Author: Jeff Zimmerman

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Mining the News (2/16/26)

February 16, 2026

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• Nate Pearson had his elbow cleaned up and is behind the other starters.

Pearson also underwent what Dana Brown described as an “elbow cleanup” this offseason, putting him slightly behind the rest of Houston’s pitchers in camp.

Orioles

• Heston Kjerstad cleaned up his swing.

What Albernaz was alluding to was an adjustment made to Kjerstad’s swing mechanics since last season.

Kjerstad has abandoned his large leg kick, instead opting for more of a toe tap as his right foot lands upon his swing. It was a development that occurred as he went through offseason hitting drills. The move felt “pretty natural,” and it produced changes that Kjerstad thinks could help him better hit big league pitching.

Rangers

• Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are the leading closer candidates.

As of Day 2 of spring training, Skip Schumaker said that Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are the front-runners to receive the most save chances to start the season. Alexis Diaz could, but #Rangers want to see how he performs in spring games.

— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) February 11, 2026

• Nathan Eovaldi had hernia surgery this offseason.

Eovaldi was the best pitcher on the best staff in baseball in 2025, posting a 1.73 ERA in 22 starts with 129 strikeouts over 130 innings. He was ultimately shut down in August due to a right rotator cuff strain, though he was working towards a potential return if the Rangers had made the postseason. That being said, he also underwent offseason surgery for a sports hernia.

Eovaldi said on Tuesday that he had been dealing with the hernia since 2024, but it was not a big deal at the time because it wasn’t affecting his pitching.

• Jake Burger took up Pilates to help prevent soft tissue injuries.

This offseason, that meant Pilates.

Burger’s wife, Ashlyn, is a certified instructor, but he had never considered doing it himself, opting to stick with the bench presses and deadlifts. But after a trio of injured list stints last season, two of which were for soft tissue injuries, he decided something had to change.

“For me, the biggest thing is being healthy and just staying in that whole groove throughout the year,” Burger explained. “It’s really hard to get going and then go back on the IL, get going, go back on the IL. For me, [this offseason] was about addressing the soft tissue standpoint. I really dove into the Pilates and did it three times a week.”

Red Sox

• Roman Anthony is expected to bat leadoff.

Cora hinted that Roman Anthony, who led off 27 games last season, might be penciled into the top spot this year, too.

“Putting pressure on the opposition from pitch one, that matters,” Cora said. “… He was amazing for us leading off. That means that he’s going to get the most at-bats of anybody, and he’s that type of hitter, so we’re talking top of the lineup. I’m not saying he’s going to lead off, but I like what George (Springer) did for Houston in ‘17. I like what Mookie (Betts) did for us in ’18, and I like what Roman did for us last year.”

Twins

• Royce Lewis worked on his pre-swing setup to help with his “pitch recognition, his swing decisions, and ultimately the quality of his contact.”

Isenhower believes Lewis can get back to the heights of 2023 and early 2024. He raves about Lewis’ bat speed and feels that by simplifying things, Lewis can find his old form. The primary focus of their mechanical work has been pre-swing: getting Lewis into the best possible position, consistently, before he even begins his swing.

By doing that, Isenhower asserts, Lewis can let his natural talent and bat speed take over. Being in a better position will improve Lewis’ pitch recognition, his swing decisions, and ultimately the quality of his contact.

White Sox

• Hagen Smith worked on his changeup this offseason.

Smith, 22, placed a focus on his changeup, a key pitch in his overall repertoire.

“I’m really just trying to work on the mechanics and kind of figure out when I was going good, what I was doing,” Smith said. “Kind of looked at the video and stuff like that. Really hammered away on the changeup.”

Yankees

• Ryan Weathers hit 98.5 mph with his fastball (high was 97.7 mph last season) …

Weathers flashed a 98.5 mph four-seamer, his impressive changeup and some deception in a live batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field that saw him face several Yankees hitters, including Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge, whom he struck out once.

… and has been working on staying loose with a foam roller.

Weathers said he’s been assured “there’s nothing in my throwing mechanics that are really troublesome or worrisome. So, why do I keep having these weird injuries?”

Well, he said, he’s learned with the help of the Yankees to address natural tightness in his lower body — particularly in his hips and ankles. He said it’s going to be about “working smarter” between starts. He said he even wants to be extra prepared for when he’s simply playing catch. He’s become good friends with his foam roller.

• Amed Rosario is expected to play third base when facing lefties.

No. 14, Amed Rosario, 3B: Rosario was acquired at the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. The Yankees then re-signed the veteran to a one-year deal in December. Rosario is likely to start at third base when the Yankees are facing left-handed starters. For his career, Rosario has a 120 wRC+ against lefties.

He would be taking at-bats away from Ryan McMahon (career 72 wRC+ vs LHP, 95 wRC+ vs RHP), who struggles against lefties. I saw some power upside for McMahon after examining his talent comps.

Rarely does a player have 30+ HR upside going at the end of drafts (if at all).

Another issue with the platoon is that the AL East is projected to have the 2nd most left-handed innings, so McMahon could get platooned more than other platoon players.

National League

Cubs

• Cade Horton’s fastball is “sitting 96 and touching 98”.

Yeah, but [Horton is] sitting 96 and touching 98 in the middle of February.

This is right in line with his previous fastball velocities.

Diamondbacks

• Justin Martinez is on the 60-day IL.

• RHP Justin Martinez: Placed on 60-day injured list (recovery from right ulnar collateral ligament surgery)

The key takeaway here is that Martinez got the 60-day IL designation before A.J. Puk did. The team must either expect Puk back in the first two months or at least before Martinez.

Dodgers

• Brusdar Graterol’s velocity is down and behind in his ramp-up.

Righty reliever Brusdar Graterol will slow-play his ramp-up during Spring Training, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday, creating uncertainty around his availability for Opening Day.

Graterol missed all of last year after undergoing right shoulder labrum surgery in November 2024. He remained a distant possibility to return in ’25, but he was unable to ramp up fully by season’s end. The Dodgers thought he would be full go coming into camp, but Graterol wasn’t where the team expected him to be when he threw off the mound Friday.

“It’s still kind of the velocity’s not near where it’s going to be,” Roberts said. “So I think that it’s a slow progression. I just don’t know where that puts us. But it’s a slow process for Brusdar.”

• Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 could return in early May.

Anthopoulos says there is hope shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (right middle finger) returns in early May. Initial reports were he could miss 6-8 weeks. So, he's on schedule and maybe even slightly ahead.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 13, 2026

Mets

• Kodai Senga touched 92 mph with his fastball.

Manager Carlos Mendoza was unusually upbeat when asked about Kodai Senga earlier this week, saying he took note as Senga flashed 92 mph on the radar gun.

Last year, Senga was sitting at 93.8 mph. It looks like he’s got some ramping up to do.

• Sean Manaea worked on the perfect arm slot over the offseason.

Over the winter, Manaea worked with Tread Athletics, a private pitching facility, on an offseason assessment.

Manaea, who said he feels completely healthy, revised his arm slot while working with Tread after things got too extreme last season. He liked the changes he made in 2024. Maybe too much. In 2025, he took the change to another level, going even lower with his arm slot. It didn’t work. He is closer to where he was at his best in 2024.

“It’s definitely cleaned up and feels a lot better now,” Manaea said.

Phillies

• Aaron Nola is NOT adding a new pitch.

“I can make my curveball into a sweeper,” Nola said. “I can make it go left a little bit more because of my arm angle. It just depends on if I use my thumb on it a little bit more. The more thumb I use, the more depth-y it gets. I’ve been grateful to stay healthy for a little while. The last thing I want to do is tinker with another pitch. I know it’s not a for-sure thing [that a pitcher will get hurt] throwing a new pitch. A lot of guys don’t. I just want to crisp up my pitches.”

Pirates

• Jhostynxon Garcia is working on his swing decisions.

“The main thing I’m working on this spring, hitting-wise, is swing decisions,” said Garcia, who had 75 RBIs and 21 homers in 114 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season but also struck out 131 times against just 45 walks.

He’s taken his newest assignment to heart so far, stepping in the box on Friday for a live BP session against Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes. Battling one of baseball’s best pitchers is no small task, but doing so also gives Garcia early practice addressing his biggest challenge: Lowering his strikeout rate, which jumped to 26.8 percent last season.

Rockies

• Antonio Senzatela plans on throwing his sinker more.

But during recent informal sessions facing Rockies hitters at the complex, Senzatela has opened eyes with his two-seam sinking fastball, a pitch he hasn’t used more than 5.8 percent of the time over a full season.

Both of our STUPH models grade his sinker as below average. The results this past year were decent (10% SwStr%, 47% GB%).

• Tyler Freeman has a sore back and is not in camp.

OF-INF Tyler Freeman
Injury: Back soreness
Expected return: A week or so into camp
Status: Began running on Feb. 12 and started taking grounders on Feb. 13. Underwent an anti-inflammatory injection weeks before camp began. (updated Feb. 13)

Mining the News (2/13/26)

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 13, 2026

Syndication: Worcester Telegram

• To keep current on all injuries, MLB.com has a single page linked to all the team reports. Here is the report on Ryan Bliss possibly not being ready by Opening Day.

2B Ryan Bliss
Injury: Right meniscus tear
Expected return: Potentially by Opening Day
Status: Injured while running bases during rehab assignment last September, when returning from a left biceps tear five months earlier. Underwent surgery on Sept. 8 but reported early to Spring Training. (Last updated: Feb. 11)

Read the rest of this entry »

Top-200 Hitters 2026 Fantasy Rankings

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 13, 2026

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 further into the player pool.

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.
- 2/2/2026 – Update, little movement
- 2/10/2026 – Update
- 2/12/2026 – Spring Training update. I have bullets of the bullets
  - Dinged Lindor, Corbin Carroll, and Jackson Holliday on plate appearances and a 5% talent reduction.
  - Kyle Schwarber and Ivan Herrera should take a round or two hit in leagues where they are Utility-only.
  - Previously, for a player to be in the “Change” column, they needed to move 20 or more spots. I dropped the minimum mark down to 10 spots.
  - Updated ADP data from NFBC Draft Champions to NFBC Online Championships.

Ranking Methodology

ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Online Championship 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	$46
2	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–	2	$37
3	Bobby Witt Jr.	KCR	SS	–	3	$35
4	Juan Soto	NYM	OF	–	4	$36
5	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B	–	6	$30
6	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	SS	–	9	$28
7	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF	–	11	$30
8	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–	8	$33
9	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF	–	15	$30
10	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SDP	OF	–	15	$28
11	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	SS	–	13	$27
18	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF	–	9	$27
29	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS	–	19	$20

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	$
13	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	1B	–	18	$28
16	Junior Caminero	TBR	3B	–	16	$30
20	Nick Kurtz	ATH	1B	–	19	$19
22	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF	–	29	$23
23	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF	–	53	$24
25	Pete Alonso	BAL	1B	–	26	$22
31	James Wood	WSN	OF	–	30	$19
36	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF	–	37	$20
37	Matt Olson	ATL	1B	–	51	$15
48	Rafael Devers	SFG	1B	–	57	$14

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	$
14	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF	–	21	$23
17	Trea Turner	PHI	SS	–	29	$22
19	Zach Neto	LAA	SS	–	28	$23
21	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	2B/3B	–	22	$16
26	Josh Naylor	SEA	1B	–	69	$14
27	Manny Machado	SDP	3B	–	40	$16
28	Bryce Harper	PHI	1B	–	51	$19
30	Ketel Marte	ARI	2B	–	33	$18
32	Mookie Betts	LAD	SS	–	58	$20
34	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF	–	42	$18
35	Brice Turang	MIL	2B	–	56	$11
40	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–	125	$12
41	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	–	72	$15
49	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS	–	83	$16
50	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF	–	70	$10
51	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF	–	100	$14

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	$
15	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	OF	–	25	$23

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	$
12	Cal Raleigh	SEA	C	–	18	$31
24	William Contreras	MIL	C	–	51	$21
33	Shea Langeliers	ATH	C	–	53	$21
39	Hunter Goodman	COL	C	–	66	$23
45	Ben Rice	NYY	C/1B	–	50	$19
46	Ivan Herrera	STL	C	–	151	$21
52	Salvador Perez	KCR	C/1B	–	98	$19
60	Agustin Ramirez	MIA	C	–	81	$11
74	Drake Baldwin	ATL	C	–	91	$16
75	Yainer Diaz	HOU	C	–	112	$13
77	Samuel Basallo	BAL	C	–	175	$8
84	Will Smith	LAD	C	–	104	$13

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	$
38	CJ Abrams	WSN	SS	–	56	$15
42	Freddie Freeman	LAD	1B	–	72	$17
44	Trevor Story	BOS	SS	–	105	$16
53	George Springer	TOR	OF	–	98	$14
54	Cody Bellinger	NYY	1B/OF	–	78	$16
55	Jeremy Pena	HOU	SS	–	98	$14
56	Maikel Garcia	KCR	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	72	$14
64	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF	–	54	$12
65	Steven Kwan	CLE	OF	–	173	$11
66	Andy Pages	LAD	OF	–	144	$13
67	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF	–	98	$13
69	Lawrence Butler	ATH	OF	–	151	$10
71	Ceddanne Rafaela	BOS	2B/OF	–	138	$11
72	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B/OF	–	122	$11
79	Brandon Nimmo	TEX	OF	–	154	$6
89	Ian Happ	CHC	OF	–	190	$9
92	Luke Keaschall	MIN	2B	–	136	$5
94	Heliot Ramos	SFG	OF	–	227	$10
102	Ezequiel Tovar	COL	SS	–	208	$11
103	Ozzie Albies	ATL	2B	–	162	$6
106	Caleb Durbin	BOS	2B/3B	–	247	$6
107	Xander Bogaerts	SDP	SS	–	242	$5
108	Noelvi Marte	CIN	3B/OF	–	132	$5
110	Brenton Doyle	COL	OF	–	164	$7
113	Otto Lopez	MIA	2B/SS	–	237	$5
121	Daylen Lile	WSN	OF	–	209	$3
127	Ramon Laureano	SDP	OF	–	222	$4
128	Masyn Winn	STL	SS	–	281	$6
130	Andres Gimenez	TOR	2B/SS	–	467	$5
132	TJ Friedl	CIN	OF	–	264	$2
133	Royce Lewis	MIN	3B	–	170	$6
144	Jackson Holliday	BAL	2B/SS	▼32	140	-$4
154	Joey Ortiz	MIL	SS	–	732	$2
159	Jurickson Profar	ATL	OF	▼74	186	$8
169	Harrison Bader	SFG	OF	–	474	$1
174	Connor Norby	MIA	3B	–	625	-$3
178	Austin Hays	CHW	OF	–	632	-$4
179	J.P. Crawford	SEA	SS	–		-$4

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	$
58	Vinnie Pasquantino	KCR	1B	–	80	$10
62	Bo Bichette	NYM	SS	–	101	$17
78	Corey Seager	TEX	SS	–	101	$11
81	Yandy Diaz	TBR	1B	–	133	$13
86	Jordan Westburg	BAL	2B/3B	–	124	$13
88	Tyler Soderstrom	ATH	1B/OF	–	92	$10
90	Alex Bregman	CHC	3B	–	120	$9
93	Alec Burleson	STL	1B/OF	–	180	$11
98	Jackson Merrill	SDP	OF	▼32	70	$15
109	Jonathan Aranda	TBR	1B	–	184	$8
115	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–	204	$5
116	Gleyber Torres	DET	2B	–	254	$7
152	Jordan Beck	COL	OF	–	238	$2
164	Carlos Correa	HOU	3B/SS	–	281	$1
166	Nolan Schanuel	LAA	1B	–	611	$1
173	Nolan Arenado	ARI	3B	–	650	$1
181	Josh Bell	MIN	1B	–	672	-$2
186	Spencer Steer	CIN	1B/OF	–	290	-$10

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

The major contribution from these hitters is home runs.

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
47	Eugenio Suarez	CIN	3B	–	116	$13
59	Riley Greene	DET	OF	–	82	$17
61	Teoscar Hernandez	LAD	OF	–	136	$14
63	Austin Riley	ATL	3B	–	74	$17
82	Michael Busch	CHC	1B	–	108	$8
83	Jo Adell	LAA	OF	–	123	$11
85	Taylor Ward	BAL	OF	–	162	$12
95	Spencer Torkelson	DET	1B	–	196	$6
99	Christian Walker	HOU	1B	–	202	$3
104	Willson Contreras	BOS	1B	–	173	$5
111	Kyle Stowers	MIA	OF	–	129	$8
120	Brandon Lowe	PIT	2B	–	193	$1
122	Jake Burger	TEX	1B	–	267	$3
125	Daulton Varsho	TOR	OF	–	209	$8
136	Isaac Paredes	HOU	3B	–	212	-$4
137	Jorge Polanco	NYM	2B/3B	–	227	$4
145	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–	169	$5
150	Marcell Ozuna	PIT	DH	–	458	-$2
155	Jac Caglianone	KCR	1B/OF	–	215	$4
162	Addison Barger	TOR	3B/OF	–	208	$2
163	Andrew Vaughn	MIL	1B	–	418	-$4
167	Miguel Vargas	CHW	1B/3B	–	324	$1
168	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF	–	243	-$5
170	Josh Jung	TEX	3B	–	471	-$1
172	Trent Grisham	NYY	OF	–	265	$0
177	Colson Montgomery	CHW	3B/SS	–	231	$3
183	Max Muncy	LAD	3B	–	257	-$4
187	Kazuma Okamoto	TOR	3B	–		$7
194	Mark Vientos	NYM	3B	–	369	-$4

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	–	151	$5
140	Victor Scott II	STL	OF	–	400	$0
195	Chase Meidroth	CHW	2B/SS	–	595	-$4
198	Luisangel Acuna	CHW	2B/3B/SS	–	505	-$10

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	$
97	Jacob Wilson	ATH	SS	–	193	$13
112	Luis Arraez	SFG	1B/2B	–	290	$7
138	Ernie Clement	TOR	1B/2B/3B/SS	–	322	$6
147	Alec Bohm	PHI	1B/3B	–	291	$7
156	Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	OF	–	339	$3
171	Brendan Donovan	SEA	2B/SS/OF	–	323	$0

