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Ohtani is quite simply one of the greatest baseball players to ever walk the planet. If a shred of doubt remained, he did away with it with two all-time postseason performances: a three-homer game against the Brewers to clinch the NLCS that included six scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts on the mound, likely the greatest single-game performance of all time, before he reached base a major-league postseason record nine times in Game 3 of the World Series. His 2025 regular season was a slight step backward from 2024, as he didn't go 50-50, managing 55 homers and a mere 20 stolen bases in 158 games. Still, he posted an OPS over 1.000 for the third consecutive season and cruised to his third straight MVP award (second straight in the National League). By the end of the campaign, he looked fully back in form on the pitching mound, though those that draft Ohtani in weekly leagues will still want to plan to use him in the UT spot most of the time.

Judge continues to cement himself as the best hitter in baseball, finishing the 2025 regular season with 53 homers, 114 RBI, 137 runs, 12 steals and a 1.145 OPS in 152 games. The outfielder was limited to designated-hitter duties for part of the second half due to a flexor strain, though the injury didn't affect his production at the plate and ultimately didn't require surgery. He led the league with a 204 wRC+, and he now owns three of the 15 occurrences of a player eclipsing a 200 wRC+ in a season since 1950. He's offered a bit more consistency on the basepaths with double-digit steals the past two seasons, which provides a boost to the one category in which he's not already an elite performer. Availability has been a concern for Judge in the past, but he's played in at least 148 games in four of the past five seasons and is a strong bet to continue his run as the top hitter in MLB during 2026.

The Mets missed the playoffs, but the first season of Soto's record 15-year, $765 million contract with the club has to be considered a resounding success, at least from an individual standpoint. He smacked a career-high 43 home runs, his second straight season clearing 40, and led all of Major League Baseball in walks with 127 during the regular season. Most surprisingly, Soto tied for fourth in the National League with 38 stolen bases, more than triple his previous career high of 12. The season was not free of adversity, as Soto hit below .220 in May and July, and he had former hitting coach Eric Chavez in his ear trying to get him to be more aggressive. Soto stuck with his approach and in the end was a finalist for NL MVP while earning his sixth career Silver Slugger. The steals seem largely fluky and a return to single digits is even possible given his bottom 13th percentile sprint speed, but everything else appears ultra safe, cementing one of the highest production floors on the board. Keep in mind Soto is still just entering his age-27 season.

Schwarber exploded for a career-high 56 homers during the 2025 regular season, most in the National League, while driving in 132 to lead all of baseball. He was also fifth in MLB in walks with 108, made his third All-Star team and finished as the runner-up for MVP. Only Aaron Judge has more home runs than Schwarber over the past four seasons, and he's now cleared the century mark in both runs and RBI each of the last three years. Strikeouts have always held down his batting average, though Schwarber's finished in the .240s the last two seasons after dipping below the Mendoza Line as recently as 2023. After testing the waters in free agency for a short period of time, Schwarber ultimately agreed to return to Philadelphia, signing a five-year, $150 million deal in December. A liability in batting average and requiring the UT spot in fantasy, Schwarber carries immense appeal regardless thanks to his elite power and run production.

Witt finished as the runner-up for AL MVP in 2024 but wasn't able to fully replicate those efforts last season, though he was still an elite producer with a .295/.351/.501 slash line in 157 games. He finished 2025 with 23 homers, 88 RBI and 99 runs, all of which were notable drops from the previous season, but he did improve his stolen-base total to 38 while being caught three fewer times. That overall production may be a more reasonable year-to-year expectation for Witt than his 169 wRC+ in 2024, though he can certainly still elevate that while entering his age-26 campaign. Even with that slightly lower production, Witt is arguably the top power/speed combo in the league and has all but cemented himself as MLB's premier shortstop heading into 2026, especially when factoring in his top-level defense.

Ramirez continues to be one of the most consistent elite producers in MLB, and he finished his age-32 campaign in 2025 with 30 home runs, 44 stolen bases, 85 RBI and 103 runs in 158 games. His batting average has sat between .279 and .283 (his 2025 mark) in each of the past four years, while his OPS has been north of .800 for 10 straight seasons. Ramirez's dependability extends to his availability, as he's missed 10 games or fewer in the last six regular seasons and in nine of the past 10 seasons. The veteran third baseman has shown no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by his career-high steals total in 2025. The only major limiting factor for Ramirez at this point is the lineup around him, since the Guardians scored the third-fewest runs in MLB last year and seem unlikely to significantly bolster their lineup this winter. Even with that consideration, Ramirez has been one of the most reliable top-end hitters in baseball for a while and will be near the top of draft boards again in 2026.

The veteran shortstop has traditionally been a slow starter throughout his MLB career, but he came out of the gate hot in 2025 with an .886 OPS through his first 41 games. Lindor cooled off after that, however, and posted a .208/.278/.379 slash line in the next 74 contests before again catching fire in August and September. All told, he finished the regular season with 31 homers, 31 steals, 86 RBI, 117 runs and a .267/.346/.466 slash line in 732 plate appearances. Despite the in-season ups and downs, it was another highly productive campaign for Lindor, who has batted between .254 and .270 in each of the past four seasons while averaging 30 homers and 27 stolen bases during that span. Now entering his age-32 campaign, Lindor should push for another 30-30 season in 2026 and has plenty of upside for run production while batting atop a strong Mets lineup. He underwent a cleanup procedure on his elbow early in the offseason but should be ready to go for the start of spring training.

Carroll endured a disappointing 2024 campaign after being named the National League Rookie of the Year the prior season, but he bounced back in 2025 to deliver a career-high .884 OPS. The 25-year-old also posted career highs in homers (31) and RBI (84), along with 32 stolen bases and 107 runs scored. Carroll missed some time in the middle of the season due to a chip fracture in his wrist, but he still played in 143 games and was one of seven players to post a 30-30 season. In addition to the offensive production, he was one of the better defensive outfielders in MLB with plus-8 Defensive Runs Saved and plus-10 Outs Above Average. The increased power output appears to be sustainable since Carroll doubled his barrel rate to 14.5 percent and improved his hard-hit rate nine points to 49.9 percent in 2025. Now entering his fourth full MLB season, Carroll is a safe bet to deliver a third straight 20-20 campaign and has a realistic chance of repeating the 30-30 performance.

Few had Kurtz on their redraft radar entering 2025, and even fewer had him as a potential Rookie of the Year. His odds were as long as +8000 for ROY, but Kurtz ended up winning the award as a unanimous selection in the AL after crushing 36 home runs in just 117 games with the Athletics, including four homers in a single game. Not only that, but he hit .290 despite a 30.9 K%, which speaks to just how hard he blistered the ball as a rookie. Largely because of the swing-and-miss, there was a 42-point gulf between his actual batting average and his Statcast xBA (.248). Indeed regression to his average seems inevitable, but Kurtz takes his walks and lights up the radar guns with stellar batted-ball numbers. Twenty-two of his 36 homers came at home in the team's temporary residence at Sutter Health Park, which was a top-five park for lefty power last season. The incredible campaign has pushed Kurtz to the very top of the first-base rankings for many entering 2026, although Vladimir Guerrero also has a case to be first off the board at the position.

Alonso will begin a new chapter in 2026, having migrated south to Baltimore on a five-year, $155 million contract. Forced to settle for a one-year deal last winter amidst a bear market, Alonso went on to post an .871 OPS with 38 homers and an NL-leading 41 doubles across a career-high 709 plate appearances with the Mets in 2025. His 80 total extra-base hits ranked fifth in MLB, tied with Arizona's Corbin Carroll, and Alonso played in all 162 games for the second year in a row. He's proven to be an RBI machine, plating 463 runs over the past four regular seasons, one behind Aaron Judge for the major-league lead in that span. The Orioles made changes to the left-field wall at Camden Yards prior to 2025, and Alonso, now 31, should be in position to benefit while anchoring new manager Craig Albernaz's everyday lineup from the cleanup spot. Expect giveback with his batting average, but Alonso offers elite power and production that is bankable at first base.

Olson has played in all 162 games in each of his four seasons with Atlanta, averaging 36.5 home runs and 108.8 RBI per year since making the jump to the National League. His reliable presence has propped up a lineup that has been without stars like Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley for long stretches and has seen dramatic fluctuations in performance from players like Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris. While he had impossibly large shoes to fill in replacing Freddie Freeman in Atlanta, Olson has exceeded all reasonable expectations since leaving Oakland, making two All-Star teams while adding a third career Gold Glove in 2025. Entering his age-32 season, Olson has the longest active consecutive games streak in MLB and one of the longest of the modern era, which provides drafters with peace of mind. His strikeout rate has steadied at around 25 percent, a totally acceptable level given his immense power from the left side of the plate. Olson boosts his OBP with a walk rate that has reached double digits six years running.

Rodriguez has developed a reputation as a slow starter, though that should not be the prevailing narrative entering his age-25 season. The outfielder is already a three-time All-Star and the youngest player in MLB history with four 20-20 seasons, having reached those thresholds in each of his first four campaigns with Seattle. Twice has Rodriguez gone 30-30, including in 2025 as he once again surged over the final two months to help the Mariners secure the AL West. While overshadowed by teammate Cal Raleigh, Rodriguez was a top-10 fantasy earner on offense despite batting .207 through the end of April. The combination of power and speed makes Rodriguez an incredibly valuable asset in rotisserie leagues, and there is room to dream on upside with batting average after he finally made improvement with his strikeout rate last season, cutting it to a career-low 21.4%. Rodriguez has shown that the elite five-category production will be there at the end of the day, and the best may be yet to come.

There are not enough superlatives to accurately depict what Raleigh's 2025 season meant to the Seattle franchise, its fans and fantasy managers. He became just the fourth catcher to have as many as three seasons with 30 or more home runs and, in doing so, nearly hit as many home runs in 2025 as he had the previous two seasons combined. Raleigh joined the torpedo bat trend early, but that variable combined with some mechanical changes to his stance and swing helped him hit both flyballs and home runs at career-best rates. He had four different months of 10-plus home runs and had 38 before the break. If you choose to pick nits, Raleigh hit 42 points better on the road than he did at home and hit 30 points higher before the Home Run Derby *clearly* ruined his swing, as it has for so many others previously. All sarcasm aside, where do we go from here? He sustained a HR/FB rate of at least 22 percent each month of the season, but can we really project Raleigh to hit 50-plus homers in 2026? A three-year average would get us just over 40 homers, and we would have previously been giddy to get that many homers from a catcher. Yet, if Raleigh only hits 40 home runs in 2026, there will be complainers. He stays in the lineup every day with some rest at DH as well as an expressed desire to continue the one-knee approach to catching. He allowed zero passed balls in the regular season so he has earned that right. Even if Raleigh's production dropped by 50% percent in 2026, he will still out-earn nearly all catchers on the market.

Whether fair or not, De La Cruz's 2025 season will be remembered by fantasy players for one thing above all: a 74-game stretch from late June to mid-September in which he hit just one home run. He still reached 22 homers for the season despite that power outage, but as a whole it was a step backward from his excellent sophomore campaign with the Reds. De La Cruz once again led the league in errors, leading to questions about his future at shortstop, and while he finished seventh in MLB in steals with 37, that was down from 67 the year prior. He showed improvement with his strikeout rate, although he gave back some of those gains in the second half as his struggles mounted (28.2 K%, .666 OPS after the break). De La Cruz is an incredible athlete playing in a band-box park who's already established a sky-high ceiling entering his age-24 season, but there is now a new wave of questions surrounding him; did he simply bottom out down the stretch or was it indicative of something more? Will he make the next round of adjustments? Could a positional change affect his hitting?

