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Mining the News (1/26/26)

by
January 26, 2026


Brett Davis-Imagn Images

• Aaron Sanchez is attempting a comeback…

After sitting out last season, Aaron Sanchez won the Dominican Winter League’s Pitcher of the Year award this winter and is attracting interest from clubs, league sources said. In eight starts (46 1/3 innings) over the winter, Sanchez had a 1.55 ERA.

Sanchez, 33, has not pitched in the major leagues since 2022. Formerly a top prospect, Sanchez is best known for time with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was an All-Star in 2016, going 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA.

From 2017-22, however, Sanchez experienced injuries and produced a 5.29 ERA. In 2024, he had a 7.92 ERA in 61 1/3 innings while pitching for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team.

… while averaging 92 mph on his fastball with a slider, curve, and change.

The only time Sanchez averaged 92 mph was in 2022. That season, he posted a 6.60 ERA (4.18 xFIP), 1.55 WHIP, and 6.2 K/9. He’s never thrown a slider in the majors, so it’s a new pitch.

American League

Angels

• Josh Lowe will get a chance to prove he can hit lefties.

The Angels do lack left-handed bats in their lineup, so Lowe could be part a platoon with Teodosio, which could keep Trout and Adell as regulars in the lineup, with Trout sharing time at designated hitter with Soler. But Minasian wouldn’t rule out Lowe getting a chance against lefties.

“When evaluating the player, there were some things that stood out,” Minasian said. “He hasn’t been great against left-handed pitching. He hasn’t had a ton of opportunities either. So again, that’ll be a question for the staff and ‘Zuk’ when we get our hands on him. But with talented players, sometimes it just takes experience and playing time to learn to defend yourself against the same side.”

Astros

• Spencer Arrighetti avoided elbow surgery and plans to be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Arrighetti was able to avoid surgery and has already thrown seven times in the bullpen this winter. He will report to West Palm Beach, Fla., in two weeks healthy and ready to compete.

“I feel ahead of schedule right now instead of behind,” Arrighetti said on Saturday at FanFest at Daikin Park. “So I’m just really optimistic going into camp that I’ll be able to hit the ground running, be on par with the rest of the group and just still be in that competition fighting for my spot.”

• The team hopes Zach Cole can be an outfield regular.

The potential for a full season from Alvarez could help. So would contributions from rookie outfielder Zach Cole. Without being prompted, team officials have praised Cole all offseason and hope he can carve out a regular role in Houston’s unsettled outfield.

I have my doubts. Last season in 52 PA, he posted a 61% Contact%. In the most recent edition of The Process, I found that best case outcome for someone with so much swing-and-miss is about 250 PA.

Athletics

• Nick Kurtz is preparing his body for a full 162-game schedule.

In preparing for Year 2, Kurtz is focused on getting his body ready for the grind of a 162-game season. He has tried to balance his offseason workouts between getting stronger in the weight room while also dropping a few pounds for better mobility and to, hopefully, avoid the tired legs he felt toward the end of 2025.

“I know what needs to be done to stay healthy for 162 [games],” Kurtz said, “what I need to do with my body in the weight room and eating-wise to kind of not hit that wall at some point throughout the year. I know 162 is a lot of games. I want to do the best I can to play every single one of them.”

Orioles

• Heston Kjerstad will be ready for Spring Training …

… after dealing with fatigue last season.

There hasn’t been a clear explanation for the outfielder’s absence to end last season, but it appears to be in the rearview. Kjerstad was shut down in late July while dealing with fatigue. Reports in September were that he was seeing doctors about an unspecified medical condition.

Royals

• Isaac Collins could get reps at second base.

We’ll see Collins in left field the majority of the time, while Thomas will move among all three spots. The Royals touted Collins’ ability to play second base when they acquired him, giving them flexibility, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he gets reps there this spring.

Twins

• The plan is for Ryan Jeffers to be the starting catcher for 100 games.

At first glance, the Caratini signing would seem to make Jeffers, a free agent next winter, a possible trade candidate. Jeffers suggests that management indicated otherwise to him.

“Before all that happened, I had conversations [with management telling me] ’Hey, this might happen,’ and just reassuring me that my role as the guy who’s going to catch 100-plus games is not going to change,” Jeffers told host John Vittas. I’m excited to go back there and really get a full season in. Throughout my career, I’ve split time with a lot of guys, and I’m excited to catch a full workload and also be joined by a guy (Caratini) who’s been in the game for eight-plus years and has a lot of experience, has won a lot of games and has been with some organizations that have played really good baseball.”

• David Festa is almost going through a normal offseason.

Right-hander David Festa has been encouraged by his offseason progress. He made only one appearance, in Triple-A, after July 21 due to a mild form of thoracic outlet syndrome. That diagnosis is often scary for pitchers, and it was initially for Festa. But he said on Saturday that he’s going through something very close to a normal offseason, and he expects to be ready to compete for a rotation spot when camp opens next month.

• Pablo López went through a normal offseason.

Pablo López said his health has not been a concern and that he has had a “normal” offseason following a late-season right forearm injury.

• Bailey Ober admitted that his hip bothered him all of last season.

Ober explained that the main trouble that bothered him was discomfort in the hip of his landing leg. That led to inconsistency in his delivery, since he never knew whether he’d fully have his leg under him when he landed.

He pitched through it, effectively at times, early in the year. But all the while he was falling into bad habits. So although he was mostly feeling OK physically when he returned from the injured list, his mechanics remained out of whack.

“I just never felt like I had a stable base throwing,” Ober said. “It felt like my release was off almost every single throw. Sometimes I’d have 10 throws in a row where it felt great, and the next 10 are like, ‘I don’t know where this is going.’ It was a sharp pain, and I didn’t feel strong in my front leg to block.”

The challenge was knowing when to try to pitch through it and when to pack it in. With some hindsight, Ober acknowledges he might handle things differently if he had another opportunity.

National League

Cubs

• Matt Shaw is taking reps in the outfield.

• Justin Steele won’t be ready for the start of the season, but he feels he’s ahead of schedule.

“There hasn’t really been any hiccups at all through this process,” Steele said. “It’s felt good the entire time. If anything, we’re ahead of schedule. I’ve kind of been pushing the envelope the entire time, wanting to get off the mound.”

While Steele added that “it’s full steam ahead,” that does not mean there are any firm dates circled for a potential comeback yet. Opening Day has already been ruled out publicly by manager Craig Counsell, who said during the Winter Meetings that the first half was possible for the lefty’s return, barring any setbacks.

Diamondbacks

• Ryne Nelson is preparing to make 30 starts while working on his slider and curve.

Nelson made getting physically stronger a priority this offseason so he can handle the rigors of making 30 or more starts in 2026.

With that in mind, he’s added some muscle and reduced some body fat. He worked on continuing to develop his slider — which he thought he made big strides with in 2025 — and his curveball.

The goal is that when he throws those pitches, he’s not just throwing them because he needs to, but because he believes and trusts in them.

Last season, he threw his slider 12% of the time and curve 11% of the time. Our STUPH models have the slider (14% SwStr%) as an average pitch and the curve (12% SwStr%) as below average.

Dodgers

• Odds are that Tommy Edman will not be ready for Opening Day.

Concern over Tommy Edman’s surgery recovery might have given the Dodgers more incentive to land Tucker. Edman will be delayed in starting the spring as he recovers from a right ankle operation. There is a growing likelihood he will not be ready for Opening Day.

Giants

• Bryce Eldridge is about done with the rehab on his wrist.

Eldridge underwent postseason surgery to address a bone spur in his left wrist. He said he’s essentially at full strength, noting that he’s in the final stages of his hitting program. Eldridge should enter camp healthy as he battles for the starting first base/designated hitter job in what would be a split between the two positions with Rafael Devers.

• Casey Schmitt played through wrist pain in the second half.

The 26-year-old hurt his wrist when he was hit by a pitch on June 25, and he played through persistent discomfort in the second half. When the pain didn’t subside during the offseason, Schmitt decided to opt for the same surgery that top prospect Bryce Eldridge had in October.

“I kind of dealt with it probably since June or July when I got hit against Miami that first time,” Schmitt said. “I was kind of dealing with it since then. Just masking it and just getting through the season. I thought it would go away. So I gave it a month off. It didn’t go away. Then we went the surgery route to get it taken care of so I don’t have to deal with it for this year.”

Phillies

• Otto Kemp will mostly play in the outfield.

Otto Kemp, though, got his feet wet in the outfield last season — and it sounds as if getting him some extra reps will be the focus in Spring Training.

“I think some corner outfield,” manager Rob Thomson said this week when asked how he plans to deploy Kemp this spring. “A little bit of infield work — third base, second base, maybe a little bit of first base, too. But, really, focus on the outfield more than anything else.”

Could Thomson envision Kemp playing enough outfield to form a full platoon?

“Yes,” Thomson said. “Yeah, I could.”


Outfield 2026 Fantasy Rankings

by
January 22, 2026


David Banks-Imagn Images

Changelog

    • 12/19/2025 – First Release
    • 1/7/2026 – Update with summaries for Harris, Pages, Anthony, Lile, Burleson, Trout, Wood, Rooker, Langford, and Chourio.
    • 1/22/2026 – Update with summaries for Schwarber, Alvarez, Buxton, Yelich, Arozarena, Duran, Garcia, Bellinger, Altuve, and Hernandez.

Ranking Methodology

  • ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Draft Champions Leagues.
  • $ Values are based on a standard 5×5 12-team league using the FanGraphs Depth Charts and these Auction Calculator settings. They default to a player’s most valuable position, so if the first base list includes a catcher, it will show that player’s value at catcher.
  • ADP and $ Values are updated as of the last update date on this post.
  • 5-game eligibility was used for these lists to cast the widest net.

