Josh Shepardson | Tue, Jan 27th 2026, 7:25am EST

10 Must-Have Hitters (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

It’s always imperative to define what a must-have player is for fantasy baseball. It’s someone who’s undervalued or a relative bargain near their average draft position (ADP). Sometimes those players are worth reaching a round or more in ADP to select. Of course, reaching substantially is more palatable later in drafts, and reaching a round on a player drafted in the first three rounds is usually ill-advised.

It’s also critical to know what a must-have player isn’t. Gamers shouldn’t reach 12+ picks on all of the following players because they feel they need to roster them. The idea is to soak up value or surplus value by picking them as close to their ADP as possible. Some players will outperform their ADP, but since gamers are more informed now than ever before, ADPs are also pretty tight. Constantly reaching is a recipe for an underachieving squad. With the caveats out of the way, the following are 10 must-have hitters, using the consensus ADPs from RealTime Fantasy Sports (RTS) and National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC).

Fantasy Baseball Must-Have Hitters

Byron Buxton (OF – MIN): 72 ADP

Byron Buxton logged a career-high 542 plate appearances last year and had an outstanding fantasy campaign. His combination of power (35 homers), run production (97 runs and 83 RBI), speed (24 stolen bases) and a palatable batting average (.264) resulted in finishing as the 20th-ranked hitter in our value-based-ranking (VBR) metric in 2025. Buxton’s ADP makes him the 47th-ranked hitter this year.

Buxton has cleared 500 plate appearances only one other time in his career, back in 2017. Health concerns are the bugaboo for Buxton. Nevertheless, he’s not currently battling any health issues, and he’s excelled in back-to-back seasons. According to FanGraphs, in 930 plate appearances since 2024, Buxton has rattled off the following stats:

53 homers
159 runs
139 RBI
31 stolen bases (caught just twice)
6.6% walk rate
26.6% strikeout rate
.270 batting average
.330 on-base percentage (OBP)
138 wRC+

Buxton’s work in the last two seasons would amount to approximately 28.5 homers, 85.5 runs, 74.7 RBI, 16.7 stolen bases and a .270 batting average per 500 plate appearances. Buxton provides fantasy-friendly five-category production and has a bargain ADP of roughly the final pick in 12-team mixed leagues.

Tyler Soderstrom (1B, OF – ATH): 92 ADP

The Athletics will play six home games in Las Vegas this year. Otherwise, their home games will be at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park in 2026. According to Baseball Savant’s one-year park factors, Sutter Health Park had the second-highest park factor for runs (117) and is tied with George M. Steinbrenner Field (which won’t host the Rays this year since they’re returning to Tropicana Field) for the sixth-highest park factor for homers (112) in 2025.

Tyler Soderstrom is the first of two Athletics featured as must-have hitters. Getting affordable exposure to the Athletics’ launching pad home is alluring. Soderstrom’s 2025 breakout resulted in a 47th-ranked-hitter finish. Moreover, the left-handed-hitting Soderstrom was adequate against left-handed pitching and didn’t just feast in his home ballpark.

Soderstrom did his best work against righties, mashing 20 homers with a .278 batting average, .356 OBP, 9.8% walk rate, 21.5% strikeout rate and 132 wRC+ in 478 plate appearances with the platoon advantage. He didn’t embarrass himself against lefties, though. In 146 plate appearances against southpaws in 2025, Soderstrom hit five homers with a .270 batting average, .315 OBP, 5.5% walk rate, 26% strikeour rate and 103 wRC+.

In 311 plate appearances on the road, Soderstrom launched 15 long balls with a .279 batting average, .344 OBP, 8.7% walk rate, 22.8% strikeout rate and 132 wRC+. Again, his hitter-friendly home digs didn’t artificially inflate his numbers.

