Too close to call in dynasty or redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has them nearly level, Caminero #3 and Cruz #5, and the expert consensus agrees (#8 and #4). The community leans Caminero, FRV 84.4 to 80.5. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has them close, Cruz #4 and Caminero #5, and the rest-of-season engine agrees ($50 and $41).
JD on Elly De La Cruz (Sep 24, 2026): Elly has come on like a bat out of hell in the last month, and gone from my 10th-ranked dynasty asset to the 5th-ranked in the process. He is one of the bonafide faces of the MLB at this point, despite being only 24 years old, because he's been around since he 2023 and has performed at an elite level every year. This year he has taken another step forward and improved in basically every measurable category but the two that I find the most compelling are the nearly 3 mph jump in avg exit velocity and the 11% walk rate, despite keeping his swing and miss largely the same compared to 2025. We are one launch angle adjustment away from him being a perennial 40-plus home run threat, but I do love that in general his game seems to be shifting from more of a speed-based profile to a power profile. Another a unique aspect of Elly's profile is that he suddenly became a lefty masher in 2026 after being clearly deficient against lefties for his career. Prior to this year I would have argued that Elly should only hit from the left side but this year he slashed over 1,000 OPS against lefties, with 10 home runs in only 181 PA (vs 18 HR in 428 PA vs righties). I'll be curious to see if this is just an aberration or something that persists on a yearly basis going forward. I don't really have any complaints with Elly. The only reason he's not the top tier for me is the same reason James Wood's isn't: the inflated K rate is going to lead to streakiness and that's not something I can overlook. I can see an argument for taking Elly over James Wood but I don't have him over my top three guys right now.
JD on Junior Caminero (Sep 24, 2026): I had to fight myself putting Junior Caminero first overall, but you can't put a guy who doesn't contribute in stolen bases first overall unfortunately. He is far and away my favorite bat in baseball and at only 23 years old I think he still has room for growth here. Something that doesn't necessarily concern me but that I wasn't really aware of is that his launch angle was only 9.9 for 2026. I feel like this means that there is, incredibly, actually more upside in the homerun department if he learns to lift some of these balls he's mashing into the ground or hitting for 115 mph singles. If I had to pick one player in the major leagues next year to bet on hitting 50 home runs, Junior Caminero is the easiest call out there. If he continues hitting the ball this hard, maintains a sub-20% K rate, and finds a little bit of a greater launch angle, stolen bases be damned it's going to be hard to not make him the #1 overall player in dynasty leagues when he's knocking on the door of 60 HRs.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Elly De La Cruz | Junior Caminero |
|---|---|---|
| Team | CIN | TB |
| Position | SS | 3B |
| Age | 24 | 23 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #5 | #3 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #8 | #4 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #4 | #5 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 80.5 | 84.4 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #5–#20 | #2–#11 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $50 | $41 |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $34 | $31 |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #5 | #13 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 2 spots | No move |
| Stat | Elly De La Cruz | Junior Caminero |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 614 | 685 |
| HR | 29 | 41 |
| R | 97 | 96 |
| RBI | 76 | 97 |
| SB | 29 | 3 |
| AVG | .288 | .275 |
| OBP | .370 | .361 |
| SLG | .521 | .525 |
| OPS | .891 | .886 |
| wOBA | .384 | .376 |
| xwOBA | .378 | .361 |
Price a Elly De La Cruz-for-Junior Caminero trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer