Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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9.
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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10.
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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17.
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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24.
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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43.
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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93.
Bryce Miller
SP
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163.
Jose A. Ferrer
RP
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179.
Matt Brash
RP
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208.
Gabe Speier
RP
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268.
Eduard Bazardo
RP
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362.
Kade Anderson
SP
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461.
Casey Legumina
RP
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469.
Cooper Criswell
RP
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475.
Emerson Hancock
SP,RP
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581.
Yosver Zulueta
RP
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633.
Robinson Ortiz
SP,RP
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644.
Domingo Gonzalez
RP
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650.
Dane Dunning
SP,RP
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668.
Josh Simpson
RP
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678.
Jhonathan Diaz
RP
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738.
Cole Wilcox
RP
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743.
Blas Castano
SP,RP
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747.
Alex Hoppe
RP
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748.
Randy Dobnak
RP
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749.
Troy Taylor
RP
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761.
Ryan Loutos
RP
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768.
Austin Kitchen
RP
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774.
Guillo Zuniga
RP
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847.
Casey Lawrence
RP
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