As per annual tradition, here are all my favorite picks for 2026, excluding likely first- and second-rounders. Players are listed alongside their placement in my Top 300, their Yahoo ADP and their NFBC ADP post-March 1.
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Undervalued First Basemen
Sal Stewart (Reds) – 57 in Top 300 – 206 in Yahoo – 174 in NFBC
Pete Alonso (Orioles) – 17 in Top 300 – 22 in Yahoo – 25 in NFBC
Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) – 37 in Top 300 – 51 in Yahoo – 63 in NFBC
Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals) – 61in Top 300 – 84 in Yahoo – 74 in NFBC
Alec Burleson (Cardinals) – 115 in Top 300 – 175 in Yahoo – 161 in NFBC
Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) – 157 in Top 300 – 216 in Yahoo – 270 in NFBC
With the Eugenio Suárez signing still helping to keep his price in check, Stewart is one of my two very favorite picks this year. He hits the ball very hard, he doesn’t strike out a lot and he’s in a fantastic offensive ballpark in Cincinnati. He just needs Terry Francona to trust him as a regular, and though that didn’t happen in September, Francona seems to be buying in now, based on where Stewart has been hitting this spring. Stewart also figures to qualify at second base at some point, which would be quite the added bonus.
Listing Alonso here sort of violates my no first- or second-rounders rule, but I’ve gotten him early in the third a couple of times. His exit velocity numbers last year were easily better than ever before, and now he’s getting a ballpark upgrade in Baltimore. Freeman is healthier now than he was last year, when he still hit .295 with 24 homers, and he might have the most RBI chances of anyone in the league while hitting cleanup for the Dodgers. Pasquantino is a little extra interesting with the Royals bringing in the fences a little at Kauffman.
Undervalued Second Basemen
Luke Keaschall (Twins) – 84 in Top 300 – 119 in Yahoo – 116 in NFBC
Matt McLain (Reds) – 108 in Top 300 – 194 in Yahoo – 168 in NFBC
Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox) – 122 in Top 300 – 160 in Yahoo – 120 in NFBC
Jorge Polanco (Mets) – 135 in Top 300 – 191 in Yahoo – 204 in NFBC
Tommy Edman (Dodgers) – 163 in Top 300 – 90% undrafted in Yahoo – 529 in NFBC
Luis García Jr. (Nationals) – 180 in Top 300 – 199 in Yahoo – 234 in NFBC
Brett Baty (Mets) – 191 in Top 300 – 97% undrafted in Yahoo – 278 in NFBC
No huge bargains here, but I do really like Keaschall’s potential to hit 15 homers and steal 30 bases if he can stay off the injured list. McLain is moving up draft boards with his hot spring and elevation to the second spot in Cincinnati lineup, so one probably can’t wait as long to take him as those ADPs suggest. I don’t totally buy into Polanco’s 2025 campaign, but he’s going to be batting cleanup behind three terrific hitters, he’s getting a ballpark upgrade and splitting time between first base and DH should help keep him healthy. Then there’s Edman, who can currently be had in the last round in mixed leagues. The Dodgers have been vague about when he might return from ankle surgery, but he’s been hitting and running this spring. He’ll almost certainly be healthier than last year, when he was terribly unlucky in his 97 games; he hit .225, but his EV numbers were all a little better than his norms and Statcast gave him a .274 xBA.
Everything you need for 2026 fantasy baseball draft season.
Undervalued Third Basemen
Austin Riley (Braves) – 31 in Top 300 – 63 in Yahoo – 60 in NFBC
Maikel Garcia (Royals) – 44 in Top 300 – 70 in Yahoo – 62 in NFBC
Noelvi Marte (Reds) – 96 in Top 300 – 153 in Yahoo – 135 in NFBC
Alec Bohm (Phillies) – 120 in Top 300 – 196 in Yahoo – 235 in NFBC
Caleb Durbin (Red Sox) – 160 in Top 300 – 88% undrafted In Yahoo – 224 in NFBC
Jordan Lawlar (D-backs) – 206 in Top 300 – N/A in Yahoo – 283 in NFBC
Riley has hit the ball just as hard as usual the last two years, but the results haven’t been there like they were in 2022 and ’23. He’s having a really nice spring thus far, and he gotten a little bump with the Jurickson Profar suspension putting him back into the cleanup spot in Atlanta.
I don’t think there was anything fluky about Garcia’s breakout last year, and he could still steal a few more bases. He should also add some runs and RBI with the Royals’ offense likely to perk up some this year. Marte is riskier than most, but he showed ample potential at age 23 and he’s in a top ballpark for hitters. The speed is also there for him to swipe 30 bags, not that I expect he will. Bohm is another cleanup hitter in line to get a ton of RBI opportunities. It didn’t work out last year, but he drove in 97 runs in 145 games in 2023 and in 143 games in 2024.
