Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Junior Caminero Note
	17. Junior Caminero 3B Junior Caminero's first full MLB season in 2025 delivered flashes of elite raw power but came with expected growing pains in plate discipline. He hit 45 home runs, drove in 110, and scored 93 times. His barrel rate was a fantastic 14% with a 51.4% hard-hit rate. The power is very real. However, in 2026, the Rays shift out of the minor league park they played in and back to one of the worst hitting parks in the majors. His 2026 projections anticipate a small reduction in home runs because of this park switch; however, they also suggest improvement in his ratios as his approach matures in his age-22 season. The underlying exit velocity and hard-hit gains year over year support the power breakout narrative. Caminero profiles as a high-upside player at a weak position whose fantasy value rises quickly if the strikeout rate continues to normalize. 6 weeks ago

Yandy Diaz Note
	101. Yandy Diaz 1B,DH Yandy Diaz made the most of the Rays' season at George Steinbrenner Field, cracking the 25-HR mark for the first time in his career while maintaining a .300 average. With the return to much less hitter-friendly Tropicana Field, fantasy managers should not expect another 25 homers, but 20 is within reason. Diaz is a middle-round pick best used to boost batting average, but there is more power to be had elsewhere at the position. 3 weeks ago

Ryan Pepiot Note
	130. Ryan Pepiot SP Ryan Pepiot logged a career-high 167.2 innings in 2025, but the underlying metrics point to mild regression risk after his ERA rose to 3.86 with a 4.36 FIP. His strikeout rate dipped to 24.6% (down from 26.3% in 2024) while hard-hit rate spiked to 42.8%, contributing to a career-high 26 homers allowed and a .404 SLG against. The walk rate held steady (9.0%), and his 38.2% ground-ball rate was a modest improvement, but the contact quality trend is worth monitoring. The 2026 projections peg him for similar volume with a mid-3.00s ERA and roughly a strikeout per inning, reinforcing his profile as a stable SP3/4 in fantasy formats. Pepiot's swing-and-miss ability remains intact, and the move back to Tropicana Field should correct the issues with the long ball. However, draft him for ratio stability and workload rather than expecting another skills leap. 4 days ago

Drew Rasmussen Note
	146. Drew Rasmussen SP Everyone seems to be forgetting the Rays are moving back into their spacious, pitcher-friendly ballpark in 2026 and ranking Drew Rasmussen way too low. He gave up more than 1.0 HR/9 for the first time in his career, but allowed twice as many at home in George Steinbrenner Field, which he won't have to deal with this season. His strikeout rate is middle of the road at 21.7%, but his walk rate is an impressive 6.3%, offering a WHIP below 1.10 every year of his career. He started 31 games last season, and even though his xERA (3.43) was higher than his actual (2.76), his ERA and FIP numbers from the previous two years, when he got to pitch at Tropicana Field, were stellar. It's worth it to target all of the Rays pitchers, but Rasmussen leads the way and would make a solid SP3 or SP4 on any fantasy pitching staff. 3 weeks ago

Jonathan Aranda Note
	165. Jonathan Aranda 1B Jonathan Aranda broke out in 2025, slashing .316/.393/.489 with a 146 OPS+ across 422 plate appearances, supported by elite quality of contact (93.0 mph average exit velocity, 54.8% hard-hit rate). His .409 BABIP and 30.5% line-drive rate fueled the batting average spike, while his 147 Rbat+ confirms the impact was more than just surface-level production. The 2026 projections dial back the average but maintain strong on-base skills and mid-20s homer pace, reflecting some regression without dismissing the skill growth. With no speed component and most of his value tied to bat-first production, Aranda profiles as a high-floor corner infield option in OBP formats, though managers should price in batting-average normalization rather than paying for a repeat of the .300-plus mark. 1 week ago

Chandler Simpson Note
	186. Chandler Simpson LF,CF

Shane McClanahan Note
	196. Shane McClanahan SP

Griffin Jax Note
	260. Griffin Jax RP

Edwin Uceta Note
	286. Edwin Uceta RP

Cedric Mullins II Note
	309. Cedric Mullins II CF

Ian Seymour Note
	317. Ian Seymour SP,RP

Garrett Cleavinger Note
	407. Garrett Cleavinger RP

Jacob Melton Note
	441. Jacob Melton LF,CF

Gavin Lux Note
	488. Gavin Lux LF,DH

Carson Williams Note
	489. Carson Williams SS

Joe Boyle Note
	494. Joe Boyle SP

Steven Matz Note
	516. Steven Matz RP

Nick Martinez Note
	535. Nick Martinez SP,RP

Bryan Baker Note
	566. Bryan Baker RP

Jake Fraley Note
	568. Jake Fraley RF

Nick Fortes Note
	576. Nick Fortes C

Jonny DeLuca Note
	637. Jonny DeLuca CF

Mason Englert Note
	699. Mason Englert RP

Kevin Kelly Note
	706. Kevin Kelly RP

Taylor Walls Note
	707. Taylor Walls SS

Cole Sulser Note
	711. Cole Sulser RP

Richie Palacios Note
	730. Richie Palacios 2B,LF

Yoendrys Gomez Note
	793. Yoendrys Gomez SP,RP

Brody Hopkins Note
	818. Brody Hopkins SP

Ben Williamson Note
	853. Ben Williamson 3B

Ty Johnson Note
	868. Ty Johnson SP

Manuel Rodriguez Note
	946. Manuel Rodriguez RP

Hunter Bigge Note
	955. Hunter Bigge RP

Tre' Morgan Note
	1071. Tre' Morgan 1B

Dominic Keegan Note
	1078. Dominic Keegan

Jadher Areinamo Note
	1093. Jadher Areinamo

Evan Reifert Note
	1101. Evan Reifert RP

Joe Rock Note
	1144. Joe Rock SP,RP

Justyn-Henry Malloy Note
	1148. Justyn-Henry Malloy RF,DH

Hunter Feduccia Note
	1152. Hunter Feduccia C

Jesse Scholtens Note
	1221. Jesse Scholtens SP

Michael Forret Note
	1247. Michael Forret

Cam Booser Note
	1255. Cam Booser RP

Ryan Vilade Note
	1260. Ryan Vilade LF,RF

T.J. Nichols Note
	1282. T.J. Nichols

Xavier Isaac Note
	1298. Xavier Isaac DH

Steven Wilson Note
	1371. Steven Wilson RP

Andrew Wantz Note
	1374. Andrew Wantz RP

Luis Guerrero Note
	1416. Luis Guerrero RP

Blake Sabol Note
	1485. Blake Sabol C

Cooper Kinney Note
	1526. Cooper Kinney 2B,3B

Victor Mesa Jr. Note
	1561. Victor Mesa Jr. LF