Predicting the First Round of 2027 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

September 24, 2026

Eric predicts the first round of 2027 fantasy baseball drafts. Eric's predictions on how the first 12 picks should go in 2027 fantasy baseball drafts.

It's never too early to look ahead. If you're a fantasy baseball junkie like me, you've probably already had some thoughts about the 2027 fantasy baseball season. Yes, we currently don't know what the 2027 season will look like due to the impending lockout, but let's keep things positive and operate under the assumption that we will have a 2027 season and that it will start on time.

The top of 2027 fantasy baseball drafts are going to look a bit different next season. You still have a lot of the same names as we had in 2026, but a few big names fell off while a few others had career years and jumped up into the mix.

I'm going to be discussing who I believe will be the Top-12 players in 2027 fantasy baseball ADP. These are not my personal rankings, just how I believe the first round will shake out in terms of average draft position.

Predicting the First Round of 2027 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

1. Shohei Ohtani (UT/SP - Dodgers)

If you used the first overall pick on Shohei Ohtani this season, you didn't get your money's worth. I get it. But a healthy Ohtani is still the best player on the planet and can provide all-around value no other player in baseball history can match.

Even while being limited to 596 plate appearances this season, Ohtani has still managed 89 runs, 30 home runs, 80 RBI, and 11 steals with a .277/.380/.522 slash line. And on the mound, he dominated to the tune of a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 27.9% strikeout rate in his 14 starts and 85.2 innings.

You really can't count on Ohtani to pitch a full season, but even half a season of Ohtani pitching along with his elite offensive production makes him the #1 player for fantasy baseball. And would you just look at all the red on his Savant page...

2. Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF - Cubs)

If you wanted to take Pete Crow-Armstrong first overall, I don't think anyone would fault you for that. And honestly, once February and March roll around, it wouldn't surprise me to see Crow-Armstrong's ADP a smidge higher than Ohtani's given the season he's put together here in 2026.

At the time of me writing this, Crow-Armstrong has racked up 119 runs, 84 extra-base hits, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 39 steals and 81 walks with a .280/.373/.577 slash line. Every single stat and metric I just listed is a new career-high for Crow-Armstrong, many of which by a considerable margin. This is also the second straight 30/30 season for Crow-Armstrong, making him just the 10th player in MLB history to do so.

2 innings, 2 at-bats, 2 HOME RUNS for Pete Crow-Armstrong! pic.twitter.com/aHGYspJQOz

— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2026

Below the hood, Crow-Armstrong has more than doubled his walk rate from 4.5% to 11.4% this season, while also improving his hard-hit rate from 41.6% to 48.7% and dropping his chase rate from 41.7% to 34.3%. Becoming more patient at the plate has done wonders for PCA, and if these improvements stick in 2027, there's no reason why he can't make a run at the #1 overall fantasy performer title once again.

3. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS - Royals)

Out of these top three players, Bobby Witt Jr. feels like the safest of the three. And honestly, I'd much rather have the 3rd pick in drafts so I can just sit back and draft whichever of these three studs are still on the board. Sure, he doesn't have as many home runs as the previous few seasons (18), but this is the fifth straight season Witt has had at least 18 home runs, 30 steals, and 82 runs, and his 4th straight season hitting .276 or higher.

If 80/20/30/.280 is basically the floor with Witt, then you don't really have much risk associated with using a Top-3 pick on him. And we've seen his high-end upside when he racked up 125 runs, 211 hits, 88 extra-base hits, 32 home runs, 109 RBI, and 31 steals in 2024 while slashing .332/.389/.588.

Witt's metrics are still elite across the board as well. He's one of the fastest players in baseball who recorded a career-best 50.5% hard-hit rate this season. On top of that, Witt also set new career highs in walk rate (10.7%) and zone contact rate (86.6%). I have zero reservations about taking him 3rd overall in 2027 drafts. None.

