Position Battles - NL West

We have almost reached the height of draft season and there is so much around the league that remains uncertain. Position battles are afoot and with the WBC taking center stage (and many of the top players away from their rosters) it further muddies the waters for playing time.

This week, the Dynasty Team will be looking into one position battle per team and trying to identify some players you need to be prioritizing in your dynasty leagues. Paying attention to roster trends and news items is key this time of year to get a leg up on your competition.

Next up, the NL West! Lucas Morel (@theprospectprof) gives his insight into how he sees some important roster battles shaking out.

Position Battles - NL CentralThe Dynasty Team breaks down one spring position battle per team providing insight into who might be a target in dynasty leagues.Prospects LiveTom Gates

Arizona Diamondbacks - Left Field/Center Field

Is this the year Jordan Lawlar finally puts it all together? (Photo Credit: Rob Schumacher)

Arizona’s finest are heading into the 2026 season in the midst of a soft rebuild, and this changing of the guard has created a fascinating competition for playing time in the outfield in particular. Corbin Carroll has right field locked down, having put together his first 30/30 season as the youthful face of the franchise last year. A right hamate injury and subsequent surgery stalled his preseason preparations a bit, but the 25-year-old has returned to game action in spring training and should be fit (to hit, at least) on Opening Day.

With Carroll as an everyday staple, the other outfield roles in center and left remain up for grabs, and the Diamondbacks have a few intriguing candidates looking to make an impact. Top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt put up an excellent 142 wRC+ across High-A and Double-A last season, along with an equally stellar 139 PLive+ score, but he will likely have to wait until midseason to make his big league debut, having already been optioned to minor league camp. In the meantime, post-hype Jordan Lawlar and post-post-hype Alek Thomas look like the frontrunners to patrol the grass alongside Carroll, with Jorge Barrosa and Tim Tawa also in the mix.

Anyone who has played dynasty baseball within the last half-decade will be quite familiar with Lawlar. A former sixth-overall selection by Arizona in 2021 as a prep shortstop, the 23-year-old cruised through the minor leagues before scuffling during his brief initial stint in the majors in 2023 (.335 OPS, 32.4% strikeout rate), and again in his 2025 return (.545 OPS, 35.1% strikeout rate). Staying healthy has also proven difficult for Lawlar throughout his professional career up to this point, as he has landed on the injured list five times in five seasons, and two of those were extended trips to the 60-day IL. His fantasy potential cannot be denied, though, as he brings above-average speed and power to the plate on his best days, and a recent move to the outfield gives him a clearer path to playing time. Four home runs in ten spring training games, and an improved 27% strikeout rate, have put Lawlar back on the radar for both redraft and dynasty purposes this season, and he should get a relatively long leash to work things out as the club’s primary center-fielder to begin 2026. The true buy-low window on Lawlar is likely all but shut, though he still comes with a heavy helping of risk given his seeming inability to stay on the field for long.

Thomas, a former prospect of note himself, has the inside track on left-field duty, but he, too, has lost much of his former hype after struggling mightily to do damage with a bat in his hands over the course of four consecutive major league campaigns. Despite having logged over 400 plate appearances in three of the past four seasons, the 25-year-old has never reached double-digit home runs or stolen bases in a single year with Arizona, and has a paltry .234/.277/.362 slash line for his career as well. However, with reports of a swing change swirling, Thomas has performed much better this spring (.375/.444/.625). He will have to keep that momentum up to stave off teammates Tawa, who crushed 31 home runs as a minor leaguer back in 2024, and Barrosa, who possesses high-end speed and is probably the best defender of the group.

Fantasy managers looking for a breakout season from this bunch should feel cautiously optimistic about both Lawlar and Thomas, though the former is less of a budget option than the latter. The Diamondbacks will need a massive season from at least one of the two in order to challenge in their division, so the duo should receive plenty of playing time as the season gets underway. Do not let Waldschmidt fall through the cracks, though, even in redraft leagues, as he has the plate skills and the power potential to be a difference-maker right away when he does inevitably get called up.

Colorado Rockies - First Base

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