Your 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Blueprint

Although September has a heck of a case, I’ll forever argue March is the best month of the sporting calendar. The college basketball tournaments are coming soon. The NFL news is crazy in all the good ways. The NHL and NBA seasons are heating up. The golf calendar is starting to get interesting (with the Masters not far off).

And here comes baseball, and not a minute too soon. I live in a Northern Town, amigos. The weather has started to warm in Michigan, and it’s been glorious. I spent most of the past weekend doing two things — hitting golf balls at a driving range, and navigating through some fantasy baseball drafts.

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[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

With an eye towards the upcoming Oscars, I thought it was a good time to give you some 2026 baseball themes and strategies wrapped as swanky awards. Get your finest clothes pressed and your camera loaded; join us on the red carpet.

We have tomorrow’s news ready for you today.

The Fab Four: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Juan Soto

They’re at the top of our banner for an obvious reason — these megastars will be the top four picks in most fantasy drafts. Judge and Ohtani have seven MVPs between them and I’m fine with either player with your first overall pick. Witt and Soto are players still on the escalator, guys who do everything well. The Royals moved the fences in (and the fences down). The Mets have a signature offense.

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If I get to choose my draft slot, I’ll look for something in the first four picks. Short of that, push me to the back of the first round (in part because I have a second-round player I’m targeting; more on that in a second).

First Round Theme of the Year: Early Starting Pitchers

Seasoned fantasy players understand that starting pitchers in fantasy baseball are similar to running backs in fantasy football. Both positions deal with variance and injury risk, but if you land on the right big names at these key spots, your winning chances expand significantly.

With that concept in mind, it’s important not to draft scared. Instead of wondering how your season goes awry if you pick wrong, dream big — ask yourself, what can go right if I pick right?

Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes will go in the first round of any fantasy draft this year, and Garrett Crochet often joins them. World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto usually falls in the second round. Cristopher Sánchez, Bryan Woo, Hunter Brown, Chris Sale, Logan Gilbert, Logan Webb and Max Fried are holding top 45 slots in early Yahoo drafts.

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Most of these pitchers are front-nine players and pitching for competitive teams. We can’t guarantee you wins from any pitcher, no matter how good he is, and we surely can’t guarantee health. But young pitchers on good clubs, it’s a good place to start.

You don’t have to draft a starting pitcher early this year, and as always, any strategy will work if you pick the right players. But I want you to at least spend time workshopping your starting pitching strategy.

Second Round Target of the Year: Kyle Schwarber

No one was going to touch Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP last year (the voting was unanimous), but Schwarber finished a legitimate second. Schwarber led the NL in home runs, he led the majors in RBI, he scored 100-plus runs for the fourth straight year. He even stole 10 bases for fun.

It’s important to recognize how Schwarber has evolved as a hitter. He’s no longer a major batting-average drain — he’s batted a reasonable .240 and .248 the last two years. He’ll draw a bunch of walks, produce a slew of runs and see a ton of volume as Philadelphia’s No. 1 or No. 2 batter. He’s also proven himself as durable, missing just 21 games in four years (he played them all last year).

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Schwarber is utility-only in some other formats, but he’s outfield-eligible in Yahoo. The Phillies have a destination offense. Volume can be your best friend in fantasy sports. Six months of Kyle Schwarber is going to be a blast.

Most Dangerous Early Picks of the Year: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Zack Wheeler

Crow-Armstrong turned into a star last year, charting a six-WAR season and winning his first Gold Glove (though he was just as worthy in 2024). Fantasy managers love power-speed sources, and PCA checked those boxes (31 homers, 35 steals). A .247 average is manageable. His run production was strong, too.

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If only PCA had given us this breakthrough in a manner that was easier to comprehend. We can’t unsee that he was an unstoppable god in the first half (25 homers, 27 steals, .847 OPS) and a slumping, confused hitter in the second half (six homers, eight steals, .216 average, .634 OPS).

The Cubs feel Crow-Armstrong fell into some mechanical issues that are easily correctable. Some outsiders feel that holes in Crow-Armstrong’s swing could have been exploited. There’s also the matter of the platoon deficit — Crow-Armstrong slashed .188/.217/.376 against lefties last year.