4. Elly De La Cruz (SS - Reds)

Overall, this has been the best season for Elly De La Cruz, and I feel like it's not being talked about nearly enough. With four games left in the season, De La Cruz is one home run and one stolen base shy of his first 30/30 season, but that's not even the aspect of his 2026 season that impresses me the most.

De La Cruz has set new career-best marks with his .285 AVG, .367 OBP, and .517 SLG this season, all of which are considerably higher than his previous career highs. On top of that, De La Cruz has increased his contact rate to 71.9%, his walk rate to 11.3%, and has new career-best marks with his 16.2% barrel rate, 94.7 mph AVG EV, and 53.8% hard-hit rate.

The upside is otherworldly, and now De La Cruz has made strides with his pure hitting ability as well. That's a scary combination for 2027 if these gains stick.

5. Juan Soto (OF - Mets)

It's a bummer that Juan Soto has been limited to around two-thirds of a season this year, as he's having another year with an OPS above .900 while being on pace for around 40 home runs, 90 runs scored, 105 RBI, and 15 steals.

Soto's floor is so damn high. He's never had an OBP under .390 in any of his nine Major League seasons, and if he didn't miss over 50 games this season, Soto would likely be finishing up his 4th straight 90/35/100 season right about now.

We've seen Soto really take off in the home run column over these last few seasons after his batted ball angles improved. Soto's quality of contact metrics have always been phenomenal, and that is once again the case this season with a 14.1% barrel rate, 48.4% hard-hit rate, and a 92.7 mph AVG EV. But it certainly helps that he's been above a 16% pull-air rate in each of the last three seasons after never reaching 16% in his first six seasons.

6. Aaron Judge (OF - Yankees)

Out of all the potential first-round picks in 2027 fantasy baseball drafts, Aaron Judge is easily the biggest wild card. Everyone on the planet knows that Judge is one of the best right-handed hitters of all time, but he was limited to just 66 games this season and has been under 110 games in two of the last four seasons. However, in the other two seasons, Judge had more than 120 runs, 50 home runs, 110 RBI, 10 steals, and a batting average above .320 each season.

If you're a bit hesitant to draft Judge in the top half of the first round, I'd understand your rationale. And for me personally, I'm not going to take him with a Top-4 pick if that's where I'm slotted. But starting at pick five, I'd be very intrigued by the thought of drafting Judge, especially if we receive reports that he's "feeling great" or "100% healthy". A fully healthy Judge is still an absolute stud.

7. Junior Caminero (3B - Rays)

Junior Caminero just turned 23 right before the All-Star break, and he already has two 40-homer seasons under his belt. Not a bad way to start your career.

In each of his two full major league seasons, Caminero has racked up over 90 runs scored, 40 home runs, and 95 RBI, while hitting over .260 and slugging over .520. Sure, he doesn't provide more than a handful of steals each season, which is a category many fantasy managers covet to some degree with their first-round pick. But it's hard to argue with that elite three-category production along with a solid batting average.

437 FEET 😤

Junior Caminero just doesn't stop mashing! pic.twitter.com/ycE9QXaI56

— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2026

The position next to Caminero's name also factors in here. In case you didn't notice, the hot corner is a hot mess these days after the elite options are off the table. Several big names such as Manny Machado and Austin Riley fell off a cliff this season, Jose Ramirez had a down season, Maikel Garcia missed a ton of time, and so on and so forth.

Getting an elite third baseman like Caminero in the first round makes it so you don't have to worry about tackling this messy position in the middle rounds.

8. Fernando Tatis Jr. (2B/OF - Padres)

Remember when Fernando Tatis Jr. didn't have a home run in his first 55 games? That feels like a lifetime ago, as Tatis is now up to 25 home runs, 81 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 36 steals with a .287/.356/.469 slash line, while eclipsing 150 games played for the second consecutive season.

