Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Ceddanne Rafaela took a meaningful step forward in 2025, emerging as a clear fantasy riser after trimming his strikeout rate from 26.4% in 2024 to 19.9% while boosting his ISO to .165. The improved contact quality (87.7 mph EV, 38.7% HardHit) and career-best 4.8% walk rate supported a jump to a .708 OPS and 4.7 WAR, with 16 homers and 20 steals across 156 games. While his .295 OBP still limits his runs ceiling in standard formats, Rafaela's elite defense secures everyday playing time, and his 80% SB success rate plus 65.9% extra-base-taken rate highlight impactful speed. If the 2026 projections hold near a 15-18 HR, 18-22 SB pace with incremental OBP growth, Rafaela profiles as a high-floor middle-round target whose category juice outweighs the modest plate-discipline concerns.