Five-Category Studs

These hitters provide value in every aspect of the game with speed, power, and batting average. There are no flaws in their game.
Five-Category Studs
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
1 Aaron Judge NYY OF – 2 $41
2 Juan Soto NYM OF – 5 $37
3 Corbin Carroll ARI OF – 8 $30
4 Julio Rodriguez SEA OF – 11 $32
5 Fernando Tatis Jr. SDP OF – 14 $31
6 Kyle Tucker LAD OF – 18 $28
7 Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL OF – 8 $30

Four-Category Studs

Some of these hitters may be better real-life players than those in the above tier, but lack in one roto category, usually steals.
Four-Category Studs
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
9 Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC OF – 34 $21
11 Brent Rooker ATH OF – 55 $21
12 Yordan Alvarez HOU OF – 46 $23
13 James Wood WSN OF – 34 $18

Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to be a divisive player in drafts. First, he’s way better in Roto using batting average with the extra emphasis on stolen bases and no downgrade for a sub-300 OBP. He has the potential to be a platoon bat(career .769 OPS vs RHP, .591 OPS vs LHP), but his elite defense will keep him on the field. Running some comps, they point to a career similar to Javier Báez and Rougned Odor.

Brent Rooker is no longer an enigma; he’s a steady source of 30 HR or more with 180 Runs+RBI. This past season, he seems to have traded off a hit of power (91.9 avgEV to 90.7) for more contact (68% Contact% to 72%). He even throws in a half dozen stolen bases.

After three straight seasons of 30+ home runs, Yordan Alvarez’s injured ankle caused him to miss most of last season. I’m worried it’s not 100% healthy, since the team says he will be the primary DH. Besides the injury, his home run per flyball rate has dropped in each of the last three seasons (25% to 21% to 16% to 10%). High risk play. Note: Could be Util-only in league with a 20-game minimum.

Which James Wood will show up this season? The one who hit 24 HR with a .915 OPS in the first half or the one with just 7 HR and a .690 OPS (39% K%) in the second half. I dug and could not find why his Contact% dropped from 72% to 65%. Think of the hype if the halves were switched. Wood’s bat speed and the subsequent batted balls are comparable to the league’s best hitters. Depending on his Contact%, his range of outcomes could be a 50 HR hitter or a frustration who will dominate for a few weeks but be a drag for the rest of the season (see Oneil Cruz).

Five-Category Pillars

These hitters are good across the board, but don’t match up to those in the first tier.
Five-Category Pillars
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
10 Jackson Chourio MIL OF – 21 $20
14 Wyatt Langford TEX OF – 50 $17
15 Byron Buxton MIN OF – 87 $13
17 Jarren Duran BOS OF – 83 $8
18 Michael Harris II ATL OF – 101 $14
28 Christian Yelich MIL OF ▼13 140 $12

Jackson Chourio has almost the exact same stats over the last two seasons, down to the seven caught stealings, four triples, and three hit-by-pitches. Some growth should be expected from the 21-year-old, but how much and when are the keys. One issue is that he might be slowing down with a 0.5 ft/s loss in Sprint Speed and only six stolen base attempts in the second half compared to 22 in the first half. In 2024, he was the 40th overall player and 59th last year, according to our player rater. That’s a nice floor. The key will be if he can improve on the 20 HR power AND continue to steal bases.

The arrows are heading in all directions with Wyatt Langford. He improved his power (43% HardHit% to 48%), but his contact rate got worse (80% Contact% to 76%). He stole more bases (19 SB to 22) with a slower Sprint Speed (29.8 ft/s to 28.9). Additionally, he missed time twice for oblique injuries while playing through them before taking time off. He quit running as much in the second half (15 SB vs 7), and maybe he didn’t want to re-injure the oblique. It’s tough to evaluate him with so many moving parts. The 24-year-old will be useful, but the way and amount are still up in the air.

Byron Buxton finally stayed “healthy” (126 games, highest since 2017) and posted the season everyone hoped he could (35 HR, 24 SB, .264 AVG). Besides health, there was no real skill improvement or degradation.

Jarren Duran regressed a bit after a career year in 2024, but still hit 24 HR with 24 SB. I’m not sure there is another gear for the 29-year-old. He seemed to sell out for power, with his average exit velocity up 1 mph and his average launch angle up 2.5 degrees. At the same time, his Contact% dropped over 4% points.

The projections love Michael Harris II as a 20/20 talent with a positive batting average. Those projections are of no help to the fantasy managers who started the 24-year-old when he hit .210/.234/.317 with 6 HR in the first half last season. Around the All-Star game, he changed his swing and hit .299/.315/.530 in the second half. One factor keeping his fantasy value down is that he’ll be hitting at the bottom of the Braves lineup, thereby suppressing his plate appearances.

Christian Yelich hit over 20 HR (29) for the first time since 2019. At 34-years-old, no one seems to be buying a breakout with a full season, career high 26% K%, and career-low 90.2 mph Average Exit Velocity. Besides not hitting the ball as hard, his 2 degree Launch Angle was the lowest since his rookie season. Note: He might only be Utility-only in leagues that require 20 games for a position.

Elite Power Bat, Nothing Else

These bats have 40+ home run power with a ton of counting stats. They provide very little in speed and batting average.
Elite Power Bat, Nothing Else
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
8 Kyle Schwarber PHI OF – 25 $24

Kyle Schwarber knocks the crap out of the ball. Since the shift was banned, he’s been posting better batting averages, removing his one weakness.

Balanced 2nd Division Bat (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

This tier and the next six tiers comprise the point in the draft where the talent starts to level off, and fantasy managers can focus on category specialists. Some of the unbalanced bats may provide some other category juice, but most of their value is wrapped up in a single category. This is another balanced tier, but in these instances, their trait is not being a drag in any category. They won’t allow a manager to catch up in any category.
Balanced 2nd Division Bat (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
19 Maikel Garcia KCR 2B/3B/SS/OF – 81 $15
20 George Springer TOR OF – 103 $12
22 Roman Anthony BOS OF – 64 $8
23 Cody Bellinger NYY 1B/OF – 91 $15
24 Andy Pages LAD OF – 141 $12
25 Brandon Nimmo TEX OF – 153 $8
26 Jose Altuve HOU 2B/OF – 125 $14
29 Steven Kwan CLE OF – 169 $9
30 Seiya Suzuki CHC OF – 104 $12
31 Lawrence Butler ATH OF – 163 $8
34 Ceddanne Rafaela BOS 2B/OF – 128 $10
37 Jurickson Profar ATL OF – 183 $7
41 Heliot Ramos SFG OF – 215 $8
44 Ian Happ CHC OF – 184 $6
45 Jasson Dominguez NYY OF – 203 -$23
47 Noelvi Marte CIN 3B/OF – 141 $8
50 Brenton Doyle COL OF – 167 $4
53 TJ Friedl CIN OF – 268 $2
70 Daylen Lile WSN OF ▼19 206 $2
78 Harrison Bader OF – 335 -$4
80 Lars Nootbaar STL OF – 374 -$1
82 Austin Hays OF – 415 -$6
89 Jonathan India KCR 2B/3B/OF – 383 -$7
97 Cam Smith HOU OF – 361 -$12
102 Josh Smith TEX 1B/3B/SS/OF – 350 -$11
103 Alek Thomas ARI OF – 540 -$12
112 Kyle Isbel KCR OF – 716 -$10

After being a speed-only option in his first two seasons, Maikel Garcia hit 16 HR in 2025. He didn’t hit the ball harder, but he started elevating (6 deg to 10 deg LA, 49% GB% to 43% GB%) and pulling (33% Pull% to 39% Pull%) the ball more. Hopefully, he keeps or improves on those gains. In most leagues, he will only qualify at third base.

Usually, top prospects get all the love, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Roman Anthony going after pick 50. While he only hit 8 HR in just over 300 PA, signs point to elite power. He led the league with a 60% HardHit%. He was fifth in the league with a 94.5% avgEV. He hit 27 Barrels, but only 8 of them went for HR (normally 1 HR for every two Barrels). The 21-year-old’s only weakness was a 28% K%.Upside of 30 HR.

Cody Bellinger raised his launch angle and hit for more power, leading to a six-year high of 29 HR. The problem is that he’s had similar power strokes, and they’ve quickly disappeared. Additionally, last season was the first time he accumulated over 600 PA since 2019. With such variance, pay for the projection, knowing the results are hopefully better but could be way worse.

The last memory of Andy Pages is of his post-season struggles (.078 AVG) and benching. I examined similar players and found that a horrible postseason doesn’t affect the hitter’s next season’s production (article coming later this week). The market disagrees on his projection (.255 AVG, 25 HR, 10 SB), so take the discount and roster away.

Boring, old Brandon Nimmo has shown no signs of slowing down, and the change in home park could boost his production.

Jose Altuve posted a career-low (excluding 2020) batting average (.262 AVG) along with his lowest stolen base total in four years (10 SB). He posted nearly the same line in three of the past four seasons. I expect the same or worse results as he ages.

Steven Kwan is a consistent source of batting average and steals with at least double-digit home runs.

Seiya Suzuki’s power took a step forward with 35 HR being a possible outcome if he can stay on the field. The rest of his profile shows no signs of aging.

After a breakout 2024 campaign, Lawrence Butler took a step back, likely because of a couple of knee injuries, one chronic. Additionally, he started getting platooned to end the season. Mute expectations because his talent and playing time could be at risk.

While his surface stats don’t show it, Ceddanne Rafaela took a major step forward in 2025.

While still productive, Jurickson Profar tried to hit more home runs last season, but a drop in raw power kept him from any home run improvement, with his batting average taking a hit.

Heliot Ramos has settled into 20 HR to 25 HR with a half dozen stolen bases and a .260 AVG. He was able to post a career-low 23% K% to help keep his batting average up. Otherwise, he hasn’t changed, and he become a consistent productive player.

While Ian Happ’s hitting skills should repeat, his stolen base skills are deteriorating, and 5 SB might be his upside.

Jasson Dominguez has struggled to live up to the hype surrounding him. In 2025, he was better than an average hitter (103 wRC+), but wasn’t good enough to crack a healthy Yankees outfield. With Bellinger gone, he is back in the outfield mix even after being the fifth-worst fielding outfielder according to Baseball Savant’s Out-Above-Average. (Note: As of December 18th, he is just hitting .184/.304/.263 in the Dominican Winter League).

Over his first three seasons, Noelvi Marte showed several different versions of himself, with any narrative having an explanation. His value is tough to set beyond a basic projection.

The 2025 season was a turbulent season for Brenton Doyle on and off the field. I’m going to give him a mulligan and rewind to his 2025 projections.

Daylen Lile may not have one standout trait, but he doesn’t seem to have a weakness besides being on the Nationals. Projections have him around a 15/15 guy with a .270 AVG (Jeremy Pena/Otto Lopez production, but 100 picks later). He ended the season hitting cleanup and sat against just one of the last seven lefties the team faced. Nice sleeper.

Power and Average but zero Speed (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contributions from these hitters are home runs and batting average, but no stolen bases.
Power and Average but zero Speed (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
35 Jackson Merrill SDP OF – 78 $13
36 Tyler Soderstrom ATH 1B/OF – 99 $12
39 Alec Burleson STL 1B/OF – 173 $12
48 Bryan Reynolds PIT OF – 202 $7
55 Spencer Steer CIN 1B/OF – 260 $1
61 Jordan Beck COL OF – 235 $2
88 Jeff McNeil ATH 2B/OF – 356 $0
93 Andrew Benintendi CHW OF – 395 -$6
116 Miguel Andujar 3B/OF – 507 -$9

I was fully invested in Jackson Merrill last season, and that idea did not go as planned. After being a five-category contributor in 2024 (24 HR, 16 SB, .292 AVG), he was barely replacement-level in 2025 (16 HR, 1 SB, .264 AVG). He ranked as the 59th outfielder, just ahead of Gavin Sheets. Before a June concussion, he was batting .304/.349/.474 with 5 HR and 1 SB (2 CS) in 186 PA. After returning from the concussion and until an ankle injury, he hit just .219/.286/.354. And when he returned from the ankle injury, he hit .275/.320/.626 with 7 HR in September. I’m not sure the steals will return, so pay or a .280 AVG with 25 HR. A Yandy Díaz or Corey Seager clone.

With the trade of Willson Contreras to the Red Sox, Alec Burleson takes over first base duties for the Cardinals. The 27-year-old improved both his Contact% (83% to 84%) and Hardhit% (41% to 43%) last year. The increase in hard contact led to a career-high .290 AVG and .169 ISO. While he didn’t get platooned to end last season, it is a possibility (career .606 OPS vs LHP, .775 OPS vs RHP).

If Bryan Reynolds’s shoulder heals, I could see him return to 25 HR and double-digit steals instead of the projected 20 HR/6 SB. I want to see him playing in the field and attempting steals in Spring Training to show that his shoulder is no longer an issue.

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution from these hitters is home runs. The major contribution from these hitters is stolen bases.
Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
21 Riley Greene DET OF – 79 $15
27 Teoscar Hernandez LAD OF – 142 $11
33 Jo Adell LAA OF – 125 $13
40 Taylor Ward BAL OF – 160 $9
52 Kyle Stowers MIA OF – 140 $5
60 Giancarlo Stanton NYY OF – 269 $1
63 Mike Trout LAA OF – 216 $4
64 Anthony Santander TOR OF – 239 $2
65 Daulton Varsho TOR OF – 201 $3
66 Trent Grisham NYY OF – 268 -$2
68 Jac Caglianone KCR 1B/OF – 229 $1
74 Kody Clemens MIN 1B/2B/OF – 390 -$23
75 Addison Barger TOR 3B/OF – 215 -$2
98 Jorge Soler LAA OF – 384 -$5
106 Tyler O’Neill BAL OF – 403 -$10

Riley Greene has transitioned into a solid power option against righties (32 HR vs RHP, 4 HR vs LHP). Even as the 25-year-old struggled against lefties (career .680 OPS vs LHP, .825 OPS vs RHP), the Tigers started him in 157 games. The 30 HR power is legit, but he has a couple of flaws. He struckout 31% of the time last year as he struggled with fastballs (12% SwStr%). Additionally, I don’t expect him to start stealing bases with his Sprint Speed dropping from 28.1 ft/s (71st percentile) to 27.7 ft/s (59th percentile) to 26.7 ft/s (31st percentile) over the past three seasons.

Teoscar Hernandez is more well-rounded than just a power bat by chipping in a few stolen bases and ~.250 AVG. The 33-year-old’s power has been on a steady five-year decline. If the decline continues, he could be closer to 20 HR than his projected mid-to-high 20 HR totals.

Jo Adell may have improved his plate discipline enough to be a consistent home run threat.

Taylor Ward is projected for ~25 HR, 5 SB, and a .245 AVG. I could see bumping the home run number up to 30, but not any more.

Kyle Stowers turned his career around with career bests in power and contact metrics. He should be good for 25 HR to 35 HR. His batting average could dip as his BABIP regresses downward, but at least the average isn’t a major drain like in his first two seasons.

Over the past three seasons, Mike Trout has averaged 18 HR, 3 SB, and a .232 AVG. Those results are similar to those of Max Kepler and Kody Clemens. And I’m not sure of Trout’s upside at this point. He’s not running. A ballooning strikeout rate (32% last season) limits his batting average. Maybe managers will latch onto his late-season swing changes to make him more than a bench streamer.

Trent Grisham improved in two ways to help him the most: make more contact (80% Contact%, 2nd highest of his career) and hit the ball harder (career-high Barrel% and HardHit%). The 34 HR were double his previous high in 2022, and now all signs point to some downward regression. His 51 Barrels would normally produce 27 HR. Projections tag him with ~25 HR. Baseball Savant has him with 27.9 xHR, and had him with 29 HR if all his batted balls were in Yankee Stadium. Also, I would not expect any stolen bases after he stole a total of four over the past two seasons. I see him around a .230 AVG, 25 HR, and 2 SB.

Fantasy managers need to have a reality check when it comes to Jac Caglianone. Since he’s only shown the ability to hit for power in the majors, he’s just an accumulator. There is no hope for more than 1 or 2 SB, but he could be a positive contributor in batting average. Or he could repeat 2025 and be nearly unplayable. Gamble away.

Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution from these hitters is stolen bases.
Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
32 Jakob Marsee MIA OF – 146 $2
67 Victor Scott II STL OF – 340 -$4
85 Victor Robles SEA OF – 339 -$14
92 Jake Meyers HOU OF – 439 -$8

Jakob Marsee should be amongst the league leaders in stolen bases with double-digit home runs if given a full-time role. The biggest disagreement will be with his batting average. Will it be closer to the projections, .200 AVG to .220 AVG, or the nearly .300 AVG hitter he was in 2025.

Average Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution of these hitters is batting average.
Average Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
62 Jung Hoo Lee SFG OF – 288 $2
69 Brendan Donovan STL 2B/SS/OF – 281 $1
111 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ARI OF – 548 -$9

Jung Hoo Lee: Before the season began, Lee dealt with a back issue that flared up in mid-June. His back could have bothered him for a while but after resting at the All-Star break, he hit .293/.345/.414 from then on. While he should post a great batting average, all signs point to 10 HR and 10 SB. Also, he could end up getting platooned with a career .610 OPS against lefties and .756 OPS against righties.

Speed and Power but Average Sink (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These hitters provide a combination of home runs and stolen bases, but are a major drag on batting average.
Speed and Power but Average Sink (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
16 Randy Arozarena SEA OF – 100 $10
38 Luis Robert Jr. CHW OF – 129 $7
42 Oneil Cruz PIT OF – 106 $7
43 Adolis Garcia PHI OF – 233 $7
49 Dylan Crews WSN OF – 171 $7
51 Colton Cowser BAL OF – 248 -$1
81 Willi Castro COL 2B/3B/SS/OF – 371 -$2
99 Luis Rengifo 2B/3B/OF – 444 -$10
100 Wenceel Perez DET OF – 420 -$8
104 Isaac Collins KCR OF – 347 -$13
105 Jordan Walker STL OF – 343 -$4

During his age-30 season, Randy Arozarena may have posted his career year with highs in plate appearances (709 PA) and home runs (27 HR). At the same time, his .238 AVG was a drag. Besides the $7 he earned in 2024, he’s earned at least $17 in every season since 2021. Steady add.

While Luis Robert has been a 30/30 “full-time” player over his career, he doesn’t play enough to reach that level. Roster only if getting an extreme discount.

Oneil Cruz needs to improve in several areas (health, platoon issues, strikeout rate) while not backtracking in any other area. He is a solid source of power and speed. Just make sure to have a solid batting average in place before adding him.

As Dylan Crews enters in age-24 season, he needs to show improvement with his power and/or contact skills to take a step forward to be at least a league-average hitter (77 wRC+ in ’15). His steals can be valuable as long as he’s not a drain in other categories. If he were on a better team, there would be a risk of a demotion, but the Nationals will have nothing to play for and will keep sending him out.

Speed and Average (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These hitters provide a combination of speed and batting average.
Speed and Average (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
46 Chandler Simpson TBR OF – 182 -$2
56 Sal Frelick MIL OF – 209 -$2
101 Jake Mangum PIT OF – 345 -$13

Only a narrow roto build will fully utilize Chandler Simpson’s skills. He does feel like a corrective action if a team misses on steals and needs to catch up.

Platoon Bats

These guys are strong-side platoon bats who will max out around 400 to 500 plate appearances.
Platoon Bats
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
57 Evan Carter TEX OF – 319 -$7
58 Kerry Carpenter DET OF – 227 $2
59 Wilyer Abreu BOS OF – 229 $3
71 Josh Lowe LAA OF – 274 -$3
72 Mickey Moniak COL OF – 256 -$1
73 Ryan O’Hearn PIT 1B/OF – 270 $1
76 Jesus Sanchez HOU OF – 341 -$4
77 Brandon Marsh PHI OF – 348 -$6
83 Tommy Edman LAD 2B/3B/OF – 293 $1
84 Matt Wallner MIN OF – 317 -$3
86 Trevor Larnach MIN OF – 399 -$11
87 Cedric Mullins TBR OF – 309 -$6
90 Gavin Sheets SDP 1B/OF – 378 -$4
91 Parker Meadows DET OF – 412 -$9
94 Nick Castellanos PHI OF – 371 -$23
96 Mike Yastrzemski ATL OF – 412 -$10
107 Dominic Canzone SEA OF ▼24 332 -$7
110 Nathan Lukes TOR OF – 581 -$18
115 Luis Matos SFG OF – 570 -$14

While a strong-side platoon bat, the consistent Kerry Carpenter is a solid bet to hit around a .265 AVG with 25 HR.

Mickey Moniak has turned into a solid platoon bat (career .497 OPS vs LHP, .760 OPS vs RHP) with some decent road numbers (career .745 OPS at home, .701 on the road, 92 wRC+ for both). He took a step forward in 2025 with a 74% Contact% and 45% HardHit%, both career highs. With more and harder contact, he hit 24 HR with a .270 AVG. I could see a repeat of the 25 HR with a solid .260 AVG with six to 12 stolen bases.

Parker Meadows is heading in the wrong direction. His HardHit% and Contact% have dropped every season. Prorating his 213 PA (missed time due to arm and quad injuries) to 639 PA, he is at 12 HR and 12 SB with a .215 AVG. The team has sat him against lefties (.502 OPS in ’25), but he’s not been good against righties (.653 OPS in ’25). I’d prefer to add him late and use him as a bench streaming option.

Time Shares

These hitters don’t have a set role just yet, but have the skills to be positive fantasy contributors.
Time Shares
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
79 Jose Caballero NYY 2B/3B/SS/OF – 223 -$15
95 Dylan Beavers BAL OF – 306 -$11
109 Tyler Freeman COL 2B/OF – 426 -$13
113 Zach McKinstry DET 2B/3B/SS/OF – 337 -$14
114 Gavin Lux TBR 2B/3B/OF – 539 -$14
117 Dane Myers CIN OF – 710 -$23
118 Jake McCarthy COL OF – 507 -$14
119 JJ Bleday CIN OF – 542 -$17
120 Tyrone Taylor NYM OF – 734 -$23

Combining his minor league and major league numbers, Dylan Beavers accrued 22 HR and 25 SB. Steamer600 puts him at 17 HR and 16 SB with a .243 AVG, which seems reasonable. Accruing full-time at-bats will be the biggest issue for him since the Orioles have four regular outfielders and several options at the DH spot. His 26% K% could be a drag on his batting average, like in September when he hit .167 AVG.

Defensive Specialist

The only reason these guys are playing is because of their defense. They should only contribute in Runs and RBI … maybe.
Defensive Specialist
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
54 Ramon Laureano SDP OF – 229 $2
108 Jacob Young WSN OF – 646 -$18

Full Rankings Without Tiers

No tiers. Just the rankings.
Full Rankings Without Tiers
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
1 Aaron Judge NYY OF – 2 $41
2 Juan Soto NYM OF – 5 $37
3 Corbin Carroll ARI OF – 8 $30
4 Julio Rodriguez SEA OF – 11 $32
5 Fernando Tatis Jr. SDP OF – 14 $31
6 Kyle Tucker LAD OF – 18 $28
7 Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL OF – 8 $30
8 Kyle Schwarber PHI OF – 25 $24
9 Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC OF – 34 $21
10 Jackson Chourio MIL OF – 21 $20
11 Brent Rooker ATH OF – 55 $21
12 Yordan Alvarez HOU OF – 46 $23
13 James Wood WSN OF – 34 $18
14 Wyatt Langford TEX OF – 50 $17
15 Byron Buxton MIN OF – 87 $13
16 Randy Arozarena SEA OF – 100 $10
17 Jarren Duran BOS OF – 83 $8
18 Michael Harris II ATL OF – 101 $14
19 Maikel Garcia KCR 2B/3B/SS/OF – 81 $15
20 George Springer TOR OF – 103 $12
21 Riley Greene DET OF – 79 $15
22 Roman Anthony BOS OF – 64 $8
23 Cody Bellinger NYY 1B/OF – 91 $15
24 Andy Pages LAD OF – 141 $12
25 Brandon Nimmo TEX OF – 153 $8
26 Jose Altuve HOU 2B/OF – 125 $14
27 Teoscar Hernandez LAD OF – 142 $11
28 Christian Yelich MIL OF ▼13 140 $12
29 Steven Kwan CLE OF – 169 $9
30 Seiya Suzuki CHC OF – 104 $12
31 Lawrence Butler ATH OF – 163 $8
32 Jakob Marsee MIA OF – 146 $2
33 Jo Adell LAA OF – 125 $13
34 Ceddanne Rafaela BOS 2B/OF – 128 $10
35 Jackson Merrill SDP OF – 78 $13
36 Tyler Soderstrom ATH 1B/OF – 99 $12
37 Jurickson Profar ATL OF – 183 $7
38 Luis Robert Jr. CHW OF – 129 $7
39 Alec Burleson STL 1B/OF – 173 $12
40 Taylor Ward BAL OF – 160 $9
41 Heliot Ramos SFG OF – 215 $8
42 Oneil Cruz PIT OF – 106 $7
43 Adolis Garcia PHI OF – 233 $7
44 Ian Happ CHC OF – 184 $6
45 Jasson Dominguez NYY OF – 203 -$23
46 Chandler Simpson TBR OF – 182 -$2
47 Noelvi Marte CIN 3B/OF – 141 $8
48 Bryan Reynolds PIT OF – 202 $7
49 Dylan Crews WSN OF – 171 $7
50 Brenton Doyle COL OF – 167 $4
51 Colton Cowser BAL OF – 248 -$1
52 Kyle Stowers MIA OF – 140 $5
53 TJ Friedl CIN OF – 268 $2
54 Ramon Laureano SDP OF – 229 $2
55 Spencer Steer CIN 1B/OF – 260 $1
56 Sal Frelick MIL OF – 209 -$2
57 Evan Carter TEX OF – 319 -$7
58 Kerry Carpenter DET OF – 227 $2
59 Wilyer Abreu BOS OF – 229 $3
60 Giancarlo Stanton NYY OF – 269 $1
61 Jordan Beck COL OF – 235 $2
62 Jung Hoo Lee SFG OF – 288 $2
63 Mike Trout LAA OF – 216 $4
64 Anthony Santander TOR OF – 239 $2
65 Daulton Varsho TOR OF – 201 $3
66 Trent Grisham NYY OF – 268 -$2
67 Victor Scott II STL OF – 340 -$4
68 Jac Caglianone KCR 1B/OF – 229 $1
69 Brendan Donovan STL 2B/SS/OF – 281 $1
70 Daylen Lile WSN OF ▼19 206 $2
71 Josh Lowe LAA OF – 274 -$3
72 Mickey Moniak COL OF – 256 -$1
73 Ryan O’Hearn PIT 1B/OF – 270 $1
74 Kody Clemens MIN 1B/2B/OF – 390 -$23
75 Addison Barger TOR 3B/OF – 215 -$2
76 Jesus Sanchez HOU OF – 341 -$4
77 Brandon Marsh PHI OF – 348 -$6
78 Harrison Bader OF – 335 -$4
79 Jose Caballero NYY 2B/3B/SS/OF – 223 -$15
80 Lars Nootbaar STL OF – 374 -$1
81 Willi Castro COL 2B/3B/SS/OF – 371 -$2
82 Austin Hays OF – 415 -$6
83 Tommy Edman LAD 2B/3B/OF – 293 $1
84 Matt Wallner MIN OF – 317 -$3
85 Victor Robles SEA OF – 339 -$14
86 Trevor Larnach MIN OF – 399 -$11
87 Cedric Mullins TBR OF – 309 -$6
88 Jeff McNeil ATH 2B/OF – 356 $0
89 Jonathan India KCR 2B/3B/OF – 383 -$7
90 Gavin Sheets SDP 1B/OF – 378 -$4
91 Parker Meadows DET OF – 412 -$9
92 Jake Meyers HOU OF – 439 -$8
93 Andrew Benintendi CHW OF – 395 -$6
94 Nick Castellanos PHI OF – 371 -$23
95 Dylan Beavers BAL OF – 306 -$11
96 Mike Yastrzemski ATL OF – 412 -$10
97 Cam Smith HOU OF – 361 -$12
98 Jorge Soler LAA OF – 384 -$5
99 Luis Rengifo 2B/3B/OF – 444 -$10
100 Wenceel Perez DET OF – 420 -$8
101 Jake Mangum PIT OF – 345 -$13
102 Josh Smith TEX 1B/3B/SS/OF – 350 -$11
103 Alek Thomas ARI OF – 540 -$12
104 Isaac Collins KCR OF – 347 -$13
105 Jordan Walker STL OF – 343 -$4
106 Tyler O’Neill BAL OF – 403 -$10
107 Dominic Canzone SEA OF ▼24 332 -$7
108 Jacob Young WSN OF – 646 -$18
109 Tyler Freeman COL 2B/OF – 426 -$13
110 Nathan Lukes TOR OF – 581 -$18
111 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ARI OF – 548 -$9
112 Kyle Isbel KCR OF – 716 -$10
113 Zach McKinstry DET 2B/3B/SS/OF – 337 -$14
114 Gavin Lux TBR 2B/3B/OF – 539 -$14
115 Luis Matos SFG OF – 570 -$14
116 Miguel Andujar 3B/OF – 507 -$9
117 Dane Myers CIN OF – 710 -$23
118 Jake McCarthy COL OF – 507 -$14
119 JJ Bleday CIN OF – 542 -$17
120 Tyrone Taylor NYM OF – 734 -$23

Top-200 Hitters 2026 Fantasy Rankings

by
January 21, 2026
Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Overview

As usual, my rankings have a heavy projection base and, for now, will closely mirror the auction calculator.  I suspect more changes as I receive feedback and dive into the player pool more (been finalizing The Process).

Two items. The rank is not specific to the tier order. For the tiers, I grouped batters by their skill type (e.g., power, speed, etc). Also, the placement of the catchers in the overall ranks will be league-specific, especially between one and two-catcher leagues. I need to dive into the current market on them. I’ll write a full analysis in a future update or separate article.

Changelog

    • 12/5/2025 – First release
    • 1/5/2026 – Post-holiday update.  A few movers.
    • 1/21/2026 – Update with a few players on new teams.

Ranking Methodology

  • ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Draft Champions Leagues.
  • $ Values are based on a standard 5×5 12-team league using the FanGraphs Depth Charts and these Auction Calculator settings. They default to a player’s most valuable position, so if the first base list includes a catcher, it will show that player’s value at catcher.
  • ADP and $ Values are updated as of the last update date on this post.
  • 5-game eligibility was used for these lists to cast the widest net.