Soderstrom’s splits by half are also stellar. He hit for more power in the first half, hitting 18 homers in 395 plate appearances compared to seven home runs in 229 plate appearances in the second half. However, he offset the dip in dingers with an increase in batting average and OBP from .262 and .339 to .300 and .358.

Soderstrom is an excellent target and gets an added boost in leagues with weekly lineup changes since he doesn’t have sizable platoon splits to navigate.

Michael Harris (OF – ATL): 103.5 ADP

Michael Harris got off to a nightmarish start in 2025. He hit only six homers with 18 runs, 43 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .212 batting average, .238 OBP, 3.1% walk rate, 20.9% strikeout rate and 50 wRC+ in his first 326 plate appearances. However, Harris’ expected stats pointed to better days ahead, and they came.

Harris hit 14 homers with nine stolen bases, 37 runs, 43 RBI, a .285 batting average, .299 OBP, 1.9% walk rate, 19% strikeout rate and 117 wRC+ in his final 315 plate appearances last season.

The 24-year-old outfielder’s low walk rate makes him a less desirable option in OBP formats, but his low strikeout rate is favorable for his batting average outlook. Harris had a 20/20 season in 2025, and if his batting average ticks up from .249 to his .271 expected batting average (xBA) or .285 batting average before 2025, he’ll be a steal at his ADP.

Jackson Holliday (2B, SS – BAL): 134 ADP

Jackson Holliday raked at every level of the Minors. Unfortunately, he struggled at the dish in his first taste of 208 plate appearances in the Majors in 2024. Holliday made considerable strides in 2025, as evidenced by bumping his wRC+ from 62 in 2024 to 96 in 2025.

Holliday had a decent blend of power and speed, with 17 homers and 17 stolen bases. The young infielder’s .242 batting average was lackluster, but he drastically reduced his strikeout rate from 33.2% in 2024 to 21.6% in 2025.

The 22-year-old infielder is on an upward trajectory, and he sat atop Baltimore’s lineup most of the year. Holliday demonstrated enough last year to buy into another step forward this season, and a full-blown breakout isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Ivan Herrera (C, DH – STL): 143 ADP

It’s always nice to roster a player with catcher eligibility who primarily plays another position and isn’t subjected to the wear and tear of working behind the dish. Ivan Herrera played only 14 games (13 starts) and 101 innings behind the plate last season.

Herrera underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow and could be the club’s primary catcher this year. He was the designated hitter in 89 games last season, per FanGraphs. Even a split between catching and designated hitter would subject him to fewer bumps, bruises and nicks than his peers who play only catcher.

Herrera was the 90th-ranked hitter by VBR last season. In 452 plate appearances, he mashed 19 taters with 54 runs, 66 RBI, eight stolen bases, a .284 batting average, .373 OBP, 9.5% walk rate, 18.6% strikeout rate and 137 wRC+.

Herrera’s stolen base contributions were a nifty boost that catchers rarely provide fantasy teams, and his batting average didn’t appear flukey relative to his career mark or his xBA. Herrera is a rock-solid caching option at a stark discount from the 10 catchers selected ahead of him, sporting an ADP that’s 24 spots later than Yainer Diaz (119/C10).

Jacob Wilson (SS – ATH): 172.5 ADP

Jacob Wilson is the second hitter from the Athletics I foreshadowed earlier. Wilson’s .311 batting average was tied for second among qualified hitters last year, and he was one of only seven qualified batters with at least a .300 batting average. The young shortstop’s 7.5% strikeout rate was also the second-lowest among qualified batters. Wilson’s batting average is his calling card.

Wilson is not a one-trick pony, though. He also hit 13 homers with 62 runs, 63 RBI and five stolen bases. Gamers in need of middle infield help, a batting average boost or both should consider Wilson in this area of the draft.

Matt Chapman (3B – SF): 181 ADP

Matt Chapman has been unfazed by the pitcher-friendly conditions at Oracle Park, posting rock-solid hitting numbers since joining the team in 2024. In 1,182 plate appearances for the Giants, Chapman has slugged 48 homers with 174 runs, 139 RBI, 24 stolen bases, a .240 batting average, .333 OBP, 11.4% walk rate, 24% strikeout rate and 120 wRC+.