Devers' 2025 season was a whirlwind. In his very first interview with the press in spring training, Devers indicated he would not be willing to move to designated hitter to accommodate the arrival of Alex Bregman to the Red Sox lineup, saying "third base is my position." While Devers changed his tune and opened the year at DH, he butted heads with the front office again in May when it asked him to replace the injured Tristan Casas at first base, with Devers refusing. Before long, Devers would be gone from the organization, dealt to San Francisco in mid-June in what was essentially a salary dump. Devers totaled 20 homers in just 90 games after the trade, bringing him to 35 for the season, although his overall numbers were down a bit with the Giants as his strikeout rate jumped to close to 30 percent. Ironically, Devers ended up making 28 starts at first base for San Francisco, gaining eligibility there for 2026. He's now in a notoriously pitcher-friendly home park, but Devers, a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, has already had time to adjust and should be more settled in and comfortable by the start of the upcoming campaign.

Skubal has now logged more than 450 regular-season innings since putting his August 2022 Tommy John Surgery in the rearview mirror. Simply put, he has been a dominating force on the mound in that time, winning a Cy Young while leading all pitchers (min 450 IP) in ERA, strikeout rate, WHIP, K-BB percentage, opponents' batting average and kissing babies. His postseason efforts were just icing on the cake, even if Detroit could not muster enough offense in his support. He has garnered a win in nearly 50 percent of his starts and a quality start in 62 percent of his outings and has answered the durability concerns, which clouded his future as he came back from surgery in 2023. The only risk for Skubal now is, where does he go from here, literally and figuratively? Skubal is heading into the final year of his contract with Detroit, and the initial $100M contract extension offer was not well received according to the hot stove. There is a chance Skubal could be dealt away from Detroit, resulting in a different home park, but Skubal seems to be at his best against the best, as his 1.90 ERA against teams over .500 in 2025 would reinforce. Skubal has also pitched at an elite statistical level since returning from surgery, and the odds of him taking it to an even higher level are not a strong as the odds of him regressing a bit in 2026 under the spotlight of pending free agency and contract extension talks. Pitchers in the first round are risky, but nobody would blame you for pulling the trigger on Skubal.

After breaking out as a full-time starter with the White Sox in 2024, Crochet was traded to the Red Sox last winter and established himself as one of the best pitchers in MLB during 2025. He posted an 18-5 record with a 2.59 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 46 walks across 205.1 innings while leading the league with 255 strikeouts. Despite setting a career-high workload by nearly 60 innings, the left-hander still averaged 97.6 mph on his fastball and maintained excellent control, with his 5.7 percent walk rate ranking 10th among qualified starters. Now entering his age-27 season and third year as a full-time starter, it's possible Crochet has yet to reach his ceiling. He's already a true ace with a high floor given his strikeout numbers, and he'll enter 2026 as one of the top candidates for the AL Cy Young Award.

Skenes continued to show what all the hype was about upon his arrival to the big leagues, winning his first Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion in 2025 after winning Rookie of the Year in his debut season. The right-hander dominates with an overpowering fastball that averages 98 mph and a wide array of secondary pitches, including the sweeper, splitter, changeup and so on. He now owns a 5.22 K/BB and 1.96 ERA over 320.2 innings in the majors, numbers which put him on an early Hall of Fame trajectory at the age of 23. Skenes alone could not prop the Pirates out of the cellar in the NL Central, and in fact he became the first Cy Young winner with a record of .500 or worse, highlighting the issues here in regards to team context. The park is favorable, however, and Skenes' combination of stuff and command is rivaled by few, making him an obvious first-round candidate for 2026 and potentially the first pitcher off the board in fantasy drafts despite the lingering threat of TJS that is inherent with the game's hardest throwers.

Webb continues to be one of the most reliable starting pitchers in baseball, as he delivered his third consecutive 200-inning campaign in 2025, and he's the only pitcher in baseball to reach that threshold multiple times in the past three years. Across 34 starts last season, he finished with a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224:46 K:BB. The ERA was his best since 2022, and he produced a career-high 9.7 K/9 (up from 7.6 in 2024) while also tying his career high with 15 wins. The boost to strikeouts and the win column was a welcome sight for fantasy managers since those two areas are Webb's weakest. He's entering his age-29 campaign and doesn't offer quite as much upside as other ace-level pitchers given that he's less reliant on strikeouts, but Webb's durability still makes him an elite starting option in an era without many dependable, high-volume arms.

Sale won the NL Cy Young Award in 2024 with arguably the best year of his career, but early in 2025 it looked like Father Time may have caught up to him in his age-36 season. The left-hander had a 6.17 ERA in his first five starts, but he quickly found his footing from there and gave up just nine earned runs in his next 10 starts before a ribcage fracture resulted in a two-month absence. Sale returned for the final month of the campaign and pitched well, finishing the season with a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 165:32 K:BB across 125.2 innings. The numbers are comparable to his Cy Young campaign, which is remarkable given how poorly he pitched early on. He can obviously still sling it, but availability is a major concern, especially considering that he turns 37 years old in March. Sale has made more than 20 starts in a season just once since 2019 and hasn't had a 30-start season since 2017, so fantasy managers should expect him to miss time at some point in 2026.

The Brewers' Opening Day starter for the second season in a row, Peralta enjoyed a career year in 2025, leading the NL in wins with 17. He shaved almost a full run off his ERA, lowering it to 2.70 last season. As good as Peralta was, the main differences from past years were a low BABIP (.243, career .264) and a high strand rate (85.5 LOB%). Luck was on his side, but the right-hander also had whiff rates of 35 percent or higher on three of his four pitches. He has now reached 30 starts in each of the last three years, averaging over 200 Ks per season in that span. While he's under contract at a very reasonable $8 million salary for the upcoming campaign, Peralta's name has been mentioned often in trade rumors this winter, as Milwaukee entertains the idea of parting with its ace. It's difficult to imagine him landing in a better situation, but Peralta should be highly sought after no matter where he's pitching in 2026.

Brown, a fifth-round pick out of Wayne State University in 2019, made tremendous strides over the past couple years after posting an ERA north of 5.00 as a rookie. His 2.43 ERA in 2025 was less than half that and more than a full run below his 2024 mark (3.49). On the strength of a six-pitch mix highlighted by the four-seamer, sinker and knuckle curve, Brown broke out for Houston last season to earn his first All-Star selection, finishing as a Cy Young finalist in the AL. He cleared 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career while holding opponents to a combined .201 batting average, a top-10 mark among qualified starters in MLB. Brown has learned to keep the ball in the park, he neutralizes hitters on both sides of the plate and seems likely to improve upon his career high of 12 wins from a season ago. Both the player and organization deserve credit for developing this arm into one that nearly reached the pinnacle of the profession in 2025, though it will be tough to maintain that level of success. The underlying numbers portend something closer to a low-3.00s ERA as opposed to mid-2.00s.

Pivetta truthers were finally able to rejoice in 2025, as the enigmatic pitcher finally put together the season prognosticators and fans believed Pivetta could put together on an annual basis. The hurler crossed the country in free agency and found a home in San Diego, where he set career highs in wins, ERA, quality starts, strikeouts and, most importantly, his lowest home run total as a starter. Pivetta has long teased about his potential with strikeouts and control, but command issues in the strikezone along with the unforgiving run environments of Philadelphia and Boston led to too many home runs and annual ERAs over 4.00. Petco Park and the marine layer helped him put it all together, as Pivetta was able to avoid everything that had ailed him in the past. He adjusted his repertoire to include seven pitch types, and now throws at least five different pitches to both righties and lefties. The .235 BABIP and 79 percent LOB percentage are both career bests, so it would be wise to bake in some regression for 2026 and at least look for something halfway between 2024 and 2025 results.

Gilbert led MLB with 208.2 innings during the 2024 campaign but was limited to 131 frames in 2025 due to a flexor strain, which sidelined him for all of May and half of June. The right-hander saw his WHIP rise from 0.89 in 2024 to 1.03 last season, but his ERA remained fairly steady at 3.44 while he improved his strikeout rate nearly five points to 32.3 percent. He lost a tick on his fastball (95.5 mph) but relied more on his slider, which he utilized at a career-high clip (35.3 percent) despite the fact opponents slugged .510 against the latter pitch. Gilbert also upped the usage of his splitter to 19.3 percent, which was his most dominant offering with a .119 opponent batting average and 50.4 percent whiff rate. Despite the time missed in 2025, durability isn't a major concern for Gilbert, as he topped 180 frames in each of the previous three seasons. Having pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park as a home stadium is certainly a plus, but he struggled on the road in 2025 with a 4.74 ERA. Gilbert isn't quite at the ace level of pitcher, but he is a solid bet to be a reliable top-end starter again in 2026.

Yamamoto, in his second season stateside, shaved half a run off his ERA, finishing fourth among qualified starters with a 2.49 mark, while nearly doubling his regular-season workload from 90 to 173.2 innings. His 0.99 WHIP, meanwhile, ranked sixth among qualifiers, as he allowed just 113 hits and 59 walks compared to 201 strikeouts. The 27-year-old really shined during the Dodgers' postseason run with a 1.45 ERA and two complete games, including the first complete game in the World Series since 2015, even earning World Series MVP honors. Also a Cy Young finalist in the National League, Yamamoto held opponents under .200 on all three of his top offerings: the four-seamer, splitter and curveball. The split-finger pitch in particular was a standout, and his breakout on the game's biggest stage has thrust Yamamoto firmly into the top five among starting pitchers for 2026 drafts. There is the question of whether he can repeat the workload, and the walks are a tad high for an ace, but nonetheless he projects extremely favorably with the potential to add to his wins total.

Gray reached the 200-strikeout plateau in 2025 for the second straight season and third time in his career. His 21.6 percent K-BB rate was the second-best mark in the National League, trailing only Paul Skenes. Unfortunately, Gray underperformed relative to his ERA indicators for the second year in a row, finishing with a 4.28 ERA that was nearly a full run worse than his 3.29 SIERA. A .329 BABIP can be partly to blame, as it's the first time since 2018 that Gray's BABIP wasn't under .300. The 36-year-old's four-seamer velocity dipped to a career-low 91.7 mph, and the pitch was responsible for a bloated .439 xwOBA. The good news is Gray has such a varied arsenal that he doesn't need a standout heater, and his sweeper remains an elite pitch. Gray was traded to the Red Sox over the offseason, which is a ballpark downgrade for the veteran hurler but an upgrade for his wins potential.

Gausman continues to be a workhorse for the Blue Jays and closed the 2025 regular season with a 3.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 189:50 K:BB across 193 innings. His 10-11 record was underwhelming, particularly given Toronto's first-place finish in the AL East, but he's made at least 31 starts in five straight seasons and has a 3.34 ERA and 1.15 WHIP during that span. The right-hander saw his strikeout rate rebound three points to 24.4 percent, though that's still a fair bit lower than the average strikeout rate from the best stretch of his career (29.8 percent from 2020-2023). Even with the slightly less dominant stuff, Gausman has been reliable at the top of Toronto's starting rotation the past two years, though Dylan Cease may take over the ace label after inking a $210 million contract. There is some risk of a fall-off as Gausman begins his age-35 season, but he's yet to show any true signs of regression and is entering a contract year, so he should be a strong investment for fantasy managers again in 2026.

Cease has at times looked like an ace over the past few seasons, but he's been inconsistent from one year to the next. That was especially true in 2025, as the right-hander finished with a 4.55 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 215:71 K:BB over 168 innings after posting a 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 2024. Despite the disappointing results in 2025, Cease's underlying numbers were encouraging with a 3.56 xFIP and 3.46 xERA, with his 29.8 percent strikeout rate being his best mark since 2022. He's struck out at least 200 batters and made at least 32 starts in five straight seasons. Despite the volatility of his run prevention, Cease has been one of the more reliable starting pitchers in MLB in regard to durability and strikeouts, which gives him the upside of a top-end starter if he's able to perform closer to his expected figures in 2026. Joining the Blue Jays and having an elite defense behind him should help him to achieve those expected numbers.

Valdez is just one of five pitchers to work at least 900 innings over the past four baseball seasons, joining Logan Webb, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Zack Wheeler. Out of all pitchers with at least 600 innings pitched from 2021-2025, his 68 wins ranks first, his 3.20 ERA ranks eighth, his strikeouts 13th, and his 1.17 WHIP 23rd. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in 18 of his 31 starts in 2025, with 11 of those including zero or one earned runs in six-plus innings of work. He also threw in five outings with 10-plus strikeouts. He is, however, not immune to occasional awful outing, as in 2025 he twice allowed seven earned runs without any homers allowed and had seven overall outings with at least five earned runs allowed. Only Webb and Max Fried have better HR/9 than Valdez has had over the past four seasons for the aforementioned qualification, which helps Valdez avoid bigger troubles. If you are a believer in Saberhagenmetrics, Valdez does better in even years, but his overall consistency over the past four seasons is tough for any other pitcher to match. Valdez is not flashy, but he volumes his way to success like few others.

Sanchez followed his breakout 2024 campaign with an even stronger effort in 2025. Paul Skenes, in another year, would have been a unanimous choice for NL Cy Young, but Sanchez as well as Yoshinobu Yamamoto peeled away a few votes once everything was tallied. Sanchez was one of just three starters to work at least 200 innings while posting the fifth-best ERA of all qualified pitchers and ninth-best K-BB percentage. He had as many scoreless outings (four) as he had outings in which he allowed four or more earned runs while also striking out 11 or more batters in four other contests. A more stabile Philadelphia bullpen likely would have helped Sanchez win more than just 13 of his 32 starts, but only free agents get to choose their teammates. Sanchez won just two of his final nine starts despite a 2.83 ERA and 61 strikeouts to just nine walks over 57.1 innings, as the Phillies struggled down the stretch. Sanchez has missed one start over the last three seasons and should once again be in contention for the NL Cy Young Award in 2026. Next time someone says the Rays win every trade, remind them the club gave away Sanchez for Curtis Mead, and walk away laughing (or crying.)

There are not enough superlatives to accurately depict what Raleigh's 2025 season meant to the Seattle franchise, its fans and fantasy managers. He became just the fourth catcher to have as many as three seasons with 30 or more home runs and, in doing so, nearly hit as many home runs in 2025 as he had the previous two seasons combined. Raleigh joined the torpedo bat trend early, but that variable combined with some mechanical changes to his stance and swing helped him hit both flyballs and home runs at career-best rates. He had four different months of 10-plus home runs and had 38 before the break. If you choose to pick nits, Raleigh hit 42 points better on the road than he did at home and hit 30 points higher before the Home Run Derby *clearly* ruined his swing, as it has for so many others previously. All sarcasm aside, where do we go from here? He sustained a HR/FB rate of at least 22 percent each month of the season, but can we really project Raleigh to hit 50-plus homers in 2026? A three-year average would get us just over 40 homers, and we would have previously been giddy to get that many homers from a catcher. Yet, if Raleigh only hits 40 home runs in 2026, there will be complainers. He stays in the lineup every day with some rest at DH as well as an expressed desire to continue the one-knee approach to catching. He allowed zero passed balls in the regular season so he has earned that right. Even if Raleigh's production dropped by 50% percent in 2026, he will still out-earn nearly all catchers on the market.

Contreras played through a left middle finger fracture for much of the 2025 season, which may have contributed to his downtick in production. The veteran backstop won the Silver Slugger in 2023 and 2024 but saw his slash line drop to .260/.355/.399 last season, with that slugging percentage being a reduction of over 50 points from the previous two years. He finished with 17 home runs, 28 doubles, 76 RBI and 89 runs, all of which were notable drops from his 2024 production. Despite the injury, Contreras finished third among qualified catchers with 659 plate appearances, and he's likely to have one of the heaviest catching workloads in the league again in 2026. He's entering his age-28 campaign and seems likely to return to his prior level of production once healthy, since Contreras had near-identical OPS's of .825 and .831 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He'll likely begin 2026 as the No. 1 catcher in the National League.

Perez signed a four-year deal prior to the 2022 season and has earned every bit of the money, making it an easy decision for Kansas City to exercise his club option for the 2026 season. Perez had an excellent 2025 season as a run producer, driving in 100 runs for the second consecutive season while hitting 30 homers for just the second time in his career. Perez's batting average took a tumble because he put more balls into play, and there are few batters in the league slower of foot than Perez. Kansas City has kept Perez fresher by limiting his time behind the plate to around 90 games a season in recent years, splitting the remaining games between first and DH. He is dual eligible in 2026, but his draft stock is fully driven by his catcher eligibility. Perez's volume will once again make him an above-average catcher, but the youth at the position is quickly passing him by. Slow and steady wins the race, and that is Perez in a nutshell.

After being a low-average, high-power threat across his first two full MLB campaigns, Langeliers found more consistency in 2025 with a .277/.325/.536 slash line in 123 games. He missed some time in June due to an oblique injury but still set career highs with 31 home runs and seven steals, though it's also worth noting that he has yet to play 140 games in a season across his first three full years in MLB. Langeliers cut his strikeout rate almost eight points to 19.7 percent and increased his opposite field hit rate by nearly six points to 21.4 percent, which helps to explain the improved results despite his hard-hit rate (44.6 percent) remaining in line with the two prior seasons. Playing half his games at the Athletics' temporary home of Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is certainly an advantage, but Langeliers actually fared better on the road (.912 OPS) than at home (.817 OPS). He also improved his Fielding Run Value from minus-13 to minus-2, which is particularly notable given the defensive importance of his position. Langeliers' improvements appear sustainable, and his power production with the new higher average sets him up to be one of the top fantasy catchers in the league in 2026.

In a lineup with no less than three future Hall of Famers, Smith tends to get overlooked, but he's been a key piece in the Dodgers' success. The catcher set career highs in several categories in 2025, including batting average (.296) and OBP (.404), earning his third consecutive All-Star selection. He cleared 4.0 fWAR for the third time in five years despite falling short of 500 plate appearances for the first time this decade, as he missed the final few weeks of the regular season with a hairline fracture in his right hand. After being limited to pinch-hitting duties in the wild-card round, Smith returned to slash .276/.364/.414 with a couple home runs during the team's postseason run, including the go-ahead homer in Game 7 of the World Series. Promising youngster Dalton Rushing made his MLB debut in 2025, totaling 41 appearances at catcher (37 starts), but Smith remains the clear No. 1 option behind the plate and a regular middle-of-the-order presence for the best team in baseball. Too bad he can't DH on his off days.

Ramirez burst onto the scene in 2025 with four doubles and three home runs in his first five career games, and 12 extra-base hits in his first 15 games. Traded from New York to Miami in the 2024 Jazz Chisholm deal, Ramirez ultimately totaled 55 extra-base hits as a rookie, tying Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez for the most in team history for a catcher. He also surprised many by stealing 16 bags, most among catchers last season. While he may not be a burner, ranking in the bottom third of the league in sprint speed, the stolen-base element is one he previously displayed in the minors (22 steals in 24 attempts between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024). Ramirez remained efficient on the basepaths in his first major-league season, only getting caught three times in 19 attempts. If his poor defensive grades are any indication, Ramirez won't be playing catcher much longer, but for the time being, he offers a rare profile at the position. The numbers get a scarcity bump in two-catcher leagues.

Diaz added some power back last season, reaching 20 homers for the second time in his career, but it came at the expense of batting average. In fact, Diaz lost more than 40 points in BA as his flyball rate jumped from 26.3% to 35.1% and his BABIP fell from .338 to .277. Diaz has a unique hitting profile in that he often goes chasing after pitches, but he makes enough contact within the strike zone to maintain a relatively low strikeout rate. He also rarely takes walks as evidenced by a career 3.6 BB%, which dings him in OBP leagues. Diaz didn't set the world on fire last season, but he has proven plenty capable against big-league pitching since taking over as the Astros' primary catcher a few years ago. His .272 xBA from last season suggests there is a happy medium for the Houston backstop; improvement could push Diaz back into the upper tiers at the catcher position.

Baldwin drew high praise from Chris Sale and other veteran members of the Atlanta pitching staff early on in spring training, and an injury to Sean Murphy cemented Baldwin's status as the team's primary catcher to begin 2025. The Madison, Wis. native would go on to slash .274/.341/.469 with 19 homers and 80 RBI across 446 plate appearances, winning NL Rookie of the Year. While his pop times and framing metrics left a bit to be desired, Baldwin graded well in terms of blocking behind the plate. Statcast suggests Baldwin actually underperformed by BA and SLG as a rookie, as his low strikeout rate (15.2%) and quality batted-ball numbers portended slightly better. Assuming Murphy is healthy to begin 2026, the two players will likely split catching and DH duties, with Baldwin having the leg up for playing time as the No. 1 catcher on the depth chart. Entering his age-25 season, Baldwin has shown enough of a skills baseline to be worthy of top-10 consideration at the position.

Every season, one hitter breaks out in Colorado. Nolan Jones did so in 2023 and Brenton Doyle did so in 2024. Few people had Goodman as the 2025 breakout, but the masher was one of the lone bright spots for an otherwise dreadful Colorado club. We knew Goodman had power, as he hit 36 home runs in 2022 and 34 homers in 2023 in the Colorado farm system, but a lot of those home runs came in friendly parks, and his abysmal showing at the big league level in 2024 scared many away. The thing about Colorado is the depth chart is very fluid, which is how these breakouts continue to happen. Goodman got off to a hot start with five homers and a .268 average in the first month of the season and hit between five and seven homers every month but May over the course of the season. He slightly improved his strikeout rate while drawing a few more walks while hitting 18 of his 31 homers away from Coors. His big improvement in batting average was helped by him hitting .307 at home compared to .248 on the road, and by season's end, only Cal Raleigh was more valuable at the catching position than Goodman was for fantasy managers. The thing about these Colorado breakouts is both Jones and Doyle flopped the following season, so it will be interesting to see what Goodman does as a follow-up, as well as who is next in Denver.

The late great Steve Moyer would often throw out names in LABR with the label, "the sabermetric darling...." If Moyer was still with us today, he would no doubt slap that label on Ben Rice because the youngster absolutely earned it in 2025. Rice did not have enough plate appearances to qualify for leaderboards last season, but his barrel percentage and chase percentage along with an intriguing xwOBA were enough to get fantasy managers intrigued. That, and the news he may catch some games in 2026. Everything was a Ricearoni treat, as Rice not only raked, but he ended up catching enough to qualify for the position in 2026 and greatly raising his fantasy profile for this draft season. Rice, unsurprisingly, had his issues against fellow southpaws, hitting .208 with just seven of his 26 home runs against them, but his home/road home run splits were nearly dead even along with his batting average. His numbers really took off after the break, as Rice hit .281/.352/.542 in the 60 games leading into October. There are few players whose 2026 outlook has changed in the past year more than Rice's. As long as he continues to hit like this, the Yankees can live with the defensive issues.

