I’m about 80% through my fantasy baseball draft season for 2026. We’re deep enough that discussing my commonly-rostered players is an interesting piece. Understand that it’s hard to have several shares of early-round players, since that would require a specific landing of draft slots. Be that as it may, here is a list of guys I’ve been happy to select, for various reasons.
[Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season]
You’ll agree with some, disagree with some, be unsure on some others — and that’s cool, because that’s why we have a game.
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2B Brice Turang, Brewers
1B Andrew Vaughn, Brewers
SP Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
SP Logan Henderson, Brewers
Milwaukee has turned into what the Rays used to be, a lower-market team that understands how to get the most for its dollar. A lot of the Milwaukee advantages are on the margins, building an air-tight defense and a lineup filled with guys who do a lot of things well. I’m a believer in the improvement Turang showed in the second half — when the pop really kicked in — and I believe in his broad skills. Vaughn is a classic post-hype sleeper, and his stats perked up after the trade last year.
Misiorowski and Henderson are more speculative picks — and Henderson is also dinged up at the moment — but again, I want to backline this team when I can.
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I wish I had more shares of Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, too.
RP Cade Smith, Guardians
Generally, I’m against first-tier draft prices for a closer, but Smith is an eyelash cheaper than the other vanity picks. His stat sheet jumps off the page — elite strikeout rate, tidy walk rate, rarely allows a homer — and the Guardians are built to win close ballgames.
1B/OF Alec Burleson, Cardinals
Burleson figured out lefties in 2025 and no longer has any worry about being platooned. His contact skills are excellent and he still might grow into a 25-30 homer guy. He’s one of the quiet values I want you to focus on at the table.
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SS Trevor Story, Red Sox
After three injury-ruined seasons, Story stayed healthy last year and gave us a glorious 25 homers and 31 steals (caught just once). Nobody is ready to bet on another 157 games, but Story’s ADP is around 120 in Yahoo, a reasonable discount for the health risk. It’s an inexpensive way to get invested in a deep lineup and a hitter’s ballpark.
OF Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
The perfect second-round pick. He’s going to hit 40 homers at minimum, and another 50-plus is possible. The run production will sing, tied to a strong offense and slotted first or second in the order. Schwarber no longer carries significant batting-average risk, and although I don’t want to pay expectantly for his steals, he’s shown the ability to swipe 5-10.
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3B Manny Machado, Padres
The perfect third-round pick, a Hall of Fame-tracking talent who’s somewhat unappreciated in his 30s. Machado quietly contributes in all five primary categories and checks the durability card, too. Third base is not deep in 2026.
UT Brendan Donovan, Mariners
You want a few late-round picks who cover multiple positions, and Donovan certainly applies — you can slot him at second, short or the outfield. The Seattle park isn’t a boost, but the Mariners have a better lineup than the Cardinals, and Donovan might bat leadoff all year. I also suspect he’ll run more, now tied to a team that believes in stealing bases.
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OF Brandon Nimmo, Rangers
SP McKenzie Gore, Rangers
The Nimmo call is simple, a versatile-skill player who now lives in the boring veteran value part of the show. Gore is a case of following the pedigree and strikeouts, and appreciating that he’s moving to a better team and a better pitcher environment.
3B Alec Bohm, Phillies
It’s a different vibe to draft a cornerman who isn’t a true thumper, but Bohm can approach 20 homers and he’ll likely bat cleanup for a strong Philly lineup. Last year’s mediocre season was largely explained by injury.
SP Logan Webb, Giants
SP Logan Gilbert, Mariners
These guys share a lot more than the first name — legitimate aces tied to winning teams and big ballparks. Both guys have proven they can handle a heavy workload, too, which is not common in today’s game. While I live in the Eastern time zone, Webb and Gilbert are worth staying up for, every five days.
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SP Andrew Abbott, Reds
I’ve liked him more than almost every room I’ve drafted against, to the point that you naturally start worrying that the crowd is right and you might be wrong. And I understand the caveats with Abbott — hitter park, ERA has been lucky in three years, fly-ball profile. But it’s also possible that Abbott’s ability to beat his ERA estimators reflects subtle skill, and the extreme fly-ball slant also shows his ability to put control on his batted-ball outcomes. Abbott can regress some off last year’s return and still profit at ADP.
OF Juan Soto, Mets
Not sure how many bags hang around, but Soto could win NL MVP on his bat alone. It feels like he’s been around forever, but this is merely his age-27 season. Go the extra bucks as needed in salary-cap leagues.
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SP Gavin Williams, Guardians
The ERA (great) and WHIP (okay) from last year don’t tell the same story, and in those spots we usually default to trusting the WHIP. But Williams gets a boost from a decent defense and a softish division, and perhaps he’s ready for a mild control boost as he enters his age-26 season.
C Salvador Pérez, Royals
You worry about mileage into an age-36 season, but he’ll pick up a bunch of DH work, lessening the load. The pieces around Pérez make sense, too — improving lineup, home fences moved down and moved in. I know WAR doesn’t buy in yet, but I think Pérez is close to finishing a Hall of Fame résumé. Go get Vinny Pasquantino, too.
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SP Hunter Brown, Astros
Good enough to be your No. 1 arm and you might get him in the fourth round. Brown has pitched at a Cy Young level since early 2024, when he figured out his ideal pitch mix. His Baseball Savant page is a glorious show of sliders to the right, the good side.
SS Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks
The NL’s most improved player last year is a tough call this spring because it’s hard to reconcile the power boost. But Perdomo has the profile of a possible batting champion and the steals are likely to stick. He’ll get a spot near the top of the order. Even 12-15 homers would likely lead to an easy profit season.
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RP Emilio Pagán, Reds
Relievers can be volatile from year-to-year, but I believe in Terry Francona and I expect the Reds to at least be competitive this year. Pagán probably has a fair amount of leash before the first pitch is thrown.
2B Gleyber Torres, Tigers
OF Kerry Carpenter, Tigers
It’s the boring-value veteran days for Torres, who will hit for a solid average and provide some pop. The BB/K rate validates him, always. Carpenter is worth his ADP ticket merely if he continues to crunch RHPs; but there’s room for additional profit if he hangs in against lefties.
Players I love who I keep missing in drafts (possible FOMO picks this weekend): Roman Anthony, Wyatt Langford, Cole Ragans, Eury Pérez, Maikel García, Sal Stewart, Matt McLain
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