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	–	93	$12
68	Oneil Cruz	PIT	OF	–	87	$8
70	Willy Adames	SFG	SS	–	134	$12
73	Dansby Swanson	CHC	SS	–	155	$10
80	Luis Robert Jr.	NYM	OF	–	106	$10
91	Matt Chapman	SFG	3B	–	177	$12
96	Adolis Garcia	PHI	OF	–	229	$11
100	Dylan Crews	WSN	OF	–	158	$8
114	Matt McLain	CIN	2B/SS	–	186	$5
117	Colton Cowser	BAL	OF	–	269	$1
124	Munetaka Murakami	CHW	3B	–		$8
135	Marcus Semien	NYM	2B	–	261	$5
189	Anthony Volpe	NYY	SS	–	672	-$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	–	112	$11
87	Bryson Stott	PHI	2B/SS	–	186	$7
101	Xavier Edwards	MIA	2B/SS	–	188	$6
134	Chandler Simpson	TBR	OF	▼69	172	$3
141	Sal Frelick	MIL	OF	–	209	-$1
193	Justin Crawford	PHI	OF	–		-$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	$
105	Adley Rutschman	BAL	C	–	157	$13
118	Alejandro Kirk	TOR	C	–	161	$9
119	J.T. Realmuto	PHI	C	–	217	$8
126	Gabriel Moreno	ARI	C	–	178	$8
139	Kyle Teel	CHW	C	–	186	$4
146	Austin Wells	NYY	C	–	245	$5
149	Ryan Jeffers	MIN	C	–	336	$7
153	Francisco Alvarez	NYM	C	–	178	$8
158	Dillon Dingler	DET	C	–	236	$2
165	Logan O’Hoppe	LAA	C	–	259	$3
175	Willi Castro	COL	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	295	$1
176	Tyler Stephenson	CIN	C	–	278	$1
188	Carter Jensen	KCR	C	–		$1
191	Bo Naylor	CLE	C	–	611	$2
192	Patrick Bailey	SFG	C	–		$0

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	$
123	Kerry Carpenter	DET	OF	–	239	$6
129	Wilyer Abreu	BOS	OF	–	220	$4
131	Evan Carter	TEX	OF	–	295	-$4
142	Luis Garcia Jr.	WSN	2B	–	231	$4
143	Josh Lowe	LAA	OF	–	259	$1
148	Mickey Moniak	COL	OF	–	254	$6
157	Brandon Marsh	PHI	OF	–	672	-$1
160	Kyle Manzardo	CLE	1B	–	234	$2
161	Ryan O’Hearn	PIT	1B/OF	–	311	$1
180	Jesus Sanchez	HOU	OF	–	671	-$3
184	Cedric Mullins	TBR	OF	–	375	-$3
190	Tommy Edman	LAD	2B/3B/OF	–	406	$1
197	Matt Wallner	MIN	OF	–	446	-$1
199	Parker Meadows	DET	OF	–		-$3
200	Colt Keith	DET	1B/2B/3B	–	487	-$4

Time Shares

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
151	Sal Stewart	CIN	1B/3B	–	198	$4
196	Jose Caballero	NYY	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	211	-$12

Top Prospects, No MLB Experience

These touted prospects have a clear role to start the season.

Top Prospects, No MLB Experience

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
182	Jonathan Wetherholt	STL	SS	–		-$2
185	Konnor Griffin	PIT	SS	–		$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	$46
2	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–	2	$37
3	Bobby Witt Jr.	KCR	SS	–	3	$35
4	Juan Soto	NYM	OF	–	4	$36
5	Jose Ramirez	CLE	3B	–	6	$30
6	Elly De La Cruz	CIN	SS	–	9	$28
7	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF	–	11	$30
8	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–	8	$33
9	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF	–	15	$30
10	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SDP	OF	–	15	$28
11	Gunnar Henderson	BAL	SS	–	13	$27
12	Cal Raleigh	SEA	C	–	18	$31
13	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	TOR	1B	–	18	$28
14	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF	–	21	$23
15	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	OF	–	25	$23
16	Junior Caminero	TBR	3B	–	16	$30
17	Trea Turner	PHI	SS	–	29	$22
18	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF	–	9	$27
19	Zach Neto	LAA	SS	–	28	$23
20	Nick Kurtz	ATH	1B	–	19	$19
21	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	NYY	2B/3B	–	22	$16
22	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF	–	29	$23
23	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF	–	53	$24
24	William Contreras	MIL	C	–	51	$21
25	Pete Alonso	BAL	1B	–	26	$22
26	Josh Naylor	SEA	1B	–	69	$14
27	Manny Machado	SDP	3B	–	40	$16
28	Bryce Harper	PHI	1B	–	51	$19
29	Francisco Lindor	NYM	SS	–	19	$20
30	Ketel Marte	ARI	2B	–	33	$18
31	James Wood	WSN	OF	–	30	$19
32	Mookie Betts	LAD	SS	–	58	$20
33	Shea Langeliers	ATH	C	–	53	$21
34	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF	–	42	$18
35	Brice Turang	MIL	2B	–	56	$11
36	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF	–	37	$20
37	Matt Olson	ATL	1B	–	51	$15
38	CJ Abrams	WSN	SS	–	56	$15
39	Hunter Goodman	COL	C	–	66	$23
40	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–	125	$12
41	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	–	72	$15
42	Freddie Freeman	LAD	1B	–	72	$17
43	Randy Arozarena	SEA	OF	–	93	$12
44	Trevor Story	BOS	SS	–	105	$16
45	Ben Rice	NYY	C/1B	–	50	$19
46	Ivan Herrera	STL	C	–	151	$21
47	Eugenio Suarez	CIN	3B	–	116	$13
48	Rafael Devers	SFG	1B	–	57	$14
49	Geraldo Perdomo	ARI	SS	–	83	$16
50	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF	–	70	$10
51	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF	–	100	$14
52	Salvador Perez	KCR	C/1B	–	98	$19
53	George Springer	TOR	OF	–	98	$14
54	Cody Bellinger	NYY	1B/OF	–	78	$16
55	Jeremy Pena	HOU	SS	–	98	$14
56	Maikel Garcia	KCR	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	72	$14
57	Nico Hoerner	CHC	2B/SS	–	112	$11
58	Vinnie Pasquantino	KCR	1B	–	80	$10
59	Riley Greene	DET	OF	–	82	$17
60	Agustin Ramirez	MIA	C	–	81	$11
61	Teoscar Hernandez	LAD	OF	–	136	$14
62	Bo Bichette	NYM	SS	–	101	$17
63	Austin Riley	ATL	3B	–	74	$17
64	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF	–	54	$12
65	Steven Kwan	CLE	OF	–	173	$11
66	Andy Pages	LAD	OF	–	144	$13
67	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF	–	98	$13
68	Oneil Cruz	PIT	OF	–	87	$8
69	Lawrence Butler	ATH	OF	–	151	$10
70	Willy Adames	SFG	SS	–	134	$12
71	Ceddanne Rafaela	BOS	2B/OF	–	138	$11
72	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B/OF	–	122	$11
73	Dansby Swanson	CHC	SS	–	155	$10
74	Drake Baldwin	ATL	C	–	91	$16
75	Yainer Diaz	HOU	C	–	112	$13
76	Jakob Marsee	MIA	OF	–	151	$5
77	Samuel Basallo	BAL	C	–	175	$8
78	Corey Seager	TEX	SS	–	101	$11
79	Brandon Nimmo	TEX	OF	–	154	$6
80	Luis Robert Jr.	NYM	OF	–	106	$10
81	Yandy Diaz	TBR	1B	–	133	$13
82	Michael Busch	CHC	1B	–	108	$8
83	Jo Adell	LAA	OF	–	123	$11
84	Will Smith	LAD	C	–	104	$13
85	Taylor Ward	BAL	OF	–	162	$12
86	Jordan Westburg	BAL	2B/3B	–	124	$13
87	Bryson Stott	PHI	2B/SS	–	186	$7
88	Tyler Soderstrom	ATH	1B/OF	–	92	$10
89	Ian Happ	CHC	OF	–	190	$9
90	Alex Bregman	CHC	3B	–	120	$9
91	Matt Chapman	SFG	3B	–	177	$12
92	Luke Keaschall	MIN	2B	–	136	$5
93	Alec Burleson	STL	1B/OF	–	180	$11
94	Heliot Ramos	SFG	OF	–	227	$10
95	Spencer Torkelson	DET	1B	–	196	$6
96	Adolis Garcia	PHI	OF	–	229	$11
97	Jacob Wilson	ATH	SS	–	193	$13
98	Jackson Merrill	SDP	OF	▼32	70	$15
99	Christian Walker	HOU	1B	–	202	$3
100	Dylan Crews	WSN	OF	–	158	$8
101	Xavier Edwards	MIA	2B/SS	–	188	$6
102	Ezequiel Tovar	COL	SS	–	208	$11
103	Ozzie Albies	ATL	2B	–	162	$6
104	Willson Contreras	BOS	1B	–	173	$5
105	Adley Rutschman	BAL	C	–	157	$13
106	Caleb Durbin	BOS	2B/3B	–	247	$6
107	Xander Bogaerts	SDP	SS	–	242	$5
108	Noelvi Marte	CIN	3B/OF	–	132	$5
109	Jonathan Aranda	TBR	1B	–	184	$8
110	Brenton Doyle	COL	OF	–	164	$7
111	Kyle Stowers	MIA	OF	–	129	$8
112	Luis Arraez	SFG	1B/2B	–	290	$7
113	Otto Lopez	MIA	2B/SS	–	237	$5
114	Matt McLain	CIN	2B/SS	–	186	$5
115	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–	204	$5
116	Gleyber Torres	DET	2B	–	254	$7
117	Colton Cowser	BAL	OF	–	269	$1
118	Alejandro Kirk	TOR	C	–	161	$9
119	J.T. Realmuto	PHI	C	–	217	$8
120	Brandon Lowe	PIT	2B	–	193	$1
121	Daylen Lile	WSN	OF	–	209	$3
122	Jake Burger	TEX	1B	–	267	$3
123	Kerry Carpenter	DET	OF	–	239	$6
124	Munetaka Murakami	CHW	3B	–		$8
125	Daulton Varsho	TOR	OF	–	209	$8
126	Gabriel Moreno	ARI	C	–	178	$8
127	Ramon Laureano	SDP	OF	–	222	$4
128	Masyn Winn	STL	SS	–	281	$6
129	Wilyer Abreu	BOS	OF	–	220	$4
130	Andres Gimenez	TOR	2B/SS	–	467	$5
131	Evan Carter	TEX	OF	–	295	-$4
132	TJ Friedl	CIN	OF	–	264	$2
133	Royce Lewis	MIN	3B	–	170	$6
134	Chandler Simpson	TBR	OF	▼69	172	$3
135	Marcus Semien	NYM	2B	–	261	$5
136	Isaac Paredes	HOU	3B	–	212	-$4
137	Jorge Polanco	NYM	2B/3B	–	227	$4
138	Ernie Clement	TOR	1B/2B/3B/SS	–	322	$6
139	Kyle Teel	CHW	C	–	186	$4
140	Victor Scott II	STL	OF	–	400	$0
141	Sal Frelick	MIL	OF	–	209	-$1
142	Luis Garcia Jr.	WSN	2B	–	231	$4
143	Josh Lowe	LAA	OF	–	259	$1
144	Jackson Holliday	BAL	2B/SS	▼32	140	-$4
145	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–	169	$5
146	Austin Wells	NYY	C	–	245	$5
147	Alec Bohm	PHI	1B/3B	–	291	$7
148	Mickey Moniak	COL	OF	–	254	$6
149	Ryan Jeffers	MIN	C	–	336	$7
150	Marcell Ozuna	PIT	DH	–	458	-$2
151	Sal Stewart	CIN	1B/3B	–	198	$4
152	Jordan Beck	COL	OF	–	238	$2
153	Francisco Alvarez	NYM	C	–	178	$8
154	Joey Ortiz	MIL	SS	–	732	$2
155	Jac Caglianone	KCR	1B/OF	–	215	$4
156	Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	OF	–	339	$3
157	Brandon Marsh	PHI	OF	–	672	-$1
158	Dillon Dingler	DET	C	–	236	$2
159	Jurickson Profar	ATL	OF	▼74	186	$8
160	Kyle Manzardo	CLE	1B	–	234	$2
161	Ryan O’Hearn	PIT	1B/OF	–	311	$1
162	Addison Barger	TOR	3B/OF	–	208	$2
163	Andrew Vaughn	MIL	1B	–	418	-$4
164	Carlos Correa	HOU	3B/SS	–	281	$1
165	Logan O’Hoppe	LAA	C	–	259	$3
166	Nolan Schanuel	LAA	1B	–	611	$1
167	Miguel Vargas	CHW	1B/3B	–	324	$1
168	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF	–	243	-$5
169	Harrison Bader	SFG	OF	–	474	$1
170	Josh Jung	TEX	3B	–	471	-$1
171	Brendan Donovan	SEA	2B/SS/OF	–	323	$0
172	Trent Grisham	NYY	OF	–	265	$0
173	Nolan Arenado	ARI	3B	–	650	$1
174	Connor Norby	MIA	3B	–	625	-$3
175	Willi Castro	COL	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	295	$1
176	Tyler Stephenson	CIN	C	–	278	$1
177	Colson Montgomery	CHW	3B/SS	–	231	$3
178	Austin Hays	CHW	OF	–	632	-$4
179	J.P. Crawford	SEA	SS	–		-$4
180	Jesus Sanchez	HOU	OF	–	671	-$3
181	Josh Bell	MIN	1B	–	672	-$2
182	Jonathan Wetherholt	STL	SS	–		-$2
183	Max Muncy	LAD	3B	–	257	-$4
184	Cedric Mullins	TBR	OF	–	375	-$3
185	Konnor Griffin	PIT	SS	–		$3
186	Spencer Steer	CIN	1B/OF	–	290	-$10
187	Kazuma Okamoto	TOR	3B	–		$7
188	Carter Jensen	KCR	C	–		$1
189	Anthony Volpe	NYY	SS	–	672	-$5
190	Tommy Edman	LAD	2B/3B/OF	–	406	$1
191	Bo Naylor	CLE	C	–	611	$2
192	Patrick Bailey	SFG	C	–		$0
193	Justin Crawford	PHI	OF	–		-$2
194	Mark Vientos	NYM	3B	–	369	-$4
195	Chase Meidroth	CHW	2B/SS	–	595	-$4
196	Jose Caballero	NYY	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	211	-$12
197	Matt Wallner	MIN	OF	–	446	-$1
198	Luisangel Acuna	CHW	2B/3B/SS	–	505	-$10
199	Parker Meadows	DET	OF	–		-$3
200	Colt Keith	DET	1B/2B/3B	–	487	-$4