There were a lot of reasons why the Orioles' 2025 season went sideways, but Rutschman's continued regression was one of the big ones. He had trouble staying on the field, being limited to only 90 games because of injuries to both obliques. When in the lineup, Rutschman put up a career-low .673 OPS and wRC+ of 91, and he's managed a lowly .209/.294/.332 batting line dating back to July 2024. If you're looking for some positive news, it's that Rutschman was very good in the plate discipline department again, boasting an 11 percent walk rate and just a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. The 28-year-old's quality of contact was also not dissimilar from his career norms, though he's never been a standout in that area. You don't have to squint too hard to see bounce-back potential, but Rutschman's trajectory is worrisome.

Wells took on slightly more playing time in 2025, earning that time with career highs in all run production categories with only a slight dip in batting average. Wells had six of his 21 homers off lefties and as dead even a split with his home vs. road splits as an odd-numbered total could be, with him hitting one more homer away from Yankee Stadium over the course of the season. The splits are further weird when you consider he hit 30 points higher (.240) against lefties than he did against righties (.210.) Wells remains a pull-centric hitter but has power to all fields as six of his 21 homers were to center or left field. Thirteen of his 21 homers were a result of his frequent fastball hunting, as he also hit .266 off fastballs and sub .190 against all other pitch types. That is an easy way to explain away the decline in walk rate, because Wells aggressively hunted fastballs as a change in approach following a more cautious 2024 season that saw him struggle against fastballs. His defense remains fantastic behind the plate, as he is one of the more elite framers in the league, which more than makes up for his slightly below average blocking and throwing abilities. If he could ever fully tap in to his home park advantage and get fully pull happy, there's a 30-homer season in this bat.

Jeffers had another solid season as Minnesota's primary catcher even with a decline in home runs. Jeffers hit just nine home runs but saw increases in his hard-hit, exit velocity and other advanced power metrics. His 7.0% HR/FB% also indicates he was a bit unlucky and could bounce back to 15-20 homers. His decline in power was offset by a career-best 10.8% walk rate. Jeffers struggles with his defense where he took a step back last season with -10 defensive runs saved, placing him 31st among qualified catchers. Still, his bat more than offsets his defense and he'll return as the primary catcher. The Twins had dogmatically split playing time between two catchers but Jeffers could see an uptick with the departure of Christian Vazquez.

Few had Kurtz on their redraft radar entering 2025, and even fewer had him as a potential Rookie of the Year. His odds were as long as +8000 for ROY, but Kurtz ended up winning the award as a unanimous selection in the AL after crushing 36 home runs in just 117 games with the Athletics, including four homers in a single game. Not only that, but he hit .290 despite a 30.9 K%, which speaks to just how hard he blistered the ball as a rookie. Largely because of the swing-and-miss, there was a 42-point gulf between his actual batting average and his Statcast xBA (.248). Indeed regression to his average seems inevitable, but Kurtz takes his walks and lights up the radar guns with stellar batted-ball numbers. Twenty-two of his 36 homers came at home in the team's temporary residence at Sutter Health Park, which was a top-five park for lefty power last season. The incredible campaign has pushed Kurtz to the very top of the first-base rankings for many entering 2026, although Vladimir Guerrero also has a case to be first off the board at the position.

Alonso will begin a new chapter in 2026, having migrated south to Baltimore on a five-year, $155 million contract. Forced to settle for a one-year deal last winter amidst a bear market, Alonso went on to post an .871 OPS with 38 homers and an NL-leading 41 doubles across a career-high 709 plate appearances with the Mets in 2025. His 80 total extra-base hits ranked fifth in MLB, tied with Arizona's Corbin Carroll, and Alonso played in all 162 games for the second year in a row. He's proven to be an RBI machine, plating 463 runs over the past four regular seasons, one behind Aaron Judge for the major-league lead in that span. The Orioles made changes to the left-field wall at Camden Yards prior to 2025, and Alonso, now 31, should be in position to benefit while anchoring new manager Craig Albernaz's everyday lineup from the cleanup spot. Expect giveback with his batting average, but Alonso offers elite power and production that is bankable at first base.

Olson has played in all 162 games in each of his four seasons with Atlanta, averaging 36.5 home runs and 108.8 RBI per year since making the jump to the National League. His reliable presence has propped up a lineup that has been without stars like Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley for long stretches and has seen dramatic fluctuations in performance from players like Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris. While he had impossibly large shoes to fill in replacing Freddie Freeman in Atlanta, Olson has exceeded all reasonable expectations since leaving Oakland, making two All-Star teams while adding a third career Gold Glove in 2025. Entering his age-32 season, Olson has the longest active consecutive games streak in MLB and one of the longest of the modern era, which provides drafters with peace of mind. His strikeout rate has steadied at around 25 percent, a totally acceptable level given his immense power from the left side of the plate. Olson boosts his OBP with a walk rate that has reached double digits six years running.

Devers' 2025 season was a whirlwind. In his very first interview with the press in spring training, Devers indicated he would not be willing to move to designated hitter to accommodate the arrival of Alex Bregman to the Red Sox lineup, saying "third base is my position." While Devers changed his tune and opened the year at DH, he butted heads with the front office again in May when it asked him to replace the injured Tristan Casas at first base, with Devers refusing. Before long, Devers would be gone from the organization, dealt to San Francisco in mid-June in what was essentially a salary dump. Devers totaled 20 homers in just 90 games after the trade, bringing him to 35 for the season, although his overall numbers were down a bit with the Giants as his strikeout rate jumped to close to 30 percent. Ironically, Devers ended up making 28 starts at first base for San Francisco, gaining eligibility there for 2026. He's now in a notoriously pitcher-friendly home park, but Devers, a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, has already had time to adjust and should be more settled in and comfortable by the start of the upcoming campaign.

Freeman reflected back on his 2024 season and liked it so much, he replicated most of it in 2025. It is uncanny how similar many of his statistics are between the two seasons. He remains a five-category producer from first base, although his days of stealing double-digit bases are essentially over due to his age and the ankle concerns from 2024. He has now hit 20-plus homers in each of the last nine full seasons of baseball while driving in at least 70 runs and scoring at least 80 runs in each of those seasons. He hasn't hit below .275 since 2012 and has hit .295 or better in nine of the last 10 seasons. His 114.1 mph maxEV, 10.4 Barrel% and 45.7 HardHit% were all up from 2024 and in line with his career norms. The closest thing to a red flag is that Freeman's 13.4 percent swinging-strike rate and 20.4 percent strikeout rate were abnormally high, so he appears to be sacrificing a little contact for bat speed. Freeman has two more years on his contract with the Dodgers, and while age-related decline could come at any point for the 36-year-old, that possibility is sufficiently factored into his redraft cost.

After a spring full of contract rumors that saw Guerrero begin the campaign without a new deal, he agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Blue Jays in early April to cement his future in Toronto. The first baseman saw a dip in his power and run production in 2025, with his 23 homers and 84 RBI being his lowest full-season totals in those categories since his rookie campaign in 2019. His batted-ball figures dropped across the board, with a 12.2 percent barrel rate and 50.7 percent hard-hit rate being slightly below his career averages. Still, his 137 wRC+ ranked 13th in baseball and fourth among qualified first basemen, and he had elite plate discipline with a 12.1 percent walk rate and 13.8 percent strikeout rate. Guerrero will turn 27 years old in March and should be one of the first first basemen off fantasy draft boards again in 2026.

Naylor showed last season that stolen bases are more about instincts and reading the opposing pitcher than anything else, swiping 30 bags in 32 attempts despite ranking near the very bottom of the sprint speed leaderboard. It was a surprising surge in the SB category to say the least for a first baseman that had never previously exceeded 10 steals in a season. Stolen bases aside, Naylor also smacked 20 homers in 147 regular-season games between Arizona and Seattle, hitting above .290 at both stops. The lefty slugger added three homers and a .967 OPS in the playoffs, recording four three-hit games between the ALDS and ALCS. Naylor quickly re-upped with the Mariners, inking a five-year deal to remain in Seattle. The home park is a big negative on paper, but Naylor is clearly comfortable there, and they let him run to his heart's content. At 28 years old, he has surpassed 90 RBI each of the last three years and remains in a great position to produce runs hitting behind the likes of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.

Harper once again failed to reach the 150-game plateau, having last done so in a full season back in 2019. He has suffered a variety of injuries from one requiring Tommy John Surgery to dealing with a left thumb fracture, a left forearm injury, a left hamstring injury, and, most recently, wrist inflammation, which kept him out most of the month of June. Despite the injuries, Harper remains a five-category producer, although the missed time limits how much he excels in any one of those categories. The 2025 season was more about quantity than quality, because Harper did not excel in any one offensive category as much as he did even in 2024. The wrist soreness was no doubt a factor in the decline at the plate, but his approach and discipline remained intact even if his ability to hit the ball as hard as he normally would waned. There is little reason to believe that 2025 is a warning of a slowdown for Harper, because had he remained on the field as much as he did in 2024, he would have likely exceeded that season's production. He remains one of the better options at first base in fantasy baseball as long as you do not yearn for his pre-Covid production levels.

Diaz is entering the final guaranteed year of his current contract, but as long as he continues to play as often as he has the past five seasons, his 2027 year automatically vests. Diaz, more than any other hitter, will miss Steinbrenner Field as the park seemingly was made for his inside-out approach. This was magnified in 2025, as 18 of his career-best 25 home runs came in Tampa, while the robust Cuban hit a healthy .307/.378/.533 in the temporary home. Diaz was no slouch on the road with a .293/.352/.428 line, but that came with just seven homers. Since 2021, Diaz has the fifth-best batting average of all qualified batters trailing only Luis Arrarez, Freddie Freeman, Aaron Judge, and Trea Turner. Diaz would be an RBI machine on a different team, but Tampa Bay hits him higher in the lineup because of his on-base skills, as he has the sixth-highest OBP of that aforementioned group. He retains first base eligibility for 2026, but this could be the last season of that, as the club has reduced his time in the field each of the past two seasons.

The Astros signed Walker last offseason in hopes that he could replace some of the offense they were going to lose with the departures of Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. The former Diamondback wound up having easily his worst season in four years from a rate stats perspective, finishing with just a .717 OPS. Walker was perfectly fine in fantasy, though, finishing as the No. 16 first baseman thanks mostly to 27 home runs and 88 RBI. The 35-year-old's chase rate was way up (28.1 percent) and so was his strikeout rate (career-high 27.7 percent), which could point to not meshing with a new hitting coach and/or trying to do too much after signing a big contract. Walker hit just .202/.279/.342 with eight home runs at home, which was odd since he's a flyball, pull-heavy hitter who had the Crawford Boxes to aim at. Some positive regression there is likely, and with Walker's quality of contact in 2025 looking typical, he could be a solid value in 2026 drafts.

After his production cratered in 2024, Torkelson rebounded in a major way last season, jumping back over 30 homers with a career-best .789 OPS for the Tigers. He did not enjoy the same success in the postseason (.579 OPS). Still, it was an impressive response to a challenging season the year prior, with Torkelson showing improved patience albeit with a similar level of swing-and-miss. The strikeouts along with his extreme flyball tendencies (51.9 FB% last season) make him a liability in batting average, to the point where a return to the .240s seems unlikely. In addition to his inconsistency at the plate in recent years, Torkelson has largely struggled at first base. The pressure is still on for the 2020 No. 1 overall pick to show that he can make up for those defensive deficiencies.

The Pasquatch stepped up to fulfill the projections of our outlook for him last season. We said if he could stay healthy and hit behind Bobby Witt and Salvador Perez, he should be able to drive in 100 runs and put up 30 homers. He finished with 113 runs driven in and 32 homers and, more importantly, he avoided the injured list for the first time since 2022. He maximized his production against righties, hitting .281/.346/.511 with 26 of his 32 home runs against them, but had his worst season against lefties at the big league level. The challenge for Pasquantino was that 24 percent of his plate appearances came against fellow southpaws, so his .614 OPS against lefties limited his overall final numbers. His numbers against lefties have worsened each season he has been in the big leagues, so in order for Pasquantino to take that next step, he needs to stop that trend. If he can use 2026 to repeat his success against righties while stopping this backslide against lefties, 40 homers and 125 RBIs are within reach. He finished 2025 as the seventh-best fantasy first baseman, but top three is 2026 is within reach.

