Jackson Merrill, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Merrill ahead, Merrill #15 and Greene #25, but the expert consensus has Greene ahead (#42 to #44). The community rates them even, FRV 70.1 and 70.9. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Merrill ahead, #24 to #75, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($28.0 and $20.3).
JD on Jackson Merrill (Oct 2, 2026): This might be an ultra aggressive ranking that blows up in my face, or I could be a pioneer who sees reality before everyone else. Here is what I see in Merrill: He is 23 years old He just finished his 3rd year in the major leagues (at 23 years old) He has put up above average offensive stats every season (130 wRC+ in 2024, 115 in 2025, 105 in 2026). He absolutely exploded in the 2nd half and was the 5th best player on our player values (only behind PCA, Elly, FTJ, and Jackson Chourio). HE WILL BE 24 YEARS OLD IN 2027! He is similar in age to prospects like Sorota, Baez, Condon, and Tibbs while having 3 seasons in the big leagues under his belt. Ask yourself this question, if Konnor Griffin put up these 3 seasons of performance from 2026 to 2028, would you consider it a success? How excited would you be by Griffin heading into his age 23 season with this performance to start his career? Because I see no reason to rank a player who is still effectively a "prospect" above someone like Merrill who just put up a near 30/30 season at 23 years old. (For reference, Griffin is 16 in the expert consensus while Merrill is 52(!)) Is Merrill a perfect player? Not at all, he is far from it. He doesn't take enough walks and strikes out more than I would like for someone with his exit velocities. But he barrels the ball a ton, has an ideal launch angle, and is just now starting to enter the age where most players hit their prime. Merrill could be a sneaky 40 HR candidate next year, and if he continues to run like he did this year (27 SB) and manages his K rate, you have all of the makings of a top 5 player for 2027. But sure, continue taking the 20 year old prospect because he might turn into Merrill one day in this spot instead.
JD on Riley Greene (Oct 2, 2026): There are a couple of notable guys that you may notice are missing from the top 25 and I'll get to them in the next article. But for me, Riley Greene is more attractive than them because he's actually performing and seemingly has been doing it under the radar. Nothing about his profile screams elite (89.9 Avg EV, 26.5% K Rate) but when you put it all together he puts up elite performance (.369 xwOBA). He has arguably done this for three straight years now, but I think this year was his strongest showing despite the step back in home runs from 2025 (36 HR vs. 21 HR in 2026). He also took a major step forward against lefties this year with an OPS of .806 in 156 at-bats versus .620 in 2025. This is a major single for me that everything is coming together as he enters his prime. Don't be surprised when Riley Greene puts together a career year next year. I would not be shocked if he combined his power from 2025 and his batted ball profile from 2026 to put together a . 900 OPS season with 35+ home runs. My only nitpick is that he should be able to steal more than a couple of bases a year with his above-average sprint speed; but I'd rather he focus on being healthy and performing with his bat than chipping in a couple of extra stolen bases.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Jackson Merrill | Riley Greene |
|---|---|---|
| Team | SD | DET |
| Position | OF | OF |
| Age | 23 | 25 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #15 | #25 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #44 | #42 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #24 | #75 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 70.1 | 70.9 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #15–#87 | #33–#62 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $28.0 | $20.3 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $25.0 | $13.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #16 | #41 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 3 spots | No move |
| Stat | Jackson Merrill | Riley Greene |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 664 | 592 |
| HR | 26 | 21 |
| R | 86 | 79 |
| RBI | 87 | 75 |
| SB | 27 | 3 |
| AVG | .254 | .280 |
| OBP | .303 | .370 |
| SLG | .440 | .474 |
| OPS | .743 | .844 |
| wOBA | .320 | .366 |
| xwOBA | .347 | .369 |
Price a Jackson Merrill-for-Riley Greene trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer