Fantasy Podcast: Breaking Down 2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings

We return with another episode of the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast in the midst of lots of action on the free agent and trade market. We open up by discussing Kyle Tucker just minutes before he signed with the Dodgers. We then discuss the Ranger Suarez and Alex Bregman signings. After that we jump into the First Year Player draft rankings, navigating through the first 30 or so picks. (2:00) Tucker tweets(7:00) Ranger Suarez signing(11:00) Alex Bregman signs with the Cubs(14:00) Tatsuya Imai at 1.1(19:00) Liam Doyle believer.(25:00) Dax Kilby buying into the tools(32:00) Insane prep shortstop group(40:00) Gage Wood hype machine.Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Carlos and Jacob hop on the podcast and attempt to create the most impressive “build-a-player” possible by drafting the best tools in the college class. The two each attempt to create the best possible hitters by drafting hit, power, run, field and arm tools. On the pitching side they each draft a fastball, curveball, slider, changeup and control.The ground rules: once a player is picked for any category, that player is no longer eligible for another. Other than that, it’s wide open. Which hitter and pitcher do you prefer? —Time Stamps:(3:20) Carlos fielding(4:40) Jacob control(7:40) Carlos power(12:20) Jacob slider(14:25) Carlos fastball(17:30) Jacob curveball(20:10) Carlos run(23:45) Jacob hitter(27:20) Carlos changeup(30:30) Jacob power(33:35) Carlos arm(36:30) Jacob fastball(40:36) Carlos hitter(45:20) Jacob changeup(47:00) Carlos slider (51:30) Jacob fielding(53:00) Carlos curveball(54:40) Jacob run(57:00) Carlos control(59:45) Jacob armOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

JJ Cooper and Jesús Cano are here for another Baseball America Prospects Deep Dive. Today we are looking at the Mariners farm system, led by shortstop Colt Emerson.(03:00) How difficult was the decision to rank Colt Emerson No. 1?(09:20) Is this farm system better or worse than last year?(14:00) Who is the bet to be No. 1 in this system next year?(16:30) What are the Mariners good at developing?(22:00) Who are some sleepers to watch(24:50) Where does the system drop off(27:30) Talking about Michael Arroyo's position moveMariners Top 30 Prospects: https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2018-seattle-mariners/prospects/?season=2026&ranking=preseasonOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On today's Prospect Podcast Deep Dive, Geoff Pontes and Josh Norris take an in-depth look at the World Champions. The Dodgers' farm system had a fascinating quartet who all had cases to be the system's No. 1 prospect.(00:00) How Good Is The System?(02:00) How Tough Was The Choice To Pick Eduardo Quintero No. 1?(06:30) Is This System Better Or Worse Than Last Year?(10:15) Who Is Your Guess To Be Next Year's No. 1?(13:20) What Is This Org Good At Developing?(17:30) A Secret Weapon In The Dodgers Success(20:00) Are There Future Top 100 Prospects Lurking On The Rankings?(25:00) Other Names To KnowDodgers Top 30 Prospects: https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2012-los-angeles-dodgers/prospects/?season=2026&ranking=preseasonOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the latest of our Prospect Deep Dives, Josh Norris and Geoff Pontes take a look at a much improved Giants farm system. Yes, Bryce Eldridge remains as the No. 1 prospect, but it's what has emerged behind him that has the system on the upswing.(01:00) Bryce Eldridge Is No. 1. How tough was this decision?(03:30) Is this system better or worse than last year?(09:30) Who is the best guess to be No. 1 next year?(12:45) What is the system good at developing?(17:00) Other names to know in the Giants systemGiants Top 30: https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2019-san-francisco-giants/prospects/?season=2026&ranking=preseasonOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper and Geoff Pontes lead a packed show featuring a breakdown of the fallout for Matt Shaw and the Cubs after the Alex Bregman signing.We also welcome No. 2 Astros prospect Ethan Frey to the show before discussing our latest FYPD fantasy baseball rankings.We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.Time Stamps(0:00) Introduction (1:45) Alex Bregman Cubs fallout for Matt Shaw (7:45) Ethan Frey joins (10:30) How Ethan feels in recovery from injury (12:30) Making the transition from college to pro ball (16:15) Ethan's goals for 2026 (17:00) Ethan's college baseball pick for 2026 (19:00) Breaking down BA's latest FYPD rankings (26:00) Saying goodbye to Peter FlahertyOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Carlos Collazo dive into the NCAA's new umpire selection process for the postseason and discuss other potential rule changes coming out of the American Baseball Coaches Association convention. Rudner and Collazo also go in-depth on where UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky stacks up compared to No. 1 overall draft prospects of the past.(2:00) How the NCAA is refining postseason umpire selection and evaluation(13:46) Can better umpire impact players' draft stocks?(19:06) Should college add an automatic baserunner in extras?(32:37) Roch Cholowsky compared to previous No. 1 draft prospects(45:42) What we're looking for early in the season from draft prospectsOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Geoff Pontes and Peter Flaherty are taking an in-depth look at the Padres farm system. San Diego is as aggressive as anyone at using the system to trade for big league stars, but how much is left after the Mason Miller trade?(00:00) Why this is Peter's last podcast for BA(04:10) How clearly was Ethan Salas the No. 1 prospect?(11:30) Is the Padres system better or worse than last year?(14:30) Who is likely to be next year's No. 1 prospect?(16:00) What is this org good at developing?(18:00) What's exciting about the top four prospects(20:00) Just how thin is this system?(23:00) Some other prospect names to knowPadres Top 30 Prospects:https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2017-san-diego-padres/prospects/?season=2026&ranking=preseasonOur Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After a holiday hiatus the Baseball America Fantasy podcast is back with our final positional ranking podcast of the offseason. We start the show discussing the trio of Japanese players that signed from NPB. We then discuss the Cubs and Marlins trade before diving into the top 200 pitchers.(3:00) Is the market reacting too much to Murakami's swing and miss concerns?(6:30) Tatsuya Imai ready to succeed state side?(11:00) Is Kazuma Okamoto the best of the three in 2026 only?(14:00) Owen Caissie traded to Miami. What are your expectations for Caissie in 2026?(17:00) Why Shohei Ohtani No. 1?(19:00) Is Yamamoto just outside the top tier of pitchers?(25:00) Is Joe Ryan Tier 2 or Tier 3?(27:00) Explaining the Aggressive Eury ranking(29:00) The Yesavage ranking is more than the playoff bias.Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s a bittersweet episode of the draft podcast, as Peter bids farewell to Baseball America and embarks on a new journey as a scout with the Nationals. Carlos and Peter reminisce on their time together covering the draft over the last few years, talk about what they’ve learned and how their processes have changed. As always on the draft pod, there is still player talk. The two express their excitement about the strength of the upcoming draft class and highlight a few names who could move up draft boards this spring. Time Stamps:(0:00) Peter ditches the scribes and joins the scouts(7:00) Our outlook on the 2026 class(14:00) The variety inherent in amateur coverage(17:00) Potential sleepers who could rise(24:00) Lessons we’ve learned from previous drafts Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/remove* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy