, SEA, 2026 ETA, $8.8M bonus
3. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B, TOR, 2026 ETA, 4-Year, $60M contract
4. Seth Hernandez, RHP, PIT, 2028 ETA, $7.25M bonus
5. Dax Kilby, SS/2B/CF, NYY, 2028 ETA, $2.8M bonus
6. Eli Willits, SS, WAS, 2028 ETA, $8.2M bonus
7. JoJo Parker, 3B, TOR, 2028 ETA, $6.2M bonus
8. Munetaka Murakami, 3B/1B, CHW, 2026 ETA, 2-Year, $34M contract
It's a testament to how poor the top of this class appears that I'm ranking pitchers first and second. Anderson was the top fantasy arm in the draft even before the Mariners took him, and he gets a bump after such a fortuitous landing spot. I expect Anderson and three other college starters in the next tier (Jamie Arnold, Tyler Bremner, Liam Doyle) to pitch in their big-league rotations in the second half of this season, health permitting. Okamoto (29) and Murakami (25) are each young enough that they should appeal to most dynasty teams. Okamoto is a top-200 fantasy player for me in 2026 and Murakami is a top 250 player, with both corner infielders having the potential to perform more like top 150 players. Everyone wants upside, and Hernandez and Kilby stand out to me as the two best chances of getting a superstar in this class. Willits and Parker have very high floors for high school infielders and they each have the potential to be top 100 fantasy players in their primes. I think it's quite possible that these eight are the first eight to come off the board in a good number of FYPDs, so don't assume one of these players will fall to ninth or 10th.
Options: Take your favorite player from this tier; trade down/out
Top-400 Range: 36-50
Picks 9-20
9. Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, MIL, 2027 ETA, $3.5M bonus
10. Jamie Arnold, LHP, ATH, 2026 ETA, $5.99M bonus
11. Tyler Bremner, RHP, LAA, 2026 ETA, $7.69M bonus
12. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, BOS, 2027 ETA, $5M bonus
13. Steele Hall, SS, CIN, 2028 ETA, $5.75M bonus
14. Aiva Arquette, SS, MIA, 2026 ETA, $7.15M bonus
15. Charles Davalan, CF/LF/2B, LAD, 2027 ETA, $2M bonus
16. Ethan Conrad, LF/CF, CHC, 2027 ETA, $3.56M bonus
17. Ethan Holliday, 3B, COL, 2028 ETA, $9M bonus
18. Liam Doyle, LHP, STL, 2026 ETA, $7.25M bonus
The strength of the 2025 draft class is the top six college starters (Anderson, Arnold, Bremner, Witherspoon, Doyle, Wood). That doesn't mean it will end up being the strength of this FYPD class when we look back in three or four years, but I strongly endorse taking these pitchers as they slide down your FYPD boards. It's human nature to not want to "settle" for a college arm and instead chase "upside," but we've seen how quickly good college starters can get to the majors these days, and I see significant upside with all six. Fischer and Arquette are the safest college hitters in the class. I prefer Fischer over Arquette because I trust someone beating up on SEC competition more than someone beating up on the Pac-12 and Big 10 schools on Oregon State's 2025 schedule. Davalan and Conrad are high-upside five-category types. I'm out on an island in preferring Davalan to Conrad, and even Ethan Frey (HOU) at this point. The only negative I see with Davalan is how much talent is ahead of him in that org., but I think consensus would be to value Davalan more in the 18-25 range in FYPDs. Holliday is the big wild card in this class. It was interesting leading up to the draft, because there were plenty of people warning about Holliday's hit tool, just not people on MLB TV, and then he gets the biggest bonus in the draft but he gets it from arguably the worst-run franchise. Initially I thought he belonged in the Kilby/Willits/Parker area for FYPDs, but his debut was bad enough that I think there's significant bust risk with Holliday, even if there's also big-time power upside. Another factor is that even if Holliday gets on track at the plate, he's at best a four-category producer, and realistically, I don't think you can expect him to be more than a neutral AVG/OBP contributor, even with Coors Field. This tier should cover you through at least pick 20 in your FYPD.