Outfield 2026 Fantasy Rankings

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 13, 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.
2/02/2026 – Update and summaries for Cowser, Steer, Frelick, Carter, Soderstrom, Garcia, Friedl, and Laureano
2/10/2026 – Small update
2/12/2026 – Several items
- Summaries for Abreu, Varsho, Springer, and Lowe
- Updated ADP data from NFBC Draft Champions to NFBC Online Championships.
- Changed the threshold for the amount a player moved in the rankings to 5 spots.

Ranking Methodology

ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Online Championship 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	$37
2	Juan Soto	NYM	OF	–	4	$36
3	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF	–	11	$30
4	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF	–	15	$30
5	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SDP	OF	–	15	$28
6	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–	8	$33
10	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF	▼6	9	$27

Four-Category Studs

These hitters are good across the board, but don’t match up to those in the first tier.

Four-Category Studs

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
9	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF	–	29	$23
11	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF	–	53	$24
12	James Wood	WSN	OF	–	30	$19
14	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF	–	37	$20

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.

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 in and could not find a reason 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 runs from 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).

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.

Five-Category Pillars

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
7	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF	–	21	$23
13	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF	–	42	$18
15	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	–	72	$15
17	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF	–	70	$10
21	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF	–	100	$14
29	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–	125	$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, 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

Some of these hitters may be better real-life players than those in the above tier, but lack in one roto category, usually steals.

Elite Power Bat, Nothing Else

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
8	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	OF	–	25	$23

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)

These bats have 40+ home run power with a ton of counting stats. They provide very little in speed and batting average.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.The major contribution from these hitters is home runs. The major contribution from these hitters is stolen bases.These hitters don’t have a set role just yet, but have the skills to be positive fantasy contributors.

Balanced 2nd Division Bat (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
18	George Springer	TOR	OF	–	98	$14
19	Cody Bellinger	NYY	1B/OF	–	78	$16
20	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF	–	54	$12
22	Maikel Garcia	KCR	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	72	$14
26	Steven Kwan	CLE	OF	–	173	$11
27	Andy Pages	LAD	OF	–	144	$13
28	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF	–	98	$13
30	Lawrence Butler	ATH	OF	–	151	$10
31	Ceddanne Rafaela	BOS	2B/OF	–	138	$11
32	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B/OF	–	122	$11
34	Brandon Nimmo	TEX	OF	–	154	$6
38	Ian Happ	CHC	OF	–	190	$9
40	Heliot Ramos	SFG	OF	–	227	$10
45	Noelvi Marte	CIN	3B/OF	–	132	$5
46	Brenton Doyle	COL	OF	–	164	$7
50	Daylen Lile	WSN	OF	–	209	$3
53	Ramon Laureano	SDP	OF	–	222	$4
56	TJ Friedl	CIN	OF	–	264	$2
67	Jurickson Profar	ATL	OF	▼31	186	$8
70	Harrison Bader	SFG	OF	–	474	$1
74	Austin Hays	CHW	OF	–	632	-$4
84	Lars Nootbaar	STL	OF	–	713	-$2
87	Jonathan India	KCR	2B/3B/OF	–	673	-$7
97	Cam Smith	HOU	OF	–	509	-$9
99	Josh Smith	TEX	1B/3B/SS/OF	–	592	-$8
102	Jasson Dominguez	NYY	OF	–	265	-$26
104	Alek Thomas	ARI	OF	–		-$11
105	Luis Rengifo		2B/3B/OF	–		-$14
113	Kyle Isbel	KCR	OF	–		-$9

After a career-best season, George Springer is hoping for a repeat, and if so, it would be a historic first.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

If Ramón Laureano can keep the contact and power gains he made in 2025 while playing a full season, he becomes a solid sleeper

TJ Friedl is a high-variance play in home runs and stolen bases. When looking at his projections, I would take the over in home runs and the under in stolen bases.