After four years as their everyday first baseman, the Rangers sent Lowe to the Nationals last offseason. He struggled to find his rhythm with his new club, ultimately being released in mid-August after recording a .665 OPS, well short of the .791 mark he compiled with Texas. Lowe was quickly signed by the Red Sox, where he filled a need at first base. The change of scenery helped, as he registered a .790 OPS, but Boston still released Lowe after the season. His track record should earn him another chance, but he may be entering the platoon stage of his career after posting a modest .504 OPS against left-handed pitching.

Contreras opted to stick around in 2025 during the Cardinals' rebuild, and in order to do so he agreed to move to first base. The hope was that a full-time move off of catcher could unlock more offensively from the 33-year-old. It didn't exactly happen, at least from a rate stats perspective, as Contreras' OPS dipped below .800 for the first time in four seasons. However, part of the benefit of not playing catcher anymore meant better health and more playing time for Contreras, who netted career highs in RBI (80), doubles (31) and runs (70). Unfortunately, he no longer has catcher eligibility, and at first base Contreras is more of an average fantasy option, especially when factoring in his pitcher-friendly home park and middling supporting cast.

Marte continued to be the most productive second baseman in baseball during 2025, with his 145 wRC+ leading qualified players at the position for a second straight year. The 32-year-old's run production (87 runs and 72 RBI) was a bit depressed since he played in just 126 games due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of April, but he still clubbed 28 homers with a .283/.376/.517 slash line while posting a career-best walk rate (11.8 percent). Marte's batting average bottomed out at .240 in 2022, but he's hitting .283 over the past three years and is averaging nearly 30 homers per season. Marte is typically good for one stint on the injured list, but he's still averaging 137 games played across the past four seasons. That's worth keeping in mind as he enters his age-32 campaign, but Marte is still a safe bet to be one of the top second basemen in MLB again in 2026.

At age 27, Chisholm put together the best season of his career, crushing a career-high 31 homers while also swiping 31 bags to win the Silver Slugger at second base. He was one of a record seven 30-30 players in 2025, earning his second All-Star selection. His year ended on a low note, as he managed just a .598 OPS in the postseason while also making a crucial error against the Blue Jays in the ALDS. A career strikeout rate of 27.6 percent makes Chisholm something of a batting-average liability, though he has mostly thrived since leaving Miami, posting an .816 OPS with the Yankees compared to a .749 OPS during his time with the Marlins. The category impact has reached a new level in recent years, and the power and speed make it rather easy to overlook his flaws, especially with a lefty hitter in Yankee Stadium. Beware some peaks and valleys as well as a prior injury history. Regardless, in his current setup, Chisholm has a clear case as the No. 1 fantasy option at the keystone entering 2026.

After playing second base almost exclusively since making his MLB debut in 2011, the Astros elected to test out Altuve in left field in 2025, though he ended up making just 47 appearances there compared to 66 at second base and 49 at designated hitter. The veteran's defense at the keystone has been subpar for years, and that continued in 2025 with minus-8 DRS while he also posted minus-10 DRS in the outfield. Father Time also appears to be catching up to Altuve at the plate, with his .265 average and .771 OPS being his worst marks since the shortened 2020 campaign. Still, he clubbed 26 homers and stole 10 bases, with that steals total being a sizable drop after he averaged 18 over the previous three years. Altuve should retain a regular spot in Houston's lineup to begin 2026, but his days with an elite average and being a 20-20 threat could be behind him as he enters his 16th season in the big leagues. He's again likely to be a solid contributor, but at this stage of his career the danger of a precipitous decline is inherent.

Hoerner hasn't embraced a slugging mentality like many MLB players have in recent years, but he still has a place in fantasy lineups. That's largely due to his speed, as Hoerner swiped 29 bases in 2025, and he now has 103 steals over the past three years. The infielder has also been a consistently good contact hitter. He batted .297 last year and is a career .282 hitter. The Cubs don't always put Hoerner atop the order, opting instead to roll with Michael Busch regularly in 2025, at least against righties. However, Hoerner profiles as a traditional leadoff option, and his ability to get on base, tally steals and score plenty of runs makes him an intriguing player from any spot in a strong Chicago lineup. Drafting Hoerner means looking for power elsewhere, but the 28-year-old has plenty of fantasy appeal heading into 2026, and his outlook would get a boost if he manages to bat first most days.

Semien's walk up song should have been Bob Seger's, "Like a Rock," because from 2015-2024, that is exactly what he was. He had an IL stint in 2017, but otherwise played in nearly every game possible for Oakland and Texas. That all came to a crashing end in 2025 as his worst statistical season on record finally came to a merciful end in August with a foot injury. Semien has played more games than any other active second baseman in baseball since 2015, and we know the position is not a forgiving one to older players. Semien enters his age-35 season in a new league and city after getting dealt to the Mets for Brandon Nimmo this offseason. He still has the foot speed, but the quality of his contact continues to decline, thus costing him one of those coveted higher spots in the lineup. He was a four-category contributor last season, but nowhere near his previous levels. We only have to look to George Springer's 2025 renaissance to be reminded of how dangerous it can be to write off aging players so quickly. We are not recommending taking Semien for his previous volume or stature, but he's a likely everyday player with the upside to log the sixth 20/10 campaign of his career.

Albies could at least partly blame his disappointing 2024 season on injury. He didn't have that excuse in 2025, however, and he was even worse, finishing with just a .671 OPS and wRC+ of 87. After reaching the 30-homer mark in each of his previous two full seasons, the 29-year-old hit only 16 long balls across 667 plate appearances before his year ended with a fractured hamate bone during the final week of the season. Albies' batted-ball data has always been underwhelming, but his hard-hit rate (30.7 percent), barrel rate (4.9 percent) and average exit velocity (87.5 mph) in 2025 were all easily his lowest over the past three campaigns. He'll be recovered from hamate surgery well ahead of Opening Day, and Albies should be too young to be entering a decline phase of his career. That would seem to point to a bounce-back year in 2026, but it's hard to believe that with conviction for a guy who has disappointed in three of the last four seasons.

Turang's main fantasy value in 2024 came from steals (50) while also providing a solid batting average (.254) and runs (72), but he was a much more well-rounded contributor last season. The second baseman posted a .288/.359/.435 slash line with 18 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 81 RBI and 92 runs in 156 games in 2025, with the power output being especially surprising after hitting just seven long balls the previous season. That power production was mostly limited to one month, however, as he caught fire in August with 10 homers and a .343 average. Still, Turang made significant strides in quality of contact and improved his hard-hit rate nearly 18 points to 47.4 percent and his average exit velocity over four ticks to 91.1 mph. The improved contact may have been due to taking harder swings (his bat speed went up more than four mph to 70.7 mph), though his strikeout rate also increased almost six points to 22.8 percent. The increased swing-and-miss was certainly worth the tradeoff for more power, and it positions Turang to potentially becoming one of the most productive second basemen in MLB. Even if he doesn't become a regular 20-homer guy, he'll still offer a ton of fantasy upside as a speedster with a high average, especially if he can get his steals back up to his elite production in 2024.

Lowe had his best overall season in 2025 since that 2021 outlier season, but we should be more impressed with how he did it. Conventional wisdom would lead you to believe he loved his temporary home park and took full advantage of its dimensions, yet Lowe was a better hitter on the road, as he hit 35 points higher away from Tampa and had one more home run on the road in 62 games than he did at home in 72 games. Lowe still cannot hit lefties and is often benched for it, but hitting .280/.335/.538 with 26 homers against righties is what drove his overall value in 2025. Lowe has a $11.50 million club option this year, which is an easy pickup for the inconsistent offensive club, but this will also likely be the last season Lowe remains with the club because he will almost certainly be dealt somewhere by the deadline this season. The move back into Tropicana Field should not impact him as much as potential move away from it. Finally, his defense at second base may force a discussion about a position change with his next club.

Holliday was greeted with a harsh introduction to the big leagues upon his arrival to Baltimore in 2024, but he made major strides in his sophomore season, finishing with 17 homers and 17 steals across 649 plate appearances. Perhaps most impressively, Holliday trimmed more than 11 percentage points off his strikeout rate, bringing it to 21.6% after he looked a bit overmatched as a rookie. He still has a ways to go given that he was still below league average by many statistical measures last season, but Holliday is just 22 years old, so he has time. The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jackson embodies the word "pedigree." Another step forward could come quickly for the second baseman, and it could be a similar step forward to his last.

Keaschall began last season as one of Minnesota's top prospects and exploded onto the scene when called up in April by hitting .368 with five stolen bases in his first seven games. He gave the Twins a needed jolt of energy on the basepaths and at the top of the order, but suffered a fractured right forearm after getting hit by a pitch and missed three months. He returned to hit .294 with a .795 OPS, four home runs and nine stolen bases in his next 42 games before missing the final week with a thumb injury. Keaschall has a superb eye at the plate with high walk rates (9.2%) and low strikeout rates (14%). What he lacked in power metrics (just a 27.3% hard-hit rate and below average exit velocity) he made up for in quality of contact with above-average Squared-Up and Sweet-Spot %, per Baseball Savant. He's unlikely to be a power hitter but could add double-digit homers as a result. He does have top-tier speed (85% percentile) and is aggressive on the basepaths which should result in high stolen base totals. His defense could be an issue as he graded poorly at second base which wasn't helped by him coming back from 2024 Tommy John surgery. He could be moved to the outfield this spring. He should be a fixture at the top of the lineup wherever he plays and could be an impact player based on his tantalizing debut, but needs to also show he can stay healthy.

Garcia burst out in 2024 with 18 homers, 22 steals and a .762 OPS, but he was unable to maintain that production last season. The second baseman finished 2025 with a .252/.289/.412 slash line, which was about a 30-point drop in each category, though he still provided decent power and speed production with 16 homers and 14 stolen bases. Garcia's .701 OPS last year was much closer to the .690 mark he posted across his first four seasons, and it's possible that one season ends up being an outlier. However, Garcia delivered career bests in hard-hit rate (45.8 percent) and barrel rate (9.0 percent) last season, leading to a .284 xBA and .460 xSLG that are much closer to his 2024 numbers. Those figures indicate he could be due for some positive regression, especially since he also had the highest average exit velocity (90.2 mph) and worst BABIP (.270) of his career. Garcia doesn't have a super high ceiling and could provide middling numbers again in 2026, but he has 20-20 potential if he maintains his quality of contact and gets more favorable batted-ball luck.

Donovan got off to a terrific start last season, slashing .329/.390/.469 with four home runs and three stolen bases through the first two months. He then suffered a turf toe injury in early June that nagged at him, and a groin strain in the second half was blamed on compensating for the toe issue. The 29-year-old wound up hitting a pedestrian .251/.321/.381 over the final four months before eventually being shut down late in the year after the groin issue resurfaced. Donovan then had offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia. His final numbers in 2025 were right in line with his career norms, but it's fair to wonder if injury prevented Donovan from his best offensive season. Even if that were the case, Donovan is mostly a batting average specialist for fantasy purposes, as he doesn't run and his power is limited.