Five-Category Studs

These hitters provide value in every aspect of the game with speed, power, and batting average. There are no flaws in their game.
Five-Category Studs
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
1 Shohei Ohtani LAD DH – 1 $42
2 Aaron Judge NYY OF – 2 $42
3 Bobby Witt Jr. KCR SS – 3 $38
4 Juan Soto NYM OF – 4 $38
5 Jose Ramirez CLE 3B – 5 $34
6 Elly De La Cruz CIN SS – 11 $29
7 Corbin Carroll ARI OF – 8 $31
8 Julio Rodriguez SEA OF – 11 $33
9 Fernando Tatis Jr. SDP OF – 14 $32
10 Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL OF – 8 $31
11 Kyle Tucker LAD OF – 18 $29
12 Gunnar Henderson BAL SS – 14 $29
13 Francisco Lindor NYM SS – 17 $24

Four-Category Studs

Some of these hitters may be better real-life players than those in the above tier, but lack in one roto category, usually steals.
Four-Category Studs
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
15 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR 1B – 18 $34
16 Junior Caminero TBR 3B – 14 $35
21 Nick Kurtz ATH 1B – 20 $23
23 Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC OF – 34 $22
26 Brent Rooker ATH OF – 54 $21
29 Yordan Alvarez HOU OF – 46 $24
31 James Wood WSN OF – 33 $19
32 Pete Alonso BAL 1B – 26 $24
33 Matt Olson ATL 1B – 56 $20
49 Rafael Devers SFG 1B – 65 $16

Five-Category Pillars

These hitters are good across the board, but don’t match up to those in the first tier.
Five-Category Pillars
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
18 Jackson Chourio MIL OF – 20 $21
19 Trea Turner PHI SS – 27 $20
20 Zach Neto LAA SS – 33 $22
22 Jazz Chisholm Jr. NYY 2B/3B – 22 $16
24 Manny Machado SDP 3B – 41 $19
27 Ketel Marte ARI 2B – 40 $18
28 Josh Naylor SEA 1B – 71 $16
30 Bryce Harper PHI 1B – 55 $24
34 Mookie Betts LAD SS – 63 $20
36 Wyatt Langford TEX OF – 51 $18
37 Byron Buxton MIN OF – 86 $13
39 Christian Yelich MIL OF – 139 $12
40 Brice Turang MIL 2B – 67 $9
46 Michael Harris II ATL OF – 99 $14
48 Geraldo Perdomo ARI SS – 87 $15
50 Jarren Duran BOS OF – 83 $8

Elite Power Bat, Nothing Else

These bats have 40+ home run power with a ton of counting stats. They provide very little in speed and batting average.
Elite Power Bat, Nothing Else
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
17 Kyle Schwarber PHI OF – 24 $24

Elite Catchers

These catchers are the best available, and drafting one will provide a team with a nice anchor at the position.
Elite Catchers
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
14 Cal Raleigh SEA C – 19 $31
25 William Contreras MIL C – 53 $22
35 Ben Rice NYY C/1B – 49 $23
38 Hunter Goodman COL C – 73 $25
41 Shea Langeliers ATH C – 57 $20
45 Ivan Herrera STL C – 176 $22
47 Salvador Perez KCR C/1B – 100 $23
59 Agustin Ramirez MIA C – 83 $12
69 Yainer Diaz HOU C – 116 $15
77 Samuel Basallo BAL C – 178 $7
78 Drake Baldwin ATL C – 90 $15
86 Will Smith LAD C – 114 $12

Balanced 2nd Division Bat (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

This tier and the next six tiers comprise the point in the draft where the talent starts to level off, and fantasy managers can focus on category specialists. Some of the unbalanced bats may provide some other category juice, but most of their value is wrapped up in a single category. This is another balanced tier, but in these instances, their trait is not being a drag in any category. They won’t allow a manager to catch up in any category.
Balanced 2nd Division Bat (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
42 CJ Abrams WSN SS – 56 $14
44 Freddie Freeman LAD 1B – 73 $19
51 Jeremy Pena HOU SS – 95 $15
52 Trevor Story BOS SS – 114 $14
53 Maikel Garcia KCR 2B/3B/SS/OF – 82 $16
54 George Springer TOR OF – 104 $12
61 Cody Bellinger 1B/OF – 91 $16
62 Andy Pages LAD OF – 142 $12
64 Brandon Nimmo TEX OF – 153 $9
66 Jose Altuve HOU 2B/OF – 126 $10
68 Steven Kwan CLE OF – 169 $10
70 Roman Anthony BOS OF – 65 $8
71 Seiya Suzuki CHC OF – 103 $13
73 Lawrence Butler ATH OF – 161 $8
82 Ceddanne Rafaela BOS 2B/OF – 129 $7
87 Jurickson Profar ATL OF – 184 $7
95 Luke Keaschall MIN 2B – 153 $2
96 Heliot Ramos SFG OF – 217 $9
99 Ian Happ CHC OF – 185 $6
100 Jasson Dominguez NYY OF – 200 $3
102 Ozzie Albies ATL 2B – 180 $4
103 Ezequiel Tovar COL SS – 194 $11
108 Xander Bogaerts SDP SS – 228 $6
109 Jackson Holliday BAL 2B/SS – 143 $3
110 Caleb Durbin MIL 2B/3B – 234 $4
111 Noelvi Marte CIN 3B/OF – 141 $7
115 Otto Lopez MIA 2B/SS – 214 $4
118 Brenton Doyle COL OF – 167 $4
128 Royce Lewis MIN 3B – 201 $7
131 Masyn Winn STL SS – 263 $5
132 TJ Friedl CIN OF – 268 $2
134 Ramon Laureano SDP OF – 229 $2
138 Andres Gimenez TOR 2B/SS – 320 $3
156 Joey Ortiz MIL SS – 398 $2
164 Daylen Lile WSN OF ▼47 205 $2
174 J.P. Crawford SEA SS – 386 -$6
182 Connor Norby MIA 3B – 356 -$8
183 Harrison Bader OF – 330 -$4
190 Lars Nootbaar STL OF – 371 -$1
193 Austin Hays OF – 415 -$6

Power and Average but zero Speed (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contributions from these hitters are home runs and batting average, but no stolen bases.The major contribution from these hitters is home runs.
Power and Average but zero Speed (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
55 Vinnie Pasquantino KCR 1B – 92 $16
56 Bo Bichette NYM SS – 111 $17
65 Corey Seager TEX SS – 109 $14
75 Yandy Diaz TBR 1B – 134 $18
81 Alex Bregman CHC 3B – 123 $13
84 Jackson Merrill SDP OF – 77 $14
85 Tyler Soderstrom ATH 1B/OF – 99 $13
90 Jordan Westburg BAL 2B/3B – 129 $10
91 Alec Burleson STL 1B/OF – 174 $13
112 Bryan Reynolds PIT OF – 201 $7
117 Jonathan Aranda TBR 1B – 195 $8
127 Gleyber Torres DET 2B – 242 $2
137 Spencer Steer CIN 1B/OF – 262 $1
148 Jordan Beck COL OF – 238 $2
161 Carlos Correa HOU 3B/SS – 272 $3
165 Nolan Schanuel LAA 1B – 296 $6
177 Josh Bell MIN 1B – 336 $1
188 Nolan Arenado ARI 3B – 442 $1

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
60 Riley Greene DET OF – 79 $16
63 Austin Riley ATL 3B – 79 $17
67 Teoscar Hernandez LAD OF – 143 $11
79 Eugenio Suarez 3B – 126 $9
80 Jo Adell LAA OF – 126 $14
89 Michael Busch CHC 1B – 112 $8
93 Taylor Ward BAL OF – 161 $10
94 Christian Walker HOU 1B – 188 $6
101 Willson Contreras BOS 1B – 183 $8
114 Spencer Torkelson DET 1B – 204 $4
119 Brandon Lowe PIT 2B – 192 $1
120 Marcell Ozuna DH ▲21 330 -$3
124 Jake Burger TEX 1B – 279 $6
125 Isaac Paredes HOU 3B – 211 -$5
135 Kyle Stowers MIA OF – 140 $5
142 Jorge Polanco NYM 2B/3B – 228 $4
145 Giancarlo Stanton NYY OF – 268 $1
151 Mike Trout LAA OF – 216 $4
154 Anthony Santander TOR OF – 237 $2
155 Daulton Varsho TOR OF – 201 $3
157 Andrew Vaughn MIL 1B – 293 $1
158 Trent Grisham NYY OF – 268 -$2
160 Jac Caglianone KCR 1B/OF – 230 $1
167 Josh Jung TEX 3B – 317 $0
171 Miguel Vargas CHW 1B/3B – 279 -$1
173 Addison Barger TOR 3B/OF – 213 -$4
180 Colson Montgomery CHW 3B/SS – 236 $1
181 Brooks Lee MIN 2B/3B/SS – 325 $2
186 Max Muncy LAD 3B – 268 -$8
194 Kazuma Okamoto TOR 3B – $3
200 Mark Vientos NYM 3B ▼43 268 -$6

Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution from these hitters is stolen bases.
Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
76 Jakob Marsee MIA OF – 145 $2
159 Victor Scott II STL OF – 338 -$5
175 Chase Meidroth CHW 2B/SS – 340 -$4

Average Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution of these hitters is batting average.
Average Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
105 Jacob Wilson ATH SS – 183 $11
113 Luis Arraez 1B/2B – 295 $5
147 Ernie Clement TOR 1B/2B/3B/SS – 286 $3
149 Jung Hoo Lee SFG OF – 289 $2
153 Alec Bohm PHI 1B/3B – 273 $6
162 Brendan Donovan STL 2B/SS/OF – 280 $1

Speed and Power but Average Sink (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These hitters provide a combination of home runs and stolen bases, but are a major drag on batting average.
Speed and Power but Average Sink (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
43 Randy Arozarena SEA OF – 101 $11
58 Oneil Cruz PIT OF – 105 $7
72 Willy Adames SFG SS – 133 $10
83 Dansby Swanson CHC SS – 145 $8
88 Luis Robert Jr. NYM OF – 128 $7
98 Adolis Garcia PHI OF – 235 $7
104 Matt Chapman SFG 3B – 174 $9
106 Munetaka Murakami CHW DH – $5
116 Dylan Crews WSN OF – 172 $7
122 Colton Cowser BAL OF – 250 -$1
126 Matt McLain CIN 2B/SS – 230 $2
150 Marcus Semien NYM 2B – 250 $1
184 Anthony Volpe NYY SS – 352 -$5