Options: Take someone from the prior tier if one falls; take your favorite player from this tier; trade down/out
Top-400 Range: 55-90
Picks 21-40
19. Ethan Frey, LF/CF/RF, HOU, 2027 ETA, $997,500 bonus
20. Gage Wood, RHP, PHI, 2027 ETA, $3M bonus
21. Gavin Fien, 3B/SS, TEX, 2028 ETA, $4.8M bonus
22. Slater de Brun, CF, TB, 2029 ETA, $4M bonus
23. Sean Gamble, LF/CF/2B/RF, KC, 2028 ETA, $4M bonus
24. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, SD, 2029 ETA, $3.61M bonus
25. Cody Ponce, RHP, TOR, 2020 ETA, 3-Year, $30M contract
26. Ike Irish, RF/C/1B/LF/DH, BAL, 2027 ETA, $4.42M bonus
27. Wandy Asigen, SS, NYM, 2030 ETA, $3.9M bonus
28. Luis Hernandez, SS, SF, 2030 ETA, $5M bonus
29. Francisco Renteria, RF/LF, PHI, 2030 ETA, $4M bonus
30. Josh Hammond, 3B, KC, 2029 ETA, $3.2M bonus
31. Mitch Voit, 2B, NYM, 2028 ETA, $1.75M bonus
32. Kane Kepley, CF, CHC, 2027 ETA, $1.4M bonus
This tier contains the top three J-15 prospects (Asigen, Hernandez, Renteria). They will appeal to more people this year than they have in past years due to the relative success of the 2025 J-15 class. While Josuar Gonzalez (SF) is looking like a great pick from last year and Kevin Alvarez (HOU) and Diego Tornes (ATL) are looking like solid picks, the second and third best prospects from that class -- Kendry Chourio (KC) and Juan Sanchez (TOR) -- were not widely drafted in FYPDs, so you can still get in on the upside of the J-15 market on the waiver wire. Asigen seems to have the most obvious superstar upside of the three, Hernandez is the safest and Renteria has the most power, but it's admittedly very tough to project these guys at this stage. Frey is seemingly universally loved and is the highest ranked draftee who did not get a seven-figure bonus. Fien and Hammond project as slugging third basemen with decent hit tools, while de Brun and Gamble have five-category potential in the outfield. Schoolcraft is a boom or bust lefty dripping with tools and arguably has as much upside as anyone in this tier, including the J-15s. Ponce is someone I expect to be able deploy most weeks in most formats in 2026, and he's got sneaky upside to actually be a big-time strikeout guy this time around in the U.S. Irish seems like more floor than ceiling after a lackluster debut, and I don't love the fact that he's going to be moving between three positions. Voit and Kepley have strong combinations of hit and speed, with Voit offering a bit more pop and Kepley offering superior defense that should buy him playing time. This tier should cover you through at least pick 40 in your FYPD.
Options: Take someone from the prior tier if one falls; consider taking a non-FYPD prospect I've got ranked ahead of this tier if applicable; take your favorite player from this tier; trade down/out
Top-400 Range: 99-149
Picks 41-60
33. Devin Taylor, LF, ATH, 2027 ETA, $2.5M bonus
34. Brendan Summerhill, CF/LF, TB, 2028 ETA, $2M bonus
35. Daniel Pierce, SS, TB, 2029 ETA, $4.31M bonus
36. Jace LaViolette, CF/RF/LF, CLE, 2028 ETA, $4M bonus
37. Xavier Neyens, 3B, HOU, 2029 ETA, $4.12M bonus
38. Johenssy Colome, 3B/SS, ATH, 2030 ETA, $4M bonus
39. Quentin Young, 3B/RF, MIN, 2029 ETA, $1.76M bonus
40. Ryan Mitchell, CF/LF/2B, STL, 2029 ETA, $2.25M bonus
41. Wehiwa Aloy, SS/3B/2B, BAL, 2027 ETA, $3.04M bonus
42. Angeibel Gomez, CF/RF, KC, 2030 ETA, $2.9M bonus
43. Jaden Fauske, LF/RF, CHW, 2029 ETA, $3M bonus
44. Landon Harmon, RHP, WAS, 2029 ETA, $2.5M bonus
45. Briggs McKenzie, LHP, ATL, 2029 ETA, $3M bonus
46. Josh Owens, RHP, TEX, 2029 ETA, $1.1M bonus
47. Jordan Yost, SS, DET, 2029 ETA, $3.25M bonus
48. Nick Becker, 3B/SS, SEA, 2029 ETA, $2.75M bonus
We've still got top 200 prospects to pick from in this tier, and I'm sure in many leagues there are a bunch of appealing non-FYPD prospects available at this point. I'm lower than consensus on LaViolette and Neyens because it's too much hit tool risk for me, but if they hit more than I think they will, they'll end up being great picks. We're really just taking shots in this tier. Gone are the players with high floors, but everyone in this tier has some degree of upside worth rostering in the vast majority of dynasty leagues. This tier should cover you through at least pick 60 in your FYPD.
