Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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12.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
RF
After two uneven seasons, Fernando Tatis Jr. re-established himself as an elite five-category force in 2025 and projects to remain there in 2026. Projections call for another 30-plus homer, 25-steal campaign with triple-digit runs atop the Padres lineup, supported by strong on-base skills and premium batted-ball quality. His improved plate discipline and reduced strikeout rate from last season point to a more stable batting-average floor than in earlier seasons. At the same time, underlying metrics suggest his power output still has room to grow. Entering his age-27 season with his role and health stabilized, Tatis profiles as a legitimate Top-5 overall fantasy upside play in 2026 drafts.
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31.
Manny Machado
3B
There is consistent, and then there is Manny Machado. In his age-32 season, Machado played in 159 games, hitting 27 home runs, scoring 91 times, driving in 95, and had a slash line of .275/.335/.460. (His slash line in 2024 was .275/.325/.472.) His home run total was the lowest since 2014 (ignoring 2020), but he actually barreled the ball (12.9%) and had his highest HardHit rate (51.5%) since 2021. The Padres lineup is aging, but Machado is still projected to bat behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill, which should lead to plenty of counting stats. Depending on how you feel about Junior Caminero, Machado is either the second or third-best third baseman in 2026 fantasy baseball and a solid early-round pick.
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56.
Jackson Merrill
CF
Multiple trips to the injured list cut short what could have been a breakout campaign for the 22-year-old, holding Jackson Merrill to 115 games with 16 home runs and just one stolen base. Entering 2026 healthy, he's a strong bet to rebound toward his 2024 production. While he's unlikely to be a major contributor on the bases, a season in the range of 25 homers with around 80 runs and 80 RBI is well within reach. His expected batting average and slugging percentage both outpaced his actual results, pointing to poor fortune layered on top of the injury issues. Merrill still offers the highest ceiling among his peers and could push into OF2 value if everything clicks, though he's best drafted as an OF3 with upside baked in.
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63.
Mason Miller
RP
Mason Miller solidified himself as one of baseball's most dominant relievers in 2025, posting a sub-3.00 ERA with a staggering 44.4% strikeout rate and elite bat-missing ability that ticked up even further after his move to San Diego. His year-over-year gains in K% (41.8% in 2024 to 44.4% in 2025) came with louder contact suppression, as opponents hit just .139 overall with a .493 OPS. While walks remain the lone blemish (12.0% BB%), his improved ground-ball rate and sustained triple-digit velocity give him a rare margin for error. The 2026 projections continue to view Miller as a high-volume saves source with league-best ratios, firmly cementing him as a top-tier fantasy closer and one of the safest bullpen anchors on draft day.
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84.
Nick Pivetta
SP
Nick Pivetta's 2025 breakout in San Diego was supported by real skill growth, highlighted by elite run prevention, a sub-1.00 WHIP, and career-best contact suppression (.195 BAA, .583 OPS against). His strikeout rate dipped slightly from peak Boston levels, but improved command and a sharp reduction in hard contact and BABIP drove a massive jump in value. The 2026 projections appropriately pull him back from ace-level ratios, yet still view him as a strong mid-rotation fantasy starter with above-average strikeouts and solid run support. Fantasy managers should treat Pivetta as a high-floor SP3/4 rather than fully buying the Cy Young-adjacent ceiling he flashed in 2025.
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121.
Michael King
SP
Michael King's transition to a full-time starter in San Diego paid off in 2024, but 2025 brought some mild regression and missed time. After logging 173.2 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 27.7% strikeout rate in 2024, he threw just 73.1 innings in 2025 with his strikeout rate dipping to 24.7% and his HR/9 jumping from 0.9 to 1.5. The underlying profile remains solid — a career 27.0% K rate with consistently better-than-average contact suppression — but his 2025 FIP (4.42) suggests he wasn't as sharp when on the mound. The 2026 projections expect a rebound in workload and a return to mid-3.00s ratios, which aligns more closely with his 2024 form than last year's abbreviated campaign. King still misses bats at an above-average clip and limits batting average against (.225 career), but his margin for error narrows when the home run rate spikes. He profiles as a high-end SP3 with SP2 upside if the strikeouts tick back toward the 27-28% range and he pushes past 160 innings again.
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220.
Joe Musgrove
SP
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231.
Xander Bogaerts
SS
Bogaerts showed modest rebound signs in 2025, posting a .263/.328/.391 line with 20 steals across 136 games after an injury-marred 2024 campaign. His underlying metrics were closer to league average (94 Rbat+, .320 rOBA), but a jump to a 39.5% hard-hit rate and a career-best 26.8% line-drive rate suggest there's still quality contact in the profile. While his power remains well below his Boston peak, the speed has held — 33 steals over the last two seasons with a 90.9% success rate in 2025 — giving him a stable roto floor. With 2026 projections forecasting a similar batting average with mid-teens homers and another 15-20 SB season, Bogaerts profiles as a steady middle-infield contributor whose five-category contributions are more valuable than his recent OPS totals indicate.
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246.
Ramon Laureano
LF,CF,RF
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302.
Nick Castellanos
RF
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349.
Jake Cronenworth
1B,2B,SS
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388.
Jeremiah Estrada
RP
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389.
Gavin Sheets
1B,LF,RF,DH
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414.
Freddy Fermin
C
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448.
Adrian Morejon
RP
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457.
Miguel Andujar
3B,LF,DH
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474.
Sung-Mun Song
2B,3B
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548.
Jason Adam
RP
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562.
JP Sears
SP
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623.
Ethan Salas
C
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667.
Wandy Peralta
RP
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678.
Luis Campusano
C,DH
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687.
David Morgan
RP
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727.
Griffin Canning
SP
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729.
Bradgley Rodriguez
RP
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784.
Randy Vasquez
SP
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786.
Yuki Matsui
RP
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791.
Ty France
1B
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823.
Walker Buehler
SP
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877.
Ron Marinaccio
RP
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916.
Garrett Hawkins
RP
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953.
Bryan Hoeing
RP
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968.
Jose Miranda
1B,3B
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1005.
Carlos Rodriguez
LF
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1040.
Kyle Hart
SP,RP
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1080.
Jhony Brito
RP
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1118.
Jackson Wolf
SP
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1159.
Will Wagner
1B,3B
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1175.
Tirso Ornelas
LF
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1177.
Nick Solak
1B
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1181.
German Marquez
SP
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1182.
Ty Adcock
RP
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1192.
Triston McKenzie
SP,RP
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1197.
Daison Acosta
RP
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1252.
Francis Pena
RP
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1267.
Bryce Johnson
LF,CF,RF
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1344.
Alek Jacob
RP
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1383.
Matt Waldron
SP
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1426.
Jagger Haynes
SP
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1431.
Marco Gonzales
SP
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1492.
Rodolfo Duran
C
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1499.
Blake Hunt
C
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1514.
Mason McCoy
SS
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1555.
Samad Taylor
2B,RF
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