Eric Cross' Top 125 Dynasty Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (January 2026)

January 29, 2026

Eric Cross' updated fantasy baseball prospect dynasty rankings -- his top 125 prospects for fantasy baseball from his January 2026 rankings update. Check out his dynasty prospect risers and fallers.

Welcome to my first prospect rankings update of 2026. Baseball season is approaching quickly, and many of the names below are slated to make an impact at the major league level at some point during the upcoming season.

These MLB prospect rankings are geared toward standard 5x5 fantasy baseball leagues (AVG) and consider many factors, including performance to date, scouting grades, future projection, and video and data analysis. Or, as I like to call it ... "PPP," which stands for profile, performance, and projection.

While these dynasty fantasy baseball prospect rankings are more slanted toward long-term fantasy value, proximity and short-term value do play a part in where a prospect lands in my rankings. If you want to see the full top 500, then head on over to my Patreon!

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Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (January)

Prospect notes and analysis can be found below the rankings table below.

Prospect Eligibility: Less than 130 MLB AB or 50 IP (I'm ignoring service time)

Rankings Updated: January 2026

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Notes

Aidan Miller, Philadelphia Phillies

I'll fully admit that Aidan Miller was someone I dropped way too far in my rankings when he was struggling last summer. But as you can see above, I've moved him substantially back up and now have him inside my top 20 overall.

An Aidan Miller leadoff homer to get the series started 💪 pic.twitter.com/AgVvFeMbxp

— Reading Fightin Phils (@ReadingFightins) September 2, 2025

In Miller's final 39 games of the 2025 season, he slashed a stellar .356/.492/.596 with 17 doubles, six home runs, 22 steals, and more walks (34) than strikeouts (32). For the season, Miller racked up 27 doubles, 14 home runs, 59 steals, and 82 walks, making him the only prospect in 2025 to have more than 25 doubles, 14 home runs, 80 walks, and 50 steals.

Miller combines above-average contact skills with a good approach, plus speed, and at least average raw power. He ran a 77% contact rate last season to go with an 8.9% SwStr rate, 15.6% walk rate, and a 23.4% strikeout rate. It doesn't matter if he's able to stick at short or has to move to third base, Miller's .275/20/30 upside would make him a highly coveted fantasy asset at either position.

Joshua Baez, St. Louis Cardinals

The resurgence of Joshua Baez in 2025 was glorious. Entering the season, Baez wasn't highly ranked due to having three straight seasons with a strikeout rate above 34%. Well, not only did Baez drop his strikeout rate from 35.5% in 2024 to 20.6% in 2025 and his SwStr rate from 17.9% to 11.4%, but he did so while being an absolute beast at the plate.

In 499 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A, Baez slashed .287/.384/.500 with 20 home runs and 54 steals in 63 attempts.

Ever since he was drafted way back in 2021, Baez's raw power and athleticism have always stood out. But he was slowly fading into obscurity due to terrible contact rates and a strikeout rate that could make your eyes bleed.

Dropping the strikeout rate as much as he did last season while increasing his contact rate from 64% to 75% is incredibly encouraging, and now makes Baez one of the top outfield prospects in the game for fantasy. Let's just hope the 2025 contact and strikeout improvements can stick in 2026 and beyond.

Carter Jensen, Kansas City Royals

It feels like every time I rank or write about Carter Jensen, he moves a bit higher in my rankings. At this point, he's one of my top-ranked catcher prospects entering 2026 with the offensive upside to be a top-10 fantasy catcher in 2026 and beyond.

The 2025 season was impressive from start to finish for Jensen, especially in his Triple-A tenure later in the season. In 43 games at the level, Jensen slashed .288/.404/.647 with 14 home runs and a 166 wRC+. Overall, he finished 2025 with 20 home runs, 10 steals, and a .290/.377/.501 minor league slash line before swatting a trio of taters in 69 plate appearances with the Royals to end the season.

Carter Jensen hit this baseball 482 feet 😳 pic.twitter.com/CE151rFkIk

— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2025

While the contact rates are slightly below average, Jensen's quality of contact stands out in a big way. In Triple-A last season, he recorded a beautiful 94 mph AVG EV, 59.4% hard-hit rate, and a 14.9% barrel rate. Even if he's more of a .250-.260 hitter, Jensen could be an annual threat for 25-30 home runs while possibly chipping in a handful of steals along the way.

Connelly Early, Boston Red Sox

After seeing Connelly Early in Double-A earlier in the season, I thought he was solid, but by no means did he stand out to me in either of my live looks. Well, he certainly stood out in his four outings with Boston down the stretch, recording a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 5.1% walk rate, and a 36.7% strikeout rate in 19.1 innings. This after finishing with a 2.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .193 BAA, and a 22.2% K-BB rate in 100.1 minor league innings.

While Early can't match the velocity of Payton Tolle, his arsenal is more diverse, running six pitches deep against left-handed batters and five pitches deep against right-handed batters. He averaged 94 mph on the 4-seamer with Boston and had a whiff rate above 29% on four of his five most used offerings.

I'm not saying Early is going to be an ace, but he can miss bats, limits walks well, and generates plenty of groundballs as well. He certainly looks the part of a No. 3 starter and possible top-50 fantasy SP down the road.

Jhostynxon Garcia, Boston Red Sox

The biggest faller within the top 100 of this update is new Pittsburgh outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia. While I still believe Garcia can turn into a viable fantasy outfielder, his metrics at Triple-A last season were the cause for his rankings drop.

On the surface, Garcia finished 2025 with 21 home runs, seven steals, and a respectable .267/.340/.470 slash line. However, he also ran a 76% overall and 65.8% zone contact rate in Triple-A while striking out 29.1% of the time. Garcia's quality of contact metrics were also underwhelming, with an 86.4 mph AVG EV and 34.6% hard-hit rate.

We'll likely see Garcia debut early in the 2026 season, and a .250/20 hitter with a handful of steals annually is still a possible outcome. I'm just not sure Garcia develops into an impact offensive outfielder for fantasy purposes.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see the full Top 500 along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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