Ramirez continues to be one of the most consistent elite producers in MLB, and he finished his age-32 campaign in 2025 with 30 home runs, 44 stolen bases, 85 RBI and 103 runs in 158 games. His batting average has sat between .279 and .283 (his 2025 mark) in each of the past four years, while his OPS has been north of .800 for 10 straight seasons. Ramirez's dependability extends to his availability, as he's missed 10 games or fewer in the last six regular seasons and in nine of the past 10 seasons. The veteran third baseman has shown no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by his career-high steals total in 2025. The only major limiting factor for Ramirez at this point is the lineup around him, since the Guardians scored the third-fewest runs in MLB last year and seem unlikely to significantly bolster their lineup this winter. Even with that consideration, Ramirez has been one of the most reliable top-end hitters in baseball for a while and will be near the top of draft boards again in 2026.

Suarez clubbed 49 home runs this past season - the second time in his career that he's reached that mark - and accrued a career-high 118 RBI and 91 runs scored. Dating back to July 2024, Suarez has hit 73 home runs, a total bested only by Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber over that stretch. The 34-year-old fared much worse after he was dealt back to Seattle at the trade deadline (.189/.255/.428) than he did in Arizona (.248/.320/.576), which wasn't a big surprise given the ballpark downgrade. Where Suarez signs as a free agent could affect his fantasy outlook in 2026, but he'll be a good bet for 30-plus homers anywhere, particularly when factoring in his nearly flawless health track record. Just be prepared to ride the highs and lows he'll undoubtedly experience.

Machado saw his homer total decrease for a fourth straight campaign in 2025, though his 27 long balls still gave him 10 straight full-length seasons with at least 25 homers. The veteran third baseman was more active on the basepaths with his highest number of steals (14) since 2018, while his .275/.335/.460 slash line was almost exactly what he posted in 2024. Machado produced an .855 OPS across his first four years with San Diego, but over the past three years he has a .792 OPS. His 123 wRC+ in 2025 still ranked fourth among qualified third basemen, but it's worth noting the drop-off as he heads into his age-33 campaign. His durability remains a strength, as Machado has missed 12 games or fewer in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Additional regression doesn't appear to be imminent given his 51.4 percent hard-hit rate and 12.9 percent barrel rate last season, so Machado is a safe bet for another strong season in 2026, even if he isn't quite the MVP-level contributor he was earlier in his career.

Caminero had a solid showing as a rookie during the 2024 regular season with a .723 OPS in 43 games, but no one could predict him clubbing 45 homers in 2025 during his first full MLB campaign. The Rays temporary home park of George M. Steinbrenner Field was one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league last season, which Caminero took advantage of with a .313/.358/.595 slash line compared to a .218/.266/.477 line on the road. The third baseman's power output was as even as possible, however, with 22 of his homers coming at home. The 22-year-old's power certainly didn't come out of nowhere given that he hit 32 long balls across three levels in 2023, so he should again be a quality source of homers in 2026. Beyond the power, Caminero's home/road splits from last year are worth keeping in mind for 2026 since the Rays are scheduled to return to Tropicana Field, which tied for the second most pitcher-friendly park factor in MLB from 2022 to 2024.

A player, young or old, is healthy until they are not. Riley was a model of consistency with health his first three full seasons in the majors, as he avoided the injured list from 2021 through 2023. He has, however, made up for lost time each of the past two seasons by missing 110 games with a fractured hand in 2024 and three separate core injuries in 2025, which required him to have sports hernia surgery in August that ended his season. Riley still stings a baseball as well as any hitter in baseball and has power to all fields as a solid four-category producer from the hot corner. Strikeouts limit the possibility of his batting average getting back over .300 as it did in 2021, but his hard contact also helps his batted balls find safe spaces, limiting his batting average floor. The missed time over the past two season has impacted Riley's market value, and he should no longer require a third-round pick to get on your roster, but he retains the ability to produce like a top-30 overall pick if he can avoid the injured list this season.

Bregman's nine-year run in Houston came to an end last winter when he signed with Boston, but he opted out of that contract in November to return to free agency. Coming off a career-worst .768 OPS in 2024, the third baseman rebounded to a .273/.360/.462 slash line last season, though he finished with 18 homers -- his lowest total since 2021 -- and was limited to 114 games due to a quadriceps strain. Bregman's elite plate discipline was on display with a 10.5 percent walk rate and 14.1 percent strikeout rate, and his power remained consistent with a .189 ISO, which is exactly his average ISO over the past four years. Durability is a concern with Bregman entering his age-32 campaign, but it's worth noting that he had three straight years of at least 145 games played prior to 2025. His 125 wRC+ ranked tied-fourth among third baseman with at least 400 plate appearances in 2025, and Bregman should be in that range again in 2026 and will have plenty of upside if he can stay fairly healthy.

Chapman's second season with the Giants in 2025 went much like his first, though he was limited to 128 games -- his lowest full-season total since his rookie year -- due to hand issues that required two stints on the injured list. His counting stats took a bit of a hit as a result with 21 homers, nine stolen bases, 61 RBI and 76 runs, while his .231 average and .770 OPS were minor decreases from 2024. Still, the veteran third baseman was fairly productive with 20-plus homers for the fourth time in five years, while his steals total was the second best of his MLB career. Chapman has had a batting average above .250 just once since making his debut in 2017, and that seems unlikely to change as he begins his 10th big-league season. However, Chapman has consistently been a solid source of power and has been more active on the basepaths the past two years with 24 steals, which more than doubled his previous career total.

Garcia stole 37 bases in 2024 but otherwise struggled offensively with a .613 OPS, so it was a major surprise to see him break out last season with a .286/.351/.449 slash line. He played in 160 regular-season games in 2025 and totaled 16 home runs, 23 steals, 74 RBI and 81 runs while improving his strikeout and walk rates to 12.4 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively. The breakout was likely driven by a higher launch angle (which he raised more than three degrees to 9.7) and better hard-hit rate (45.1 percent). The improved plate discipline and batted-ball numbers set Garcia up nicely to potentially repeat the production. He had positional eligibility at second and third base in 2024 but will likely have single-position eligibility at the hot corner to begin 2026 since he made just 17 appearances at shortstop and 11 at second base last year. If Garcia can maintain the better contact numbers and boost his steals closer to the 2024 figures, he could be in for an even more productive campaign in 2026.

Paredes was traded from the Cubs to the Astros last winter and was limited to 102 games in 2025 due to a severe hamstring injury, with him playing hampered down the stretch as he somewhat surprisingly returned from the IL in mid-September for eight more games. Despite the limited action, Paredes still launched 20 home runs and had solid counting stats with 53 RBI and 53 runs to go along with a 254/.352/.458 slash line. GM Dana Brown indicated in November that Paredes should be 80-to-90 percent healthy at the start of spring training and could be ready for Opening Day, but the fact he's not expected to be fully recovered from the torn hamstring by February is a concern. The production for a mid-tier third baseman is certainly there as Paredes has a .783 OPS while averaging over 20 home runs per year since his first full season in 2022, but the hamstring recovery will likely cloud the situation through most of the offseason.

Muncy missed significant time again in 2025, as he had two separate IL stints and ended up playing just 100 games during the regular season. When he was healthy, however, the veteran first baseman continued to supply Los Angeles with a steady left-handed power bat, smashing 19 homers and driving in 67 runs while registering an .846 OPS over 388 plate appearances. Muncy's on-base skills have always been a big part of his game, and last season he logged a 16.5 percent walk rate, placing him in the 99th percentile leaguewide. The slugger also struck out at a 21.4 percent clip, marking his second-best rate during his tenure as a Dodger. Add in Muncy's three homers -- including a huge one late in Game 7 of the World Series -- and .353 OBP during the postseason and it's no surprise that Los Angeles picked up Muncy's 2026 option despite his recent injury woes. Muncy is now 35 years old and posted a paltry .564 OPS against lefty pitchers last season, so his profile isn't entirely bright. However, he makes for a fine mid-to-late round third-base option in fantasy leagues (especially ones that count OBP) given his place in the heart of a potent Dodgers lineup.

The follow-up to Westburg's first All-Star season was derailed early on by a hamstring injury which cost him more than six weeks. He would go on to miss a month in the second half with a right ankle sprain. Around his trips to the injured list, Westburg slashed .265/.313/.457, numbers largely similar to the prior season. Surprisingly, he posted a lower HR/FB at home in 2025 after the changes to the left-field wall in Baltimore, though those changes figure to benefit the right-handed slugger in the long run. Now entering his age-27 campaign, Westburg has lost dual eligibility in leagues with a 20-game requirement, finishing with 17 appearances at second base last season compared to 52 at the hot corner. Still, he has appeal as a bounce-back candidate with enough contact and slugging to be worthwhile as a starting third baseman or corner bat in fantasy.

The Cardinals' attempts to trade Arenado last offseason failed, and then Arenado failed to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season with an even worse showing in 2025. For the second year in a row, Arenado finished with an xwOBA below .300, and his average exit velocity also ranked in the bottom-10 percentile for the second straight year. He remains an elite contact hitter, but not even an 11.2 percent strikeout rate could buoy Arenado's batting average, which tumbled to a career-low .237. A shoulder injury limited Arenado to only 23 games in the second half and likely hampered him before that, but it would be a stretch to assign much blame for Arenado's downfall to that injury. He simply looks like a player who no longer has much juice in his bat in his mid-30s.

McMahon has two more years on his deal with the Yankees unless he finishes in the top five this season in MVP voting. So, get used to McMahon in New York for the next two seasons after Colorado sent him to The Bronx in a deadline deal this past July. McMahon was not exactly hitting well in Colorado before the deal (.217/.314/.403) but he did worse with the Yankees (.208/.308/.333) when it was hoped the short porch in right would help offset the loss of Coors Field on McMahon. He did manage to hit 20+ homers for a sixth consecutive full season, but 16 of those came with the Rockies. McMahon's issues against lefties is something the non-contending Rockies could deal with but not something the Yankees will leave out in the lineup on a daily basis. Expect McMahon to lose some playing time in a platoon situation once the Yankees finalize their offseason roster. 20 homers and a .240 season in the bottom half of a healthy lineup should help McMahon compile some stats in 2026 but we'll eat our hats if he is an MVP candidate.

Durbin was acquired by the Brewers from the Yankees last winter and spent the first couple weeks of 2025 in the minors, but he was called up in mid-April and finished third in voting for NL Rookie of the Year. He operated as Milwaukee's primary third baseman and totaled 11 home runs, 18 steals, 53 RBI and 60 runs along with a .256/.334/.387 slash line in 136 games. He showed solid plate discipline with a 6.3 percent walk rate and 9.9 percent strikeout rate, but he ranked in the 12th percentile or worse in barrel rate (4.0 percent), hard-hit rate (26.9 percent) and average exit velocity (85.2 mph). The poor quality of contact resulted in a .255 xBA and .355 xSLG, so he'll likely need to improve in that area to maintain similar power production. Durbin certainly doesn't profile as a prototypical third baseman and is better suited for the keystone, but Brice Turang likely isn't going anywhere as a Gold Glove winner. Durbin should have a chance to reach 20 stolen bases in 2026 but is likely to have a limited fantasy ceiling without improving his quality of contact.

Witt finished as the runner-up for AL MVP in 2024 but wasn't able to fully replicate those efforts last season, though he was still an elite producer with a .295/.351/.501 slash line in 157 games. He finished 2025 with 23 homers, 88 RBI and 99 runs, all of which were notable drops from the previous season, but he did improve his stolen-base total to 38 while being caught three fewer times. That overall production may be a more reasonable year-to-year expectation for Witt than his 169 wRC+ in 2024, though he can certainly still elevate that while entering his age-26 campaign. Even with that slightly lower production, Witt is arguably the top power/speed combo in the league and has all but cemented himself as MLB's premier shortstop heading into 2026, especially when factoring in his top-level defense.

