Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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8.
Chris Sale
SP
Chris Sale was absolutely cruising along in 2025, looking like a Cy Young candidate, before a fractured rib injury put him on the shelf from mid-June until the end of August. In 125 2/3 innings, he had a 2.58 ERA with 165 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP. His 32.4% strikeout rate and 5.16 K/BB rate remained elite, even in his age-36 season. It can be hard to trust power pitchers into their late 30s, but his return in August showed no lingering effects of the rib injury or indicated a pitcher on the decline. Sale is worthy of SP1 consideration, and fantasy managers can reasonably expect him to throw around 160+ innings at age 37.
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32.
Spencer Strider
SP
Spencer Strider's 2025 was a clear step back from his 2022-23 dominance, with sharp declines in strikeout rate (24.3% from elite 36%+ levels), rising hard-hit rate (42.6%), and a career-worst 4.45 ERA that mirrored weaker underlying command. While velocity and bat-missing ability weren't lost entirely, his reduced K/BB profile and elevated damage on contact capped his fantasy ceiling. The 2026 projections still view Strider as a high-strikeout arm, but no longer in a tier of his own, reflecting durability concerns and a thinner margin for error. He's a fantasy faller priced below his peak, though a partial rebound in strikeouts could still make him a strong SP2 rather than the automatic ace he once was.
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61.
Raisel Iglesias
RP
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103.
Robert Suarez
RP
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116.
Spencer Schwellenbach
SP
Spencer Schwellenbach quietly took another step forward in 2025, pairing a 3.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with elite control (4.1% BB%) and strong contact suppression (.217 BAA, .618 OPS against). His batted-ball profile improved year over year, featuring a higher ground-ball rate (47.1%) and a sub-3% HR rate, helping him outperform league averages despite only modest strikeout totals. He missed time with an elbow fracture, and he will start the season on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation. He is a risky draft pick who could pay off if the injuries don't derail his entire season, but I wouldn't count on it.
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135.
Reynaldo Lopez
SP
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138.
Hurston Waldrep
SP
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196.
Grant Holmes
SP
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246.
Dylan Lee
RP
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294.
Tyler Kinley
RP
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295.
Bryce Elder
SP
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303.
Aaron Bummer
RP
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334.
Joe Jimenez
RP
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336.
JR Ritchie
SP
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369.
Didier Fuentes
SP
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424.
Joey Wentz
SP,RP
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450.
Ian Hamilton
RP
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462.
Joel Payamps
RP
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480.
Lucas Braun
SP
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496.
Hayden Harris
RP
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509.
Martin Perez
SP
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555.
Luke Sinnard
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566.
Dylan Dodd
RP
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569.
Danny Young
RP
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587.
Jose Suarez
SP,RP
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602.
Owen Murphy
SP
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640.
Hunter Stratton
RP
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647.
Daysbel Hernandez
RP
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676.
AJ Smith-Shawver
SP
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688.
James Karinchak
RP
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771.
Jhancarlos Lara
SP,RP
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838.
Rolddy Munoz
RP
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877.
Anthony Molina
RP
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