Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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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.
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18.
Cal Raleigh
C,DH
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.
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37.
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.
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41.
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.
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52.
Josh Naylor
1B,DH
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.
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56.
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.
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73.
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.
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83.
Randy Arozarena
LF
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.
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131.
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.
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225.
Bryce Miller
SP
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236.
Brendan Donovan
2B
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323.
J.P. Crawford
SS
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336.
Dominic Canzone
RF
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366.
Victor Robles
RF
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391.
Jose A. Ferrer
RP
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412.
Colt Emerson
SS
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417.
Matt Brash
RP
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451.
Gabe Speier
RP
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510.
Eduard Bazardo
RP
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717.
Cole Young
2B
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757.
Luke Raley
1B,RF
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792.
Casey Legumina
RP
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803.
Cooper Criswell
RP
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867.
Kade Anderson
SP
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871.
Emerson Hancock
SP
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953.
Yosver Zulueta
RP
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999.
Robinson Ortiz
SP
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1012.
Domingo Gonzalez
RP
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1022.
Dane Dunning
RP
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1062.
Jhonathan Diaz
RP
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1134.
Cole Wilcox
RP
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1139.
Blas Castano
RP
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1145.
Alex Hoppe
RP
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1146.
Randy Dobnak
RP
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1147.
Troy Taylor
RP
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1160.
Ryan Loutos
RP
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1167.
Austin Kitchen
RP
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1173.
Guillo Zuniga
RP
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1255.
Casey Lawrence
RP
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1278.
Rob Refsnyder
RF,DH
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1330.
Andrew Knizner
C
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1350.
Leo Rivas
2B
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1364.
Ryan Bliss
2B
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1401.
Jhonny Pereda
C
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1413.
Nick Raposo
C
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1446.
Michael Arroyo
2B
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1493.
Miles Mastrobuoni
3B,OF
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1528.
Rhylan Thomas
RF
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1550.
Patrick Wisdom
1B
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