2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

Welcome to the 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings.

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The List

This list will be updated once a month.  Because these are Dynasty rankings with a 5-8 year window taken into consideration you won’t see many jumps from update to update. A Dynasty rankings list is done with the long term in mind so there isn’t a lot a player can really do to drastically improve his value in such a short period of time.

Major injuries, promotions and situation changes will be the main reasons for a player moving up or down. Hot or cold streaks won’t move the needle much.

It is very important to keep in mind that not all leagues, teams and owners will be alike.  These rankings are meant to be a guideline as it is impossible to get a list that equally covers all leagues.  Depending on a lot of variables the rankings for these players can be drastically different at times depending on the settings and values of your individual leagues.  Consider these rankings a good baseline and adjust accordingly based on your individual needs.

Be sure to check back often to see how your guys’ stocks move up and down throughout the season and the years.

Also be sure to check out the rest of our fantastic Fantasy Baseball content during draft season including our Redraft Rankings from two of the top rankers according to Fantasy Pros.

Top Risers

Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers SP – Peralta had been pitching fine in his limited chances over his first 3 years in the league. Something looks like it has clicked in 2021 as he has been dominant. Clearly still behind Burnes and Woodruff in the rotation, as they have been even more lights out. But at just 24 years of age we might be seeing a massive breakout happening right now.

Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins SP – Just when a lot of us had pegged Rogers to look like he may well be a bust, he has come out dealing in 2021. Because of the pedigree he once had I had no problems pushing him all the way up to 255 on my rankings. If he continues to pitch close to the level he is at now, expect to see him continue to move up.

Top Fallers

Renato Nunez, Detroit Tigers 1B – The Tigers are a complete mess offensively. They are desperate for a bat, a power bat none the less. The fact that even they can’t find a spot for Nunez is all you need to know. Is it possible that Al Avila and that Tigers front office is just making a mistake and not giving him enough opportunities, sure. Unfortunately, the more likely situation is that Nunez had a outlier 2019 season when he looked like a potential impact bat. If he isn’t even good enough for the dreadful Tigers, he likely isn’t good enough for even the deepest Dynasty rosters.

James Paxton, Seattle Mariners SP – When Paxton is on the mound, he is a well above average Pitcher at the Big League level. The problem is staying on the mound is his biggest weakness. He has never thrown more than 160 innings and only twice in his career thrown more than 140 innings. He is exactly the reason why I am lower on Pitching than most, the volatility.

My Strategy

My strategy in a Dynasty league is pretty simple but complex at the same time (if that even makes any sense). I want my starting lineup to be a good mix of quality veterans that provide me with value now, a couple of cornerstone young players and a wealth of talent in the minors. I try the difficult task of walking a fine line between competing for a title but also having a solid farm. There is a couple of reason for this.

First, I want to win a title, so I want my starting lineup to be competitive. I want to have a good farm system because I want to be able to sell off veterans a year or two before they lose their value and replace them with a young up and comer.  Having quality prospect depth also allows you to make moves to sure up your starting roster as you see fit.

Granted it is tough to walk a fine line like that because the worst-case scenario is that your team is not a title contender and your prospects aren’t good enough to bank on them turning your team into a title contender in the future. So you really have to make smart trades, at the right time to keep both sides of the fence in good order. Definitely not for the faint of heart!

Hitting Trumps Pitching

As a rule of thumb, I value hitting well above pitching. Especially when we start talking about prospects. To me, the most volatile type of a player is a pitcher that is at least two years away from the big leagues.  Injuries, specifically to pitchers scare me to death!  They should scare you too. Now with that being said I like to target guys that have recently been injured, specifically pitching.

How to Handle TJ Injuries

The above paragraph seems a little contrary but I have some logic. I truly believe that the majority of pitchers will need TJ surgery these days.  Believe it or not, I am actually less scared of a player that has had the surgery. I no longer have to wait for the day they get hurt and subsequently miss the next 12-18 months. I consider TJ pitchers that are recovering to be great buy-low candidates.  These are the guys I will try and target via trade. Just something for you to chew on.

2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

*Note ECR column is not how much the players rank has changed, it is the difference between my ranks and Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Rankings