Speed and Average (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These hitters provide a combination of speed and batting average.
Speed and Average (Pick Your Poison Tiers)
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
57 Nico Hoerner CHC 2B/SS – 100 $8
74 Chandler Simpson TBR OF – 175 -$3
92 Bryson Stott PHI 2B/SS – 182 $4
97 Xavier Edwards MIA 2B/SS – 174 $6
140 Sal Frelick MIL OF – 207 -$2

Acceptable Catchers

The catcher position talent drops off after this tier. Expect to be streaming catchers if waiting after this point.
Acceptable Catchers
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
107 Adley Rutschman BAL C – 162 $13
121 Alejandro Kirk TOR C – 162 $11
123 Austin Wells NYY C – 217 $8
129 J.T. Realmuto PHI C – 218 $5
130 Gabriel Moreno ARI C – 175 $7
136 Ryan Jeffers MIN C – 249 $9
139 Kyle Teel CHW C – 185 $3
152 Francisco Alvarez NYM C – 174 $8
169 Dillon Dingler DET C – 222 -$1
170 Logan O’Hoppe LAA C – 241 $2
178 Tyler Stephenson CIN C – 249 -$2
189 Bo Naylor CLE C – 331 $2
191 Willi Castro COL 2B/3B/SS/OF – 381 -$2
192 Carter Jensen KCR C – -$1
196 Carlos Narvaez BOS C – 295 -$4
198 Carson Kelly CHC C – 317 -$4
199 Edgar Quero CHW C – 325 $2

Platoon Bats

These guys are strong-side platoon bats who will max out around 400 to 500 plate appearances.
Platoon Bats
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
141 Evan Carter TEX OF – 320 -$7
143 Kerry Carpenter DET OF – 224 $2
144 Wilyer Abreu BOS OF – 229 $3
146 Luis Garcia Jr. WSN 2B – 230 $2
163 Kyle Manzardo CLE 1B – 237 $5
166 Josh Lowe LAA OF – 274 -$3
168 Mickey Moniak COL OF – 256 -$1
172 Ryan O’Hearn PIT 1B/OF – 270 $1
176 Jesus Sanchez HOU OF – 339 -$5
179 Brandon Marsh PHI OF – 345 -$6
195 Tommy Edman LAD 2B/3B/OF – 294 -$3
197 Matt Wallner MIN OF – 317 -$4

Time Shares

These hitters don’t have a set role just yet, but have the skills to be positive fantasy contributors.
Time Shares
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
133 Sal Stewart CIN 1B/3B ▲41 217 $6
187 Jose Caballero NYY 2B/3B/SS/OF – 218 -$15

Defensive Specialist

The only reason these guys are playing is because of their defense. They should only contribute in Runs and RBI … maybe.
Defensive Specialist
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
185 Ke’Bryan Hayes CIN 3B – 462 -$3

Full Rankings Without Tiers

No tiers. Just the rankings.
Full Rankings Without Tiers
Rank Name Team Pos Change ADP $
1 Shohei Ohtani LAD DH – 1 $42
2 Aaron Judge NYY OF – 2 $42
3 Bobby Witt Jr. KCR SS – 3 $38
4 Juan Soto NYM OF – 4 $38
5 Jose Ramirez CLE 3B – 5 $34
6 Elly De La Cruz CIN SS – 11 $29
7 Corbin Carroll ARI OF – 8 $31
8 Julio Rodriguez SEA OF – 11 $33
9 Fernando Tatis Jr. SDP OF – 14 $32
10 Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL OF – 8 $31
11 Kyle Tucker LAD OF – 18 $29
12 Gunnar Henderson BAL SS – 14 $29
13 Francisco Lindor NYM SS – 17 $24
14 Cal Raleigh SEA C – 19 $31
15 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR 1B – 18 $34
16 Junior Caminero TBR 3B – 14 $35
17 Kyle Schwarber PHI OF – 24 $24
18 Jackson Chourio MIL OF – 20 $21
19 Trea Turner PHI SS – 27 $20
20 Zach Neto LAA SS – 33 $22
21 Nick Kurtz ATH 1B – 20 $23
22 Jazz Chisholm Jr. NYY 2B/3B – 22 $16
23 Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC OF – 34 $22
24 Manny Machado SDP 3B – 41 $19
25 William Contreras MIL C – 53 $22
26 Brent Rooker ATH OF – 54 $21
27 Ketel Marte ARI 2B – 40 $18
28 Josh Naylor SEA 1B – 71 $16
29 Yordan Alvarez HOU OF – 46 $24
30 Bryce Harper PHI 1B – 55 $24
31 James Wood WSN OF – 33 $19
32 Pete Alonso BAL 1B – 26 $24
33 Matt Olson ATL 1B – 56 $20
34 Mookie Betts LAD SS – 63 $20
35 Ben Rice NYY C/1B – 49 $23
36 Wyatt Langford TEX OF – 51 $18
37 Byron Buxton MIN OF – 86 $13
38 Hunter Goodman COL C – 73 $25
39 Christian Yelich MIL OF – 139 $12
40 Brice Turang MIL 2B – 67 $9
41 Shea Langeliers ATH C – 57 $20
42 CJ Abrams WSN SS – 56 $14
43 Randy Arozarena SEA OF – 101 $11
44 Freddie Freeman LAD 1B – 73 $19
45 Ivan Herrera STL C – 176 $22
46 Michael Harris II ATL OF – 99 $14
47 Salvador Perez KCR C/1B – 100 $23
48 Geraldo Perdomo ARI SS – 87 $15
49 Rafael Devers SFG 1B – 65 $16
50 Jarren Duran BOS OF – 83 $8
51 Jeremy Pena HOU SS – 95 $15
52 Trevor Story BOS SS – 114 $14
53 Maikel Garcia KCR 2B/3B/SS/OF – 82 $16
54 George Springer TOR OF – 104 $12
55 Vinnie Pasquantino KCR 1B – 92 $16
56 Bo Bichette NYM SS – 111 $17
57 Nico Hoerner CHC 2B/SS – 100 $8
58 Oneil Cruz PIT OF – 105 $7
59 Agustin Ramirez MIA C – 83 $12
60 Riley Greene DET OF – 79 $16
61 Cody Bellinger 1B/OF – 91 $16
62 Andy Pages LAD OF – 142 $12
63 Austin Riley ATL 3B – 79 $17
64 Brandon Nimmo TEX OF – 153 $9
65 Corey Seager TEX SS – 109 $14
66 Jose Altuve HOU 2B/OF – 126 $10
67 Teoscar Hernandez LAD OF – 143 $11
68 Steven Kwan CLE OF – 169 $10
69 Yainer Diaz HOU C – 116 $15
70 Roman Anthony BOS OF – 65 $8
71 Seiya Suzuki CHC OF – 103 $13
72 Willy Adames SFG SS – 133 $10
73 Lawrence Butler ATH OF – 161 $8
74 Chandler Simpson TBR OF – 175 -$3
75 Yandy Diaz TBR 1B – 134 $18
76 Jakob Marsee MIA OF – 145 $2
77 Samuel Basallo BAL C – 178 $7
78 Drake Baldwin ATL C – 90 $15
79 Eugenio Suarez 3B – 126 $9
80 Jo Adell LAA OF – 126 $14
81 Alex Bregman CHC 3B – 123 $13
82 Ceddanne Rafaela BOS 2B/OF – 129 $7
83 Dansby Swanson CHC SS – 145 $8
84 Jackson Merrill SDP OF – 77 $14
85 Tyler Soderstrom ATH 1B/OF – 99 $13
86 Will Smith LAD C – 114 $12
87 Jurickson Profar ATL OF – 184 $7
88 Luis Robert Jr. NYM OF – 128 $7
89 Michael Busch CHC 1B – 112 $8
90 Jordan Westburg BAL 2B/3B – 129 $10
91 Alec Burleson STL 1B/OF – 174 $13
92 Bryson Stott PHI 2B/SS – 182 $4
93 Taylor Ward BAL OF – 161 $10
94 Christian Walker HOU 1B – 188 $6
95 Luke Keaschall MIN 2B – 153 $2
96 Heliot Ramos SFG OF – 217 $9
97 Xavier Edwards MIA 2B/SS – 174 $6
98 Adolis Garcia PHI OF – 235 $7
99 Ian Happ CHC OF – 185 $6
100 Jasson Dominguez NYY OF – 200 $3
101 Willson Contreras BOS 1B – 183 $8
102 Ozzie Albies ATL 2B – 180 $4
103 Ezequiel Tovar COL SS – 194 $11
104 Matt Chapman SFG 3B – 174 $9
105 Jacob Wilson ATH SS – 183 $11
106 Munetaka Murakami CHW DH – $5
107 Adley Rutschman BAL C – 162 $13
108 Xander Bogaerts SDP SS – 228 $6
109 Jackson Holliday BAL 2B/SS – 143 $3
110 Caleb Durbin MIL 2B/3B – 234 $4
111 Noelvi Marte CIN 3B/OF – 141 $7
112 Bryan Reynolds PIT OF – 201 $7
113 Luis Arraez 1B/2B – 295 $5
114 Spencer Torkelson DET 1B – 204 $4
115 Otto Lopez MIA 2B/SS – 214 $4
116 Dylan Crews WSN OF – 172 $7
117 Jonathan Aranda TBR 1B – 195 $8
118 Brenton Doyle COL OF – 167 $4
119 Brandon Lowe PIT 2B – 192 $1
120 Marcell Ozuna DH ▲21 330 -$3
121 Alejandro Kirk TOR C – 162 $11
122 Colton Cowser BAL OF – 250 -$1
123 Austin Wells NYY C – 217 $8
124 Jake Burger TEX 1B – 279 $6
125 Isaac Paredes HOU 3B – 211 -$5
126 Matt McLain CIN 2B/SS – 230 $2
127 Gleyber Torres DET 2B – 242 $2
128 Royce Lewis MIN 3B – 201 $7
129 J.T. Realmuto PHI C – 218 $5
130 Gabriel Moreno ARI C – 175 $7
131 Masyn Winn STL SS – 263 $5
132 TJ Friedl CIN OF – 268 $2
133 Sal Stewart CIN 1B/3B ▲41 217 $6
134 Ramon Laureano SDP OF – 229 $2
135 Kyle Stowers MIA OF – 140 $5
136 Ryan Jeffers MIN C – 249 $9
137 Spencer Steer CIN 1B/OF – 262 $1
138 Andres Gimenez TOR 2B/SS – 320 $3
139 Kyle Teel CHW C – 185 $3
140 Sal Frelick MIL OF – 207 -$2
141 Evan Carter TEX OF – 320 -$7
142 Jorge Polanco NYM 2B/3B – 228 $4
143 Kerry Carpenter DET OF – 224 $2
144 Wilyer Abreu BOS OF – 229 $3
145 Giancarlo Stanton NYY OF – 268 $1
146 Luis Garcia Jr. WSN 2B – 230 $2
147 Ernie Clement TOR 1B/2B/3B/SS – 286 $3
148 Jordan Beck COL OF – 238 $2
149 Jung Hoo Lee SFG OF – 289 $2
150 Marcus Semien NYM 2B – 250 $1
151 Mike Trout LAA OF – 216 $4
152 Francisco Alvarez NYM C – 174 $8
153 Alec Bohm PHI 1B/3B – 273 $6
154 Anthony Santander TOR OF – 237 $2
155 Daulton Varsho TOR OF – 201 $3
156 Joey Ortiz MIL SS – 398 $2
157 Andrew Vaughn MIL 1B – 293 $1
158 Trent Grisham NYY OF – 268 -$2
159 Victor Scott II STL OF – 338 -$5
160 Jac Caglianone KCR 1B/OF – 230 $1
161 Carlos Correa HOU 3B/SS – 272 $3
162 Brendan Donovan STL 2B/SS/OF – 280 $1
163 Kyle Manzardo CLE 1B – 237 $5
164 Daylen Lile WSN OF ▼47 205 $2
165 Nolan Schanuel LAA 1B – 296 $6
166 Josh Lowe LAA OF – 274 -$3
167 Josh Jung TEX 3B – 317 $0
168 Mickey Moniak COL OF – 256 -$1
169 Dillon Dingler DET C – 222 -$1
170 Logan O’Hoppe LAA C – 241 $2
171 Miguel Vargas CHW 1B/3B – 279 -$1
172 Ryan O’Hearn PIT 1B/OF – 270 $1
173 Addison Barger TOR 3B/OF – 213 -$4
174 J.P. Crawford SEA SS – 386 -$6
175 Chase Meidroth CHW 2B/SS – 340 -$4
176 Jesus Sanchez HOU OF – 339 -$5
177 Josh Bell MIN 1B – 336 $1
178 Tyler Stephenson CIN C – 249 -$2
179 Brandon Marsh PHI OF – 345 -$6
180 Colson Montgomery CHW 3B/SS – 236 $1
181 Brooks Lee MIN 2B/3B/SS – 325 $2
182 Connor Norby MIA 3B – 356 -$8
183 Harrison Bader OF – 330 -$4
184 Anthony Volpe NYY SS – 352 -$5
185 Ke’Bryan Hayes CIN 3B – 462 -$3
186 Max Muncy LAD 3B – 268 -$8
187 Jose Caballero NYY 2B/3B/SS/OF – 218 -$15
188 Nolan Arenado ARI 3B – 442 $1
189 Bo Naylor CLE C – 331 $2
190 Lars Nootbaar STL OF – 371 -$1
191 Willi Castro COL 2B/3B/SS/OF – 381 -$2
192 Carter Jensen KCR C – -$1
193 Austin Hays OF – 415 -$6
194 Kazuma Okamoto TOR 3B – $3
195 Tommy Edman LAD 2B/3B/OF – 294 -$3
196 Carlos Narvaez BOS C – 295 -$4
197 Matt Wallner MIN OF – 317 -$4
198 Carson Kelly CHC C – 317 -$4
199 Edgar Quero CHW C – 325 $2
200 Mark Vientos NYM 3B ▼43 268 -$6

