Bold predictions are where fantasy baseball gets fun and occasionally where analysts look either brilliant or like they need to log off for a few days.
In this article, our Featured Pros go beyond the safe takes to deliver their bold predictions for the 2026 fantasy baseball season. These aren’t your standard “this guy could be good” calls. We’re talking about big swings, unexpected breakouts, surprising busts, and stat lines that would turn your league upside down.
Some of these predictions will miss. That’s the point. But if even a few hit, you’ll look like the smartest manager in your draft room. Let’s dive into the calls our experts are willing to stand behind, no matter how spicy they get.
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- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
2026 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions
Chandler Simpson (OF – TB)
“Chandler Simpson steals 100 bases in 2026! Now, He will have to play 150+ games, and the Rays will need to commit to him and eventually get him to the top of the order for this to happen. However, this is not impossible. Simpson has a .390 OBP over his minor league career and stole 104 bases in 110 games between A/AA in 2024. Outside of Carlos Narvaez in Boston, the remaining AL East catchers are pedestrian, at best, throwing out runners. If Simpson pulls off 100 steals, it will be the first time since 1987 (Vince Coleman) that anyone has done so, and the rules in 2026 with regard to stopping stolen bases are the loosest they’ve ever been.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Nasim Nunez (2B, SS – WAS)
“Nasim Nunez will steal 50 bags this year. Nunez, a Rule 5 pick back in 2023, is a burner, ranking in the top 2% of the league in sprint speed. The Nationals infielder swiped 219 bases in his minor league career and tacked on another 17 in The Show. He’s also collected seven already this spring. Nunez is a switch-hitter whose elite defense should keep him in the lineup on a nightly basis. There’s also not much competition at the position, nor is there a top prospect waiting in the wings to take his spot. The 25-year-old Nunez may not be the best hitter, but his extremely high walk rate (12% MLB, over 15% MiLB) should grant him all the opportunities he needs to finish atop the NL in stolen bases this year—and he’s still available nearly everywhere.”
– Austin Lowell (Fantasy Baseball By The Numbers)
Kevin McGonigle (SS – DET)
“This season, Kevin McGonigle will finish in the top 60 fantasy baseball hitters and win AL Rookie of the Year. He’s a pure hitter, and his minor league stats back this up. He hit .305/.408/.583 across High-A and Double-A. I’m not concerned about needing an adjustment period like most rookies. His bat is already MLB-ready. In watching him this spring, he rarely chases out of the zone, which is good to prevent prolonged rookie slumps. My projections for Kevin McGonigle are a batting average of .290+ with 20+ home runs, and a high OBP. His swing and plate discipline compare well to Bryce Harper‘s. McGonigle has lightning-quick hands with elite barrel control. Both McGonigle and Harper create late acceleration, letting them wait longer while still turning on velocity. McGonigle can move the bat around and drive hits to all fields. And when you layer in his swing that mirrors the explosiveness and intent of Bryce Harper, I’m not betting on a good rookie. I’m betting on a star arriving immediately.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
Nick Kurtz (1B – ATH)
“Nick Kurtz will finish 2026 with at least 50 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 125 RBI. The slugger was impressive over 117 games in 2025, reaching 36 home runs and 86 RBI for the Athletics. Combined with a 39.0% launch angle sweet spot and 51.1% hard hit rate while playing in an extremely hitter-friendly ballpark, the explosive potential is immense for Kurtz in his second full season.”
– Chris Schommer (FantasyPros)
Jac Caglianone (1B, OF – KC)
“Jac Caglianone will hit 35-plus home runs in 2026. He stunk in 2025, but showed up with a high barrel percentage, insane bat speed, incredible hard hit numbers, and a lower-than-expected strikeout rate. He’s put up a 120 max EV in spring and looked like a veteran in the WBC. Caglianone is primed for a breakout and will lead the Royals in home runs this year.”
