Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

It's almost guaranteed that Pete Crow-Armstrong will be front and center in every "Potential Bust" or "Was it legit?" debate heading into 2026 drafts. To be clear, the 23-year-old delivered a monster stat line: 35 home runs, 95 RBIs, 91 runs scored and 35 stolen bases — production that firmly lands in OF1/OF2 territory. Had the season ended at the All-Star break, we'd likely be discussing whether he deserved first-round consideration. The problem is what followed. His second half unraveled, highlighted by an August stretch in which he logged 112 plate appearances but managed just one homer and five RBIs — a frustrating downturn for fantasy managers trying to make a playoff push. The most reasonable expectation for 2026 is something between his scorching first half and difficult second half. Projections peg him closer to a 20 HR, 75 RBI, 75 R, 30 SB profile — still a valuable fantasy contributor at the right draft price. The concern is cost. There will be managers willing to draft him as a budding MVP candidate. It's wiser to let someone else pay that premium and pivot to safer value elsewhere.

Seiya Suzuki delivered a wildly uneven 2025 campaign. He posted new career bests with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs, but the bulk of that damage came early, as 25 of those homers and 77 RBIs were recorded before the All-Star break. Like much of Chicago's lineup, Suzuki cooled off significantly in August, managing just one home run across 89 at-bats. The power surge came at a cost, as his batting average dipped to .245 after finishing above .280 in each of the previous two seasons. Entering his age-31 season and set to hit free agency in 2027, Suzuki could show a bit more urgency at the plate in 2026. Even without a major spike, fantasy managers can reasonably project something in the neighborhood of 25 homers, 75 runs, and 85 RBIs. He remains a steady draft option based on four years of reliable MLB production, with the upside of a potential contract-year push.

After posting offensive WAR totals in the 17 range for three straight seasons, Ian Happ took a noticeable step back in 2025, finishing at 9.1. The decline was driven primarily by a sharp drop in stolen bases, as he went from regularly reaching double digits to just six. Otherwise, his production was largely unchanged. Happ finished with 23 home runs, 87 runs scored, 79 RBIs, and a .243/.342/.420 slash line. That profile is a reasonable expectation again in 2026. He has appeared in at least 150 games in four consecutive seasons, and Chicago continues to rely on his steady presence in the lineup. With free agency looming in 2027, there's also a chance for a modest uptick in power. Happ profiles as a dependable OF3 option for fantasy managers in 2026.