Options: Take someone from the prior tier if one falls; consider taking a non-FYPD prospect I've got ranked ahead of this tier if applicable; take your favorite player from this tier
Top-400 Range: 170-233
Picks 61-100
49. Blaine Bullard, CF, TOR, 2029 ETA, $1.7M bonus
50. Billy Carlson, SS, CHW, 2029 ETA, $6.24M bonus
51. Brady Ebel, 3B, MIL, 2029 ETA, $2.75M bonus
52. Juan Rijo, LF/CF, SEA, 2030 ETA, $2.2M bonus
53. Aaron Watson, RHP, CIN, 2029 ETA, $2.75M bonus
54. Foster Griffin, LHP, WAS, 2020 ETA, 1-Year, $5.5M contract
55. Angel Nunez, CF, CIN, 2030 ETA, $3M bonus
56. Sung-Mun Song, 3B/2B/1B, SD, 2026 ETA, 4-Year, $15M contract
57. AJ Russell, RHP, TEX, 2028 ETA, $2.6M bonus
58. Riley Quick, RHP, MIN, 2027 ETA, $2.69M bonus
59. Zachary Root, LHP, LAD, 2027 ETA, $2.2M bonus
60. Patrick Forbes, RHP, ARI, 2028 ETA, $3M bonus
61. Gavin Kilen, 2B, SF, 2027 ETA, $5.25M bonus
62. Kayson Cunningham, 2B, ARI, 2028 ETA, $4.58M bonus
63. Tanner Franklin, RHP, STL, 2027 ETA, $1.15M bonus
64. Marek Houston, SS, MIN, 2027 ETA, $4.5M bonus
65. Kyle Lodise, 2B/SS/3B, CHW, 2027 ETA, $922,500 bonus
66. Cam Cannarella, CF, MIA, 2028 ETA, $2.28M bonus
67. Henry Godbout, 2B, BOS, 2028 ETA, $1.09M bonus
68. Josiah Hartshorn, LF/RF, CHC, 2029 ETA, $2M bonus
69. Aidan West, 2B/3B/SS, LAD, 2029 ETA, $1.27M bonus
I'm lower on Carlson than consensus because I think he'll be a No. 9 hitter. Kilen and the 99th ranked Tate Southisene (ATL) were my two least favorite picks of the draft, but I can see a path to Kilen at least being a low-end starting second baseman. I'm lower on Cunningham than consensus because he's a prep second baseman with a hit tool and maybe nothing else. Even if he's a plus hitter, I think he's just a empty batting average, and I wouldn't expect a team to put up with that as an everyday second baseman. I'm higher on Griffin than Anthony Kay, simply because the projections are quite a bit higher on Griffin, but it's certainly possible Kay ends up being better. This tier should cover you through at least pick 100 in your FYPD.
Options: Take someone from the prior tier if one falls; consider taking a non-FYPD prospect I've got ranked ahead of this tier if applicable; take your favorite player from this tier
Top-400 Range: 240-309
I've got more info on FYPD prospects 70-152 on the FYPD top 150. Please ask me any questions in the comments section, and good luck in your first-year player drafts!