Chapman’s an excellent bet for 20+ homers and 10 stolen bases. The veteran slugger hit cleanup to close last year, providing him with ample run-production potential, assuming the same lineup assignment this year. Chapman’s .231 batting average last year was a fly in the ointment, but it was considerably lower than his .247 xBA. He recorded a .240 batting average in 2023 and a .247 batting average in 2024.

Chapman can return to a borderline .240 batting average this year, which can be stomached with his other contributions. The total package isn’t too shabby for a player at Chapman’s ADP.

Spencer Torkelson (1B – DET): 187.5 ADP

Spencer Torkelson won’t be a fit for every fantasy baseball roster at this point in the draft. His .240 batting average in 2025 was a career high; he’s a .227 hitter through 2,118 career plate appearances. Torkelson isn’t a threat to steal bases, either. He stole only two last year and has just five in his career.

Torkelson brings legitimate power to the table, though. He’s hit precisely 31 homers in two of the last three years. Among qualified hitters last year, Torkelson’s 23.1-degree launch angle was the second-highest, and his 13.55 barrel rate was tied for 30th. The slugging first baseman bounced back and forth between batting cleanup and fifth for the Tigers. Torkelson is a cheap source of power and RBI value.

Carter Jensen (C – KC): 217 ADP

Carter Jensen is a dreamy second catcher in two-catcher formats and a sweet high-upside, late-round dart throw in single-catcher formats. Jensen mashed in the upper Minors last year in 492 plate appearances (308 in Double-A and 184 in Triple-A):

20 home runs
72 runs
76 RBI
10 stolen bases
.290 batting average
.377 OBP
12.2% walk rate
24.8% strikeout rate
136 wRC+

Jensen’s excellence at the plate earned him a brief look on the Royals at the end of the season, and he was up to the task. In 69 plate appearances for Kansas City, Jensen put up the following stats:

3 home runs
13 RBI
.300 batting average
.391 OBP
13% walk rate
17.4% strikeout rate
159 wRC+

Jensen’s batting average wasn’t lucky, either, with a .343 xBA. According to Baseball Savant, among hitters with at least 25 batted-ball events, Jensen’s 14.5 barrels per plate appearance (Brls/PA%) was first, and his 100.2 miles per hour (MPH) fly-ball/line drive exit velocity was the fourth-highest.

Jensen can knock the cover off the ball, and he can also benefit from Kauffman Stadium’s renovated park dimensions. Jensen is a helium candidate if he generates buzz during spring training.

Giancarlo Stanton (OF – NYY): 227 ADP

Giancarlo Stanton began last year on the Injured List (IL) with injuries to both elbows, and he needs to manage the discomfort for the remainder of his career. Stanton didn’t make his season debut until June 16th.

Fortunately, Stanton’s elbow injuries didn’t sap him of his trademark power. In 77 games and 281 plate appearances, Stanton ripped 24 round-trippers with a .273 batting average (his highest since 2021), .350 OBP, 10.3% walk rate, 34.2% strikeout rate and 158 wRC+.

Among hitters with at least 100 batted-ball events, Stanton was fourth in Brls/PA% (12.1), tied for sixth in maximum exit velocity (118 MPH) and second in fly-ball/line drive exit velocity (99.8 MPH).

Stanton has had fewer than 460 plate appearances in four straight seasons. Again, his elbow discomfort will likely need to be managed. Thus, Stanton isn’t an ideal selection in leagues with weekly lineup changes.

However, Stanton is a fantastic bench option in leagues with medium-to-large benches with daily lineup changes, though. Gamers can chase power and RBI production when Stanton is in the lineup. Given his checkered injury history, he’s also more appealing in leagues with IL spots.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

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