Dynasty leagues are presented with plenty of challenges, and first-year player drafts are no exception to that rule. While the player pool is much more limited than a keeper league, the new talent available is always something to do your homework on if you want to compete in the league. The 2026 first-year player draft class has plenty of names to keep eyes on for the future, and some who will have an immediate impact in the Majors. Here are nine names to keep tabs on ahead of your league’s draft.
The Top Ranks
1) Eli Willits-WSN
The number one pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and son of former Angels outfielder, Reggie Willits, Eli Willits, surprised some when the Washington Nationals took him first overall in the draft. Typically ranked the highest out of his peers from this year’s draft class, Willits had a short 15-game sample in Low-A Harrisburg after he was drafted. He put up a .300/.397/.360 slash line in 58 plate appearances with seven walks, five RBI, and two stolen bases. For a 17-year-old kid with franchise-altering expectations on his shoulders, it was a good start for his pro career. Willits is still a minimum of three years away from reaching the Majors; however, his ceiling puts him at the top of the first-year player draft pool. But for a kid still in need of developing power and strong switch-hitting abilities, he will be a must-have for any dynasty team picking in the top spots of their draft.
2) Munetaka Murakami– TBD
The player who will likely have the most immediate impact on any dynasty roster, Munetaka Murakami, is the top international free agent in this year’s class. Murakami, 26, is a hulking 6’2, 213 lbs slugger who has spent the last eight years in the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League. He’s amassed 265 home runs, 722 RBI, and a .945 over 1.003 career games in the NPB while splitting time between the corner infield positions. Any team short on corner infield help will be pursuing him this offseason, with industry insiders for the Athletic and MLB Trade Rumors seeing the Mets or Red Sox as likely landing spots for him. Power numbers in the NPB don’t always correlate well into MLB, but for a player who has hit anywhere from 24 to 56 home runs each season dating back to 2019, Murakami is a sure bet to be a 20-30 home run hitter with 70-90 RBI with the right playing time in the right lineup. For any dynasty team in need of power-hitting corner infield help, Murakami is the best bet in the draft to be an immediate reinforcement for your team.
3) Ethan Holliday– COL
The Holliday baseball dynasty continues with Jackson Holliday’s younger brother, Ethan, now joining the pro-ball fold after the Colorado Rockies took him fourth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft. Holliday played in a few more games than Willites (18), but did not have the best results during his time at Low-A Fresno, putting up a .239/.357/.380 slash line in 84 plate appearances with two home runs, six RBI, and 33 strikeouts. Holliday projects as a shortstop right now, but like his brother, as he grows, he could be moved to either second or third base. Jackson Holliday has always claimed Ethan Holliday is the better ballplayer between the two of them, and if dynasty owners believe the elder Holliday’s words, then they should plan on taking Holliday in one of the top five spots for this season.
4) Tatsuya Imai– TBD
Tatsuya Imai rounds out as the top pitcher in this year’s first-year player draft class. Imai, 27, has been in the NPB for the last eight seasons, putting up a 3.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 528 walks, and 1,045 strikeouts over 1077.2 innings in 187 games. Imai has already made headlines this off-season, declaring he did not want to join Shohei Ohtani, Roki Saski, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers, and would rather sign with any other team to beat them in the playoffs. While his strikeout-to-walk game hasn’t always been the best over the course of his career in the NPB, he made great strides in improving those numbers this year, striking out 178 hitters compared to 45 walks. Imai will fit into the middle of the rotation with any team that signs him, which makes him a suitable win-now candidate for any team looking for him.
5) Kade Anderson– SEA
One of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class, Kade Anderson, was taken third overall by the Seattle Mariners after the Angels surprised many with their second overall pick of Tyler Bremner. Anderson, like many of the pitchers in the draft class, has yet to make his pro debut, but his electric stuff with the LSU Tigers helped lead them to another national championship last season. Anderson offers a mid-90s fastball, curveball, change-up, and slider in his pitch arsenal, with the Mariners surely planning to add a fifth pitch to his arsenal. He is still a couple of years away from the Majors, but Anderson is a sure bet to be a top-of-the-rotation starter once he arrives in the Majors. Anderson is on a faster track than the other two members of the 2025 Draft Class that are must-haves for the dynasty first-year player draft, which would make him a top Minor League pick for any team needing to stock up on pitching depth.
Late First Round Players to Target
Seth Hernandez– PIT
The Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to do well in developing strong, young pitching talent in recent years, and their selection of Corona High School (CA) RHP Seth Hernandez will be their next test in their stories of development success. The winner of the Class of 2025 National High School Invitational MVP, Hernanedez is a young righty who can touch up to 97-98 MPH on average with his fastball, with a strong 12-6 curve to complement it. Another pitcher who is years away from making his MLB debut, Hernandez does offer up as a strong candidate for those hoping to play the long game in their dynasty league. If Hernandez is someone who ends up being the next Mitch Keller or Bubba Chandler, then he is well worth it for dynasty teams to take late in the First-Year Player draft.
Liam Doyle– STL
The second left-handed starter taken in this year’s draft, Liam Doyle, is entering his first full year in pro ball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, fresh off winning the 2025 SEC Pitcher of the Year award with the University of Tennessee. The Cardinals already put Doyle on the mound for two starts, one at Low-A Palm Beach and the other with Double-A Springfield. His start in Low-A wasn’t all too spectacular, allowing one hit, three walks, and a run in 1.2 innings, but his Double-A start was much more encouraging, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing no walks, just two hits, and three strikeouts. Doyle appears to be on a faster track to reach the Majors than most of his peers from this draft class, which will make him a must-have for dynasty teams in win-now mode this upcoming draft cycle.
The Best Late Round Targets
Kazuma Okamoto- TBD
Rounding out the top three international free agents from Japan is Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto is another corner infielder who has been in the NPB for the last 11 seasons. Like Murakami, he’s another slugger who’s averaged anywhere from 18 to 41 home runs dating back to 2017. Okamoto’s 2025 season was cut short due to an elbow injury, limiting him to just 77 games, but he excelled in those games, hitting .322/.411/.581 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI in 314 plate appearances. With Okamoto coming off an injury and entering his age-31 season, he is someone who would likely be better to wait and add in later rounds, not knowing how his play will transition over to the United States. Coming off an elbow injury, too, Okamoto is more likely to be added as first base help for whichever team signs him, which is how dynasty owners should approach him if they want to add him this upcoming season.
Steele Hall-CIN
One of the two first-round shortstop picks who call Trussville, Alabama, home, Steele Hall was the Cincinnati Reds‘ first-round pick, 9th overall in this year’s draft. A pick with high upside in his speed and defense, Hall has yet to make his pro-ball debut, and the questions surrounding him are whether he can develop a stronger hitting tool, both with power and contact. Hall is unlikely to see the Majors before 2029, but he’s a fun development project for the Reds’ future middle infield. If dynasty owners need a middle infielder that they can guarantee will be a threat on the base paths, Hall is one of the best new faces to pursue in this year’s class.
