Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
|
14.
Garrett Crochet
SP
Garrett Crochet built on his breakout 2025 by sustaining elite strikeout rates and improved efficiency, alleviating many durability concerns that followed him earlier in his career. His 2026 projections continue to reflect frontline stuff, with strong K totals and solid ratios over a full starter's workload. The key development was improved pitch mix consistency, allowing him to turn lineups over more reliably. Crochet is a premium fantasy arm whose upside justifies an aggressive draft slot and should easily be one of the first three pitchers off the board.
|
|
50.
Roman Anthony
RF
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.
|
|
62.
Jarren Duran
LF,CF
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.
|
|
103.
Sonny Gray
SP
Sonny Gray was one of the only bright spots in the Cardinals' 2025 season. He started 32 games, threw 180 2/3 innings, and struck out 201 batters. His ERA was inflated at 4.28 with an expected of 3.90, but his FIP (3.39) suggests both of these numbers are high, and his xFIP is even lower at 3.06. Gray turns 36 this year, and projections have him profiled as more of an SP3 or SP4. Still, the move to Boston should give him more win equity, and he is worth consideration in the middle rounds.
|
|
107.
Trevor Story
SS
Trevor Story's 2025 rebound was quietly impressive, as he logged a full season for the first time since 2021 and delivered 25 HR with a career-best 31 stolen bases, restoring much of his fantasy relevance. While the batting average (.263) and on-base skills remain below his Colorado peak, the power-speed blend at shortstop is once again intact when volume is present. Strikeouts remain elevated, but the counting stats were buoyed by durability and everyday role stability, which had been the primary concern the prior two seasons. Entering 2026, Story profiles as a high-variance but legitimate middle-infield upside play, with health, rather than skill erosion, still the defining risk.
|
|
109.
Aroldis Chapman
RP
|
|
141.
Ranger Suarez
SP
Ranger Suárez quietly delivered his best all-around season in 2025, pairing a 3.20 ERA with career-best walk suppression (5.8 BB%) while holding hitters to a sub-.680 OPS for the second straight year. His strikeout rate (23.2%) remained stable, but the real growth came from improved command and softer contact, as his HardHit rate dipped to a career low despite a slight drop in ground-ball rate. The 2026 projections largely bank on more of the same: mid-3.00s ratios, solid volume, and strong WHIP support driven by control rather than overpowering stuff. While he lacks true ace-level strikeout upside, Suárez's durability, efficiency, and run-prevention profile make him a high-floor SP2 who continues to outperform his draft-day perception in fantasy formats.
|
|
147.
Ceddanne Rafaela
2B,CF
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.
|
|
161.
Willson Contreras
1B
Willson Contreras' fantasy profile changes meaningfully after his move to the Boston Red Sox, as first base eligibility removes the positional advantage that once made his bat stand out. His 2025 production remains solid by raw numbers, but the same power-and-average output now plays closer to replacement level at a deeper offensive position. The shift away from catcher should help with durability and volume, yet it also raises the bar for fantasy relevance compared to his peers. In 2026 drafts, Contreras is better viewed as a corner infield depth option than a lineup anchor, with real-life value exceeding his fantasy impact.
|
|
209.
Wilyer Abreu
RF
|
|
214.
Connelly Early
SP
|
|
252.
Caleb Durbin
3B
|
|
289.
Brayan Bello
SP
|
|
352.
Marcelo Mayer
3B
|
|
398.
Romy Gonzalez
1B,2B
|
|
402.
Carlos Narvaez
C
|
|
416.
Triston Casas
1B
|
|
419.
Kristian Campbell
2B
|
|
422.
Johan Oviedo
SP
|
|
430.
Garrett Whitlock
RP
|
|
|
431.
Payton Tolle
RP
|
|
501.
Kutter Crawford
SP
|
|
573.
Justin Slaten
RP
|
|
603.
Masataka Yoshida
DH
|
|
647.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
3B,SS
|
|
653.
Greg Weissert
RP
|
|
680.
Jovani Moran
RP
|
|
732.
Andruw Monasterio
SS,CI
|
|
750.
Connor Wong
C
|
|
776.
Patrick Sandoval
SP
|
|
909.
Zack Kelly
RP
|
|
|
938.
Ryan Watson
SP
|
|
|
1070.
Tyler Uberstine
SP
|
|
1110.
Brendan Rodgers
2B
|
|
|
1124.
Tyler Samaniego
RP
|
|
|
1174.
Mickey Gasper
C
|
|
1239.
Nick Sogard
1B
|
|
1271.
Seth Martinez
RP
|
|
|
1342.
Jake Bennett
SP
|
|
1355.
Tanner Houck
SP
|
|
1419.
Kyle Keller
RP
|
|
1486.
Matt Thaiss
C
|
|
1498.
Jason Delay
C
|
|
1507.
Nate Eaton
RF
|
|
1537.
Anthony Seigler
3B
|
|
1545.
Tsung-Che Cheng
SS
|
|
1593.
Vinny Capra
3B
|
