Rookie Check In: Five Hitters With Name Value to Buy, Sell, or Hold
It’s been a few weeks since we covered several rookie hitters. Rookies have been making a significant impact on the fantasy baseball landscape from a pitching and hitting standpoint. Several rookie hitters and pitchers have been starting in fantasy lineups instead of simply being stash candidates. These rookie hitters have name value, so they could be possible candidates to buy, sell, or hold based on their underlying metrics, skills, playing time, and peak projections.
Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, White Sox
Sam Antonacci was expected to have a strong hit tool, but that wasn’t enough to get him on the FanGraphs Top 100 Prospects list. Throughout the minors, he has had nearly identical walk and strikeout rates. And now that he’s up, Antonacci has quickly become the White Sox’s leadoff hitter. That helps boost his run total on an underrated offensive team ranking fourth in wRC+ (107).
| Name | Season | O-Swing% | Z-Swing% | Swing% | Z-Contact% | Contact% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Kwan | 2026 | 22.9% | 52.9% | 35.3% | 98.7% | 93.2% |
| Geraldo Perdomo | 2025 | 21.9% | 58.7% | 39.2% | 93.7% | 89.7% |
| Geraldo Perdomo | 2026 | 23.6% | 58.0% | 39.0% | 92.2% | 89.4% |
| Chase Meidroth | 2025 | 25.0% | 54.4% | 38.2% | 91.8% | 88.7% |
| Mookie Betts | 2026 | 24.7% | 62.0% | 41.7% | 94.7% | 88.0% |
| Myles Straw | 2026 | 20.2% | 57.0% | 36.2% | 90.4% | 88.0% |
| Kevin McGonigle | 2026 | 22.2% | 68.7% | 41.7% | 92.9% | 87.1% |
| Alex Verdugo | 2025 | 23.8% | 54.5% | 38.4% | 93.0% | 87.0% |
| Liam Hicks | 2025 | 20.1% | 58.0% | 37.4% | 93.4% | 87.0% |
| Chase DeLauter | 2026 | 22.6% | 67.1% | 41.8% | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| Xavier Edwards | 2026 | 24.5% | 60.7% | 39.1% | 92.3% | 86.7% |
| Maikel Garcia | 2025 | 23.7% | 60.2% | 40.1% | 92.8% | 86.5% |
| Alex Bregman | 2025 | 23.4% | 61.2% | 40.6% | 92.6% | 86.5% |
| Sam Antonacci | 2026 | 24.9% | 60.8% | 40.3% | 90.6% | 86.2% |
| Will Smith | 2026 | 24.6% | 63.4% | 41.3% | 92.7% | 85.9% |
| Maikel Garcia | 2026 | 23.7% | 57.3% | 38.4% | 93.3% | 85.9% |
| Mookie Betts | 2025 | 24.9% | 62.6% | 41.2% | 94.7% | 85.6% |
| Ha-Seong Kim | 2025 | 23.5% | 57.1% | 39.7% | 90.8% | 85.4% |
| Trent Grisham | 2026 | 19.3% | 57.3% | 35.6% | 93.8% | 85.1% |
| Nick Loftin | 2026 | 24.7% | 57.8% | 38.3% | 92.0% | 85.1% |
Antonacci has near-elite plate discipline, with an 86.2% contact rate, 21.5% chase rate, and a 5.6% swinging-strike rate. That’s similar to Kevin McGonigle, Xavier Edwards, Spencer Horwitz, and Maikel Garcia from a plate discipline standpoint. That skill set should make Antonacci an asset in leagues with batting average, points, and OBP.
The power isn’t as promising, with a 4.6% barrel rate per plate appearance and a 48.2% groundball rate that will limit power upside. When hitters lack power, we need them to contribute in other categories. Thankfully, Antonacci contributes to stolen bases beyond the batting average and OBP. Antonacci rocks a 24% stolen base opportunity rate, though he is only converting 66% of his chances. He has above-average speed and athleticism, with a 79th percentile Sprint Speed, so he should convert steals at a higher rate.
Edwards feels like a close comparison for Antonacci, with a handful of home runs, 20-25 stolen bases, and a strong batting average. The OOPSY Peak projections have Antonacci with 12 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and a .255 batting average, which is more optimistic than STEAMER600 (7 HR, 21 SB, .242 BA). Antonacci might be undervalued in deeper leagues because of his everyday playing time and leadoff role. He likely needs volume to accumulate fantasy value in most keeper and dynasty formats. I would be looking to buy what Antonacci is showing us.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians
Like Antonacci, Travis Bazzana quickly became his team’s leadoff hitter. Bazzana ranked 54th in the FanGraphs Top 100 Prospects list, which highlighted him as a patient hitter who should post high OBPs. Sure enough, in his debut season he has a .349 OBP and double-digit walk rate (11.4%). Bazzana uses a slightly patient approach with a 23.7% chase rate and 76.8% contact rate, similar to the league average.
He typically leans into a pull-heavy (45.5%), flyball (37.3%) approach. However, it hasn’t translated into barrels, with a lowly 2.4% barrel rate per plate appearance. Prospect evaluators had Bazzana with average power, so there’s a chance he compiles his way to 15 home runs or more at his peak. At Triple-A, Bazzana posted a 6% barrel rate per plate appearance. Interestingly, only four of Bazzana’s 14 barrels were pulled in Triple-A, hinting at him using all fields.
