Fantasy baseball: Top 10 prospects to consider drafting for 2026 leagues

Fantasy baseball managers looking for draft-day upside with untapped upside often look to the league’s top prospects to bolster their teams – perhaps too eagerly. Just look at those amazing minor league numbers! Who can resist? Prospects haven’t flopped yet at the big league level so many We are among the boring, experienced players can Invest in advance.

During these cold, snowy winter months the prospects look great until… well, no one wants to hear that most prospects will disappoint. We only want to hear good things!

Memorization boston red sox 2b Christian CampbellBaseball’s “it” selection from last season? He had a great spring, signing a long-term contract and after hitting .301 with a .902 OPS for Boston in April, he hit .134 with a .355 OPS in May and spent most of the season in the minors.

During this time, Washington Nationals Of dylan cruz And chicago cubs If matt shaw The two were top 200 selections in ESPN ADP, and they hit .208 and .226, respectively, for the season. It’s hard to kill. Relying on possibilities can be dangerous. some had Exercise 1B Nick Kurtz And atlanta braves C drake baldwin Winning their respective league’s Rookie of the Year award.

To be officially defined as a prospect, one must not have yet exhausted their MLB rookie eligibility (130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, 45 days on the active roster). Unlike previous seasons, when los angeles dodgers rhp roki sasaki At the top of our list (and posted a disappointing 4.46 ERA in only 36⅓ regular season innings before winning the World Series), we’re not including up-and-coming veteran Japanese players like munetaka murakami (chicago white sox 3B, age 26), Kazuma Okamoto (toronto blue jays 3B, age 29) or Tatsuya Imai (Houston Astros RHP, age 27). Sure, any of these three could earn AL Rookie of the Year honors, but they are experienced players. For this project we will stick to traditional possibilities.

Top fantasy baseball prospects for 2026

Ranked for fantasy value only in 2026

1. Connor Griffinss, pittsburgh pirates: : The generally accepted top prospect in the game – a prospect named Alex Rodriguez and bobby wit jr. Clones – Hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three minor league levels in his age-19 season. Those are numbers worth dreaming about. There’s no doubt that Griffin, a tall, five-tool option who bats right-handed, will be a terrific MLB player, but the question is when?

The Pirates, like many other franchises in the Central Division with top shortstop talent, are open to Griffin starting the season with the parent club, depending on how he performs in March. The lure of immediate statistical impact (while pretending not to notice the downside of waiting months for a start) should be enough for fantasy managers to invest in the middle rounds of ESPN’s shallow draft. Why not take a chance, right? There will be a lot of options available in free agency.

2. kevin mcgonigalss, detroit tigers: : As mentioned in our November Arizona Fall League RapMcGonigle, 21, certainly looked to be the best player there, slashing .362/.500/.710 and earning MVP honors. Similar to Griffin, McGonigal has yet to make an appearance in Triple-A, but he is older, more mature and was a 2023 draft pick. He draws comparisons to Chase Utley.

The Tigers, who have been making consistent playoff appearances, appear to be open to McGonigal, a left-handed hitter who hit 19 home runs and had more walks than strikeouts, and won the Opening Day starting role.

3. JJ Weatherholtss, St. Louis Cardinals: : The No. 7 pick in the 2024 amateur draft batted better than .300 in long stints in Double-A and Triple-A last season, hitting 17 home runs, 23 stolen bases and an excellent walk rate. Similar to McGonigle, Weatherhold is a left-handed hitter and looks ready for the majors. These may not be safe picks at shortstop when compared to proven veterans going in the middle to late rounds, such as dansby swanson, masin winn And xander bogartsBut the odds boast untapped statistical upside and many fantasy managers can’t help themselves.

4. sebastian walcottss, Texas Rangers: : Finally, here comes another shortstop with great offensive upside and at least Some? Likely to earn a starting or early season starting role with a big club. The 19-year-old Walcott produced a .741 OPS with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases in 552 Double-A plate appearances last season. Rangers already have a short stop corey seegerBut like McGonigal and Weatherholt, if the player can help the team, he can easily move to another infield position.

Countless fantasy managers will be watching closely – as they should! – Let’s see what happens with these four excellent, young shortstop prospects in March, as this could be a really special season.

5. sal stewart1B, cincinnati reds: : Stewart is a different type of prospect in many ways. For one, he made his 2025 debut, hitting five home runs in 18 games in September. Stewart, 22, is a right-handed slugger with strong plate discipline and although he has played second and third base in the minor leagues, he could fit in as Cincinnati’s first baseman or DH. Don’t worry about defense. Look for a .275 batting average and 25 home runs.

6. nolan mcleanSP, New York Mets: : Young starting pitchers, no matter how skilled and polished, remain a far greater risk than top-ranked players due to health and statistics. However, McLean is 24 and we have seen him flourish. After dominating at Double-A, McLean posted a 2.06 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in eight starts for the Mets, winning five of them. McLean struck out five or more hitters in each outing, while striking out 11 in his season finale at Wrigley Field. No Rookie-eligible players are going to crack the NFBC ADP top 100, but MacLean is the closest.

7. trey yeswaysSP, Blue Jays: You may remember Yesavage looking dominant at times during Toronto’s World Series appearance. Yesvez only made three regular season starts, and he looked very good, but then he was promoted to 11 New York Yankees Over 5⅓ hitless innings in his playoff debut, and his stock rose quickly. The Yesaways pitched 27⅔ playoff innings with a 3.58 ERA and a 35% strikeout rate. The team says there is no innings cap for him in 2026. Don’t give it too much importance, but he looks good.

8. Samuel BasalC, baltimore orioles: : Basallo, 21, made his debut in mid-August last season and hit .165 with a .187 BABIP over 118 PA. Ignore all this. He was among the youngest players in Triple-A and yet produced a .966 OPS with 23 home runs in 76 games. There is no doubt that he will hit big league pitching. Of course, the Orioles C Adley Ratshman Used to take quite good beatings also. Team added 1B pete alonso Recently, however, Basallo, with his high exit velocity readings, is projected to split catching duties and see considerable action at DH as well. Fantasy managers should consider investing in standard, multi-catcher formats.

9. Bryce Aldridge1B, san francisco giants: : A 6-foot-7, 240-pound lefty slugger, Aldridge hit 25 home runs at three minor league levels last season, then debuted with the Giants in September. The 21-year-old Aldridge may not reach a high average, as he has accumulated high strikeout totals and a low contact rate in the minors, but there is little concern about his power potential. Some may compare them to the Royals OF jack caglianone In that regard. Both should supply power.

10. justin crawfordOof, Phillies: The son of former big league speedster Carl Crawford offers a similar skill set and, after winning the International League batting title with a .334 mark, the Phillies are giving him ample opportunity to win their starting center field job. Crawford, 22, stole 46 bases with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He offers little power, but he will make plays, and he will run when he gets on base. What can his numbers copy? tampa bay rays Of chandler simpson achieved in his rookie season, and he is more valuable in roto leagues than in point formats.

Others in our minds (in alphabetical order): moises ballesterosDH, cub; carson benzOF, MetS; owen caseyOf, miami marlins; bubba chandlersp, pirate; max clarkOF, Tigers; Connelly EarlySP, Red Sox; colt emersonss, seattle mariners; walker jenkinsOf, minnesota twins; carter jensenC, Royals; jesus createdss, milwaukee brewers; aidan millerSS, fillies; Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies; Jonah TongSP, Mets