Yordan Alvarez, in dynasty and redraft. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Alvarez ahead, Alvarez #11 and Cruz #21, and the expert consensus agrees (#48 and #12). The community agrees too, FRV 81.8 to 66.6. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Alvarez ahead, #6 to #32, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($20.0 and $32.3).
JD on Oneil Cruz (Oct 2, 2026): This is my favorite ranking in all the top 25 and I'm fully ready for it to blow up in my face. In terms of raw talent, there may not be a player in baseball outside of Elly who has as loud of tools as Oneil Cruz. He absolutely demolishes the ball (94.1 average EV last year), has hit the hardest recorded ball in MLB history (122.9 mph) in 2025, and the second-hardest-hit ball in MLB history (122.4 mph). Why is everyone not salivating over him? Is it maybe that he struck out checks notes 33.2% of the time last year? But the exit velos! Being realistic, Oneil Cruz is a high-risk asset and there's going to be a lot of pain associated with holding him. I do think that a lot of his performance has to do with his team dynamic, as the Pirates were garbage last year and you could tell he wasn't in it mentally. 2026 was a lot different as the Pirates put a fun competitive team on the field and he was dominant and healthy, putting up a 20/30 season in only 368 at-bats. If you had to pick one player outside of the top 20 to bet on being the number one fantasy player next year, I think Oneil Cruz is your best bet. He's also a good bet to hit below .200 and start getting benched halfway through the season. Cruz is your guy if you're a risk-taker, if you like a more predictable player, he's not for you.
JD on Yordan Alvarez (Oct 2, 2026): Air Yordan feels like the closest thing we have to Barry Bonds. If you polled every pitcher in the big leagues on the hitter they least want to face, I have to imagine he tops the list. He just put together one of the most impressive offensive seasons of the last handful of years. He led the league in average, on-base, slugging, OPS and wRC+, drew more walks than anyone, and he did it while staying on the field for more games than he ever has in his career. I also love that he manages to do all of this with such a low K% (17.3% this year). There is really nothing to knock from a dynasty perspective except two things. He's older than most of the players ranked above him, and the injuries that seem to pop up every year and eat into his playing time are still part of the package. We probably just watched his career year, but that doesn't mean he has to repeat it to be very valuable in 2027 and beyond. If you can get Yordan with the last pick of the first round, I'm all over it.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Oneil Cruz | Yordan Alvarez |
|---|---|---|
| Team | PIT | HOU |
| Position | OF | OF |
| Age | 27 | 29 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #21 | #11 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #48 | #12 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #32 | #6 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 66.6 | 81.8 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #29–#117 | #8–#40 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $20.0 | $32.3 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $25.0 | $40.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #43 | #12 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 3 spots | Up 1 spot |
| Stat | Oneil Cruz | Yordan Alvarez |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 419 | 692 |
| HR | 20 | 42 |
| R | 65 | 105 |
| RBI | 67 | 106 |
| SB | 30 | 1 |
| AVG | .280 | .316 |
| OBP | .368 | .432 |
| SLG | .486 | .601 |
| OPS | .854 | 1.033 |
| wOBA | .371 | .429 |
| xwOBA | .352 | .442 |
Price a Oneil Cruz-for-Yordan Alvarez trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer