The Dynasty Guru Annual Ranking Season is upon us!  Leading off, the outfielders.  The rankings presented here are the composite rankings of all the writers at The Dynasty Guru, and after healthy debate and only a little name-calling, we are ready to share them with you. The comments below each tier are the work of the writer cited at the end of the section.  Don’t forget to check out Chris and Drew’s analysis of each position on the Join the Ranks podcast.

1 – 10

Rank	Player	Avg	Min	Max
1	Juan Soto	1.4	1	2
2	Aaron Judge	2.9	1	9
3	Julio Rodríguez	4.2	2	8
4	Corbin Carroll	4.4	2	10
5	Ronald Acuña Jr.	4.9	3	12
6	Fernando Tatis Jr.	5.8	3	8
7	Kyle Tucker	7.3	5	11
8	Jackson Chourio	7.7	6	11
9	James Wood	9.4	7	15
10	Wyatt Langford	10.4	8	15

As we sat in the TDG Writers Room assigning these write ups, one writer said, “Top ten? What would I say about them other than they’re good?”  Although the first response was to banish the writer to the Relief Pitcher Rankings table, in fact, it’s not a bad question. I’ve decided to look at each of these ten players by asking three questions:

1. How do we think he does it, what makes him so good?
2. Do we have to put out the red light for any reason or categories?
3. When will his piano fall and crash into the ground (what year will he fall out of the Top 10 in case a manager wants to maximize trade value)?

1    Juan Soto

What makes him so good?  Aside from everything? His excellent plate discipline sets him apart. Of all hitters with at least 250 at bats in 2025, Soto had the lowest swing percentage. This leads to high walk rates and when he does swing, he hits the ball hard consistently.

Do we have to put out the red light? If I were writing this last January, I would have written that you’ll have to look elsewhere for stolen bases. After he stole 38 bases in 2025, I have to say I see no category where he doesn’t excel.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? I don’t know, but it will be sometime after 2030.

2    Aaron Judge

What makes him so good? The best answer to this question is consistent elite production, combining power and on-base percentage.

Do we have to put out the red light? He only gets you ten to twelve stolen bases, but frankly, I don’t think any fantasy managers care about that given all his other production.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? This is a risky question to answer. I’ll go out on a limb and say that since he’ll turn 34 shortly after opening day, he’ll fall out of the top ten in our 2029 rankings. I’m willing to be wrong on that.

3    Julio Rodríguez

What makes him so good? His fantasy value is rooted in his consistent power/speed numbers. Neither are overwhelming but both have been solid the past four years.

Do we have to put out the red light? We might, based on his relatively lower OBP rates and there’s been a slight decline in his hard-hit and barrel rates over the past three seasons.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? This won’t happen any time soon, definitely not before 2030. I’d have a different answer if the question was about the Top 5, but it’s not.

4    Corbin Carroll

What makes him so good? The high OBP and number of extra-base hits make him a run scoring machine. His significant increase in hard-hit and barrel rates in 2025 are further indications that he was probably playing through injuries in 2024.

Do we have to put out the red light? Maybe, if we’re concerned about his pedestrian contact rates.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? He’s another young gun in this group. Like Soto and Rodriguez, I expect it will be five years or more before we’re putting double digits ahead of his name in our rankings.

5    Ronald Acuña Jr.

What makes him so good?  His low chase rate provides a boost to his OBP, which is elite. When healthy, he can provide power, runs and some stolen bases.

Do we have to put out the red light? It’s been out, and it’s staying out. Not only is the health risk real, but then he has been healthy the past two years his contact rates have been in decline. Given his health history, the stolen bases are likely a thing of the past.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? The 2027 rankings. This will be debated since he’s young and the talent is there, but there are a lot of good players knocking at the door and I think Acuña’s slide will continue.

6    Fernando Tatis Jr.

What makes him so good? Keeping with the theme of this list, consistent power and speed. He’s got fewer home runs than the players ahead of him, but steals more bases and scores more runs than most.

Do we have to put out the red light? Not really, I don’t see any obvious signs of decline, but will note that he’s likely peaked at number 6 in this ranking.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? By 2029 some of the young prospects will be in the majors and hitting more home runs than ‘Nando and will pass him by on this list.

7    Kyle Tucker

What makes him so good? He’s above average at almost everything without being elite at anything.

Do we have to put out the red light? Yes, we do. Aside from not knowing what to make of the freak injuries, we need to see if last year’s lower production was a result of playing in Wrigley or the start of a decline.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? 2028, a bit of a bounceback in 2026 will keep him in the top ten one more year and then he’ll regress to the next tier.

8    Jackson Chourio

What makes him so good? As a 21 year-old he hit 21 home runs and stole 21 bases, so is he 29 years away from a 50-50 season? Probably not, but both numbers should go up before they come down.

Do we have to put out the red light? We rank for OBP leagues, so Chourio’s high chase rate and low walk rate will hold him back in our rankings. As long as being a free-swinger is part of his game, this will be an issue.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? I’m actually torn on this, it could be 2028 if pitchers can exploit his lack of plate discipline, or it could be 2036 if he puts it all together. Unlike him, I’m going to let that pitch go by.

9    James Wood

What makes him so good? For hitters with over 250 plate appearances last year, only five had a higher Max exit velocity and only two had a higher EV90.

Do we have to put out the red light? Yes, 221 of them, one for each strikeout.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? 2028. The strikeouts will catch up with him and he’ll be a three outcome hitter nestled into the back half of the top twenty.

10    Wyatt Langford

What makes him so good? Through his career in the minors he posted impressive slash lines.

Do we have to put out the red light? Oh yes, after two years in the majors, he has yet to post similar numbers.

What year will he fall out of the Top 10? 2027, someone has to make room for Roman Anthony.

(Drew Klein)

11 – 20

Rank	Player	Avg	Min	Max
11	Roman Anthony	11.9	5	24
12	Yordan Alvarez	13	8	19
13	Pete Crow-Armstrong	14.9	11	28
14	Riley Greene	15.3	10	27
15	Jackson Merrill	16.7	7	36
16	Byron Buxton	18.3	10	31
17	Brent Rooker	21.3	16	29
18	Tyler Soderstrom	22.2	14	39
19	Cody Bellinger	23.8	16	42
20	Oneil Cruz	24.3	14	32

There is clear separation between the top 10 and the rest of the pack, but the the 11-20 group of outfielders has plenty to offer. There is a mix of young players in this group who could ascend into the top 10 in future years, as well as some veteran players that will continue to provide value for years to come.

The most exciting player in this group may be the one with the smallest MLB sample heading into 2026. There’s little question that Roman Anthony is a star in the making, and the 21-year-old silenced any doubters by putting up a 140 wRC+ over 71 games in the big leagues in 2025. He’s joined by three other players under the age of 25 in this group in Pete Crow-Armstrong, fresh off a 30-30 season, Tyler Soderstrom who earned a 7 year contract extension after hitting .276 with 25 long balls in 2025, and Jackson Merrill. If it’s possible to consider producing a 116 wRC+ as a 22-year-old a “down” year, Merrill presents an appealing bounce-back case in 2026.

Also in this group are two players between 25 and 27 in Riley Greene and O’Neil Cruz. Greene took his power stroke to another level in 2025, launching 36 long balls and cementing himself as a premier 4-category contributor. O’Neil Cruz may be the closest the MLB has to a human highlight reel, and while he launched 20 home runs and stole 38 bases in 2025, he barely crested the Mendoza line, hitting an even .200, largely suppressed by a .262 BABIP.

The final four players in the top 20 are the trusted veterans. Yordan Alvarez’s 2025 campaign was essentially a lost season due to a badly mismanaged broken hand followed by a hamstring strain that ended his season shortly after returning. Make no mistake, Alvarez is still an elite hitter who absolutely belongs in this group. Byron Buxton is also in this group, coming off a 35-24 season that fulfilled the decade-long dreams of fantasy managers everywhere. Cody Bellinger has settled into consistently providing home run totals in the mid 20s, double-digit steals, and a good batting average, and slugger Brent Rooker, another beneficiary of the rarified air in Sacramento, should provide 30+ home runs and a good batting average for years to come.

(David Gofman)