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.

Jasson Domínguez 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).

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	$
25	Jackson Merrill	SDP	OF	–	70	$15
39	Alec Burleson	STL	1B/OF	–	180	$11
48	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–	204	$5
63	Jordan Beck	COL	OF	–	238	$2
78	Spencer Steer	CIN	1B/OF	–	290	-$10
85	Jeff McNeil	ATH	2B/OF	–	690	$2
92	Andrew Benintendi	CHW	OF	–		-$3
95	Miguel Andujar	SDP	3B/OF	–		-$2

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.

A shoulder injury ruined the first two months of Spencer Steer’s season, but he turned it around. With his current projections, I might expect a higher batting average and home runs but fewer stolen bases.

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These guys are strong-side platoon bats who will max out around 400 to 500 plate appearances.

Power Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
23	Riley Greene	DET	OF	–	82	$17
24	Teoscar Hernandez	LAD	OF	–	136	$14
36	Jo Adell	LAA	OF	–	123	$11
37	Taylor Ward	BAL	OF	–	162	$12
43	Kyle Stowers	MIA	OF	–	129	$8
47	Addison Barger	TOR	3B/OF	▲24	208	$2
52	Daulton Varsho	TOR	OF	–	209	$8
61	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–	169	$5
64	Jac Caglianone	KCR	1B/OF	–	215	$4
69	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF	–	243	-$5
72	Trent Grisham	NYY	OF	–	265	$0
75	Kody Clemens	MIN	1B/2B/OF	–	731	-$22
94	Jorge Soler	LAA	OF	–	670	-$4
103	Tyler O’Neill	BAL	OF	–		-$6
110	Owen Caissie	MIA	OF	–	492	-$10
116	C.J. Kayfus	CLE	1B/OF	–		-$9

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.

After coming off shoulder surgery, Daulton Varsho traded off contact for more power. He could be a source of 30+ HR and dozen or so stolen bases but a drain in batting average.

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.

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.

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.

Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

These hitters provide a combination of speed and batting average.

Speed Focused (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
33	Jakob Marsee	MIA	OF	–	151	$5
58	Victor Scott II	STL	OF	–	400	$0
90	Jake Meyers	HOU	OF	–		-$6
91	Victor Robles	SEA	OF	–	426	-$12

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)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
65	Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	OF	–	339	$3
71	Brendan Donovan	SEA	2B/SS/OF	–	323	$0
106	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	ARI	OF	–		-$5

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)

The major contribution from these hitters is stolen bases.

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

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
16	Randy Arozarena	SEA	OF	–	93	$12
35	Luis Robert Jr.	NYM	OF	–	106	$10
41	Adolis Garcia	PHI	OF	–	229	$11
42	Dylan Crews	WSN	OF	–	158	$8
44	Oneil Cruz	PIT	OF	–	87	$8
49	Colton Cowser	BAL	OF	–	269	$1
73	Willi Castro	COL	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	295	$1
89	Wenceel Perez	DET	OF	–	714	-$4
96	Isaac Collins	KCR	OF	–	512	-$9
98	Jordan Walker	STL	OF	–	376	-$4
108	Christopher Morel	MIA	OF	–		-$15

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.

The 32-year-old Adolis Garcia has struggled for two straight seasons while dealing with several injuries. He’s going to need to stop and reverse several negative trends as he ages into his mid-30’s.

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.

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.

It’ll be tough to target Colton Cowser since he’s a platoon bat with major contact issues. If a fantasy team is set on batting average, he could be an option for his home run and stolen bases.

Speed and Average (Pick Your Poison Tiers)

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
57	Chandler Simpson	TBR	OF	▼13	172	$3
59	Sal Frelick	MIL	OF	–	209	-$1
109	Jake Mangum	PIT	OF	–	631	-$14

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.

Sal Frelick took a positive step forward in both his contact and hard hit rates last season. The key for him going forward is maintaining or improving on them … and not regressing backwards.

Platoon Bats

The major contribution of these hitters is batting average.

Platoon Bats

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
51	Kerry Carpenter	DET	OF	–	239	$6
54	Wilyer Abreu	BOS	OF	–	220	$4
55	Evan Carter	TEX	OF	–	295	-$4
60	Josh Lowe	LAA	OF	–	259	$1
62	Mickey Moniak	COL	OF	–	254	$6
66	Brandon Marsh	PHI	OF	–	672	-$1
68	Ryan O’Hearn	PIT	1B/OF	–	311	$1
76	Jesus Sanchez	HOU	OF	–	671	-$3
77	Cedric Mullins	TBR	OF	–	375	-$3
79	Tommy Edman	LAD	2B/3B/OF	–	406	$1
81	Matt Wallner	MIN	OF	–	446	-$1
82	Parker Meadows	DET	OF	–		-$3
83	Dominic Canzone	SEA	OF	–	631	-$6
86	Trevor Larnach	MIN	OF	–	730	-$9
93	Nick Castellanos	PHI	OF	–	693	-$23
100	Mike Yastrzemski	ATL	OF	–		-$8
101	Gavin Sheets	SDP	1B/OF	–	710	-$6
114	Nathan Lukes	TOR	OF	–		-$6
118	Jake Fraley	TBR	OF	–		-$9
120	Javier Baez	DET	2B/3B/SS/OF	–		-$15

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

Wilyer Abreu is a solid platoon bat whose upside is limited until he can prove that he can hit lefties.

A significant platoon disadvantage and checkered injury history limits Evan Carter’s upside.

Hopefully, Josh Lowe improves from his 2025 season, where he struggled in all aspects of his game, but I have little hope the Angels can help him rebound.

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 provide a combination of home runs and stolen bases, but are a major drag on batting average.

Time Shares

Rank	Name	Team	Pos	Change	ADP	$
80	Jose Caballero	NYY	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	211	-$12
88	Dylan Beavers	BAL	OF	–	446	-$7
107	Tyler Freeman	COL	2B/OF	▲9	732	-$12
111	Gavin Lux	TBR	2B/3B/OF	–		-$12
112	Zach McKinstry	DET	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	511	-$10
115	Jake McCarthy	COL	OF	–	615	-$9
117	Garrett Mitchell	MIL	OF	–		-$9
119	Brooks Baldwin	CHW	2B/3B/SS/OF	–		-$8

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.

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	$37
2	Juan Soto	NYM	OF	–	4	$36
3	Julio Rodriguez	SEA	OF	–	11	$30
4	Kyle Tucker	LAD	OF	–	15	$30
5	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SDP	OF	–	15	$28
6	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–	8	$33
7	Jackson Chourio	MIL	OF	–	21	$23
8	Kyle Schwarber	PHI	OF	–	25	$23
9	Pete Crow-Armstrong	CHC	OF	–	29	$23
10	Corbin Carroll	ARI	OF	▼6	9	$27
11	Brent Rooker	ATH	OF	–	53	$24
12	James Wood	WSN	OF	–	30	$19
13	Wyatt Langford	TEX	OF	–	42	$18
14	Yordan Alvarez	HOU	OF	–	37	$20
15	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	–	72	$15
16	Randy Arozarena	SEA	OF	–	93	$12
17	Jarren Duran	BOS	OF	–	70	$10
18	George Springer	TOR	OF	–	98	$14
19	Cody Bellinger	NYY	1B/OF	–	78	$16
20	Roman Anthony	BOS	OF	–	54	$12
21	Michael Harris II	ATL	OF	–	100	$14
22	Maikel Garcia	KCR	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	72	$14
23	Riley Greene	DET	OF	–	82	$17
24	Teoscar Hernandez	LAD	OF	–	136	$14
25	Jackson Merrill	SDP	OF	–	70	$15
26	Steven Kwan	CLE	OF	–	173	$11
27	Andy Pages	LAD	OF	–	144	$13
28	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	OF	–	98	$13
29	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–	125	$12
30	Lawrence Butler	ATH	OF	–	151	$10
31	Ceddanne Rafaela	BOS	2B/OF	–	138	$11
32	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B/OF	–	122	$11
33	Jakob Marsee	MIA	OF	–	151	$5
34	Brandon Nimmo	TEX	OF	–	154	$6
35	Luis Robert Jr.	NYM	OF	–	106	$10
36	Jo Adell	LAA	OF	–	123	$11
37	Taylor Ward	BAL	OF	–	162	$12
38	Ian Happ	CHC	OF	–	190	$9
39	Alec Burleson	STL	1B/OF	–	180	$11
40	Heliot Ramos	SFG	OF	–	227	$10
41	Adolis Garcia	PHI	OF	–	229	$11
42	Dylan Crews	WSN	OF	–	158	$8
43	Kyle Stowers	MIA	OF	–	129	$8
44	Oneil Cruz	PIT	OF	–	87	$8
45	Noelvi Marte	CIN	3B/OF	–	132	$5
46	Brenton Doyle	COL	OF	–	164	$7
47	Addison Barger	TOR	3B/OF	▲24	208	$2
48	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–	204	$5
49	Colton Cowser	BAL	OF	–	269	$1
50	Daylen Lile	WSN	OF	–	209	$3
51	Kerry Carpenter	DET	OF	–	239	$6
52	Daulton Varsho	TOR	OF	–	209	$8
53	Ramon Laureano	SDP	OF	–	222	$4
54	Wilyer Abreu	BOS	OF	–	220	$4
55	Evan Carter	TEX	OF	–	295	-$4
56	TJ Friedl	CIN	OF	–	264	$2
57	Chandler Simpson	TBR	OF	▼13	172	$3
58	Victor Scott II	STL	OF	–	400	$0
59	Sal Frelick	MIL	OF	–	209	-$1
60	Josh Lowe	LAA	OF	–	259	$1
61	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–	169	$5
62	Mickey Moniak	COL	OF	–	254	$6
63	Jordan Beck	COL	OF	–	238	$2
64	Jac Caglianone	KCR	1B/OF	–	215	$4
65	Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	OF	–	339	$3
66	Brandon Marsh	PHI	OF	–	672	-$1
67	Jurickson Profar	ATL	OF	▼31	186	$8
68	Ryan O’Hearn	PIT	1B/OF	–	311	$1
69	Giancarlo Stanton	NYY	OF	–	243	-$5
70	Harrison Bader	SFG	OF	–	474	$1
71	Brendan Donovan	SEA	2B/SS/OF	–	323	$0
72	Trent Grisham	NYY	OF	–	265	$0
73	Willi Castro	COL	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	295	$1
74	Austin Hays	CHW	OF	–	632	-$4
75	Kody Clemens	MIN	1B/2B/OF	–	731	-$22
76	Jesus Sanchez	HOU	OF	–	671	-$3
77	Cedric Mullins	TBR	OF	–	375	-$3
78	Spencer Steer	CIN	1B/OF	–	290	-$10
79	Tommy Edman	LAD	2B/3B/OF	–	406	$1
80	Jose Caballero	NYY	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	211	-$12
81	Matt Wallner	MIN	OF	–	446	-$1
82	Parker Meadows	DET	OF	–		-$3
83	Dominic Canzone	SEA	OF	–	631	-$6
84	Lars Nootbaar	STL	OF	–	713	-$2
85	Jeff McNeil	ATH	2B/OF	–	690	$2
86	Trevor Larnach	MIN	OF	–	730	-$9
87	Jonathan India	KCR	2B/3B/OF	–	673	-$7
88	Dylan Beavers	BAL	OF	–	446	-$7
89	Wenceel Perez	DET	OF	–	714	-$4
90	Jake Meyers	HOU	OF	–		-$6
91	Victor Robles	SEA	OF	–	426	-$12
92	Andrew Benintendi	CHW	OF	–		-$3
93	Nick Castellanos	PHI	OF	–	693	-$23
94	Jorge Soler	LAA	OF	–	670	-$4
95	Miguel Andujar	SDP	3B/OF	–		-$2
96	Isaac Collins	KCR	OF	–	512	-$9
97	Cam Smith	HOU	OF	–	509	-$9
98	Jordan Walker	STL	OF	–	376	-$4
99	Josh Smith	TEX	1B/3B/SS/OF	–	592	-$8
100	Mike Yastrzemski	ATL	OF	–		-$8
101	Gavin Sheets	SDP	1B/OF	–	710	-$6
102	Jasson Dominguez	NYY	OF	–	265	-$26
103	Tyler O’Neill	BAL	OF	–		-$6
104	Alek Thomas	ARI	OF	–		-$11
105	Luis Rengifo		2B/3B/OF	–		-$14
106	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	ARI	OF	–		-$5
107	Tyler Freeman	COL	2B/OF	▲9	732	-$12
108	Christopher Morel	MIA	OF	–		-$15
109	Jake Mangum	PIT	OF	–	631	-$14
110	Owen Caissie	MIA	OF	–	492	-$10
111	Gavin Lux	TBR	2B/3B/OF	–		-$12
112	Zach McKinstry	DET	2B/3B/SS/OF	–	511	-$10
113	Kyle Isbel	KCR	OF	–		-$9
114	Nathan Lukes	TOR	OF	–		-$6
115	Jake McCarthy	COL	OF	–	615	-$9
116	C.J. Kayfus	CLE	1B/OF	–		-$9
117	Garrett Mitchell	MIL	OF	–		-$9
118	Jake Fraley	TBR	OF	–		-$9
119	Brooks Baldwin	CHW	2B/3B/SS/OF	–		-$8
120	Javier Baez	DET	2B/3B/SS/OF	–		-$15

Mining the News (2/10/26)

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 10, 2026

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Free Agents

• Griffin Canning touched 93 mph in his showcase.

Free agent right-hander Griffin Canning threw for teams at UCLA on Friday. Last June, a ruptured left Achilles ended what was shaping up as a solid season (3.77 ERA, 16 starts). He is up to 93 mph.

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) February 8, 2026

Considering his fastball was sitting 94 mph (touching 96.6 mph) last season, he’s still got a ways to go to be all the way back.

American League

Guardians

• Here is MLB.com’s projected rotation.

Starting Pitchers (5): Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen로건, Joey Cantillo

The rotation is expected to drop back down to five starters after the Guardians rode a six-man staff to the AL Central title in 2025. Someone will be the odd man out. Parker Messick made a strong impression down the stretch last year, and he’ll certainly factor in at some point. But he has Minor League options remaining and could open the season with Columbus. Cantillo has relief experience, though he was stellar over five starts in September (1.55 ERA in 29 innings). He’s out of options.

Of Cecconi, Cantillo, Allen, and Messick, Cantillo is the only one out of options. As long as he’s healthy, he should make the rotation while one of the other three will be relegated to AAA or the bullpen.

Rays

• Shane McClanahan will be ready by Opening Day, but his innings will be capped.

Rays fans have been waiting two years to see Shane McClanahan on a big-league mound. The electric lefty missed all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, then lost another season to a nerve issue in his triceps. McClanahan is on track to be ready for the 2026 campaign, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, though the southpaw will likely have his workload capped in some fashion.

Red Sox

• Even after trading for Caleb Durbin, the team doesn’t know who will play second or third base.

Cora says Sox won’t commit yet to how they’ll handle 2B and 3B. They’ll figure out how they want to use Mayer, Durbin, and Kiner-Falefa (who offers SS protection for Story). “We’ve got enough.” Cora would like to have a stable 2B/SS combo.

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier.bsky.social) 2026-02-09T18:00:55.575Z

• Romy Gonzalez dealt with a setback in his shoulder rehab, but plans to be ready by Opening Day.

Romy Gonzalez said his left shoulder got better, then he suffered a setback when he started hitting in early January.

He got a PRP shot on Jan. 23, is restarting his progression from zero, and plans to be ready for Opening Day. https://t.co/bHSMdfm3dH

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) February 9, 2026

White Sox

• Andrew Benintendi will get some DH at-bats.

The White Sox still like Benintendi’s left-handed power bat, but Getz admitted Benintendi’s legs leading to him not being able to cover ground he once did has held him back. Benintendi feels good physically, per Getz, but will get at-bats at designated hitter.

The Benintendi at-bats will cut into the playing time of Edgar Quero and Lenyn Sosa at DH. If anyone on the White Sox isn’t playing every game, they won’t be fantasy relevant.

• Mike Vasil will be a multi-inning reliever.

The same goes for Vasil, although Getz said the right-hander will be working toward a multi-inning role.

“We’re still kind of open-minded on that,” said Getz of Vasil. “It is nice now that the Rule 5 handcuffs are off, so that allows us to be perhaps a little bit more creative with him.”

Yankees

• According to the manager, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, and Luis Gil are in the Opening Day rotation.

The Yanks can’t wait to get those first two frontline pitchers back in the fold soon, but there will be no rush, according to manager Aaron Boone. The club’s rotation is in a pretty good spot as is.

“We’re talking about probably [Max] Fried, [Cam] Schlittler, [Will] Warren, [Ryan] Weathers and [Luis] Gil to start the season in the rotation,” Boone said Sunday on MLB Network Radio. “And you always have [Ryan] Yarbrough and [Paul] Blackburn there that can fill that role very capably.”

National League

Braves

• Hurston Waldrep might start the season in the minors because he is the only backend starter with options.

Where is Hurston Waldrep? The talented young hurler has the ability to be one of the team’s top starters. But Holmes, Bryce Elder and Joey Wentz are out of options. So, to protect the club’s depth, they would likely begin the season in the Majors, as long as they aren’t traded before Opening Day.

Cardinals

• Thomas Saggese could get some outfield reps for injured Lars Nootbaar.

And Saggese, who has been a utility infielder, could get some reps in the outfield this spring, especially since Nootbaar won’t be ready on Opening Day.

Marlins

• Lots of competition for the first base job with Christopher Morel, Griffin Conine, and Liam Hicks being mentioned.

Clayton and Peter were asked who’s playing first base in 2026#Marlins pic.twitter.com/phr2HukQns

— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) February 7, 2026

Phillies

• Zack Wheeler will not be ready by Opening Day.

The Phillies do not expect Zack Wheeler to be ready by Opening Day.

It’s not a huge surprise as the ace continues his rehab from his Sept. 23 thoracic outlet decompression surgery. Still, manager Rob Thomson essentially confirmed as much for the first time on Monday afternoon.

“He’s doing well; I don’t think he’ll be ready for Opening Day,” Thomson said. “But it’s not going to be too far behind that.”

Reds

• TJ Friedl will leadoff with Elly De La Cruz batting third.

Now that the cleanup spot is figured out, Francona is trying to determine who might bat second behind TJ Friedl and ahead of De La Cruz.

“To me, that’s the biggest [question], because we want to have somebody break up Elly and TJ, so it needs to be somebody that bats right-handed. My first thought was [Noelvi] Marte, but he struggled so bad against lefties. We’ve got to figure some things out. We haven’t played a game. Those are things I think about.”

Rockies

• Chase Dollander reworked his mechanics this offseason to throw more strikes.

The ideas flowed when he described bad habits that crept into his motion, and the process of fixing things this offseason started with T.J. Galenti, a Tampa, Fla.,-based data scientist, certified strength and conditioning expert and baseball performance coach.

“I was a little bit more cross-body — I was pulling off everything,” Dollander said. “We figured out that I have a ton of external rotation in my hips, and that’s usually for guys that are more linear toward the plate. So I went to figure out what works. There were a bunch of different things we tried, with leg kicks, with setups, with thought processes. I think we found something that works.

“My fastball is in the zone more. My slider is in the zone more. I’m getting the ‘vert’ (induced vertical break) back on my fastball.”

Mining the News (2/6/26)

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 9, 2026

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

• MLB.com published an article on each team’s prospect most likely to be on the Opening Day roster. Here is the blurb on the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin.

Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS (MLB No. 1)
Is this one more wish list than realistic possibility? We shall see. Griffin had an otherworldly first full season of pro ball, reaching Double-A at age 19. He’s played just 21 games above A ball in his career, so it’s understandable that the Pirates’ brass might hedge a little bit when it comes to handing Griffin the shortstop job in Pittsburgh. But sometimes a player comes along to defy expectations and push his way up ahead of schedule. If Griffin continues to do what he did last year all spring, can the Pirates, who feel they’re putting together a playoff-caliber team, afford not to have Griffin on board from Day 1?

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Four Outfielders: Springer, Varsho, Abreu, & Lowe

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 6, 2026

William Purnell-Imagn Images

Previous Outfield Reviews

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Mining the News (2/4/26)

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 4, 2026

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

• MLBTradeRumors posted an article on the players most likely to start the season on the 60-day IL. Here are their notes on the four Yankees to make the list.

Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Anthony Volpe

Schmidt is the only lock of this group. He required UCL surgery in July of last year and should miss the first half of the 2026 season. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March of last year. His target is expected to be late May/early June, so he has a decent chance to hit the 60-day. However, given his importance to the club, the Yankees probably won’t put him there until it’s certain he won’t be back by the middle of May.

Rodón had surgery in October to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He’s expected to be back with the big league club in late April or early May, so he would only hit the 60-day IL if his timeline is pushed. Volpe required shoulder surgery in October. He’s not expected to be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline beyond that doesn’t seem concrete.

American League

Mariners

• The team expects Cole Young to contribute this season.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto hinted strongly on Seattle Sports’ Mariners Hot Stove Show this weekend that another move could yet be in the offing, telling host Shannon Drayer:

“There’s one more move that’s in us, that we want to make, and we’ve been grinding hard for the last handful of days to see if we can bring it through, and hopefully we do. … Our lineup took a huge step forward last year. Obviously we’ll be short a couple of bats that were there with us in Toronto to finish the season, but we get a full year of Josh Naylor. We get the upswing of our players as they get more exposure, especially Cole Young, who I think is going to break out for us this year. And I do hope there’s one more player coming along for the ride that might not be in a Mariners uniform just yet.”

That Dipoto quote is from before the Brendan Donovan trade, so that is likely the “one more move” he was referencing.

• Top prospect Colt Emerson has been taking reps at second base, third base, and shortstop.

Emerson, who’s just 20 years old but climbed three Minor League affiliates last year, has been working out at second base, third base and shortstop this offseason.

Red Sox

• Romy Gonzalez will see quite a bit of time at second base.

“The roster has changed,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora recently told reporters. “Willson [Contreras] is going to play every day [at first base]. Romy is going to play second, but we’ll probably expand his role defensively. We’ll get him back to playing the outfield a little bit. We’ve got to get him at-bats. If you look at all of the metrics — all of the good numbers — he hit the ball hard. He was up there with the big boys. He keeps getting better, which is the most important thing.”

Gonzalez was indeed impressive in what was a breakout season. Not only did the 29-year-old infielder slash .305/.343/.483 with a 123 wRC+ over 341 plate appearances, he finished in the 99th percentile for hard-hit%, the 79th percentile for barrel%, and the 95th percentile for average exit velocity.

One concern going forward is the splits: Gonzalez logged a 162 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers and a 95 wRC+ versus same-sided pitchers. Rather than a regular, he might best be utilized as a multi-positional lefty-killer. Based on Cora’s comments, as well as his slightly below average defensive metrics, that seems the most likely scenario.

While Gonzalez crushes lefties (career 137 wRC+), he’s acceptable (95 wRC+) against righties.

Royals

• Seth Lugo wants to throw his fastball more.

One of those things has been fastball command and using the pitch more after continually increasing his breaking-ball usage in recent years. Lugo spins the ball as well as anyone, and his manipulation of pitches has made him one of the most unique pitchers in the league. But he thinks all those breaking balls have allowed hitters to not worry about his fastball as much. Lugo threw fastballs 49.8 percent of the time in 2025, his lowest fastball usage since 2018 (48.9 percent) when he was mainly a reliever with the Mets.

“I think over the past couple of years, all the breaking balls that I like to throw, it kind of gave me a reality check — we’ve got to use your fastball,” Lugo said. “We’ve got to command the fastball. Get up when I need to. So that’s been my focus.”

White Sox

• Luisangel Acuña will play center field.

Acuña came over from the Mets in the Robert deal. He’s a .248/.299/.341 hitter in 233 MLB plate appearances but never had consistent playing time in New York. Acuña has primarily been a middle infielder in his career, but he’s also playing a good amount of center field in the Venezuelan Winter League. He has plus-plus speed that could be an asset in the outfield. Jon Heyman of The New York Post writes that Acuña is likely to get an opportunity to step directly into Robert’s role as Chicago’s primary center fielder.

• The team expects newly acquired David Sandlin to be part of the rotation.

“To get two arms like that that can help our Major League club this year, it just made a lot of sense and that’s why we went ahead and made the deal,” said Getz during a Sunday evening Zoom following this weekend’s SoxFest Live activities. “When it comes to David Sandlin, he’s a guy we believe has mid-rotation if not better type arsenal and stuff.

“He’s worked his way up to the upper Minors and he’s going to come into Spring Training and compete for a spot. Most importantly, he’s got a chance to really impact our starting rotation this year.”

Here are the stats on Sandlin’s pitches in AAA.

National League

Dodgers

• Blake Snell might not be ready by Opening Day.

Snell, for example, made just two starts last season before left shoulder inflammation forced him to the IL. He did not pitch again until August and has since admitted he was not 100 percent in the World Series. It’s plausible the Dodgers are especially careful with his workload to open the spring.

• Mookie Betts lost 2 mph of bat speed last year.

Betts has lost about 2 mph on his swing since Statcast began tracking bat speed in 2023, from 71.3 mph to 69 mph in ’25. Even at its highest, his bat speed only ranked in the 38th percentile among qualified players in ’23, a season in which he led all position players with 8.6 bWAR and finished second in NL MVP voting. He’s capable of being an elite hitter without elite bat speed, but other factors — like a career-low 35.8% hard-hit rate — could have compounded his issues at the plate in ’25.

Betts’ early-season illness could have contributed to those metrics, so coming into the new season in a healthy condition could feasibly go a long way toward a bounceback year. Another factor that should help him is that he should not need to allocate as much of his offseason work to his defense.

• River Ryan says his fastball is sitting 98 mph to 100 mph.

The good news for Ryan is that he appears to have retained his velocity on the other side of elbow surgery; in December, he told Dodgers Nation that he was sitting in the 98-100 mph range during his most recent live sessions. Ryan spent last season strengthening his shoulder, and thinks his fastball is in a “really, really good” spot.
…
Ryan isn’t done, either. He teased that he’s added a seventh pitch to his arsenal, another “strikeout option” that he can turn to when needed. Speculatively, because of his spin profile, that could be a sweeper, something to throw off the plate and away to righties.

Last time Ryan threw in the majors (2024), his fastball averaged 96 mph. He averaged 96 mph to 97 mph in two AAA stops. A near 3 mph bump in velocity, if true, would be huge.

• Dalton Rushing is making his swing, his swing … whatever that means.

Rushing also said his offseason work was built around making his swing his swing, not a version that depends on constant reps. “That was a big focus this offseason,” he explained, “just understanding that if you can kind of build your swing as your swing and you know what swing’s going to play, you don’t have to really worry that you’re going to be at the disadvantage not seeing pitches in three to four days.”

Giants

• The team says that the closer job is up for grabs.

