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There comes a point (multiple, actually) in the run-up to the season when I like to take the pulse of the people following along.

I've conducted this survey through social media, specifically X and Facebook. The respondents are all followers and, thus, reasonably informed about Fantasy Baseball, and the responses can be illuminating even when the top choice is obvious. That's especially true now that I have multiple years of surveys to compare to.

The subject for this survey is Dynasty leagues, and in that context, I've asked respondents to name the player they want most at each position. That's eight positions in all. You'll note that I don't stipulate "at cost," so interpretations may vary.

Below are the top responses for each position.

Catcher

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Top three last year: Adley Rutschman (69.3), Francisco Alvarez (6.3), Logan O'Hoppe (5.6)

That's four years in a row for Rutschman, but this is the first time it's come as a surprise to me. My surprise is less because he disappointed in 2024 -- an outcome I attribute to a foul tip off the hand in late June -- and more because William Contreras has emerged as an absolute world-beater at the position, scoring so many Head-to-Head points as a catcher last year that he would have ranked second at each of first, second and third base. Perhaps there's a perception he's older than Rutschman, but news flash: they're both 27.

Back-to-back years of plus production have put Yainer Diaz in the conversation at age 26, and the shine hasn't completely worn off former top prospect Francisco Alvarez yet. I'd consider current top catcher prospect Samuel Basallo to be the more attractive Dynasty target at this point, but the prevailing feeling may be that he won't be a catcher for long. Ethan Salas, Moises Ballesteros and Drake Baldwin, who was one response shy of appearing on the graph, were among the other prospects recognized.

Received two votes: Drake Baldwin, ATL; Ivan Herrera, STL; Gabriel Moreno, ARI; Edgar Quero, CHW; Austin Wells, NYY

My choice: Contreras

First base

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Top three last year: Matt Olson (25.3), Vladimir Guerrero (18.1), Triston Casas (17.5)

After a one-year departure, Guerrero is back atop this list -- and with a bullet, receiving a bigger share of the vote than any player at any other position. It's not as big as the 90.6 percent share he got in 2022 nor the 70.1 percent share he got in 2023, but it shows that Dynasty leaguers are fully back on board after a redemptive season that saw him bat .349 from May 8 on. He'll only be 26 this year, too.

Some of Guerrero's share has come from Casas, who retains a high level of Dynasty enthusiasm but clearly disappointed last year. It wasn't just because of the rib injury that cost him four months either. His strikeout rate ballooned, causing him to fall well short of the .317/.417/.617 slash line he produced in the second half of 2023. He gets a pass, though, because of his former top-prospect pedigree and the fact he was so good so recently. Olson gets less of a pass, despite his longer track record of success, because he'll be 31 this year, and well, anyone whose age begins with a three is subject to extra scrutiny in Dynasty. The Braves slugger should be valuable for several more years, though.

The presence of prospects Nick Kurtz, Bryce Eldridge and Jac Caglianone here shows that first base is nearing an infusion of talent, which is good because the position is beginning to show its age, lacking the upside plays found at most every other infield spot.

Received two votes: Christian Walker, HOU; Nolan Schanuel, LAA

My choice: Guerrero

Second base

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Top three last year: Mookie Betts (41.7), Ozzie Albies (24.3), Matt McLain (11.8)

Albies had a stranglehold on this position before Betts became an option, receiving the most responses in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Betts was the only one to overtake him heading into 2024, so the drop this year is a more revealing one and I don't think entirely fair given that Albies' 2024 was derailed by a broken toe and a broken wrist. He's been a bankable category-filler every (healthy) year of his career, and, thinking in terms of a Dynasty league, he's still on the right side of 30.

As for Betts' drop, I suspect it's less about age or performance than confusion over what position he plays. I imagine he'll spend some time at second base this year, but I don't consider him to be a second baseman per se. Position confusion likely also explains Jazz Chisholm's low placement here.

Another reason why Albies, Betts and Ketel Marte, for that matter, have slipped is because second base genuinely has some exciting talent coming up. It speaks well of my followers that Jackson Holliday retains so much enthusiasm despite a miserable rookie showing, but I'd just as soon take Kristian Campbell if I were going the long-term route.

Received two votes: Jose Altuve, HOU; Michael Arroyo, SEA; Christian Moore, LAA; Marcus Semien, TEX

My choice: Albies

Third base

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Top three last year: Austin Riley (34.3), Gunnar Henderson (21.2), Rafael Devers (16.8)

For as long as I've been conducting this survey, third base has been dominated by Jose Ramirez, Riley and Devers, with the three of them trading off the top spot, so to see a new name enter the discussion is thrilling, in a way. You could argue we saw it with last year's No. 2 vote-getter, Henderson, but third base always seemed like a layover on his way to becoming a full-time shortstop, which is what he is now.

Caminero is a true third baseman, but he's presently caught in that middle space between prospect and established major-leaguer, making him a fairly gutsy call at a position with so many established standouts. Ramirez (32), Riley (28) and Devers (28) aren't getting any younger, though, and the latter two didn't exactly put their best foot forward in 2024. Devers' achy shoulders present a durability concern that drops him behind Riley for me, but I'd have a hard time passing up a surefire first-rounder like Ramirez, for as promising as Caminero is.

Received two votes: Royce Lewis, MIN; Coby Mayo, BAL; Connor Norby, MIA

My choice: Ramirez

Shortstop

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Top three last year: Bobby Witt (63.8), Jackson Holliday (9.4), Elly De La Cruz (8.7)

This one stands out as the biggest duh-doy to me seeing as Witt is my top-ranked Dynasty player overall, but Henderson and De La Cruz are also such good Dynasty targets that I can understand why Witt didn't get more like 80-90 percent of the responses. All three are surefire first-rounders at the start of what could be Hall-of-Fame careers.

What more is there to say, then? Well, this survey does serve as more evidence that Trea Turner's star has faded. Long a fixture in this space, his name wasn't submitted even once this year. Brice Turang can't even say that. While his actual ADP is reasonable, the enthusiasm for Turner seems to be gone, with mock drafts showing him occasionally sliding to Round 4 even in a redraft context. His production has hardly slipped at age 31, so it remains something of a head-scratcher to me.

Received two votes: Francisco Lindor, NYM; Oneil Cruz, PIT; Sebastian Walcott, TEX

My choice: Witt

Outfield

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Top three last year: Ronald Acuna (70.2), Julio Rodriguez (12.1), Corbin Carroll (5.6)

You know what stands out to me here? How low Julio Rodriguez is. He was the top vote-getter in 2023 and had formed a trifecta with Acuna and Juan Soto at the top of this survey the past several years. All three are in their mid-20s, and they've basically traded off the top spot based on who performed best the previous year, which in this instance was obviously Soto. Also notable is that 26-year-old first-round fixture Fernando Tatis is off the graph completely, receiving only 1.3 percent of responses.

Of course, asking people to reduce a position as immense as the outfield to a singular player is certain to make for some high-profile exclusions, which is to say nobody thinks Rodriguez and Tatis are bad Dynasty targets. Still, I can't help but wonder if the Rodriguez and Tatis snubs signal some measure of fatigue given that both players have fallen short of their lofty expectations the past couple years. A buy-low opportunity?

Clearly, the big riser here is Chourio, who, for all the prospect hype, received only two responses last year. He's lived up to that hype, for the most part, earning him every benefit of the doubt in redraft leagues as well, and seeing as he's only 21, he has a few years on Rodriguez and Tatis. The gap between him and fellow 21-year-old rookie standout Jackson Merrill is a bit of a head-scratcher, but it's not like Merrill has been forgotten here.

Carroll has now proven twice over to be a considerable Dynasty asset, and at 24, he's actually my fifth-ranked player in the format. And if you're wondering if there's love lost for Wyatt Langford and Dylan Crews, these responses would seem to indicate otherwise.

Received two votes: Fernando Tatis, SD; Jordan Walker, STL

My choice: Soto

Starting pitcher

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Top three last year: Spencer Strider (59.7), Eury Perez (16.8), George Kirby (4.2)

No arguments with it being Skenes, the greatest-of-all-time pitching prospect who just delivered a 1.96 ERA as a rookie. The case is especially strong when you consider that Tarik Skubal, who only just broke out himself, is somehow already 28. Joined by Garrett Crochet, the top three here strike me as the highest-upside pitchers in the game (excluding those with obvious health concerns, like Strider), so the appeal is obvious.

As obvious as it may seem now, though, note the top three vote-getters last year. Not in the top three anymore, are they? The year before, the top three were Corbin Burnes, Strider and Shane McClanahan. The year before that, they were Walker Buehler, Burnes and Jacob deGrom. The year before that, they were Shane Bieber, deGrom and Buehler. Not a lot of repeat names, huh?

My point is that starting pitchers are risky investments because everyone is a ticking time bomb of sorts, and the more hard-throwing and strikeout-generating they get, the greater the risk becomes. So sure, Skenes is a great Dynasty asset, but that greatness is relative.

Received two votes: Bubba Chandler, PIT; Jackson Jobe, DET; Andrew Painter, PHI; Spencer Schwellenbach, ATL

My choice: Skenes

Relief pitcher

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Top three last year: Jhoan Duran (18.8), Edwin Diaz (14.3), Emmanuel Clase (14.3)

The buzz for Miller is high right now, a product of his high-octane fastball and bat-missing prowess. His health history is checkered, though, and there are a number of other closers with high-octane fastballs who have also proven their longevity. Where's Josh Hader on this list? Where's Edwin Diaz? Devin Williams makes the cut, but with only one-sixth the responses of Miller. Sure, Hader, Diaz and Williams are all in their early 30s while Miller is 26, but closers burn out so suddenly that looking years down the road with them is pointless.

What I want in a Dynasty closer is reliability, and the embodiment of that is Clase -- who, incidentally, has been among the top three vote-getters each of the past four years. Kind of my whole point, isn't it? Turns out he's only five months older than Miller, too.

Rounding out the graph are some odd choices, like Ben Joyce, a hard-thrower with questionable bat-missing ability who may or may not settle into the closer role for the Angels. Justin Martinez also throws hard and has a penchant for inducing weak grounders, but I'm not sure he's even the best reliever in his own bullpen. Meanwhile, Cade Smith is an excellent reliever, but with virtually no path to the closer role. His presence here reminds me that Orion Kerkering placed sixth in this survey a year ago. Where is he now, huh?

So what do I make of it? People getting too cute is all. The circus quality of this position seems to invite outside-the-box responses.

Received two votes: Edwin Diaz, NYM; Jhoan Duran, MIN

My choice: Clase