15 days until Opening Day ...
I have good news for you: No long intro today! We're almost two weeks from Opening Day, and if you're just joining us, you need to get caught up. The Fantasy Baseball Today team has been deep in research since November, but if you haven't quite caught up yet, that's okay.
That's what today's newsletter is all about. It's time to get familiar with the player pool for 2026, and to help out, I've got position previews, strategies, and tiers for every position from Scott White and I. With any luck, with the help of today's newsletter, you'll know every position like the back of your hand in time for your drafts.
We'll have a whole lot more to make sure you're ready for Opening Day between now and the 25th, too. We're in the home stretch. Let's get to it:
You know, catcher, that black sheep of a position that's often as frivolous and frustrating as tight end is in Fantasy Football? What if I told you it's actually good now?
Heard that one before, have you? Gotten burned more than once by some young upstart who ultimately fell victim to attrition, playing-time chicanery, or plain old-fashioned failure? Yes, all three are pretty common at catcher, largely because of the physical demands it places on its participants.
But this time, I mean it. It's not mere wishcasting over some hypothetical somebody. It's not naively whitewashing some deeply flawed data darling. The influx of talent here has been so extensive over the past couple years that the redundancies run deep. And these are all players who, to some degree or another, have already demonstrated what they can do ..." --Scott White
The Elite: Cal RaleighThe Near-Elite: Hunter Goodman, William Contreras, Ben Rice, Shea LangeliersThe Next-Best Things: Will Smith, Agustin Ramirez, Salvador Perez, Drake Baldwin, Adley RutschmanThe Fallback Options: Samuel Basallo, Yainer Diaz, Carter Jensen, Gabriel Moreno, Kyle Teel, (Ivan Herrera), Francisco AlvarezThe Last Resorts: J.T. Realmuto, Alejandro Kirk, Austin Wells, Dillon Dingler, Logan O'HoppeThe Leftovers: Carson Kelly, Edgar Quero, Tyler Stephenson, (Moises Ballesteros), Harry Ford, Victor Caratini, Ryan Jeffers, Sean Murphy, Miguel Amaya, Carlos Narvaez, Danny Jansen, Bo Naylor
†: one tier lower in categories/Rotisserie leagues^: one tier lower in Head-to-Head points leagues( ): DH-only, but with some hope of becoming eligible here
One sleeper, one breakout, and one bust
Ford has been a top prospect for a pretty long time and hasn't quite developed into the sure-fire difference maker many hoped for. And his profile for Fantasy took an especially big hit in 2025 as he stole just seven bases in 97 games at Triple-A. That puts a lot more pressure on the bat to play up, and things are kind of fringe-y; he makes good swing decisions, but the raw power and contact skills are more average than great, and the hit tool could play down against MLB pitching.
Rice is everyone's favorite breakout, though I imagine the heat is going to get turned down a bit in drafts after the signing of Paul Goldschmidt as a potential platoon for at least the toughest lefties on the schedule. Rice should still have a playing time edge on most other catchers and might end up being one of the two or three best hitters at the position.
I guess I just don't get the appeal here? Kirk is coming off a career-best season that saw him hit ... 15 homers with 121 combined runs and RBI? Really, that's all? Sure, he hit .282, but don't you need more than that to be a top-12 option at catcher, especially this year? In theory, Kirk's skill set should at least make him a solid bet for batting average, but even there, he hit just .251 between 2023 and 2024, so you can't even say that. It's reasonable to hope for a useful batting average from Kirk, but he was just 16th in homers, sixth in RBI, and 19th in runs among catchers in 2025. --Chris Towers
"Once a repository for all things slug, first base got stuck in a state of sameness for about a half-decade, recycling the same standouts, with a number of youthful misses along the way.
But then came Nick Kurtz. To say he delivered on the hype would be selling him short. Not only did he homer 36 times in 117 games, giving him a 162-game pace of 50, but he also had arguably the best single-game performance for any hitter in history, homering four times en route to a record 19 total bases. Some players sputter when rushed to the majors. He found another gear.
And with that, the position accustomed to sameness has a new No. 1. Turns out Kurtz wasn't the only one to break through, either. Vinnie Pasquantino finally stayed healthy long enough to deliver on his potential. Tyler Soderstrom made good in his first full season. Michael Busch and Jonathan Aranda had a long road to regular playing time in the majors, but proved deserving of it, delivering numbers much like they did in the minors. Makes you forget all about Triston Casas, doesn't it?" --Scott White
The Elite: Nick Kurtz, Vladimir Guerrero JrThe Near-Elite: Pete Alonso, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman, Josh NaylorThe Next-Best Things: Ben Rice, Vinnie Pasquantino, Yandy Diaz†, Tyler Soderstrom, Michael BuschThe Fallback Options: Salvador Perez, Spencer Torkelson, Jonathan ArandaThe Last Resorts: Sal Stewart, Munetaka Murakami, Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson, Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Kyle Manzardo, Christian Walker, (Bryce Eldridge)The Leftovers: Andrew Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa, Jake Burger, Miguel Vargas, Nolan Schanuel, Ryan O'Hearn, Coby Mayo, Paul Goldschmidt, Josh Smith, Triston Casas, Romy Gonzalez, Josh Bell
Murakami was pretty much the best hitter in Japan over the past half-decade, though there were some real ups and downs. He struggled with contact in Japan, striking out around 28-29% of the time over the past three seasons, and it's reasonable to expect that number to be even higher in the majors. So he'll need to be an elite power hitter to overcome that. The good news is he's been the premier power hitter in the second-best professional league in the world and is still very much in his prime.
