Eric Cross' Top 100 Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (April 2024)

We made it. Another offseason is behind us, and we have regular season baseball for the next six months, where we can set our fantasy lineups, make trades, and just enjoy this great game.

For those of us who play in dynasty leagues, work is never done, and we didn't pause for several months just because baseball wasn't being played. If anything, more work can be done as player stats and metrics aren't changing every day, and we, as analysts, can dig into profiles more.

That's all I was doing all offseason and throughout spring training to make sure my dynasty rankings are the most up to date and the best quality that I can produce. So, here are my first set of dynasty rankings of the 2024 regular season. I will be posting the Top 100 of my dynasty rankings here on RotoBaller each month with the full Top 500 available on my Patreon along with plenty of other content.

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What Factors Into My Rankings

Many elements go into dynasty rankings, but I primarily weigh the following...

• Current/Recent Performance
• Expected future short-term performance
• Expected future long-term performance
• Profile/metrics analysis
• Durability
• Team Context (It matters a little bit)

Dynasty Rankings Notes

Wyatt Langford (OF - TEX)

You're going to see Wyatt Langford ranked extremely high below. I'm not going to ruin the surprise and tell you the number, but some of you might question how he can be so high already. Well, upside and future projection weigh into dynasty rankings, as I mentioned above, and Langford has the offensive profile to be an annual Top 10 overall player for fantasy.

After giving college pitchers nightmares, Langford continued his offensive domination in the minors after the draft, slashing .360/.480/.677 in 200 plate appearances with 17 doubles, 10 home runs, and 12 steals. Langford was also one of the best hitters in spring training this year as well. With the potential to hit above .280, hit 35-40 home runs, and even steal 20 bags annually, Langford is deserving of an incredibly high dynasty ranking.

Michael Harris II (OF - ATL)

It was hard not to put a guy like Michael Harris II inside my Top 10, but also impossible to do so right now, given the names already there. With that said, there's zero reason why he should be outside any Top 20s right now.

Only one hitter in 2023 had a .300+ xBA and an 85th percentile or higher hard-hit rate and sprint speed.

Michael Harris II

Hitting .444 with 3 HR and an SB in 7 G this spring. pic.twitter.com/C4IscOfb34

— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) March 8, 2024

Harris has come extremely close to back-to-back 20/20 seasons to open his career, finishing one homer shy in  2022 and two homers shy in 2023. And if you extrapolate out his 2022-2023 numbers to a 650 plate appearance pace, Harris is averaging 25 home runs, 27 steals, and 100 runs scored. Harris was also one of just four players to rank in the 80th percentile or better in xBA, hard-hit rate, and sprint speed.

Elly De La Cruz (SS - CIN)

It's nearly impossible to rank Elly De La Cruz with any level of certainty right now. On one hand, the upside is Ronald Acuña Jr./Fernando Tatís Jr. levels with his elite power/speed blend and hitter-friendly home ballpark. But on the other hand, there are still some red flags that need to be improved before De La Cruz can even sniff that level.

After striking out in 33.7% of his plate appearances as a rookie, De La Cruz has struck out in 12 of his 25 plate appearances to open the 2024 season. He's one of the fastest players in baseball with mammoth power that he's still showing off this season, but the strikeout rate is a major issue and limiting De La Cruz's impact right now. If he doesn't start making strides with the strikeout rate, his spot in my dynasty rankings will begin dropping quicker and quicker.

Royce Lewis (3B - MIN)

Another elite talent that is hard to trust right now, but for different reasons, is Royce Lewis. After suffering two ACL tears, Lewis will now miss multiple months with a significant quad strain. Trust me, I never want to throw the dreaded "injury-prone" tag on a young player, but it's starting to really fit here with Lewis.

These haven't been random fluky injuries as all have been major injuries to his lower body. That's definitely a major concern moving forward. Lewis' .270/35/15 upside could make him a Top 20 fantasy asset, but will he ever remain healthy enough for that to happen? He was pushing Top 25 overall for me but did not drop a bit in my April dynasty rankings.

Tarik Skubal (SP - DET)

During the offseason when the Tarik Skubal hype train was picking up steam, I tried throwing some cold water on the notion that Skubal was a Top 10 pitcher for fantasy purposes. Well, after failing to do so, I now have him as a Top 5 dynasty SP here in April and he might be 4th if Gerrit Cole ends up missing more than two months.

Tarik Skubal's 2Ks in the 2nd.

4Ks thru 2.

Skubal's changeup: 51% whiff rate this season. pic.twitter.com/obvZUBA9RW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 27, 2023

Skubal checks off all the boxes I look for in a fantasy ace, finishing 2024 with a 2.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 4.5% walk rate, and 32.9% strikeout rate in 80.1 innings. He misses bats, limits hard contact, and can generate plenty of groundball outs as well. You can question durability, but that's about it.

Oneil Cruz (SS - PIT)

While he's been rather quiet through his first 25 plate appearances this season, Oneil Cruz's dynasty stock is definitely on the rise after his monster spring training performance, coupled with his immense offensive potential in general. Cruz cranked seven home runs in just 51 spring plate appearances, with a few of those leaving the bat with an exit velocity north of 115 mph. If Cruz can remain healthy, a 40/20 season is within reach for the 6'7 shortstop to pair with a decent amount of runs and RBI as well in a sneaky-good Pittsburgh Pirates lineup.

Top 100 Players to Buy Low On

• Shane McClanahan (SP - TBR): It's a bummer that we won't get to see him pitch again until 2025, but this was a tier-one dynasty pitcher before needing Tommy John surgery. McClanahan will return in his age 27/28 season and could return to fantasy ace status. If you're not a contender this year, I'd highly recommend trying to acquire McClanahan, who still has ace potential without the ace price tag right now.
• Noelvi Marte (3B - CIN): An 80-game suspension was a gut punch to those of us (me) who had plenty of Marte shares in both redraft and dynasty leagues, but my long-term outlook for Marte has not changed. This is still a potential .270/30/15 type of player who will get to play half of his games in a hitter's haven in Cincinnati.
• Jordan Lawlar (SS - ARI): Another big spring injury to an exciting young player was Jordan Lawlar needing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. This will keep Lawlar out of action until at least June, but as was the case with Marte, my long-term outlook for Lawlar is still very high due to his above-average power and plus speed. He should still be considered a Top 100 overall dynasty asset, but you could probably get him for less than a Top 100 price tag right now.

Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings

Updated: April 2024 | The full Top 500 along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see the full Top 500, along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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