If you’re lucky enough to draft with the third overall pick in any of your drafts in the 2026 fantasy baseball season, we have good and bad news for you. The good news is that you’ll be able to start your draft with an elite hitter, but on the downside, you’ll most likely not be able to draft either Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge.
You will be perfectly fine if your choice with the 1.03 pick is either Juan Soto or Bobby Witt Jr. Outside of Ohtani and Judge, two players who are in their own atmosphere, it’s hard to see many differences between Soto and Witt from a fantasy perspective. Both are elite hitters who provide value across the board and have no glaring weaknesses in their game.
Let’s decide whether you should draft Soto or Witt with the third overall pick in the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
The Case for Drafting Juan Soto With the 1.03 Pick in 2026 Fantasy Baseball
Ohtani and Judge are excellent players and unstoppable forces when it comes to fantasy production. However, when analyzing who’s the best pure hitter in the game right now, it’s hard to make a case for anyone not named Soto.
The star outfielder has been an excellent player everywhere he’s played, and he’s coming off perhaps the best season of his career in 2025. His numbers, and therefore his fantasy production, were impressive and eye-popping.
Soto slashed .263/.396/.525 with a .921 OPS, 43 homers, 105 RBI, 120 runs scored, and 38 steals across 160 games and 715 plate appearances in 2025. The star outfielder has always had power and an elite eye, so the home runs, walks, and run-producing numbers have always been elite.
The lone area in which he wasn’t producing value, the steals department, is no longer a concern. The 38 steals tied for the NL lead in 2025, and even if he doesn’t repeat those numbers, Soto should bring value in all five major categories.
The Case for Drafting Bobby Witt Jr. With the 1.03 Pick in 2026 Fantasy Baseball
As good as Soto is, Witt is another accomplished hitter who’s worthy of being selected with the third overall pick right behind the Ohtani-Judge duo. Witt didn’t have the same power numbers as Soto, as he “only” went yard 23 times, but he led the majors in hits (184) and doubles (47) while hitting for a higher average than Soto (.295) with an .852 OPS.
Witt also had 38 stolen bases. The star shortstop can also deliver elite numbers across the board.
However, that hasn’t even been Witt’s best season in the majors, as he had a career-best .977 OPS in 2024 while hitting .332 with 32 homers, 109 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. Witt has had at least 20 long balls, 30 stolen bases, 80 RBI, and 80 runs scored in his four years in the majors. You’re not going to find that kind of production in any other infielder, not even Jose Ramirez, who’s an elite third baseman and an outside choice for the 1.03 pick.
It’s a matter of preference since either Witt or Soto is good enough to be a building block of any roster with championship aspirations. Plus, if you miss out on the other, there’s plenty of elite talent at both shortstop and the outfield to add another quality option in the later rounds.
Whoever you choose, your fantasy roster will be in good hands with Soto or Witt as the first-round pick if you have the third overall selection.
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