We got a near 30-homer season out of Manzardo already, but with a poor batting average and limited counting stats, so I understand the lack of interest in him in drafts. But the Guardians started treating him more like an everyday player down the stretch, as he started seven of their final 10 games against lefty starts, including a must-win playoff game against Tarik Skubal.
He's going to be good. He may even be great. There's even a chance Kurtz is truly a generational talent. And that upside - 45 homers, 100-plus RBI, a good batting average - is worth chasing with a second-round pick. But the likeliest outcome is disappointment. Every rookie with an OPS north of 1.000 except for Ted Williams has regressed the following year, and that's even true for Hall of Fame talents like Aaron Judge, who went four seasons without another 1.000 OPS after his rookie season. --Chris Towers
"Second base has become increasingly difficult to classify in recent years. Is it deep? Is it shallow? It's all a matter of perspective.
Certainly, it's weak in the sense that few drafters will feel like their second baseman is the crux of their team. The first (Jazz Chisholm) will go off the board late in Round 2, with maybe another (Ketel Marte) in Round 3 and maybe another (Brice Turang) in Round 4. But all three are elevated due to their scarcity and don't bring the same assurances as high-end players at other positions (for instance, first base).
You see the dilemma. Sure, investing big at second base could give you a serious leg up on your competition, but not if it ruins you first ..." --Scott White
The Elite: Jazz Chisholm, Ketel MarteThe Near-Elite: Brice TurangThe Next-Best Things: Jose Altuve, Nico Hoerner, Luke KeaschallThe Fallback Options: Brandon Lowe, Ozzie Albies, Gleyber Torres†The Last Resorts: Jorge Polanco, Xavier Edwards, Marcus Semien, Brendan Donovan†, Ceddanne Rafaela, Matt McLain, Bryson Stott, Otto Lopez, Jackson HollidayThe Leftovers: Luis Garcia, Brett Baty, Lenyn Sosa, Colt Keith, Jose Caballero, Brooks Lee, Tommy Edman, Jeff McNeil, Jake Cronenworth, Ernie Clement, Chase Meidroth, Romy Gonzalez, Andres Gimenez, Nolan Gorman, Jonathan India, Willi Castro, Christian Moore, Luisangel Acuna, Sung-Mun Song
I was right to be out on McLain as a top-100 pick this time last year, but I'm a bit more optimistic about his chances for a bounce back than most seemed to be coming into spring. I think too many Fantasy players discounted the impact that missing an entire year coming off shoulder surgery would have on McLain, who simply didn't make enough contact for his relatively limited raw power. A full year off will do that, and he still has some reason to be optimistic - he doesn't swing and miss as much as you'd think for a 29% strikeout rate guy, and if he can cut that K rate to around 24-25%, I think there's a pretty dynamic skill set here.
Here's the bullish case for Keaschall: For most of his minor-league career, brief though it was, he was more like a high-.100s ISO guy, including when he hit 15 homers in just 102 games in 2024. If there is actually 20-homer potential here - if his poor results and middling underlying numbers in 2025 were the result of coming back from the forearm fracture - then you're talking about some serious upside. He should make plenty of contact, and he should steal plenty of bases (50-steal pace across all levels in 2025), and if we're talking about actual contributions in homers, well, that's a pretty exciting profile. I'm expecting 10 homers and hoping for 15, but I don't think that's the ceiling here.
I'm having trouble making sense of Rafaela's price. His final numbers in 2025 would justify his current ADP, but it feels like his skillset kinda demands a lot more of a margin for error than we're getting here. Yeah, you'll take 16 homers and 20 steals for a 10th round pick, but the truth is, Rafaela was really only useful in Fantasy for two months in 2025, from June through July, when he had 11 of his homers and seven of his steals. Outside of those two months, Rafaela was pretty much useless, and his poor plate discipline and middling batted ball skills don't exactly back up the idea that the two good months are more likely to be the norm moving forward. --Chris Towers
"We may have a problem here.
There are times when third base is loaded. It tends to invite larger gentlemen with stronger arms, after all, and with that comes powerful swings, generally speaking. But in those times when defense is more in vogue, third base will end up losing some of its best bats to other, less premium positions.