– Chris Welsh (FantasyPros)
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – KC)
“For today’s lesson in recency bias, my bold prediction is that Vinnie Pasquantino will lead first basemen in home runs this season. Why? I read a great article this morning that detailed how the Kauffman Stadium fence changes will affect home runs hit there. Pasquantino hit 32 home runs last year (only 11 at home), finishing fourth at the position. The article’s model suggests that just the park factors alone would have added three to his home total in 2025. Bake in that Pasquantino should hit his prime in his age-28 season, and there is plenty of evidence to support my belief that he’ll at least get to 40. Sure, Nick Kurtz might have to slump for a month or so not to lead the position, but bold is bold.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
JJ Wetherholt (2B – STL)
“JJ Wetherholt is about to give us a 20/20 season, challenge for National League Rookie of the Year, and force his way into the top-5 second basemen in 2026 drafts. He’s already earned an opening day starting role in St. Louis, and he’s likely to bat at or near the top of the order. Wetherholt was an on-base machine in the minors (.418 career OBP), a player with a discerning eye at the plate and excellent bat-to-ball skills. He’s gonna be a huge nuisance for years to come. Last year, at 22, Wetherholt produced a 17/23 season in the high minors over just 109 games.”
– Andy Behrens (The Deep Shot)
Jackson Chourio (OF – MIL)
“Jackson Chourio will break out and produce his first 30/30 season. He’s been extremely consistent over his first two seasons, and a jump in year three wouldn’t be a big surprise. Chourio’s sprint speed has been in the 97th and 93rd percentiles, respectively, and an improvement in his 25% caught stealing rate could see him reach 30 steals for the first time. The power may be a little harder to come by. He improved his pulled-air rate over his rookie season, but it’s still a far cry from being optimized. Still, we know the skills are in there.”
– Chase Davis (FantasyPros)
The Athletics
“The A’s are going to win Fantasy Managers a lot of leagues. In Daily Fantasy Baseball, stacking is a standard lineup-building strategy. Players look at a matchup, good or bad, and either zig to take advantage of it or zag in order to set themselves apart from the field, primarily in large tournaments with huge fields of participants. However, stacking isn’t something that is ever mentioned in Yearly leagues. That is why the A’s are going to win a lot of managers’ fantasy league bounties $$$ this year. In 2025, the A’s were the fifth-worst team in the American League and were excluded from the playoff hunt by basically the All-Star break. In the minds of Fantasy managers, on draft day, but also in projecting performance, players on bad teams are avoided outright or, at the very least, downgraded and undervalued in ADP. My Dad’s entire Fantasy strategy on draft day is “I draft players on good teams.” A’s players are undervalued because of it. In ’25, the A’s were 12th overall in runs scored and RBI’s and 7th in all of baseball in HR’s despite tying for the seventh worst record in all of baseball at an ugly 76-86. A relevant fantasy result? Brent Rooker hit 30 home runs and has an ADP of #41, Tyler Soderstrom has an ADP of #81, Lawrence Butler has an ADP of #138, and Denzel Clarke, a sleeper and deep league target, has a current ADP of #438. Nick Kurtz is a fantasy darling with an ADP of #19, so teams that avoided his overbloated Draft Day cost are going to be “grateful.” The rest? Managers who accidentally or intentionally stacked two, or in deep leagues, targeted Denzel Clarke and loaded up by stacking three A’s are going to win leagues because of how discounted the cost is and how much they outperformed pre-season projections. Come Autumn, when Fantasy Football is in full swing, we are going to see a lot of A’s on rosters that are hunting the big $$$ in Fantasy baseball. We are going to see A’s mini or even triple stacks of Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, and Lawrence Butler with the occasional sprinkle of Denzel Clarke in deeper leagues. The Bold Prediction for 2026? Managers who stacked these A’s players are going to win some serious cheddar. #Undervaluedandoverproduced”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
Nolan McLean (SP – NYM)
“Nolan McLean is going to make an ADP of 29 look like highway robbery. In eight starts after his August debut, McLean posted a 1.04 ERA that ranked fourth in baseball, trailing only Skenes, Skubal, and Yamamoto. He racked up 57 strikeouts in just 48 innings while maintaining a 60% groundball rate, a combination that screams frontline upside. He is generating weak contact and missing bats at an elite level. Sure, he enters 2026 as the Mets SP3, but the Mets ace of the future is about to become your ace right now. By the time the season ends, McLean won’t just be holding the top spot in the Mets’ rotation but also holding the NL Rookie of the Year award, too.”
– Dennis Sosic (Fantasy Six Pack)
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