Tatis has put together his usual elite contact metrics and solid approach metrics this season, but he's also pushed his zone and overall contact rates to career-best 85.7% and 73.9%, respectively. But even with all of that statistical and metric goodness, the best part of Tatis' season is that he picked up second base eligibility. That is absolutely HUGE heading into 2027, as the second base position is always one of the weakest and most difficult to fill in fantasy drafts.

9. James Wood (OF -  Nationals)

James Wood is a player I could definitely see going a few spots higher than this. And I'd have zero issues with that, as these players listed 4-9 for me are all in one big tier. While Wood missed a little time, he still picked up his second straight season with at least 30 home runs and 15 steals, while setting new career highs with his 104 runs scored, 99 walks, 21 steals, .385 OBP, and .505 SLG.

When Wood is on, there are only a few players on the planet who can match or exceed his monstrous upside. In 2026, Wood ranked in the 98th percentile or higher with his .552 xSLG, 95.2 mph AVG EV, 19% barrel rate, and 58.6% hard-hit rate, while also having a 95th percentile bat speed, 93rd percentile chase rate, and 98th percentile walk rate.

Yes, he whiffs and strikes out a bit too often, which causes some peaks and valleys, but the end-of-season numbers should be spectacular.

10. Jacob Misiorowski (SP - Brewers)

Starting pitching ADPs are pretty dependent on format, but Jacob Misiorowski is a pitcher I have zero issues with taking in the first round of any format in 2027. Misiorowski just finished up one of the best pitching seasons in the history of baseball. In his 29 starts, Misiorowski posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 6.5% walk rate, and a 38.2% strikeout rate.

Nothing about Misiorowski's season was fluky or illegitimate, either, as all his underlying metrics were elite. On top of having the second-highest strikeout rate and third-highest K-BB rate in the history of baseball for a pitcher with at least 160 innings pitched in a season, Misiorowski also recorded an elite 37.2% whiff rate, 35.2% chase rate, and a 3.7% barrel rate allowed. His 4-seamer finished with a +28 run value on Savant, which is unheard of.

And before we move on to the next player, can I interest you in one of the sexiest-looking sets of pitching savant sliders that I've ever seen?

11. Yordan Alvarez (OF - Astros)

Well, Yordan Alvarez finally stayed on the field for at least 150 games, and look what has happened. With a few days left in the season, Alvarez currently sits with 41 home runs, 102 RBI, 101 runs scored, and 107 walks with a .316/.432/.603 slash line across 673 plate appearances. Every stat and metric I just mentioned is a new career high for Alvarez, outside of RBI and SLG.

You don't need me to tell you that Alvarez is one of the best all-around hitters on the planet. His metrics have been elite for a long time, but every season so far has had a minor injury or issue that limited Alvarez a little bit, leaving us wondering, "What if he can have a fully healthy season?" Well, now we know.

On top of all of that, Alvarez played more than 20 games in the outfield this season, meaning he'll carry that eligibility over to 2027 on every single fantasy baseball platform. So there will be no "UT-Only" stigma attached to his name in 2027 drafts, giving even more incentive to draft him in the first round.

12. CJ Abrams (SS - Nationals)

The newest member of the 30/30 club, CJ Abrams, is the first-round pick I'll be the most hesitant about in 2027 fantasy baseball drafts. This has been a career year for Abrams with 92 runs scored, 33 home runs, 103 RBI, and 33 steals with a .262/.338/.500 slash line. However, Abrams metrics under the hood aren't quite as stellar as the hitters listed above him.

Abrams is an above-average power hitter who recorded a career-best 10.6% barrel rate and 89.6 mph AVG EV this season. But him remaining a 30-homer bat in 2027 hinges on Abrams maintaining his 63.5% air rate, 44.9% pull rate, and 25.1% pull-air rate. He's also on the aggressive end of the approach spectrum, which always gives me some pause when considering a hitter this high in drafts.

Abrams absolutely has the upside to post first-round value again in 2027. But at the same time, he has the lowest floor of anyone in this top-12.

Stay tuned for Part 2 (Second Round 13-24) coming soon!

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