[Ryan] Walker tells Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that he’s hoping to win the job, though it seems like it’ll be an open competition in Spring Training. “As we sit here today, I think we’re hoping that Ryan Walker can get back to his 2024 form. But without discussing it with Tony in depth, I guess the way that I would see it now is that we’ll see who steps up,” Posey told reporters (including Slusser). “We’re not coming into this season necessarily with one guy that we say, ‘You are going to be the closer.’ There’s a chance that somebody takes the reins and does slot in to that closer role as we get into the season, but right now I wouldn’t say that there’s one person that we’re targeting for the ninth inning.”

Padres

• Fernando Tatis Jr. found a mechanical issue behind last season’s struggles.

Tatis also thinks he pinpointed his issues from last year that could spark a step forward.

“Mechanical [issues], more than anything else. But it’s actually more about trusting the process,” Tatis said. “I definitely feel like that’s behind us now though. This year is going to be really special.”

• Gavin Sheets is the team’s favorite for the first base job.

Stammen and Preller both stated that Gavin Sheets, who was a pleasant surprise in 2025 with a .746 OPS and 19 home runs, is the early favorite to land the first-base job. Preller, however, alluded to possibly finding a right-handed bat that could complement the left-hander against tougher lefty pitchers.

Four Outfielders: Cowser, Steer, Frelick, & Carter

by Jeff Zimmerman

February 2, 2026

Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

Previous Outfield Reviews

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Mining the News (1/29/26)

by Jeff Zimmerman

January 29, 2026

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve won’t be able to play in the World Baseball Classic because they can’t get contract insurance.

Correa, who is set to make $31 million next season, has an extensive injury history that ostensibly made his contract more difficult to insure.

“I’m definitely upset because I’ve been preparing really hard this offseason to get better this year and be ready early so I can be ready for the WBC,” said Correa, who added he had already begun facing live pitching in preparation to play for Team Puerto Rico.

“I also understand the business side of things and that’s too big of a risk to take, to play with no insurance.”

All World Baseball Classic participants on MLB 40-man rosters are evaluated by an insurer who was agreed upon by MLB and the players union. As the Los Angeles Times noted in 2023, if the insurer finds a player to be uninsurable due to their injury history, the player’s contract would not be guaranteed for any missed time due to injuries sustained during the WBC unless a team specifically agrees to do so.

…

Altuve’s absence is also due to insurance issues, according to a league source. During the Astros annual FanFest on Saturday, Team Venezuela manager Omar López acknowledged it has been more difficult to get players insured for the upcoming tournament.

“Unfortunately, a lot of players were hurt or for some reason went to the IL in the previous season and automatically, they’re getting into what they call ‘chronic’ injuries,” said López, who is also the Astros bench coach.

I wonder how many other players won’t play because of insurance issues … or if the information will be made public.

• The team still plans to go with a six-man rotation to start the season. Also, it’s likely that the arms who don’t make the rotation will move to the bullpen as long relievers.

Houston opens the season with 26 games in 28 days, signaling the Astros would deploy a six-man rotation out of spring training. Signing Imai — who pitched every fifth day in NPB — made it mandatory.

….

Six-man rotations shorten the bullpen. Because Houston will deploy one at the beginning of the season, when starting pitchers are sometimes still building up their pitch counts, it would behoove the club to carry long relievers.

That could be the fate for whoever loses the rotation competition — be it Weiss, Pearson, Arrighetti or McCullers. Weiss does have minor-league option years remaining, according to FanGraphs, which is why he is the odd man out of this roster projection.

Athletics

• Jacob Wilson윌슨 is trying to put on more muscle at the team’s facility.

“It’s definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now. Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I’ve been at the A’s facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead.”

Blue Jays

• Trey Yesavage is trying to add a curveball.

To that end, Yesavage continues experimenting with a curveball, a pitch he threw in college but essentially dropped last year, riding his fastball, splitter, slider and unusually high release point that became one of the post-season’s prime talking points.

Though remarkably effective in 2025, his repertoire features an all arm-side movement profile, which is why Yesavage said, “I would love something that moves glove side.”

The curveball could very well turn out to be that pitch, offering him a potential extra option to augment the way he predominantly attacks righties (fastball/slider) and lefties (fastball/splitter).

“I’m just playing around with the grip, seeing what feels the most comfortable and seeing how I can most naturally throw my curveball,” he explained. “I have a funky arm angle, so I’ve just got to play around with it.”

Orioles

• Samuel Basallo lost 15 pounds and is emphasizing hitting this offseason.

Listed at 6-foot-4, Basallo showed up to the Birdland Caravan a bit slimmer, having said he’s lost about 15 pounds this offseason. However, that’s unlikely to reduce his massive power — a tool that drew plenty of attention to the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native when he was a non-roster invitee to big league Spring Training the past two years.
…
As Basallo focused on conditioning this offseason, he put a large emphasis on hitting as well, though he didn’t divulge any specific changes or tweaks he’s made. But he’s confident his winter work will put him in a position to have big league success during the upcoming season.

Rangers

• Josh Jung is getting back to being “gritty and grindy in the box”.

“It’s truly just getting back to being gritty and grindy in the box,” Jung said at a Winter Warm-Up event. “Just being a gritty, grindy player in the box again. That’s part of just becoming a threat. Last year, there were times where I was not that. I was not being consistent. I need to get back to consistently hitting balls hard. That’s truly it. That and hitting the pitches I like and being more careful. That’s where the consistent approach comes in.”

National League

Brewers

• The manager plans to use Aaron Ashby in the bullpen.

Left-handers Aaron Ashby and DL Hall each have history as starters, but suffered injuries last spring while ramping up to compete for the rotation. If he had his choice, Murphy prefers Ashby in the bullpen, where he’s had stints as an electric, multi-inning, high-leverage relief arm.

“They’re both capable,” Murphy said. “Now with trading Freddy and Tobias, I think there might be more of a need for at least one of them to step in that role. Ashby has kind of separated himself, and he’s done a great job in that relief role. He can handle that and he’s really resilient.”

Ashby and Hall are among the many multi-inning bullpen options available to the Brewers, who have a long history of blurring the lines between “starter” and “reliever.” That strategy is likely to continue into 2026 whether the front office adds a starter or not, and remember, it’s never too late to add.

Giants

• Hayden Birdsong is working on his mechanics.

“There’s some little things, just like mechanical stuff that we’ve looked at,” Birdsong said Saturday during the Giants’ FanFest Tour stop at City Center Bishop Ranch. “The new crew that came in, obviously, they’re big-time looking at it. I kind of made little changes with not my slot, per se, but how I move and certain things. It’s probably not going to look any different to the naked eye. But to me, it’s quite a bit different. It’s been working for me. Now I’ve got to get a hitter in the box and see what happens.”

…

“I think I was over-bending, which caused my arm slot to raise almost, and then everything just didn’t move the same,” Birdsong said. “I’d cut fastball, run fastballs. It was just not what you’re looking for. But I just try to stay more upright. Don’t reach so much overhead, be more athletic.”

Padres

• Joe Musgrove has had a normal offseason after Tommy John surgery.

RHP Joe Musgrove
Injury: Tommy John surgery (torn right UCL)
Expected return: Spring Training 2026
Status: Musgrove said he has had a “normal offseason” progression after missing the 2025 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He resumed throwing bullpen sessions in late December and has been on the mound regularly while throwing all his pitches. (Last updated: Jan. 27)

Phillies

• Justin Crawford is trying to lift the ball more …

Still, the takeaway from Crawford’s most notable offensive concern is clear: there is a concerted effort to lift the ball more. Given how frequently he puts the ball in play, even modest gains in launch angle could unlock gap-to-gap power and elevate his overall impact.

This offseason, those swing-path adjustments have continued. Crawford has appeared taller in his stance — something that surfaced on social media — as he continues refining his approach.

… and here is the video of said swing.

Fans will like the look of this.

Here’s another video of Justin Crawford’s swing. The ballpark simulator is set for Citizens Bank Park and that’s a home run into the right center field seats. #Phillies

🎥: Justincarlcrawford I/G pic.twitter.com/tW07bZrsgw

— Cory Nidoh (@Cory_Nidoh) January 7, 2026

Pirates

• Spencer Horwitz is preparing to play first and second base after making some mechanical changes last year.

[Horwitz is] aiming for more this year. Defensively, he’s preparing to play both first and second base. Offensively, he’s done bat speed training and tried to build general strength. Both could yield more pop.

Even if he just replicates his 2025 results, he should fit in nicely into a lineup that looks more promising than a year ago. That early-season slump he had last year should also be a thing of the past.
…
Some of those struggles were health related, getting back his timing after missing the start of the season. Some of it was mechanical, excelling in the second half of the season once he opened up his stance and focused on making sure his direction took him toward the center of the field.

And some of it, he will admit, was mental. It’s why that late-season push, where he had a .916 OPS after the All-Star break, was a “weight off my shoulders.”

Rockies

• Tyler Freeman could play all over the diamond, including first base.

“We really value his versatility and think that he can play in multiple spots,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said of Freeman. “We still see him as an outfielder. He’s a right-handed hitter, but he complements Jake and Mickey [Moniak], but we also see him as the guy who can play in the infield. He’s played second, third and some short in the big leagues. He maybe even snuck in a game or two at first base at some point along the way.”

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