Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Chris Sale Note
	9. Chris Sale 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. 3 weeks ago

Spencer Strider Note
	41. Spencer Strider 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. A partial rebound in strikeouts could still make him a strong SP2 rather than the automatic ace he once was. 3 weeks ago

Reynaldo Lopez Note
	102. Reynaldo Lopez

Grant Holmes Note
	120. Grant Holmes

Spencer Schwellenbach Note
	125. Spencer Schwellenbach 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. 3 weeks ago

Hurston Waldrep Note
	138. Hurston Waldrep

Didier Fuentes Note
	146. Didier Fuentes

Bryce Elder Note
	165. Bryce Elder

JR Ritchie Note
	187. JR Ritchie

Martin Perez Note
	278. Martin Perez

Lucas Braun Note
	342. Lucas Braun

Jhancarlos Lara Note
	343. Jhancarlos Lara

AJ Smith-Shawver Note
	359. AJ Smith-Shawver

Osvaldo Bido Note
	362. Osvaldo Bido

Victor Mederos Note
	443. Victor Mederos

Carlos Carrasco Note
	448. Carlos Carrasco