Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Roman Anthony wasted little time making an impact in Boston, thriving over a 71-game stretch before an oblique injury sidelined him for the postseason. He delivered on the hype, posting a .292/.396/.463 slash line while serving as the Red Sox's catalyst atop the lineup. Although the sample was limited, his underlying metrics jumped off the page, including a 15.5% barrel rate and a 60.3% HardHit rate. Some regression is likely, but the skill set is undeniable as he heads into his age-22 campaign. His .859 OPS mirrored what he showed in the minors, and a 20-homer, 10-steal season with around 90 runs and strong ratios is well within reach in 2026. If he can stay on the field, he should quickly emerge as the clear frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year honors.

After a breakout 2024, Jarren Duran regressed in 2025. His power and speed dipped to 16 home runs and 24 steals after posting 21 long balls and 34 swipes the year prior. While his RBI total climbed from 75 to 84, his run production fell by 25, influenced in part by injuries throughout the lineup and the midseason trade of Rafael Devers. Heading into 2026, Duran projects more in line with his 2025 output. He remains a viable OF3 option, though he could fall outside the top 24 outfielders as he enters his age-29 campaign.

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.