Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Julio Rodriguez Note
	8. Julio Rodriguez CF Julio Rodriguez posted a strong but slightly underwhelming 2025 relative to his sky-high expectations, as his power output plateaued despite excellent durability and counting stats. The 2026 projections forecast a modest power rebound into the low-30s with continued double-digit steals. His underlying contact metrics remain strong, but launch-angle inconsistency has capped his home-run ceiling year over year. Rodríguez remains a foundational fantasy outfielder, though he now projects closer to the back half of the first round than the very top. 6 weeks ago

Cal Raleigh Note
	19. Cal Raleigh C Cal Raleigh had the year of his life in 2025, smacking 60 home runs while batting .247, far and away his best batting average ever. He drove in 125 and scored 110 times for a Seattle Mariners team that came very close to the World Series. Catcher is such a thin position that it is tempting to spend an early-round pick on Raleigh to be able to set-and-forget the position. His 2026 projections again place him among the position's home run leaders, with playing time security supporting strong counting stats, but we aren't going to see a repeat of his career year, and that is the current draft cost for the Big Dumper. Do you still want to spend a second-round pick on him if he's "only" getting you 40 homers with a .230 batting average? If so, he's easily the best catcher on the board. If not, wait three or four rounds to pick from the second tier. 6 weeks ago

Logan Gilbert Note
	39. Logan Gilbert SP When in doubt, draft Mariners pitchers. Logan Gilbert continued his ace-like ways in 2025, increasing his strikeout rate to 32.3% and striking out 173 in 131 innings. He ended the year with a 3.44 ERA, but his xERA was 3.06, so there is some correction expected in 2026. However, Gilbert's WHIP was a pristine 1.03, and if he can stay healthy enough to get near 30 starts, fantasy managers can write his name in ink as an SP1. 3 weeks ago

Bryan Woo Note
	42. Bryan Woo SP Bryan Woo successfully made "the leap" in 2025, starting 30 games, throwing 186 2/3 innings with a 2.94 ERA and microscopic 0.93 WHIP. He gave up more home runs than we'd like, but his 5.5 K/BB ratio and 27.1% strikeout rate will definitely help us cope on that front. Woo ranked fifth in MLB in swinging strike rate above average with his fastball at 7.4%, only 0.1% behind Tarik Skubal. Woo is only 26 and well on his way to being the ace of any fantasy baseball staff. 3 weeks ago

George Kirby Note
	54. George Kirby SP George Kirby's 2025 surface stats regressed (4.21 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) as his pristine control backed up, highlighted by a career-high 5.5% walk rate and elevated hard-hit contact. The encouraging sign was a spike in strikeouts (26.1% K rate, 9.8 K/9), which kept his underlying indicators intact, with hisn FIP notably lower than his ERA. His four-year track record of elite command and durability suggests the 2025 dip was more noise than skill erosion. Based on the 2026 projections and his underlying profile, Kirby profiles as a rebound SP2 whose draft cost should reflect last year's disappointment rather than his true talent. 2 weeks ago

Josh Naylor Note
	55. Josh Naylor 1B Let's start with the important part: Josh Naylor will not steal 30 bases again in 2026. With a previous high of 10, the 30 was a gift to managers who drafted him and will most likely be the outlier of his career. Naylor did sacrifice power in his time between Arizona and Seattle, hitting only 20 home runs after smacking 31 the year before. The .295 average helped offset this to some degree, but as a career .269 hitter, this is also suspect to continue. Even though he will only be 29 this season, the return to Seattle limits the upside we can expect. He's more of an avoid, unless he falls in drafts. 3 weeks ago

Andres Munoz Note
	70. Andres Munoz RP Andres Muñoz fully cemented himself as an elite fantasy closer in 2025, pairing a 1.73 ERA with 38 saves and maintaining his trademark swing-and-miss profile (32.7% K rate) despite occasional control volatility. His batted-ball suppression reached another level, as hitters managed just a .493 OPS against him with a sub-1% HR rate, reinforcing the sustainability of his ratios. The 2026 projections continue to treat Muñoz as a top-tier saves anchor with strong strikeout totals and elite run prevention, even if WHIP remains merely good rather than pristine due to walks. Entering his age-27 season with stable ninth-inning command in Seattle, Muñoz profiles as one of the safest high-end relievers in fantasy drafts. 2 weeks ago

