Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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15.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
1B,DH
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rebounded nicely in 2025, hitting .292 with 23 HR, and his 2026 projections expect his power to climb back over 30 HR. His contact quality improved year over year, driven by more line-drive contact and a stabilizing strikeout rate. The projected power bounce is supported by underlying metrics, suggesting 2025 may have been closer to his floor than his median outcome. Vladdy profiles as a strong early-round value with legitimate top-five 1B upside if the HR surge materializes.
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65.
Dylan Cease
SP
Dylan Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays in November, parlaying his steady strikeout rate numbers and artificially inflated ERA in 2025 into security with the 2025 runners-up. In his age-29 season, Cease was snakebit by a .320 BABIP, ballooning his ERA to 4.55 with an xERA of 3.46. The important stat to know is his 29.8% K-rate and five consecutive years of 200+ strikeouts. If you can absorb a bit of a WHIP hit (career 1.26), the counting stats are there for the taking.
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76.
George Springer
LF,CF,RF,DH
George Springer silenced skeptics in 2025 with his strongest campaign since 2019, turning in a monster season at age 35. He appeared in 140 games, launching 32 home runs while scoring 106 runs, driving in 84, and swiping 18 bases. His .309/.399/.560 slash line was the best of his career, and his 166 wRC+ ranked third across MLB. The obvious question is how to value Springer heading into his age-36 season in 2026. A repeat batting average is unlikely, as his .309 mark was fueled by a .340 BABIP—well above his career norm. Most projections pull his power back into the mid-20s for home runs, but the strength of the lineup around him should help preserve strong run and RBI totals, along with roughly 15 stolen bases. If Springer can once again stay on the field for around 140 games, he remains a valuable fantasy asset. While a full encore of 2025 shouldn't be expected, even modest regression still leaves him among the more reliable contributors.
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93.
Kevin Gausman
SP
Kevin Gausman followed up his 2024 dip with a strong rebound in 2025, logging 193 innings with a 3.59 ERA and an excellent 1.06 WHIP, supported by a .216 opponent average and improved run prevention metrics. While his strikeout rate (24.4% K%) remained solid, it was well below his 2022-23 peak, reinforcing the trend that his fantasy ceiling is no longer ace-level. The 2026 projections reflect this reality, forecasting dependable innings, solid ratios, and above-average command, but fewer strikeouts than elite fantasy starters. At age 35, Gausman profiles as a fantasy faller relative to his name value—best suited as a high-floor SP3/4 rather than a staff anchor, with value tied heavily to workload stability and ratio support rather than upside.
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110.
Trey Yesavage
SP
Yesavage's 2025 debut was brief but intriguing, posting a 3.21 ERA and 2.35 FIP across three starts with a 25.8% strikeout rate. The underlying profile jumps off the page: a massive 61.5% hard-hit rate allowed and 94.0 mph average exit velocity suggest his 0.0% HR rate and .273 opponent SLG were unlikely to hold over a larger sample. He did generate ground balls at a strong 56.4% clip, which could help him manage damage in Rogers Centre, but an 11.3% walk rate points to command volatility. The 2026 projections appear to price in regression toward league-average ratios with solid strikeout totals over a larger workload. Fantasy managers should view Yesavage as a high-variance upside arm — the swing-and-miss ability is real, but unless the contact quality improves, he's more of a late-round flier or watch-list candidate in standard formats rather than a draft-day priority.
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157.
Jeff Hoffman
RP
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190.
Alejandro Kirk
C
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198.
Addison Barger
3B,LF,RF
Addison Barger took a significant step forward in 2025, improving across the board with a .243/.301/.454 slash, 21 homers, and a league-average 105 OPS+ after struggling mightily as a rookie. The power growth was especially encouraging, supported by a jump in extra-base hits and a rOBA that climbed back to league average. While his strikeout rate remains elevated, everyday playing time and defensive versatility at third base and the corner outfield helped solidify his role. Projections reflect cautious optimism, positioning Barger as a late-round sleeper with legitimate 20-plus homer upside if the plate discipline continues to stabilize.
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203.
Shane Bieber
SP
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208.
Daulton Varsho
LF,CF
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247.
Kazuma Okamoto
1B,3B
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297.
Anthony Santander
LF,RF,DH
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300.
Andres Gimenez
2B,SS
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327.
Cody Ponce
SP,RP
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346.
Jose Berrios
SP
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359.
Ernie Clement
1B,2B,3B,SS
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381.
Jesus Sanchez
LF,CF,RF
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477.
Yimi Garcia
RP
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480.
Tyler Rogers
RP
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510.
Louis Varland
RP
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569.
Braydon Fisher
RP
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571.
Nathan Lukes
LF,CF,RF
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630.
Tommy Nance
RP
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639.
Eric Lauer
SP,RP
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656.
Brendon Little
RP
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676.
Davis Schneider
2B,LF
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725.
Mason Fluharty
RP
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745.
Bowden Francis
SP
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805.
Ricky Tiedemann
SP
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815.
Yariel Rodriguez
RP
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903.
Chase Lee
RP
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974.
Tyler Heineman
C
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1052.
Myles Straw
LF,CF,RF
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1069.
Eloy Jimenez
RF,DH
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1096.
Angel Bastardo
SP
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1113.
Jorge Alcala
RP
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1176.
Jake Bloss
SP
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1178.
Lazaro Estrada
SP,RP
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1184.
Spencer Miles
SP
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1246.
Adam Macko
SP,RP
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1327.
RJ Schreck
RF
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1337.
Jonatan Clase
LF,CF
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1496.
Brandon Valenzuela
C,1B
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1542.
Ben Cowles
2B,3B,SS
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