Undervalued Shortstops
Zach Neto (Angels) – 18 in Top 300 – 33 in Yahoo – 30 in NFBC
CJ Abrams (Nationals) – 32 in Top 300 – 91 in Yahoo – 64 in NFBC
Jeremy Peña (Astros) – 80 in Top 300 – 88 in Yahoo – 116 in NFBC
Xavier Edwards (Marlins) – 98 in Top 300 – 156 in Yahoo – 176 in NFBC
Ezequiel Tovar (Rockies) – 146 in Top 300 – 193 in Yahoo – 195 in NFBC
This is assuming Neto is OK after hurting his hand/wrist sliding into home on Saturday. He was right behind Corey Seager and Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the highest barrel rate among middle infielders last year, and Angel Stadium has been an outstanding ballpark for right-handed power of late. A 30/30 season is possible.
I had Peña ranked 55th prior to his finger injury, and I’m willing to risk it with the discount currently available. Edwards is a guy I didn’t expect to be this high on, but he took a nice step forward in terms of bat speed while also reducing his strikeout rate from 17% to 14% last year. I don’t know that he’ll get back to being an elite basestealer (he went from 31 steals in 70 games in 2024 to 27 in 139 games last year), but he’ll be helpful there, and he has a chance to hit .300.
Undervalued Catchers
Iván Herrera (Cardinals) – 112 in Top 300 – 169 in Yahoo – 166 in NFBC
Gabriel Moreno (D-backs) – 233 in Top 300 – 95% undrafted in Yahoo -174 NFBC
Ah, yes, this spot again. Two very obvious caveats here: NFBC uses two catchers, while my rankings are for one-catcher leagues, and Herrera doesn’t currently qualify as a catcher in NFBC or other traditional leagues, though he does in Yahoo.
Before the Yankees’ move to re-sign Paul Goldschmidt, I was high enough on Ben Rice to place him here, but I’m much closer to the consensus now. In one-catcher mixed leagues, I’m just sitting out until the end and taking Moreno. He’s an injury risk, but he’s trending in the right direction at age 26 and figures to feature very prominently in the Arizona lineup. He could lead all catchers in batting average and homer 15 times. If it’s a one-catcher league in which Herrera qualifies at catcher, I’m fine with targeting him in the middle rounds.
In two-catcher leagues, I think Salvador Perez is the best buy in the second tier of catchers. J.T. Realmuto also seems a little underrated as the 17th catcher off the board in NFBC leagues, and I’d be good with rolling the dice on Kansas City’ Carter Jensen, who has a chance to be a top-10 catcher as a rookie if the playing time is there.
Undervalued Outfielders
Michael Harris II (Braves) – 33 in Top 300 – 96 in Yahoo – 100 in NFBC
Jarren Duran (Red Sox) – 39 in Top 300 – 48 in Yahoo – 65 in NFBC
George Springer (Blue Jays) – 52 in Top 300 – 89 in Yahoo – 90 in NFBC
Dylan Crews (Nationals) – 67 in Top 300 – 201 in Yahoo – 176 in NFBC
Luis Robert Jr. (Mets) – 71 in Top 300 – 150 in Yahoo – 109 in NFBC
Mike Trout (Angels) – 103 in Top 300 – 163 in Yahoo – 174 in NFBC
Bryan Reynolds (Pirates) – 108 in Top 300 – 181 in Yahoo – 196 in NFBC
Daylen Lile (Nationals) – 119 in Top 300 – 214 in Yahoo – 202 in NFBC
Brenton Doyle (Rockies) – 131 in Top 300 – 184 in Yahoo – 166 in NFBC
Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays) – 154 in Top 300 – 202 in Yahoo -192 in NFBC
Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox) – 171 in Top 300 – 209 in Yahoo – 209 in NFBC
Adolis García (Phillies) – 178 in Top 300 – 203 in Yahoo – 213 in NFBC
It’s not easy selling people on Harris now after three straight years of decline from his exceptional rookie season, but he joins Stewart as one of my two very favorite picks this year. Just slightly improved plate discipline would go a long way here, and Harris is perhaps showing signs of it with his 4/4 K/BB in 29 plate appearances this spring. His EV numbers were fine during his especially disappointing 2025, and he still wound up putting up a 20/20 season despite his struggles. That was essentially his floor, assuming that he stays healthy. His ceiling has him hitting over .290, which he’s done in two of his four seasons, moving back up to the top half of the Atlanta lineup, and finishing with 180 runs+RBI.