Randy Arozarena Note
	82. Randy Arozarena LF,CF Randy Arozarena delivered one of his strongest fantasy campaigns in 2025, stuffing the stat sheet with 27 home runs, 95 runs scored, 76 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. Both the power and speed marks represented new career highs for the 30-year-old outfielder. While batting average will likely always be a mild drag on his profile, the underlying quality of contact remained excellent, highlighted by a .798 OPS, an 11.5% barrel rate, and a 50.6% hard-hit rate. He also remained a savvy and efficient threat on the bases, getting caught just six times. With a lineup that still offers plenty of run-producing potential, Arozarena profiles as a dependable OF2 option for 2026 fantasy drafts. 4 weeks ago

Luis Castillo Note
	128. Luis Castillo SP Luis Castillo remains a reliable innings-eater, but his 2025 profile showed continued erosion in strikeout rate (21.7% K%) and rising hard contact (46.5% HardHit), limiting his fantasy ceiling. While his command stayed strong and ERA stability persists, the whiff decline and increasing fly-ball tendencies have pushed him further from ace territory. The 2026 projections reflect more of the same: solid ratios and workload, but middling strikeout totals compared to the top fantasy arms. Castillo is still a dependable rotation anchor in deeper formats, though fantasy managers should no longer pay for peak-era upside. 2 weeks ago

Brendan Donovan Note
	229. Brendan Donovan 2B,SS,LF

Bryce Miller Note
	235. Bryce Miller SP

J.P. Crawford Note
	330. J.P. Crawford SS

Dominic Canzone Note
	347. Dominic Canzone LF,RF

Victor Robles Note
	373. Victor Robles LF,CF,RF

Jose A. Ferrer Note
	406. Jose A. Ferrer RP

Colt Emerson Note
	418. Colt Emerson SS

Matt Brash Note
	423. Matt Brash RP

Gabe Speier Note
	467. Gabe Speier RP

Cole Young Note
	497. Cole Young 2B

Eduard Bazardo Note
	544. Eduard Bazardo RP

Luke Raley Note
	657. Luke Raley 1B,LF,CF,RF

Casey Legumina Note
	781. Casey Legumina RP

Cooper Criswell Note
	790. Cooper Criswell RP

Kade Anderson Note
	801. Kade Anderson SP

Emerson Hancock Note
	858. Emerson Hancock SP,RP

Rob Refsnyder Note
	866. Rob Refsnyder LF,CF,RF

Mitch Garver Note
	873. Mitch Garver C

Ryan Bliss Note
	891. Ryan Bliss 2B

Yosver Zulueta Note
	959. Yosver Zulueta RP

Robinson Ortiz Note
	1042. Robinson Ortiz RP

Michael Arroyo Note
	1044. Michael Arroyo 2B

Domingo Gonzalez Note
	1068. Domingo Gonzalez RP

Dane Dunning Note
	1085. Dane Dunning SP,RP

Lazaro Montes Note
	1119. Lazaro Montes OF

Josh Simpson Note
	1122. Josh Simpson RP

Jhonathan Diaz Note
	1150. Jhonathan Diaz RP

Leo Rivas Note
	1211. Leo Rivas 2B,SS

Cole Wilcox Note
	1268. Cole Wilcox RP

Blas Castano Note
	1277. Blas Castano SP,RP

Andrew Knizner Note
	1280. Andrew Knizner C

Alex Hoppe Note
	1286. Alex Hoppe RP

Randy Dobnak Note
	1288. Randy Dobnak RP

Troy Taylor Note
	1290. Troy Taylor RP

Ryan Loutos Note
	1311. Ryan Loutos RP

Austin Kitchen Note
	1323. Austin Kitchen RP

Guillo Zuniga Note
	1334. Guillo Zuniga RP

Casey Lawrence Note
	1415. Casey Lawrence RP

Jhonny Pereda Note
	1495. Jhonny Pereda C

Nick Raposo Note
	1504. Nick Raposo C

Miles Mastrobuoni Note
	1549. Miles Mastrobuoni 2B,3B,LF,RF

Rhylan Thomas Note
	1573. Rhylan Thomas LF

Patrick Wisdom Note
	1592. Patrick Wisdom 1B,3B,OF