That's the state the position is in now, and judging by the third base picture in the minors, it's not improving anytime soon. Surely, some of the current shortstop class will end up migrating, for the same reason some third basemen migrate to first base, but when sizing up the true third basemen in the minors right now, only one stands out: Jacob Reimer. And he's blocked about three times over for the Mets ..." --Scott White
The First-Rounders: Jose RamirezThe Elite: Junior Caminero, Jazz ChisholmThe Near-Elite: Manny Machado, Austin Riley, Eugenio Suarez, Maikel GarciaThe Next-Best Things: Alex Bregman†, Max Muncy†The Fallback Options: Matt Chapman, Kazuma Okamoto, Isaac ParedesThe Last Resorts: Noelvi Marte, Royce Lewis, Alec Bohm, Jordan Westburg^The Leftovers: Addison Barger, Jordan Lawlar, Carlos Correa, Brett Baty, Josh Jung, Caleb Durbin, Mark Vientos, Matt Shaw, Zach McKinstry, Colt Keith, Miguel Vargas, Jose Caballero, Brooks Lee, Ernie Clement, Josh Smith, Connor Norby, Marcelo Mayer, Ryan McMahon, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Jonathan India, Willi Castro
Lawlar has his flaws, for sure. He's struggled mightily to stay healthy in the upper minors, and he has struggled mightily to hit non-fastballs, which is a pretty big red flag that MLB pitchers are more likely to take advantage of than those in the minors. But at this point, the Diamondbacks need to just give him a chance to sink or swim, because there's nothing left to be learned for a guy with an OPS near 1.000 in his career at Triple-A. It looks like Lawlar is at least going to get a chance to play in the outfield for the Diamondbacks, and if he can hack it out there defensively, I still think he's a guy with 20-20 upside in the majors - though my expectations for his batting average continue to decline in the short and longer term.
Okamoto combines at least above-average raw power with the skills to put it into play consistently in games. That doesn't mean he'll definitely be a plus major-leaguer, but it's a bet I'm willing to make given his landing spot with the Blue Jays. He ended up signing for four years and $60 million despite turning 30 in June, so the Blue Jays are paying him like they expect him to be an immediate contributor. He'll likely primarily play third base, but could see time at first, second, and the outfield depending on how important it becomes to keep his bat in the lineup. The likeliest outcome for Okamoto is probably something like the post-peak version of Nolan Arenado, and his ADP is still outside of the top-200, making him a very nice target in most leagues.
I think Bregman is probably going to be fine. He's less reliant for power on pulling the ball right down the line than Isaac Paredes, and that's the primary reason he was such a bad fit for Wrigley Field. I don't think Bregman is likely to be held back in the same way. But it's been a tough park to hit for power in the past few years, and Bregman doesn't have as much of a margin for error as he used to. If that batting average dips to the .250 range and the homers settle in more in the 20 range in Wrigley, he's going to start looking pretty fringe-y for Fantasy. His price is reasonable enough that I'm not actively avoiding Bregman, but I don't think the ceiling is high enough to make him a big target, either. --Chris Towers
"If third base is the position you have to worry about most (and if you've read my third base strategies, you know it is), shortstop is the position you have to worry about least. That comes with a caveat, but it won't apply to 90 percent of you.
Granted, shortstop has had a reputation for being the most star-studded position in Fantasy for darn near a decade now, but it hasn't always been deep to the point that you can't really mess it up. That's how it stacks up now, though. In addition to all the early-round standouts remaining more or less in good standing, Mookie Betts and Geraldo Perdomo have unexpectedly joined the ranks of the elite, Zachary Neto and Jeremy Pena have taken a significant step forward, and Bo Bichette and Trevor Story have shaken off past injuries to regain their place of prominence. By my count, there are 15 shortstops who would be satisfactory starters in any format, along with a handful of others with that same sort of upside.
About that caveat, though: The drop-off thereafter is steep ... " --Scott White
The First-Rounders: Bobby Witt, Elly De La Cruz^The Elite: Gunnar Henderson, Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts†, Geraldo Perdomo†The Near-Elite: Zachary Neto, Corey Seager, C.J. Abrams, Bo BichetteThe Next-Best Things: Jeremy Pena, Trevor Story^The Fallback Options: Willy Adames, Dansby Swanson, Konnor Griffin, Jacob Wilson†The Last Resorts: Colson Montgomery, Xavier Edwards, JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, Xander Bogaerts†, Otto LopezThe Leftovers: Carlos Correa, Ezequiel Tovar, Masyn Winn, Colt Emerson, Anthony Volpe, Zach McKinstry, Jose Caballero, Brooks Lee, J.P. Crawford, Ernie Clement, Josh Smith, Ha-seong Kim, Jett Williams
Wetherholt is likely to be the starting second baseman for the Cardinals, and he's a lot more interesting when he qualifies there. But even if he's only a shortstop, Wetherholt has enough talent to matter even in 12-team leagues. The No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, Wetherholt hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games across the high minors, and that included a 91.4 mph average exit velocity at Triple-A - a sign that the power is more than just fringe-y. Wetherholt should hit for a solid batting average, and expecting 15-15 production seems reasonable enough, but with a player this young and talented, that certainly isn't the ceiling.
Breakout: Elly De La Cruz, Reds