Duran was someone I just moved up based on the way he’s swinging this spring. Batting third for the Red Sox, he doesn’t need to get back to where he was in 2024 in order to finish as a top-40 player. I’m a lot higher on Springer than I figured I’d be at the end of last year, but with career high hard-hit and barrel rates, everything about his 2025 turnaround just checks out. Crews is another one of my very favorites, in part because he could steal 40 bases for a rebuilding Nationals team without busting out offensively. My expectations for his offense are more modest than they were last year (I have him hitting .250/.319/.426), but I think he’ll get to 20 homers, and as the only interesting right-handed bat in the Nationals lineup, he’s almost certain to hit in the top half of the order.
Robert has obviously been disappointing two years in a row, but with his strikeout rate coming back down and his bat speed returning to previous levels, his 2025 was far less discouraging than his 2024.
Undervalued Starting Pitchers
Logan Gilbert (Mariners) – 23 in Top 300 – 42 in Yahoo – 42 in NFBC
George Kirby (Mariners) – 46 in Top 300 – 65 in Yahoo – 72 in NFBC
Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) – 59 in Top 300 – 92 in Yahoo – N/A in NFBC
Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) – 81 in Top 300 – 108 in Yahoo – 129 in NFBC
Zack Wheeler (Phillies) – 83 in Top 300 – 140 in Yahoo – 119 in NFBC
Drew Rasmussen (Rays) – 95 in Top 300 – 188 in Yahoo – 149 in NFBC
Gerrit Cole (Yankees) – 121 in Top 300 – 183 in Yahoo – 257 in NFBC
Tanner Bibee (Guardians) – 127 in Top 300 – 160 in Yahoo – 193 in NFBC
Shota Imanaga (Cubs) – 147 in Top 300 – 180 in Yahoo – 172 in in NFBC
Matthew Boyd (Cubs) – 167 in Top 300 – 195 in Yahoo – 222 in NFBC
Bryce Miller (Mariners) – 192 in Top 300 – 214 in Yahoo – 286 in NFBC
Kodai Senga (Mets) – 205 in Top 300 – 87% undrafted in Yahoo – 258 in NFBC
Gilbert and Kirby are familiar names on my annual lists. I like how high their floors are while toiling in the league’s best situation for pitchers in Seattle. Gilbert had the elbow issue last year, which has kept his price tag down after another nice bump in his strikeout rate; his 32.3% mark last year was third in MLB among pitchers with 100 innings. I remain convinced that Kirby can still find another gear, and his strikeout rate also crept up from 23% to 26% last season.
Ohtani looked great on the mound after returning from Tommy John and wants a Cy Young to go along with his other hardware. I don’t think he’ll pitch enough to get there, but on a per-inning basis, he could be a top-five pitcher this year.
Wheeler is probably going higher than that in Yahoo leagues now. I tend to be quite a bit more comfortable with older pitchers returning from injury than with younger ones, and I think Wheeler, Cole and Blake Snell are all being underdrafted at the moment.
Miller is tumbling down draft boards because of his oblique issue, and for good reason, but that he came out averaging 97.3 mph with his fastball in his first spring outing this year could be enormous. That’s two mph better than when he posted a 2.94 ERA in 31 starts two years ago. He’s risky, but if the oblique issue proves minor, he has the potential to go down as one of this year’s biggest bargains.
Undervalued Relievers
Cade Smith (Guardians) – 55 in Top 300 – 78 in Yahoo – 48 in NFBC
Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox) – 60 in Top 300 – 101 in Yahoo – 72 in NFBC
Devin Williams (Mets) – 70 in Top 300 – 104 in Yahoo – 73 in NFBC
Daniel Palencia (Cubs) – 94 in Top 300 – 159 in Yahoo – 121 in NFBC
Griffin Jax (Rays) – 113 in Top 300 – 197 in Yahoo – 179 in NFBC
Trevor Megill (Brewers) – 133 in Top 300 – 165 in Yahoo – 161 in NFBC
Mason Miller, who is No. 41 in the top 300, doesn’t quite qualify as undervalued here, but this is the first time in a very long time or maybe ever that I’ve been inclined to take the first closer off the board in drafts. I think he’s a clear notch above everyone else, and there are fewer sure things at closer this year than there have been in many years. And if drafting Miller starts as a closer run soon afterwards, that’s a nice bonus.
Smith is my No. 3 reliever, in part because the Guardians tend to generate a ton of save chances with their low-scoring ways. I like to have Miller or Smith and then try to get Palencia and Jax later on. People are skeptical about Jax because Rays manager Kevin Cash likes his committees, but Cash was perfectly fine using Pete Fairbanks as a traditional closer in recent seasons, and I have Jax as an elite reliever from an ERA/WHIP/K standpoint. Even if it is a committee, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed by Jax at his current ADP.
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