EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsChicago Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong was not only the best baseball player in 2026, but he easily led the field when it came to roto/category-based fantasy formats as well. Crow-Armstrong was a true five-category roto option, hitting .278 with 45 home runs, 107 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. He easily led the final Player Rater, followed by the likely Cy Young award winners in each league, while San Diego Padres OF/2B Fernando Tatis Jr. and Houston Astros DH/OF Yordan Alvarez rounded out the top five.Can we make a case for PCA over Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani for 2027 roto drafts? I think we can. After all, we could make the case that New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge deserved the top nod over Ohtani entering 2026. Judge was a dominant offensive player in three of the prior four seasons, hitting .311 or above three times, providing massive power and stealing double-digit bases. Things didn't quite work out in 2026. Still, Ohtani's pitching prowess placed him ahead for ADP.Ohtani, 32, made only 14 pitching starts in 2026, though they were awesome starts (1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP). At the plate, Ohtani delivered his worst season as a Dodger, hitting "only" .275 with 30 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 139 games. That isn't special. The combination of the pitching and hitting numbers, however, remains special. It differentiates Ohtani, especially in fantasy leagues that permit the use of all his statistics concurrently.Perhaps PCA, Judge or Kansas City Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. can overcome that, but as a two-way player option, Ohtani remains No. 1.Way-too-early top 50 category-based rankings for 20271. Shohei Ohtani, DH/SP, Dodgers: It was not his best season, but he clearly intends to keep pitching, and the combination of massive power numbers with (hopefully) 100-plus innings pitched remains unmatched. Remember, as awesome as Crow-Armstrong was in 2026, Ohtani did hit .310 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases in 2024, when he did not pitch. He certainly can match Crow-Armstrong offensively.2. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Cubs: As amazing as Crow-Armstrong's season was, imagine if he plays at that top level for all six months of 2027. After all, he was hitting only .237 with seven home runs entering June.3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals: Back tightness cost him a few weeks in July and his power suffered, yet he still finished seventh among hitters on the Player Rater. He is only 26 and perhaps a future MVP.4. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees: Just when you wanted to believe he was durable (he missed a mere 14 games over the previous two seasons), he played just two months in 2026. His offensive upside is such that he remains worth a top-5 pick in 2027.5. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds: He may never steal 67 bases again, but it's worth it as he delivered his best batting average. After a standout 30/30 season in 2026, there is reasonable 40/40 upside lurking here.6. Fernando Tatis Jr., OF/2B, Padres: Forget the first half of his 2026 season. A monster second half -- with top power -- pushed him into the No. 2 spot among hitters in the final Player Rater.7. Juan Soto, OF, New York Mets: Injuries truncated his season, but the plate discipline and power remain. He can always steal bases again if he feels like doing so.8. Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros: He's back! Alvarez returned to elite, four-category production, posting career-best numbers.9. Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays: It is indeed rare for any player to deliver multiple seasons of 40 home runs before turning 25, but what if Caminero keeps improving?10. Jacob Misiorowski, SP, Milwaukee Brewers: The pending NL Cy Young Award winner delivered one of the top pitching seasons of the century, striking out 252 hitters. Might he get hurt eventually? Sure. But look at the hitters ranked ahead of him. Anyone might get hurt.11. Cam Schlittler, SP, Yankees: And here is the obvious AL Cy Young Award winner. We knew he was good, but this good?12. Tarik Skubal, SP, Dodgers: We're not sure where he pitches in 2027, but assuming it isn't Denver (it won't be Denver), he should be great again.13. Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers: He has started his career with three consecutive 20/20 seasons, with the implication being he is merely getting started.14. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians: He is on the other side of 30 and there are legit concerns after a powerless season. We say he isn't done yet.15. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals: An oblique injury cost him a month and sapped power, otherwise he might have hit 40 home runs.16. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: It was not his best season, but it's hard to complain about four consecutive 20/20 campaigns to begin a career.17. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners: It was not his best season, either, but he still managed to produce his fifth consecutive 20/20 season to start his career.18. Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals: Finally! A major breakout season put him in the conversation for fantasy MVP, as he finished ninth among hitters on the Rater. There is 40/30 upside here.19. Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres: As with Tatis, he turned his season around and flirted with 30/30 numbers. He hasn't turned 24 yet.20. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves: He last reached 110 games played during the 2023 season, but he managed to reach 20/20 for the third time in 2026.21. CJ Abrams, SS, Nationals: A solid performer prior to this season, the power made a huge jump -- and he surpassed 100 RBIs.22. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers: All these Dodgers stars and this is the only guy joining Ohtani in the top 50. Another dominant season.23. Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies: A few rough outings elevated his ERA/WHIP, but the strikeouts and 18 wins were there.24. Dylan Cease, SP, Toronto Blue Jays: Year 1 in Toronto featured his best ERA/WHIP since 2022, with his sixth consecutive season of 200-plus strikeouts.25. Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates: His ERA roughly doubled from his career mark to 3.82, but it wasn't really all that bad. Good news: No WBC in 2027!26. Pete Alonso, 1B, Baltimore Orioles: He's the first player to win an RBI title in each league. We can always count on durability, power and perhaps safe batting average, too. He was the No. 11 on the Player Rater.27. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves: He is a lot like Alonso, but he isn't quite Alonso, is he? Still, it is nice to count on 162 games and solid power every year.28. Bryce Harper, 1B/OF, Phillies: He had a solid season. He played in all 162 games and added outfield eligibility, but is he elite? Harper finished 29th among hitters on the Rater, a few spots after Olson.29. Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies: Elite power, but a batting average drain in roto formats.30. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics: Don't shy away from investing here for 2027. His power and plate discipline are real.31. Miguel Vargas, 3B/1B, Chicago White Sox: What a fantastic breakout season -- even in roto, where he finished 14th among hitters on the Rater. He was a top-5 hitter in points formats.32. Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers: This five-category provider hasn't fully tapped into his power and he may never steal 50 again, but this version of Turang works.33. Oneil Cruz, OF, Pirates: No longer an automatic out versus left-handed pitchers, there remains power upside here.34. Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates: No, he did not contend for top rookie honors, but this is a future star. His power and plate discipline will develop quickly.35. Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets: A calf injury cost him two months. Don't forget he reached 30/30 in two of the previous three seasons. It can happen again.36. Chris Sale, SP, Braves: He turns 38 in March. 2026 was another great season, but with fewer innings -- and some mild reason for caution.37. Garrett Crochet, SP, Boston Red Sox: He made only six starts, but let's remember what he achieved during the 2025 campaign. It was electric.38. Max Fried, SP, Yankees: He delivered excellent numbers in a truncated campaign. Don't assume injuries complicate future seasons.39. Kevin McGonigle, SS/3B, Detroit Tigers: This fantastic rookie was a points-league star, but the arrow points up for power, speed in roto, too.40. Sal Stewart, 1B/3B, Reds: This fantastic rookie wasn't just a power option, as he stole 15 bases and hit for a decent batting average.41. Rafael Devers, 1B, San Francisco Giants: He showed excellent power in his first full Giants season. There's no reason to believe it stops anytime soon.42. Ben Rice, 1B, Yankees: His numbers look a lot like what Devers delivered. The power is real, but his days of playing catcher are over.43. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Yankees: That was his worst MLB season for OPS, but he still has power and still steals bases.44. Randy Arozarena, OF, Mariners: Here's an underrated, often-overlooked veteran who boasts six consecutive 20/20 seasons. He's not the reason the Mariners struggled.45. Jesus Luzardo, SP, Phillies: Even a late-season IL stint could not prevent him from top-10 starter status. He has more than 200 K's in three out of four seasons.46. Chase Burns, SP, Reds: Similarly, his late-season IL stint means little in the big picture. He boasted a top-10 strikeout rate as well, and he won 15 out of 18 decisions.47. Gavin Williams, SP, Guardians: He went from a decent strikeout option to leading the AL -- and quickly. He is another ace to build around.48. Jac Caglianone, OF/1B, Royals: The No. 43 hitter on the Rater boasts massive power upside and his .289 batting average was a nice surprise. Don't be surprised when he supplies at least 35 home runs in future seasons.49. Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays: Investors will not enjoy home runs or RBIs with this pick, but Simpson hit .306 with 46 stolen bases, filling a need in roto formats. He ranked 18th among hitters on the final Player Rater.50. Mason Miller, RP, Padres: Baseball's preeminent reliever (129 strikeouts!) goes even earlier than this in points formats. One can also make the case for Cleveland's Cade Smith, Toronto's Louis Varland and Philadelphia's Jhoan Duran in this range after their awesome seasons.Other hitters under consideration: Drake Baldwin, C, Braves; Carson Benge, OF, Mets; Michael Harris II, OF, Braves; Alec Burleson, 1B/OF, Cardinals; Otto Lopez, SS, Miami Marlins; Yandy Diaz, 1B, Rays; Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles AngelsOther pitchers under consideration: Drew Rasmussen, Rays; Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Logan Gilbert, Mariners; Nolan McLean, Mets