Mining the News (1/20/26)

by
January 20, 2026


Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

American League

Guardians

• Kyle Manzardo has added 14 pounds this offseason, along with some baseball “work”.

Kyle Manzardo has been working. Manager Stephen Vogt has noted on several occasions over the past month-plus that the 25-year-old has gained 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2025 season. It’s been part of Manzardo’s offseason regimen that appears pointed toward a specific goal that could prove key to Cleveland this coming season.
…
“He’s putting in the work both offensively, defensively — and most importantly, with his body — to be able to do that.”

Did he not put in any work in previous seasons? Read the rest of this entry »


Four Outfielders: Suzuki, Robert, Reynolds, & Cruz

by
January 14, 2026


Syndication: The Enquirer

Previous Outfield Reviews

Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (1/13/26)

by
January 13, 2026


Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• The GM mentioned Joseph Sullivan and Lucas Spence as potential outfield options.

In the spirit of Cole’s ascension, two other young, left-handed-hitting outfielders come to mind for this question: Lucas Spence and Joseph Sullivan.

Brown has mentioned both Spence and Sullivan at points this winter as outfield depth in the upper minor leagues. Sullivan acquitted himself well in the Arizona Fall League while Spence, an undrafted free agent, reached Double-A Corpus Christi in his first full professional season.

Neither has the best overall projection, but they stole a decent number of bases last season (Spence: 27 SB, Sullivan: 43 SB).

Orioles

• Gunnar Henderson played through a shoulder injury last year.

Henderson was a call-in guest last night on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio and said he had a shoulder impingement “pretty much for three-quarters of the year.”

“I’m sure that didn’t help, either,” he said.

“I could never get to the spot that I wanted to get to with my swing, but no excuse. Just had to play through it and felt like I still with all those circumstances put up a decent year. Looking forward to being healthy this year and getting back to my normal self.”

The shoulder issue was kept quiet, buried among the litany of Orioles injuries that led to a franchise-record 70 players used.

“I just wasn’t able to hold the plane and my body was adjusting to it, not feeling great, so that didn’t really set up me in the right spot to leverage the ball like I normally do,” Henderson said. “So getting over that and ready to roll this season.”

Rangers

• The team doesn’t have a set closer yet.

Martin and Díaz both have closing experience, as does Robert Garcia — one of few holdovers from last season.

“I think every team would love to have a bona fide lockdown ninth-inning, sure-thing closer that’s never going to give up a run,” Young said. “But the reality is, most teams don’t have that, and teams that go into the season that do have that, oftentimes don’t have it by about halfway through the season. It’s not as ubiquitous as maybe it’s perceived to be in terms of the role.

“I think what we do have are good options we feel like and it’s our job as an organization to put our players in the best positions to succeed. Our hope is that somebody really steps up and establishes themselves and wins that role and takes it.”

Red Sox

• There is a good chance Triston Casas will not be healthy by Opening Day.

Meanwhile, Triston Casas, recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon, admitted that being ready for Opening Day would be tough. He hopes to begin playing games in spring training and praised the Red Sox for signing Contreras to play first.

• Willson Contreras will bat fourth.

On Saturday, manager Alex Cora said Contreras will most likely hit fourth.

Tigers

• The team plans to use a closer-by-committee with …

Yes, manager A.J. Hinch now has no shortage of options for the ninth inning. But he’s just as likely to place priority on those arms for the most dangerous part of the opposing lineup, whether it’s due up in the ninth or not.

“I wouldn’t say the specific [save] stat itself was something we were targeting,” general manager Jeff Greenberg said a couple weeks ago. “We were targeting impact arms that we felt could help this team win games in different situations. … And we have a manager in A.J. who is so good at finding ways to get the most out of these guys, putting those pieces together, using our guys in the right situations to get those wins.”

… Kyle Finnegan and …

[Finnegan said], “We have lots of different guys that can do lots of different things, and anytime you can get more options to throw in leverage, it’s a huge advantage. And you look at a lot of the teams in the postseason, their bullpens are built with multiple guys that you can throw out there in the eighth, ninth inning and have confidence that they can get it done. So I think the more closers you have on your team, the better.

“I think whoever it is, is going to have the mindset of: Tell me when to pitch and I’ll go out there and do my best.”

… Kenley Jansen buying in.

Jansen said. “To me, yes, it’s unbelievable numbers to get this close. But like I told A.J., I didn’t do this to get 500 saves or 400 saves, whatever. You know, I was on a pretty good team, the Dodgers. I’ve had great opportunities, and all our focus is to try to help a team win, and all those things came with it. So at the end of the day, it will be a great accomplishment, but I think the greater accomplishment will be to try to get deep in the postseason and win the World Series with the Tigers. That’s my accomplishment at the end of the day. That’s why I’m here.”

This is a tough situation to believe, but don’t be surprised if a committee does form.

White Sox

• Sean Burke will prepare to be a starter.

During a recent interview with MLB.com, Burke provided his usual in-depth answers to questions asked of the right-hander about himself and the team. But when the inquiry turned to preparing as a starter for the ’26 season, his reply was far more succinct.

“Yes, 100 percent,” said Burke of his targeted offseason work.

National League

Cubs

• Ben Brown, Javier Assad, and Jordan Wicks will stretch out as starters.

The current plan calls for Brown to prepare as a starter (same for Assad and Wicks), but all three could also be contenders for bullpen roles. Each pitcher in that latter trio also has at least one Minor League option, giving the Cubs the flexibility to send any one to Triple-A Iowa to keep starting, if so desired.

Dodgers

• There were reports Freddie Freeman wanted to play for Team Canada in the WBC, but he’s now declined for personal reasons.

Pirates

• The GM mentioned Jared Triolo as a starter.

Cherington continued. “We’ve traded a little bit of pitching, so would like to add back to that. We’d still like to add to the position-player group. You look at the left side of the infield; obviously there are guys we like. [Jared] Triolo emerged [in] the second half of the year. He’s earned opportunity there. But if we could add someone on the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye out for.[“]


Predictiveness of MLB Pipeline Executive Poll: Rookie of the Year

by
January 9, 2026


Rich Storry-Imagn Images

In my latest Mining the News, I referenced MLB.com’s Rookie of the Year Poll. MLB.com polled team executives to find who they think will win each league’s Rookie of the Year award. I figured it would be a prospect list for fantasy managers to become familiar with. The narrative would be that these inside sources would know the players who would be productive and play enough to win the award. Production and playing time are the two traits needed to be a solid fantasy option. Since this is the poll’s fourth year, I examined previous editions to determine how these executives performed.