Bazzana has a 28% stolen base opportunity rate while converting 83% of his chances. After peaking at 12 stolen bases in 2025 during the minors, Bazzana is showing 20 stolen base upside. The projections show 10-12 home runs and 20+ stolen bases, though they’re expecting his batting average to regress. Since Bazzana is on pace to exceed expectations from a power and speed standpoint, it presents a buying opportunity in keeper and dynasty formats.
Colt Emerson, 3B/SS, Mariners
Fantasy managers, including myself, were clamoring for Colt Emerson to make the Opening Day lineup. The Mariners kept him in the minors until the middle of May, when they placed Brendan Donovan on the injured list and brought up Emerson to replace him. Since May 17, Emerson played daily at third base or shortstop before missing three games with back tightness. He was the number 11 prospect in the pre-season FanGraphs rankings. There is plenty to love in Emerson’s prospect profile, though some had concerns about a gap between his real-life and fantasy value.
Emerson’s 71.6% contact rate is lower than his minor league numbers, in a somewhat below-average range. Emerson’s 14% swinging-strike rate in the majors seems slightly unusual given his track record, though he did have a 12.6% swinging-strike rate at Triple-A (2026). He is a young hitter to debut, so there’s a chance that his plate discipline improves closer to the minor league data. If not, Emerson might be more of a liability in the batting average department than previously expected.
Emerson’s 72.4 mph bat speed is near the league average. If he is going to hit for power, he needs to lean into a pull-heavy (43.9%), flyball (50%) approach, especially considering three of his four home runs were pulled down the right field line. When a hitter hits more home runs than barrels (2), it usually raises some concerns that they’re overperforming their power skills. That’s evident in Emerson’s 2.9% barrel rate per plate appearance and a 97.4 mph Exit Velocity 50 (EV50), ranking 340 out of 439 hitters with 25+ batted ball events.
One way to look at a player’s upside involves using the STEAMER600 or OOPSY Peak projections. STEAMER600 is more pessimistic on Emerson with 11 home runs, eight stolen bases, and a .234 batting average. However, the OOPSY Peak projections have been more favorable with 17 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a .267 batting average. That helps to provide a realistic range of outcomes, though he could produce more counting stats if he moves up the lineup instead of being in the bottom third.
If you believe in the STEAMER600, Emerson is a sell. I’m more in the optimistic camp for Emerson, even if it’s a peak projection from OOPSY, so I’m holding or buying in keeper or dynasty leagues.
Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles
As a 21-year-old top catching prospect, many were wondering if Samuel Basallo could take some reps from Adley Rutschman after the veteran had a down season in 2025. Rutschman has been producing, and Basallo is still working to earn every day reps. Playing has been spotty for Basallo, though he was playing in seven straight games before a wrist injury cost him four out of six games over the past week.
Basallo was the No. 4 prospect on the FanGraphs Top 100. He had 70-grade raw power and 70-grade as a thrower, hinting at elite tools as a catching prospect. Prospect evaluators had concerns with ability to field as a catcher, but he could be a significant offensive asset. There are also concerns about his hit tool, given his 71.3% contact rate, 38.8% chase rate, and 14.7% swinging-strike rate.
If hitters struggle to make contact, we want them to destroy the ball when they do connect. Basallo swings hard (74.9 mph) while barreling up the ball often (8% barrel rate per plate appearance). He pulls the ball into the air 16.9% of the time, close to the league average, though he can hit home runs to all fields.
Basallo’s rest of season projections hint at 20 home runs with a .260 to .270 batting average, similar to Basallo’s pre-season ZiPS 3-Year projections. The OOPSY Peak projections might tease at Basallo’s upside, with 29 home runs, 170+ runs plus RBI, and a .282 batting average. That would be better than anything Rutschman has produced with the bat.
It might be a good time to buy Basallo in keeper or dynasty formats since he hasn’t had a breakout season yet. The price will be higher in two-catcher leagues because of his high prospect status. He has been playing catcher and DH often, and he will maintain his catcher eligibility for the following seasons. However, there might be concerns about him staying at catcher if he struggles defensively.
TJ Rumfield, 1B, Rockies
TJ Rumfield wasn’t on the FanGraphs Top 100 Prospect list, and is an older rookie at 26 years old. He spent five seasons in the minors, slowly moving his way up the ladder before the Yankees traded him to the Rockies for RHP Angel Chivilli. When players spend several seasons in the minors, it might suggest they won’t be a league-average player. However, Rumfield has been productive in his rookie season, with a 105 wRC+.
Rumfield has an above-average 82.2% contact rate with a decent chase rate (31.7%) and swinging-strike rate (9%). That’s similar to Rumfield’s plate discipline in the minors, which gives him a relatively safe floor from a hit tool standpoint. Rumfield uses a pull-heavy (47.9%) approach and often pulls the ball into the air, with a 21.6% pulled-air rate. With a below-average bat speed (69.2 mph), Rumfield’s 5% barrel rate per plate appearance was close to the league average, indicating mediocre power skills.
The rest of the season projections have Rumfield posting 16-17 home runs with a .250-.260 batting average. OOPSY Peak projections have him with 14 home runs and a .239 batting average, worse than his STEAMER600 (16 HR, .253 BA). There’s value in deeper formats for a hitter like Rumfield playing daily in the top third of a weaker lineup.
Since Rumfield lacks upside, he probably isn’t someone to buy or sell because the market won’t value him highly enough.
Corbin writes for RotoGraphs, focusing on deep dives into baseball advanced metrics. He won two Fantasy Sports Writers Association awards in 2022 and 2023. Corbin also contributes to Yahoo Fantasy. You can find him on X @corbin_young21