The veteran shortstop has traditionally been a slow starter throughout his MLB career, but he came out of the gate hot in 2025 with an .886 OPS through his first 41 games. Lindor cooled off after that, however, and posted a .208/.278/.379 slash line in the next 74 contests before again catching fire in August and September. All told, he finished the regular season with 31 homers, 31 steals, 86 RBI, 117 runs and a .267/.346/.466 slash line in 732 plate appearances. Despite the in-season ups and downs, it was another highly productive campaign for Lindor, who has batted between .254 and .270 in each of the past four seasons while averaging 30 homers and 27 stolen bases during that span. Now entering his age-32 campaign, Lindor should push for another 30-30 season in 2026 and has plenty of upside for run production while batting atop a strong Mets lineup. He underwent a cleanup procedure on his elbow early in the offseason but should be ready to go for the start of spring training.

Whether fair or not, De La Cruz's 2025 season will be remembered by fantasy players for one thing above all: a 74-game stretch from late June to mid-September in which he hit just one home run. He still reached 22 homers for the season despite that power outage, but as a whole it was a step backward from his excellent sophomore campaign with the Reds. De La Cruz once again led the league in errors, leading to questions about his future at shortstop, and while he finished seventh in MLB in steals with 37, that was down from 67 the year prior. He showed improvement with his strikeout rate, although he gave back some of those gains in the second half as his struggles mounted (28.2 K%, .666 OPS after the break). De La Cruz is an incredible athlete playing in a band-box park who's already established a sky-high ceiling entering his age-24 season, but there is now a new wave of questions surrounding him; did he simply bottom out down the stretch or was it indicative of something more? Will he make the next round of adjustments? Could a positional change affect his hitting?

An intercostal strain, suffered during the Orioles' Feb. 27 Grapefruit League game, put Henderson on the injured list to begin the 2025 season. He returned in the first week of April, but it took a while before Henderson began to look like himself, as he limped out of the gates with a .228/.268/.413 line through the end of April. The 24-year-old was more comfortable by the summer months, batting well over .300 in June and July. His performance dipped again down the stretch, and in the end, Henderson's .787 OPS was down more than 100 points from the year prior (.893). This may present a buy-low opportunity in fantasy drafts, although early ADP suggests there will not be much of a discount. Henderson reached a career-high 30 steals in 35 attempts last season, continuing his run of good efficiency on the basepaths and presumably keeping the light green under new manager Craig Albernaz.

Adames had a major bounce-back season for Milwaukee in 2024, but his first year in San Francisco last year was an up-and-down affair. The veteran shortstop had a .680 OPS during the first half but got back on track after the All-Star break with an .828 OPS. He failed to put up a second straight 30-20 campaign but still delivered strong numbers with 30 homers, 12 steals, 87 RBI and 94 runs despite a .225 average, which is the second-worst average of his career. Adames has now batted .225 or worse in two of the past three seasons and has a .233 average over the last four years. However, he's clubbed at least 24 home runs in five straight campaigns and has been more involved on the basepaths the past two years with 33 stolen bases while playing at least 85 percent of his team's games since 2019. Adames has the potential to be a quality producer in all five categories with high volume, but fantasy managers will more than likely need to be willing to deal with an underwhelming average in 2026.

Betts won a third straight Silver Slugger in 2024 in his first season working as a full-time shortstop, but he took a step back during the 2025 regular season with a .258/.326/.406 slash line in 150 games. He clubbed 20 homers during his age-32 campaign for the eighth time in his MLB career, though his eight stolen bases are the first time he's failed to reach double digits since playing just 52 games as a rookie in 2014. Betts batted leadoff or second for the Dodgers all season, which helped him rack up 82 RBI and 95 runs scored, but it was still the least productive year of his career. Betts struggled defensively at shortstop the previous two years, but he found his footing in 2025 and finished with plus-17 DRS and plus-5 OAA. He'll have single-position eligibility in 2026 after making just one appearance in the outfield. Betts' hard-hit rate dropped to a career-low 35.8 percent, though a .258 BABIP, .276 xBA and .435 xSLG indicate he may have deserved some better offensive results. Now entering his age-33 campaign, Betts has a decent floor for counting stats given Los Angeles' elite lineup, but he no longer appears to be the player that was a consistent MVP candidate.

Turner fell short of 20 homers for the first time in a full season since 2019, managing just 15 long balls in 639 regular-season plate appearances, but he won his second career batting title in 2025, settling at .304. Best of all for fantasy managers, Turner added 17 steals to his 2024 total, with the 36 thefts last season representing the third-highest total of his illustrious career. He did that despite missing most of September with a hamstring strain. At 32 years old, Turner is not old enough to warrant the Ageless Wonder title, although he may earn it if he continues swiping bags at this rate into his mid-30s. The hamstring issues both of the past two seasons provide reason for skepticism, but Turner ranked at the very top of the sprint speed leaderboard last season and there is no reason to think the steals will dry up overnight, so long as he stays on the field. Availability remains the biggest concern, but Turner has surged past 600 plate appearances four of the past five seasons. He should continue to bat first or second for a top-five offense in the National League.

Abrams kept his head on straight in 2025 after ending his first All-Star campaign back in Triple-A -- a disciplinary measure by the organization after he stayed out past curfew in September of 2024. Abrams did, however, spend time on the injured list last season, missing a couple weeks in April with a right hip flexor strain. Despite the missed time, Abrams nearly went 20-30 for the second consecutive year, finishing one home run shy of 20. The sixth overall pick in 2019 and the headliner for Washington in the return for Juan Soto in 2022, Abrams has totaled 6.9 fWAR over his four major-league seasons, a number limited by his rather unfavorable defensive metrics at shortstop. His xBA has hardly budged over the past three years, ranging between .247-.248. Now entering his age-25 season, Abrams' skills seem to have plateaued, at least on paper. Even if there is not another level to come, Abrams has already displayed the type of power-speed combination that is so highly coveted in the rotisserie game.

Neto's 2025 was bookended by IL stints; his season debut was delayed until mid-April due to his recovery from right shoulder surgery, and he missed the final few weeks with a left hand strain. In between, the shortstop hit 26 homers and stole 26 bags in 128 games as one of the few bright spots for the last-place Angels. His 26.9 K% and 6.0 BB% last season show that his plate skills still need refinement, but Neto has proven that he can make up for it with a lot of loud contact. In fact, Neto ranked in the top 10 percent of the league last season by Statcast's xwOBA on Contact, and in the top 15 percent of the league in terms of barrel rate and xSLG. Entering his age-25 season, Neto could stand to improve his efficiency on the basepaths, as he's been caught stealing 20 times in 81 career attempts. He's not a true burner by sprint speed, and new manager Kurt Suzuki could tweak the lineup to prioritize OBP in the leadoff spot, potentially limiting Neto's chances to run. That being said, the Angels aren't going to pump the brakes completely on one of their most exciting young talents, a certainty which keeps 30-30 on the table.

It was mostly more of the same for Swanson in 2025, which resulted in another solid fantasy campaign for the veteran shortstop. The 31-year-old hit 24 home runs, and he's now reached the 20-homer plateau four times over the past five seasons. He also tallied 77 RBI and posted a .717 OPS, both of which were in line with his typical numbers. Perhaps the most promising aspect of Swanson's 2025 campaign was his career-high 20 stolen bases. Since the start of the 2024 season, he's swiped 39 bases, which is more than he had in the prior three years combined. There are certainly shortstops with higher ceilings, and Swanson isn't getting any younger, but there's still plenty here to like. He plays nearly every day, and as long as Swanson approaches 20 homers and steals again in 2026, he should remain a useful fantasy option with a fairly reliable floor.

We should look at all Rangers under the lens of the team's two different hitting coordinators. The Rangers dismissed hitting coordinator Donnie Ecker in early May, as the team got off to a horrendous start offensively despite Ecker's success with the roster in previous seasons. Seager was hitting .291/.344/.453 at the time of the dismissal, but had just four homers and six extra base hits. Seager went onto hit .265/.381/.497 under Bret Boone's tutelage, with 17 homers before an appendectomy ended his 2025 season. The abbrevated season due to the surgery ended a three-year run of 30-plus homers for Seager, which was truly the only consistent part of his outputs. His runs and RBIs were left to the whims of his supporting cast in Texas, while his batting average has seen 82 points of variance over the past four seasons. The return to 30 homers in a full season should not be a surprise, but where his run production and batting average goes in 2026 is anyone's guess, because he has been all over the place in recent seasons.

Perdomo surprised everyone with his performance in 2025, finishing fifth in all of baseball in fWAR behind Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt and Shohei Ohtani. While Perdomo had performed well and was even an All-Star prior to 2025, even his biggest believers within the Diamondbacks organization could not have foreseen such a season, one that earned Perdomo down-ballot MVP votes. The shortstop smacked 20 homers and stole 27 bases after previously topping out at six and 16, respectively. He also reached an even 100 RBI, more than double his previous career high of 47, while finishing fifth in the NL among qualifiers with a .290 batting average. Perdomo, with his combination of contact skills, plate discipline, defense and leadership, has more than justified Arizona's faith in him amidst previous calls for Jordan Lawlar to take over at short. There are still more skeptics than believers, however; while his fantasy stock has skyrocketed, drafters won't have to pay for anything close to a repeat in 2026.

Pena's 2024 and 2025 seasons look somewhat similar in the counting categories until you realize he nearly equaled or bested most of them in more than 100 fewer plate appearances. Pena was limited to 125 games due to a fractured rib and a left oblique strain later in the season. Pena was pacing to a career season at the plate across the board, but fantasy managers likely were most surprised by the nearly 40-point improvement in his batting average after witnessing him average .261 over the previous three seasons. Pena continues to be a high-contact hitter but accepted a few more walks when he was not crushing fastballs. Pena hit half his home runs off fastballs along with having a .350 average (.323 xBA) against fastballs, but that success came at the peril of him hitting .182 while swinging and missing at nearly 50 percent of the off-speed pitches he saw. A fully healthy Pena has 30-30 potential with his home park, his pull tendencies and road games in Sacramento on the schedule in 2026. He's a five-category producer who, so far, does not carry the price tag associated with such players.

Three years after signing a six-year deal with Boston in 2022, Story finally made good on the contract. A season's worth of good health led to 25 home runs, 96 RBI and a career-high 31 steals. It wasn't a promising start, as the shortstop was batting .214 on June 6 and was in danger of losing his spot in the everyday lineup. From that point on, however, Story logged a slash line of .294/.337/.503 over his final 96 games. The 33-year-old decided against opting out of his deal and will remain with Boston for the final two years. His return provides stability to an evolving infield situation. Story himself could move positions, as he experienced a drop defensively (minus-9 Outs Above Average) and made a slew of throwing errors late in the season. The Red Sox could improve their infield defense by inserting Marcelo Mayer at short, while maintaining Story's productive bat at 2B. However, they decide to address the defense, Story should maintain an everyday presence in the middle of the order.

Judge continues to cement himself as the best hitter in baseball, finishing the 2025 regular season with 53 homers, 114 RBI, 137 runs, 12 steals and a 1.145 OPS in 152 games. The outfielder was limited to designated-hitter duties for part of the second half due to a flexor strain, though the injury didn't affect his production at the plate and ultimately didn't require surgery. He led the league with a 204 wRC+, and he now owns three of the 15 occurrences of a player eclipsing a 200 wRC+ in a season since 1950. He's offered a bit more consistency on the basepaths with double-digit steals the past two seasons, which provides a boost to the one category in which he's not already an elite performer. Availability has been a concern for Judge in the past, but he's played in at least 148 games in four of the past five seasons and is a strong bet to continue his run as the top hitter in MLB during 2026.

The Mets missed the playoffs, but the first season of Soto's record 15-year, $765 million contract with the club has to be considered a resounding success, at least from an individual standpoint. He smacked a career-high 43 home runs, his second straight season clearing 40, and led all of Major League Baseball in walks with 127 during the regular season. Most surprisingly, Soto tied for fourth in the National League with 38 stolen bases, more than triple his previous career high of 12. The season was not free of adversity, as Soto hit below .220 in May and July, and he had former hitting coach Eric Chavez in his ear trying to get him to be more aggressive. Soto stuck with his approach and in the end was a finalist for NL MVP while earning his sixth career Silver Slugger. The steals seem largely fluky and a return to single digits is even possible given his bottom 13th percentile sprint speed, but everything else appears ultra safe, cementing one of the highest production floors on the board. Keep in mind Soto is still just entering his age-27 season.

Carroll endured a disappointing 2024 campaign after being named the National League Rookie of the Year the prior season, but he bounced back in 2025 to deliver a career-high .884 OPS. The 25-year-old also posted career highs in homers (31) and RBI (84), along with 32 stolen bases and 107 runs scored. Carroll missed some time in the middle of the season due to a chip fracture in his wrist, but he still played in 143 games and was one of seven players to post a 30-30 season. In addition to the offensive production, he was one of the better defensive outfielders in MLB with plus-8 Defensive Runs Saved and plus-10 Outs Above Average. The increased power output appears to be sustainable since Carroll doubled his barrel rate to 14.5 percent and improved his hard-hit rate nine points to 49.9 percent in 2025. Now entering his fourth full MLB season, Carroll is a safe bet to deliver a third straight 20-20 campaign and has a realistic chance of repeating the 30-30 performance.

Rodriguez has developed a reputation as a slow starter, though that should not be the prevailing narrative entering his age-25 season. The outfielder is already a three-time All-Star and the youngest player in MLB history with four 20-20 seasons, having reached those thresholds in each of his first four campaigns with Seattle. Twice has Rodriguez gone 30-30, including in 2025 as he once again surged over the final two months to help the Mariners secure the AL West. While overshadowed by teammate Cal Raleigh, Rodriguez was a top-10 fantasy earner on offense despite batting .207 through the end of April. The combination of power and speed makes Rodriguez an incredibly valuable asset in rotisserie leagues, and there is room to dream on upside with batting average after he finally made improvement with his strikeout rate last season, cutting it to a career-low 21.4%. Rodriguez has shown that the elite five-category production will be there at the end of the day, and the best may be yet to come.

Tucker was limited to 78 games in 2024 due to a shin fracture before being traded from the Astros to the Cubs last winter. The 29-year-old had a productive year in Chicago with 22 homers, 25 stolen bases, 73 RBI, 91 runs and an .841 OPS in 136 games. He missed most of September due to a calf strain and also dealt with a hand fracture in June, which he played through but was accompanied by a prolonged slump during July and August. Tucker showcased his plate discipline with an 87:88 BB:K, but the power production was underwhelming as he posted his lowest homer total since the shortened 2020 campaign. However, a .266 average and third career 20-20 season illustrates how strong of a floor Tucker has established, and after hitting the open market this winter he'll benefit from no longer having pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field as his home park. The veteran outfielder had a .747 OPS at home in 2025 compared to a .923 OPS on the road.

The veteran outfielder was sidelined for nearly the first two months of 2025 while finishing up his rehab from ACL surgery, and he hit the ground running with three homers in his first eight contests after making his season debut in late May. Acuna also missed some time midseason due to a calf strain but returned for the final six weeks of the campaign with no apparent issues. Acuna ended up playing in 95 games and totaled 21 home runs, nine stolen bases, 42 RBI and 74 runs scored with a .290/.417/.518 slash line. The steals total is particularly notable given that Acuna tallied 73 stolen bases during his last full season in 2023, but it's not a major surprise that he was limited on the basepaths in his first year back from knee surgery. Availability remains a bit of a concern since the outfielder has played 100 games in a season just twice in the past five years. Acuna is entering his age-28 campaign and could be one of the top fantasy players in baseball in 2026, but he'll need to stay healthy and ramp his activity on the basepaths back up.

Rooker has quickly established himself as one of the top power threats in the league since getting his first full-season look in the majors in 2023, with his 30 home runs last season being his third straight 30-homer campaign. He couldn't quite replicate the .293 average and .927 OPS he posted in 2024 but still finished 2025 with a .262/.335/.479 slash line, 89 RBI and 92 runs while playing in all 162 games. Rooker also cut down on some of the swing-and-miss in his stroke, with his 22.2 percent strikeout rate being an improvement of more than six points. His hard-hit rate dropped five points to 44.5 percent, but he still may have deserved some better results with a .275 xBA and .509 xSLG. Rooker may never fully get back to that level of 2024 production, but the reduced strikeout numbers indicate room for growth from the .814 OPS he posted in 2025. He began last season eligible only as a utility player, but Rooker will begin 2026 with outfield eligibility after making 27 appearances in the field.

Bellinger's Bronx debut was solid yet unspectacular given some of the wish-casting related to his possible production moving into a stadium seemingly built for his swing. Bellinger did set a new post-pandemic high for home runs with 29, 18 of which came in Yankee Stadium while also hitting .302. However, a .241 average and 11 home runs on the road capped his overall number. His run production and overall five-category production were still good enough to make him the 10th-most valuable outfielder in standard league formats, and it is not unusual to see free agents take a step forward in their second year in a new market. Bellinger remains one of the tougher players to strike out, which belies what some of his swings looks like. He has an unusual profile for someone ranked so highly, as his several of his StatCast indicators are in the bottom 25th to 50th percentile, which should limit expectations of a 2026 improvement for him. The home park makes anything possible, but improvements away from Yankee Stadium will ultimately determine whether Bellinger can take a step forward in the rankings.

It took four seasons, but Suzuki finally came through on the power numbers fantasy managers and Chicago fans have been pining for since the slugger came over from the JPL prior to the 2022 season. Suzuki leaned into a heavier elevate-and-celebrate approach as career highs in Pull percentage and FlyBall percentage led to career-best totals in home runs and RBI. The new approach came with the tax of his batting average, which declined nearly 40 points from where it had been the two seasons prior, which simply dropped his batting average down to a league-average level.The trade-off for increased run production was likely worth it to many fantasy managers who also enjoyed Suzuki avoiding the injured list for the first time in his major league career. He now enters the final year of his initial contract with the Cubs, so if you are a believer in contract year magic, especially after watching what Kyle Schwarber just did in his walk year, this is a 2026 target for you. Realistically, his 2025 performance is repeatable, while 40 homers would be a super stretch goal.

Tatis finally produced a full season of results in his sixth year of playing at the big league level. Shoulder injuries and suspensions robbed him of playing time in previous seasons, but Tatis avoided those maladies in 2025 in an effort to get the Padres deep into October baseball. Those aspirations did not materialize, as the Padres were quickly eliminated from the postseason, but Tatis set new career highs in steals with 32 and runs with 111. The increased time on base (.368 OBP) helped both of those marks, as Tatis rediscovered his presuspension plate discipline and got back to accepting the walks to utilize his base-running abilities. The 42 homers from 2021 already were looking suspicious with the hindsight of his PED suspension, but 2025 saw Tatis hit at least 20 homers for a third consecutive postsuspension season as well as for the fourth time in his career. While he seems a little older, he turns 27 over the winter and will once again hit either first or second in the San Diego lineup. A repeat of his 25-25 season absolutely is possible and a 30-30 season is a stretch goal for this profile, but envisioning above and beyond that would be greedy.

Springer entered 2025 coming off the worst year of his career, so expectations for last season weren't particularly high as it appeared Father Time had already caught up with him. The outfielder instead clubbed 32 home runs and stole 18 bases with a career-best .309 average, with his 166 wRC+ also being a career high. The resurgence was no fluke either, as the quality of contact was strong (15.8 percent barrel rate and 46.7 percent hard-hit rate) and led to a .295 xBA and .563 xSLG, as he nearly doubled his launch angle to 17.3 degrees after struggling to get the ball in the air the previous few seasons. The underlying numbers indicate the performance is repeatable, but it's worth keeping in mind that Springer is entering his age-36 season. He's played at least 133 games in each of the past four seasons, and his increased usage at designated hitter (82 appearances in 2025) should help keep him in the lineup. Springer is coming off arguably the best season of his career and should be able to sustain strong numbers in 2026, but there's some inherent risk in his fantasy profile at this point of his career, particularly given the downward trend prior to last season.

Arozarena was acquired by Seattle from Tampa Bay at the 2024 trade deadline, and he delivered a career-high 27 homers during his first full year with the Mariners. He also stole 31 bases -- his highest total since 2022 -- and tied a career high with 95 runs scored. The veteran outfielder finished 2024 with career worsts in average (.219) and slugging percentage (.388), but he rebounded with a .238/.334/.426 slash line in 2025, with that .760 OPS being just below his career mark of .777. Arozarena has five straight campaigns of 20-plus homers and 20-plus steals, and he has averaged 75 RBI and 87 runs per season during that stretch, and those numbers are a decent representation of what to expect from him in 2026.

It wasn't always pretty, but Chourio hit 21 homers and stole 21 bases in his age-21 season, becoming the youngest player in MLB history to record consecutive 20-20 campaigns. Impressively, he did it in just 131 games last season, as a hamstring injury cost him a month in the second half. Chourio returned from the injured list to put up his worst month of the season in September (.200/.262/.337), though he rebounded with a strong postseason performance (.890 OPS) for a Brewers team that reached the NLCS. Milwaukee bet big on Chourio in the form of an eight-year, $80 million extension before he even reached the majors, and that investment is paying off in spades. His 2025 looks like a lateral step in some respects, and there are legitimate holes in his batted-ball and plate-discipline profiles, including a bottom-50th percentile hard-hit rate and a bottom-10th percentile chase rate. However, it's important to remember that not all growth is linear, and the performance level Chourio has established at such a young age should be viewed as an excellent foundation from which he can build.

Nimmo's transformation from table setter to middle-of-the-order slugger appears to be complete. His walk rate fell to a career-low 7.7 percent in 2025, and it dragged his on-base percentage (.324) along with it. However, Nimmo also set new career highs in home runs (25) and RBI (92), and his batting average returned to a respectable .262 following a major dip in 2024 (.224). Additionally, while Juan Soto's 38 steals understandably drew most of the headlines, Nimmo quietly reached double digits in stolen bases for the second year in a row under the guidance of baserunning coach guru Antoan Richardson. Nimmo dealt with plantar fasciitis in 2024 and still felt it last offseason, but he wound up playing more than 150 games for the fourth season in a row. He's firmly established as a five-category contributor and will have a good supporting cast again in 2026.

Hernandez re-signed with the Dodgers last winter after clubbing 33 homers with an .840 OPS in 2024, but he regressed in 2025 and finished with 25 home runs and a .738 OPS, with the latter mark being the worst since his rookie campaign. He still drove in 89 runs and set a career-best 24.6 percent strikeout rate, but the outfielder scored just 65 times as his walk rate cratered to a career-low 4.8 percent. Hernandez's batted-ball numbers were largely the same as the previous season, with a .260 xBA and and .462 xSLG in 2025 indicating he could be due for some better results in 2026. He has seven consecutive seasons of 20-plus homers (discounting the shortened 2020 campaign), but he's otherwise been a bit inconsistent year-to-year. However, Hernandez has a solid floor for counting stats while batting in the middle of Los Angeles' potent lineup -- especially given his solid .261 average since the start of 2022 -- and he has clear 30-homer, 100-RBI upside.