The information in the polls is scarce, so all the small sample caveats apply. The results have been collected over the past three seasons (2023, 2024, 2025). In each one, a percentage of executive votes is included. The full list of previous players is at the end of the article.

To each player, I included our Fantasy Player Rater 12-team end-of-season dollar value. Then, I began grouping away. First, here is a plot of all the values.

Besides the four players polled at 50% or higher, the values seem to be fairly random. I grouped the values into four groups based on their polled percentage. Also, I combined the three low-polled groups.

Fantasy Production Based on Polled%
Polled% Avg EOS Fantasy Value % over $0 % over $5 Count
>= 50% $12 75% 75% 4
15% to 49% -$5 11% 22% 9
5% to 15% -$3 33% 50% 12
1% to 5% -$4 27% 45% 22
1% to 49% -$4 26% 42% 43

That top group (n=4) seems to be productive, with the rest of the values being a complete crap shoot. The final line is the most useful. There is a 25% chance of these players contributing more than $5 and a 40% chance of being positive.

With the historical results, here are this year’s lists.

Fantasy Production Based on Polled%
Name (NL) Polled% Name (AL) Polled%
Kevin McGonigle 25% JJ Wetherholt 30%
Trey Yesavage 25% Nolan McLean 26%
Sanuel Basallo 14% Konnor Griffin 16%
Carter Jensen 7% Bubba Chandler 7%
Payton Tolle 7% Justin Crawford 5%
Connelly Early 5% Sal Stewart 5%
Jamie Arnold 2% Zyhir Hope 5%
Travis Bazzana 2% Carson Benge 2%
Max Clark 2% Aidan Miller 2%
Chase DeLauter 2% Thomas White 2%
Leo De Vries 2%
Colt Emerson 2%
Gage Jump 2%
Carson Williams 2%

None of the players meet the 50% threshold, so no one is on the must-target list.

Fantasy managers should spend a few minutes on each of those players and track their results. Who knows which one will stand out? Nick Kurtz received just one vote last year and was a league winner.

MLB Pipeline Poll by MLB Executives
Name League Season % Polled EOS Value
Roman Anthoy AL 2025 19% -$4
Jackson Jobe AL 2025 19% -$5
Jasson Domínguez AL 2025 17% $3
Coby Mayo AL 2025 15% -$13
Kristian Campvell AL 2025 9% -$15
Jacob Wilson윌슨 AL 2025 9% $9
Jac Caglianone AL 2025 3% -$20
Nick Kurtz AL 2025 3% $20
Kumar Rocker AL 2025 3% -$9
Kyle Teel AL 2025 3% $3
Dylan Crews NL 2025 50% -$8
Matt Shaw NL 2025 19% -$2
Bubba Chandler NL 2025 10% UNK (issue with player rater)
Jordan Lawlar NL 2025 6% -$21
Dalton Rushing NL 2025 7% -$8
Thomas Saggese NL 2025 7% -$14
Evan Carter AL 2024 36% -$17
Jackson Holliday AL 2024 30% -$16
Junior Caminero AL 2024 15% -$15
Wyatt Langford AL 2024 11% $12
Heston Kjerstad AL 2024 2% -$18
Brooks Lee AL 2024 2% -$18
Curtis Mead AL 2024 2% -$21
Austin Wells AL 2024 2% $3
Yoshinobu Yamamoto NL 2024 51% $7
Jackson Chourio NL 2024 17% $19
Noelvi Marte NL 2024 9% -$15
Pete Crow-Armstrong NL 2024 6% $1
Jordan Lawlar NL 2024 4% DNP
Paul Skenes NL 2024 4% $25
Michael Busch NL 2024 2% $5
Kyle Harrison NL 2024 2% -$6
Jacob Hurtubise NL 2024 2% -$22
James Wood NL 2024 2% -$2
Gunnar Henderson AL 2023 73% $17
Hunter Brown AL 2023 9% -$4
Triston Casas AL 2023 9% $6
Anthony Volpe AL 2023 6% $2
Josh Jung AL 2023 3% $8
Corbin Carroll NL 2023 66% $32
Francisco Álvarez NL 2023 9% $7
Elly De La Cruz NL 2023 3% $5
Sal Frelick NL 2023 3% -$13
Matt Mervis NL 2023 3% -$21
Bobby Miller NL 2023 3% $11
Jared Shuster NL 2023 3% -$10
Ezequiel Tovar NL 2023 3% $8
Miguel Vargas NL 2023 3% -$16
Jordan Walker NL 2023 3% $2

Mining the News (1/9/26)

by
January 9, 2026


Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

• MLB.com surveyed several front office personnel for rookie of the year candidates. I’d recommend going through the picks since these are likely to be solid options to be productive with an early promotion.

Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (MLB No. 5) had an outstanding first full season of pro ball after being the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A and posting a combined .306/.421/.510 slash line with 17 homers and 23 steals. Some were surprised he didn’t get a late-season audition in St. Louis, but you have to figure his bat will work its way into that lineup sooner rather than later. He’s played three infield positions, which should help give the big league staff options for him to make the Opening Day roster.

American League

Guardians

• A reminder that Bo Naylor tweaked his swing towards the end of last season.

Manager Stephen Vogt has insisted the tweaks Naylor made to his swing started to bear fruit by September. That month, he posted a .290/.324/.548 slash line. Hedges, who signed a $4 million deal for the third straight winter, is in line to be the club’s fifth-highest-paid player.

Rangers

• Jacob Latz will get stretched out as a starter.

GM Ross Fenstermaker said at the Winter Meetings that [Latz is] building up to be a starter, but potentially continue to be used in a swingman type role by the time Opening Day rolls around. I think he’ll be one of the more interesting players to watch in Spring Training as the staff figures out the best way to use him.

Red Sox

• Wilyer Abreu will get a chance to face lefties to start the season.

“I truly believe that this year … and I probably said it before … with Willy and some of the lefties, we have to see if they can do it,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

By “do it,” Cora means getting the job done against left-handed pitchers. Refsnyder was a security blanket of sorts for the Sox.

Though Romy Gonzalez has become almost as effective as a platoon lefty masher, he gets most of his reps in the infield. Refsnyder’s departure clearly leaves an opportunity in the outfield.

“It’s about that time, especially with Abreu,” said Cora. “And if he can hit lefties and hit for power and play defense the way he’s done the last few years, he can be the guy.”
…
“We need to have Wilyer figure out lefties. We’re going to push him to do that and I truly believe he can do that,” Cora told the Section 10 podcast earlier this offseason.

Twins

• Eric Wagaman will be a short-side platoon bat.

There are a few things that likely drew the Twins to Wagaman, not the least of which is that he’d be minimum-salaried in the majors and still has minor-league options, meaning he can be stashed at Triple-A St. Paul as in-season depth if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.

And within last year’s poor overall production, Wagaman hit .283/.321/.462 against left-handed pitching. It was a similar story in the minors, where he hit .328/.379/.541 off lefties in 2024. For a lineup that’s always long on lefty corner bats, the righty-swinging Wagaman could fit in a platoon role.

Wagaman is 6-foot-4 with below-average speed, so he’s limited defensively, but he does have experience playing all four corner spots. He could platoon at first base with Kody Clemens, pushing the weak-gloved Bell to DH, and he could be paired with Matt Wallner or Trevor Larnach in the outfield.

White Sox

• Sean Newcomb will get a shot to make the rotation.

To take that idea one step further, Newcomb will have the Spring Training chance to feature that same unofficial position as part of the White Sox rotation.

“He’s going to come in and compete for a starting job, a job in the rotation I should say, which we are really excited about,” said manager Will Venable during a Wednesday Zoom. “We know he had some success in both the starting role and the reliever role, so he is capable of doing both, but he’s going to be in that mix for a starting-rotation job, and we are excited to help support him.”

“I’ve always been a starter, starter mentality,” said Newcomb on the Zoom call. “Over the past few years up in the big leagues, I’ve done a lot out of the ‘pen, but even those outings I’ve had a lot of three-, four-plus innings outings. So, it’s kind of the same mentality for me, just be ready to attack a lineup once or twice, three times through if it gets to that point with five or six innings.”

National League

Cubs

• Jordan Wicks is working on a curveball.

Giants

• Tyler Mahle has been dealing with shoulder issues since 2021 …

Mahle missed three months with right shoulder fatigue last year, but he returned to make two starts in September and said he hasn’t felt this healthy since 2021, when he recorded a 3.75 ERA over a career-high 33 starts for the Reds.

“It was big to make those last two starts and show that I was healthy going into the offseason,” Mahle said during a Zoom call with reporters. “I took a few weeks off after the season and then started throwing again, and it’s felt amazing since. I honestly haven’t felt this good — knock on wood — since probably that 2021 season.”

… and is working on a new breaking ball.

Mahle has a four-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball and a splitter, though he said he’s working on developing a new breaking ball that will help him become even tougher on right-handed hitters.

“We’ve been working on that,” Mahle said. “It’s looking good. I definitely think I can pick up where I left off [from 2025].”


Mining the News (1/5/26)

by
January 5, 2026


John Jones-Imagn Images

• At MLB.com, there was an article on each team’s breakout candidate. It’s a solid read for fantasy managers looking for upside. Here is the blurb about Jasson Domínguez working on his defense and right-handed swing.

YANKEES: OF Jasson Domínguez

“The Martian” could finally be ready to live up to the immense potential the Yankees have touted for years. Still just 22, the switch-hitting Domínguez lost critical development time to the pandemic and Tommy John surgery, spending most of the second half on the bench in 2025. He went to winter ball to focus on sharpening his defense in left field and his swing from the right side of the plate, which is his natural side. It would be no surprise if Domínguez’s touted blend of speed and strength all comes together in a big way. — Bryan Hoch

Read the rest of this entry »


Digital Download of the 2026 The Process Available

by
December 30, 2025

The 2026 edition of The Process is now available in PDF form. The appendix edition includes 148 pages and over 25 new studies from Jeff and other contributors! The research covers NFBC draft theory and strategy, hitter evaluation, and pitcher evaluation.

Considering the historic turnaround times (all out of our hands), the paper copy will be available on Amazon in about a month. Read the rest of this entry »


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