Rookie Check In: Five More Rookie Hitters

Last week, we looked at five of the top rookie hitters to examine their major league path, performance, skills, and how to value them moving forward. There have been many rookie hitters who have been providing value in redraft, keeper, and dynasty leagues of various sizes, so we wanted to cover five more. It’s helpful to digest their prospect grades and reports to see how they align with the underlying metrics. Should we buy, sell, or hold these five rookie hitters? We plan to cover pitchers in a future article if you’re wondering what’s next. 

Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians

Injuries have been a challenge for Chase DeLauter. He battled several lower-body issues throughout his career. Thankfully, DeLauter has been healthy in 2026, and flashing some truly elite plate discipline. When a hitter’s walk rate is better than their strikeout rate, like DeLauter’s is, he should fare better in leagues with points and on-base percentage (OBP). That plate discipline is further supported by a near-elite 86.9% contact rate and 18% chase rate. That’s been consistent across DeLauter’s minor league career.

DeLauter has an optimal approach by pulling the ball 40.3% of the time with a 41.6% flyball rate. The power metrics have been mediocre with a 71.9 mph bat speed, 5.3% barrel rate per plate appearance, and 100.3 mph Exit Velocity 50 or EV50 (No. 129). EV50 is the average of the hardest 50% of a player’s batted ball events, giving us a more reliable metric than average exit velocity. Average power can lead to 15-20 home runs over a full season.

DeLauter has an unorthodox batting stance, or we should say, his feet finish in an unorthodox way. Most hitters move their front foot forward significantly during the swing, with their back foot shifting slightly. However, DeLauter’s back foot moves behind his front foot when he intercepts the ball with his bat. That’s more of an interesting note than anything actionable, though we might speculate on how that impacts power. It seems to work for him, so we probably shouldn’t overthink it. 

Hitters can develop more bat speed and power, so we could see DeLauter make improvements in that department. DeLauter’s plate discipline gives him a floor to build upon. If healthy, we could see DeLauter post 20+ home runs and an above-average batting average over a full season. For some reason, a hitter like Ian Happ pops into my head as a comparison, though DeLauter provides a significantly better batting average. 

DeLauter might not have strong defensive metrics, but he has above-average arm strength as an outfielder. He’ll likely need to rely upon the bat to be a consistent fantasy contributor. DeLauter might not have massive upside, but there’s a steadiness to his profile from a skills standpoint. He’s likely an undervalued target in most formats, especially being a valuable asset in points and OBP leagues.

Sal Stewart, 1B/3B, Reds

Sal Stewart has arguably been as advertised with the power and speed in 2026. After hitting over .300 throughout the minors in 2025, there is reason for optimism in that department, as well.

Though Stewart has double-digit stolen bases in 2026 and at different stops throughout the minors, he had a 30-grade speed on the FanGraphs prospect report. Sure, steals aren’t all speed, but a 30th percentile Sprint Speed doesn’t typically make us think stolen bases will be part of the profile. FanGraphs has a Speed Score (Spd), with the average at 4.5. Stewart’s Speed Score is 4.8. There’s also a FanGraphs Weighted Stolen Base (wSB) metric, which accounts for stolen bases, caught steals, and how they compare to the league norms. Stewart ranks ninth in wSB (1.3), with zero being the average. Among hitters with a 1.0 wSB, Stewart, Xander Bogaerts, Nico Hoerner, and Josh Naylor all have a Spd under 5.0, as seen in the table below. Hoerner might be the exception because he regularly provided plenty of stolen bases. It’s something to monitor for Stewart’s stolen base arc throughout his career.

Stewart has average plate discipline, with a 78.3% contact rate, 29.8% chase rate, and an 10.8% swinging-strike rate. All those metrics have been within one percentage point of league average. Stewart used all fields for most of his minor league career, but his pull rate spiked to 50% (2025), then drop to 34.2% (2026). That 34.2% aligns more closely with the minor league pull rates. For context, Stewart’s 30% pulled air rate in 2025 was cut in half to 14.5% in 2026.

Though Stewart has average bat speed (72 mph), he boasts a near-elite barrel rate per plate appearance at 11.5% in 2026. Among hitters with 20 or more barrels, only Shohei Ohtani (8), Mike Trout (11), Miguel Vargas (11), Oneil Cruz (10), Elly De La Cruz (11), and Juan Soto (9) have fewer home runs than Stewart (12) in 2026. Theoretically, Stewart’s home run total should rise if he continues to barrel the ball at a high rate. Expect more home runs for Stewart, with projections pointing to 25-30 over a full season. 

Stewart ranked 34th on the FanGraphs Top 100 Prospects List, with offensive tools carrying his value. Like DeLauter, Stewart needs to hit to cover his defensive woes. However, there’s more defensive risk with Stewart than DeLauter. If Stewart finishes with 25+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases, it will be hard to fade him in redraft, keeper, or dynasty formats. Even if Stewart’s stolen bases dip more toward 10 stolen bases, he should be a four-category contributor, so it’s probably too risky to sell in keeper or dynasty leagues.  

Carter Jensen, C, Royals

Carter Jensen teased us with his power potential during a 2025 cup of coffee, showing off a 74.8 mph bat speed and 14.5% barrel rate per plate appearance. The bat speed has been identical in 2026, but his barrel rate has fallen to 5.5%. With Jensen’s barrel rate falling, we might assume he is hitting more groundballs. Interestingly, Jensen’s flyball rate has jumped in 2026, up to 48.9% (33.3% in 2025). He’s also pulling the ball at a high rate (40.4%). That suggests Jensen can hit the ball into optimal launch angles, and that decreasing barrel rate might be a matter of consistency. 

The visual below shows the rolling pull and flyball rates that we discussed.

Jensen’s pulled flyballs haven’t been going as far, with the exit velocities falling. It’s still a small sample of balls pulled in the air.

• Pulled Flyballs (2026)
  • .834 wOBA, .740 xwOBA
  • Five barrels (four home runs)
  • 98.6 mph average exit velocity
  • 77.9 mph bat speed
  • Average hit distance: 344 feet
• Pulled Flyballs (2025)
  • 1.358 wOBA (1.216 xwOBA)
  • Two barrels (two home runs)
  • 105.4 mph average exit velocity
  • 75.3 mph bat speed
  • Average hit distance: 388 feet

When we add in pulled flyballs and line drives, there’s a similar drop in Jensen’s 2026 average exit velocity (95.7 mph) compared to 2025 (101.5 mph). Moving forward, I would expect something between the two seasons. With Jensen’s power skills, we should see 20-25 home runs regularly from him.

There were hit tool concerns as a prospect, which we can see in a 68.9% contact rate and 13.1% swinging-strike rate in 2026. That’s significantly lower than Jensen’s 77.5% contact rate in the majors last season, or his minor league rate, which hovered around 73-74% in seasons. That doesn’t suggest batting average will be a strength. Thankfully, Jensen possesses above-average power skills to help offset those average and plate discipline concerns.

It’s worth noting that Jensen can provide real-life value from a defensive standpoint, ranking in the 79th percentile in framing and 96th percentile in caught stealing above average. Jensen had sporadic playing time earlier in the season, but has remained a consistent part of the Royals’ lineup at catcher or DH with a day off on occasion over the past month. With the Automated Ball-Strike System, framing might not matter as much, but being an average defender at the position with power matters for fantasy purposes.

Expect Jensen’s power metrics and barrel rates to shift somewhat between 2025 and 2026, making him a potential buy candidate in keeper and dynasty formats, especially in two-catcher leagues. 

Carson Benge, OF, Mets

A.J. Ewing stole the show from a waiver wire pickup standpoint, but don’t sleep on Benge. In case you missed it, Carson Benge has been batting in the leadoff spot over the past week for the Mets, specifically in the past 10 games. Since hitting leadoff, Benge has a .419 batting average, zero home runs, 10 runs, and two stolen bases. A .462 BABIP is boosting Benge’s batting average, but he also has an elite 90.1% contact rate, showing he can put the ball in play at a high rate, which makes him a tough hitter to face.

From a skills standpoint, Benge boasts above-average plate discipline, mainly from his 82.8% contact rate and 8.2% swinging-strike rate. That’s consistent with his plate discipline in the minors, so this doesn’t appear to be a fluke. Benge’s pull rate fell to 31% in 2026, significantly lower than his pull rate in the minors (around 39%). He has been using an all-field approach, hitting plenty of balls up the middle, evidenced by his 6-degree opposite-field attack angle. That might be helping the average, but it isn’t ideal for power.

Furthermore, we’ve seen Benge struggle to hit the ball into the air, posting a 44.4% groundball rate in 2026. That’s part of what is holding his barrels per PA down to 4.7%. However, he boasts an above-average EV50 at 100.9 mph (No. 99), tying him with Vargas, Seiya Suzuki, and Carlos Cortes. Benge’s mediocre power could improve if he starts pulling the ball more often.

Where Benge might be more impactful is stolen bases. Benge boasts 82nd-percentile Sprint Speed and a 20% stolen base opportunity rate. Benge has been converting 88% of his stolen base chances. That hints at 20 stolen bases being within the likely range of outcomes. Based on Benge’s skills, he could post 15+ home runs, 20+ stolen bases, and a decent .260 batting average across a full season. That is basically what he did across Double- and Triple-A last year, where he posted power (15 HR), speed (22 SB), and batting average (.281). We’ve seen some of that in 2026, though he’ll need volume to compile those numbers again. 

The good news is, there could be tons of volume if he maintains the leadoff role, which would be a slight boost to his fantasy value. Once Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco, and Ronny Mauricio return, Benge could find himself lower in the lineup. That’s the downside scenario from a volume perspective.

It’s a balanced fantasy profile throughout, so Benge looks like an undervalued potential trade target in deeper keeper and dynasty formats. 

Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies

Justin Crawford was a speed target for fantasy managers after stealing over 40 bases in both 2024 and 2025 in the minors. Crawford’s 70-grade speed as a prospect is supported by his 97th percentile Sprint Speed. He has a 23% stolen base opportunity rate while converting 77% of his chances. That’s a high stolen base opportunity rate, likely giving him a high floor for steals, with reasonable expectations for 25-30 as the floor, as the ZiPS three-year projections suggest.  

He was also a plus in batting average in the minors, repeatedly hitting over .300. But that came with high BABIPs. In the Phillies’ top prospect list, Eric Longenhagen mentioned Crawford had strong contact rates and hit the ball hard, which we’ve seen in the majors. Crawford’s 83.4% contact rate aligns with the prospect report, but the power skills have been worrisome. Part of Crawford’s power issues comes from hitting too many groundballs, which was also noted in his prospect report. 

Crawford’s 60.6% groundball rate matches his minor league track record and leads to a -0.4 degree launch angle. That puts Crawford last among qualified hitters in launch angle, ahead of Chandler Simpson (nice comparison), Fernando Tatis Jr. (outlier), Luis Rengifo, and Yandy Diaz. Tatis and Diaz hit the ball hard, which Crawford doesn’t. That’s evident with Crawford’s 1.3% barrel rate per plate appearance and a lowly 92.1 mph average exit velocity on flyballs and line drives (Ranked 188th). 

Crawford has been hitting toward the bottom of the Phillies’ lineup as the everyday centerfielder. His defensive metrics have been bad (11th-percentile Outs Above Average and a -6 Defensive Runs Saved). He has a strong arm and good athleticism, so maybe he can run down balls in the gap or make the occasional highlight defensive play, but the glove hasn’t been great so far. That’s notable because Crawford could lose playing time if he struggles at the plate. There’s value for a hitter to steal 25-30 bases, but the upside is limited if they lack power and counting stats from the lineup position. 

Hitters with 25 or more stolen bases with single-digit home runs over the past three seasons include Nico Hoerner (2023, 2024, and 2025), Xavier Edwards (2025), Brice Turang (2024), Maikel Garcia (2024), Jacob Young (2024), and Andrés Giménez (2024). Turang, Hoerner, and Garcia have been reliable fantasy options, so maybe that’s the upside scenario for Crawford if he moves further toward the top of the lineup or hits the ball harder. We saw drastic power gains from Turang, so it’s possible. 

Steven Kwan might be the lukewarm comparison (around 10 home runs, 20+ stolen bases, good batting average). Meanwhile, Hoerner may be the upside scenario from a fantasy profile with single-digit home runs, 30+ stolen bases, and a good batting average. My initial thoughts were to avoid hitters like Crawford in keeper or dynasty formats, but once there’s a season with 35-40 stolen bases, he will be pushed up in drafts and rankings.