Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Yordan Alvarez is shaping up as one of the more polarizing draft-day decisions in 2026 fantasy leagues. After an injury-marred 2025 season burned managers who invested a first- or early second-round pick, Alvarez now projects as a rebound bat with elite per-game production when healthy. Projection systems still view him as a middle-of-the-order force capable of strong four-category output, supported by his consistently elite plate skills and long track record of hard contact. The main complication is positional flexibility: Alvarez is expected to qualify only at DH in most formats, effectively locking him into a UTIL role and increasing roster rigidity. That added risk will likely suppress his ADP, but entering his age-29 season, the underlying talent suggests a strong bounce-back is well within reach. If the discount reflects health concerns rather than skill erosion, Alvarez becomes a calculated upside play worth considering at the right price.

Jeremy Pena took a major step forward in 2025, posting career highs in batting average (.304), OBP (.363), slugging (.477), and OPS (.840) while cutting his strikeout rate and showing tangible growth in plate discipline. The power rebound (17 HR) combined with a repeatable 20-SB pace pushed him from a glove-first middle infielder into a true five-category contributor. Underlying contact quality and 2026 projections support most of the gains, even if some batting average regression is expected. With everyday shortstop duties locked in and peak-age growth still intact, Pena profiles as a stable top-tier fantasy shortstop rather than a one-year spike.

Jose Altuve's 2025 profile showed clear age-related erosion, with declining rOBA, reduced hard-hit rates, and a continued drop in stolen-base efficiency despite strong durability. While his contact skills remain above average, the quality of contact has flattened out, making his mid-20s home run totals harder to bank on going forward. The 2026 projections reflect this shift, leaning toward solid but unspectacular production with diminishing speed and only modest power. Altuve still offers batting average stability and run production in a strong lineup, but at his age, he profiles more as a floor play than a difference-maker in fantasy formats.

Isaac Paredes followed up his 2023 breakout with another strong season in 2025, slashing .254/.352/.458 with 20 home runs and a 123 OPS+ in his first year with Houston. While the raw power dipped slightly from its peak, his elite plate discipline and pull-side power remained intact, keeping his rOBA and Rbat+ well above league average. The move to a strong lineup context helped stabilize his counting stats, reinforcing his profile as a reliable corner-infield bat rather than a fluky breakout. FantasyPros 2026 projections continue to view Paredes as a high-floor option with 25-homer upside, making him a steady fantasy contributor even if he no longer carries surprise-star appeal.