Chicago is coming off three straight winning seasons and was a playoff club last year. Alex Bregman was added to a deep lineup. PCA is tentatively slotted to bat fifth when the season opens, but he could easily drop lower in the lineup against lefties. And if he doesn’t solve last year’s second-half slump, he could wind up hitting in the lower third all year.

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Mesh it all together and PCA is a tricky fantasy call for managers to make in the 37.3 ADP range. And it’s a pick I’m unlikely to make myself.

The case against Wheeler is tidier, simpler. He’s coming back from venous thoracic outlet surgery and he’s gradually getting ready for his age-36 season. I’d like to be younger with my starting pitchers in the first place, and I’m never going to be the injury optimist in my draft room unless a surprising discount applies. With Wheeler still holding Yahoo ADP inside the top 140, I’m going to sit this out.

Boring Value Vet of the Year: Brandon Nimmo

In an earlier era, we used to call these players the Raul Ibañez All-Stars. Fantasy managers often are distracted by shiny new toys, and that often correlates with older players sliding into a value pile. You can make some sneaky profits with boring value veterans.

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Let’s consider what Nimmo has averaged the last four years: 152 games, .259 average, 90 runs, 22 homers, 78.5 RBI, 8.5 steals (he’s 28-for-29 the last two years). He’s now set to bat leadoff for a Texas lineup that should be a top 10 unit and can easily challenge for the top five.

Nimmo turns 33 later this month and he’s unlikely to ever win an MVP or be the face of baseball. None of this concerns me. His 155.2 ADP is a screaming steal. You don’t have to market your fantasy baseball roster; you’re just looking for stats and values.

Bill James has been telling us for years: versatile players are so often underrated.

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Most important stats to get early: power and batting average

Batting average isn’t as important in today’s MLB as it was a generation ago. Teams have accepted that getting on base and hitting for power is more important than stringing together a handful of singles. Clubs also grok that it’s never been harder to hit MLB pitching — look at those electric strikeout rates, and all those fire-breathing dragons waiting in the bullpen.

But batting average is still a piece of the 5×5 puzzle, so we have to be mindful of it as we assemble our rosters. And if you’re proactively building a solid average foundation with early picks, it will free you up later in your draft to make some more creative picks from players who might carry average risk.

And while power smothers the game like never before, that also means we need to be acquiring more of it to be competitive. There aren’t many batters who can give you thump and average in today’s game, which is why we’re obsessed with them early in our drafts.

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Easiest stats to get late: saves, steals

Maybe it’s a mistake to say it’s easy to get saves, because frankly, they’re a pain in the neck. Relief pitchers can be volatile and many teams will shift their ninth-inning plans as a fresh season evolves. And while this is all happening, our opponents will be trying to add saves, like we will. It’s always competitive.

That all said, unknown save sources will always enter MLB. No matter the size of your fantasy league, a significant amount of handshakes will be on the waiver wire before the season starts. If you draft a bullpen that’s a little under projection through March, at least hope is always present. You might get lucky with low-cost acquisitions (or land saves with shrewd late-round picks).

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It’s similar with the hunt with steals — a few speed merchants will always enter the playable roto pool after the season opens. The barrier for relevance can be low — if someone’s running aggressively, we can probably overlook other flaws.

Regress and Win Player of the Year: Andrew Abbott

Abbott’s career has shown steady, linear growth through three seasons, the type of pattern that helps you sleep soundly at night.

• 2023: 8 wins, 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP

• 2024: 10 wins, 3.72 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

• 2025: 10 wins, 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

There were positive signs of growth last year for Abbott, in his age-26 season. Walks down, strikeouts up, home runs down. But because he pitches in a hitter-friendly Cincinnati park and because he outkicked his ERA estimators (3.66 FIP, 3.55 xERA), the fantasy market isn’t impressed. Abbott’s Yahoo ADP is an eyelash under 180, and his global ADP is over 220.

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The market is probably worried about Abbott’s fly-ball bias, too — since fly balls can become home runs, while ground balls never will. But any pitcher who has a discernible bias to his fly-ball or ground-ball rate is generally doing something well — exhibiting control over his outcomes.

The lovely part of Abbott’s 2026 fantasy profile is that he can pitch worse than last year — perhaps significantly worse — and still provide a fantasy value at his current ADP. That’s where the Regress and Win theme comes from. I’ll gobble up Abbott shares at his current ticket and know I have several plausible paths for the choice to be justified. Also, he’s already been named the Reds’ Opening Day starter.

MLB’s Smartest Team: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have never won a championship and they’ve only been to the World Series once (a whopping 44 years ago). But don’t let those things obscure the recent success of this franchise. Milwaukee has made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, with five division titles along the way. The last three years, the sneaky Brew Crew has won 97, 93 and 92 games.

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You do this by being smarter than other teams. Last year, the Brewers were 23rd in payroll but first in wins. The Brewers have turned into what the Rays once were, the smaller-market team that outsmarts the market.

So when in doubt, I’m going to assume the Brewers are probably right. I want to backline these guys. I want to order what they’re ordering.

Sure, staff ace Freddy Peralta is gone. But maybe young arms like Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson are ready for breakthrough seasons (it helps that they pitch in front of a fantastic Milwaukee defense). I don’t care that Andrew Vaughn didn’t hit much for the White Sox last year — I focus on the outstanding offensive player he was with Milwaukee (.308/.375/.493). Vaughn has Post-Hype Sleeper written all over him.

Assume the Brewers will be right on a bunch of subtle things, because they seemingly always are.

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Those are your entrees for 2026, the big things. Now let’s get you fed with some salads and appetizers, the little things.

Positional Depth Entering 2026

– Catcher: Better than usual, especially in basic Yahoo leagues (just one starter required).

– First Base: Slightly worse than usual.

– Second Base: Average.

– Shortstop: Very deep.

– Third Base: Weaker than usual.

– Outfield: Strong at top, but not quite as deep as usual. A lot of teams have steered back into platooning.

– Starting pitching: Average depth. We can talk ourselves into and out of so many pitchers.

– Relief pitching: A little thinner than usual. I like to get one Tier B closer, one Tier C closer and then work on some lottery tickets. Also, be ready to act on May 1 when you see some no-name reliever sitting on 14 Ks and 2 BBs. He’s probably legit, or at least worth a tryout.

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Quick Hitters and Evergreen Advice

— If you need to make a sharp trade, run it by Fred Zinkie. If you need to win that trade, DO NOT make it with Fred Zinkie.

— Defense matters in fantasy baseball, especially in two key areas. One, it keeps players on the field. Two, we want our pitchers working in front of reliable defenses. The Cubs and Brewers are two teams that emphatically check this box.

— If you can find a friend who shares a similar baseball view to you, co-managing is forever a cheat code. You have a buddy to share the fun and the work, and someone else who always cares about your team. It needs to be the right fit, but if you can find it, I promise you the winning odds just improved.

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— Never forget that by staying the course in August and September — when football comes into play and life often gets in the way — you can count on passing some disengaged fantasy managers. Working hard usually pays off in this pursuit. (All the more reason to get a partner, right?). Don’t be discouraged by a slow start. And make sure you’re still hitting your routines in September, even with football dominating the sporting landscape. You’ll be rewarded.

— Although most teams have their lineups written in pencil right now, audit them closely. We want our guys in the top five whenever possible. And we want to avoid those pesky platoons.

— When in doubt between two early hitters, lean towards the one surrounded by better teammates.

— The bottom 10-20% of your roster is the churn zone. No matter how much you liked a player before the season, you need to steer into what we learn in-season and be prepared to make a more informed choice that’s built off actual data and playing patterns. This is fantasy sports emulating the Monty Hall Problem; when we have more information, it’s often best to change our minds.

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— Ballparks are another great way to break a tie. Anyone getting regular hitting exposure in Boston or Colorado has a big advantage. Every pitcher in roomy Seattle is worth a second look.

— Common sense is enormously important to any fantasy manager. And so often, Occam’s Razor is your guide to a good decision — the simplest explanation is so often the best one.

— I’ll look at the standings all year because I’m curious and competitive like that. But the standings probably don’t mean a lot until May 1 at the earliest. Some skilled analysts would give you a much later date.

— Be sure to load all of your free-agency routines and cadences into whatever calendar/reminder app you prefer. Life is complicated. “Oh, I’ll remember that” is not good enough. Being prepared is essential.

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— Let’s share this journey together! Catch me on Twitter/X or Blue Sky and let’s keep the conversation going all year.