2026 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: Eric Cross' Top 25 Rookies for Drafts (March Updates)

March 26, 2026

Eric Cross' March 2026 fantasy baseball prospect rankings (redraft). His top 25 fantasy baseball prospects for 2026 redraft leagues to target in fantasy baseball drafts.

We're now officially in the heart of fantasy baseball draft season, with Opening Day approaching quickly.

Regardless of what format you play in, high-upside rookies are always going to be intriguing. Grabbing the next prospect to ascend to star or superstar status is always rewarding and can be a part of your fantasy team's success. But the flip side can also be just as true and even more prominently so, as for every one rookie who breaks out, five more underperform expectations. So, figuring out which rookies to target or not target at ADP is crucial.

Below, you'll find my top 25 rookies to target in 2026 redraft leagues, along with blurbs on several notable names. These will serve as the final rookie rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season. Good luck with all of your drafts, and may all your drafted rookies become stars!

2026 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings

These prospect rankings are for 2026 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects to potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026.

The ADP mentioned below is from NFBC Draft Champion drafts since February 15, along with Yahoo ADP. Notes on prospects can be found below the rankings table. 

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Jordan Lawlar (ARI), Harry Ford (WAS), Owen Caissie (MIA), Jett Williams (MIL), Travis Bazzana (CLE), Moises Ballesteros (CHC), Joshua Baez (STL), Jacob Melton (TB)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Parker Messick (CLE), Luis Morales (ATH), Brandon Sproat (MIL), Payton Tolle (BOS), Troy Melton (DET), Jonah Tong (NYM), Thomas White (MIA)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

This article was originally published in early March, rankings remain the same.

JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

If JJ Wetherholt isn't either on the Opening Day roster or up by the end of April, I'll be shocked. The 2024 first-round pick enjoyed a highly productive first full minor league season in 2025, slashing .306/.421/.510 in 109 plate appearances with 28 doubles, 17 home runs, and 23 steals.

He's also gotten off to a hot start this spring, going 3-of-10 with a home run, a stolen base, and six walks to only two strikeouts in his first six games.

JJ Wetherholt with his 17th HR of the season.

This is a no doubt top 10 prospect for me entering 2026.pic.twitter.com/PDIOdcjxI8

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 21, 2025

With St. Louis in a full rebuild, it would be a crime for Wetherholt not to receive at least 500 plate appearances in the majors this season. And assuming he does, he has the all-around offensive skill set to finish as the most valuable fantasy rookie this season.

Last season, Wetherholt recorded a 14.6% walk rate, a 14.9% strikeout rate, and an 80% contact rate, with a 48.1% hard-hit rate in Triple-A.

If he's given at least 500 plate appearances, Wetherholt could easily push 20/20 with a good AVG and OBP as well. He's a great upside play at his ADP.

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds

When looking at potential value compared to ADP, Sal Stewart has a strong case to be the best rookie value pick in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.

Stewart excelled at every level last season, slashing .306/.377/.473 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 13 steals in 80 Double-A games before adding 15 doubles and 10 home runs with a .315/.394/.629 slash line in 38 Triple-A games. And finally, to close out the season, Stewart smacked five home runs in 18 games with the Reds.

I'm really excited to see what Stewart can do in his first full major league season, with half of his games coming in an extremely hitter-friendly park. Stewart posted a 21% barrel rate, 93.1 mph AVG EV, and 51.3% hard-hit rate in Triple-A last season, along with a 17.5% barrel rate, 95.4 mph AVG EV, and 52.5% hard-hit rate with Cincinnati. He's also consistently shown average or better contact skills throughout his professional career.

Stewart hitting north of .260 with at least 25 home runs as a rookie wouldn't shock me, and his ADP around 200 looks like an absolute steal.

Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

While I believe the odds have improved over the last few weeks, I still don't foresee Konnor Griffin making the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

If he did, Griffin would take over the top spot in these rankings. Everyone is going gaga over Griffin right now with the home runs he's been hitting this spring, including a two-homer game against my Boston Red Sox.

However, I urge everyone to remember that this is a 19-year-old with 21 games above Single-A under his belt.

Konnor Griffin ... WOW 🤯

MLB's No. 1 prospect goes yard AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/F1VTJnWlWB

— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2026

Long-term, the upside for Griffin is being a top-5 overall fantasy asset, a sentence I've said maybe once or twice in my time evaluating prospects. He's coming off a 2025 season in which he slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 steals in 122 games across three levels, excelling at each level while much younger than his competition.

There's elite speed and plus or better power leading the way in Griffin's profile, and he improved his contact, walk, and strikeout rates throughout the 2025 season.

But again, it comes down to how many plate appearances he will get with Pittsburgh this season. I'm banking on him being up for over half the season, but I'm still a believer that Pittsburgh gives him a month or two in Triple-A before bringing him up.

Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies

With each passing day, it's becoming increasingly likely that Justin Crawford is manning center field for the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day. The Phillies didn't bring anyone in to fill that spot this offseason, and nobody else on the roster is capable of handling the position regularly.

If all this comes to fruition for Crawford, he becomes an intriguing option for fantasy leagues this season.

In 112 Triple-A games last season, Crawford slashed .334/.411/.452 with 34 extra-base hits, seven home runs, and 46 steals in 57 attempts. Crawford is an elite runner who has been above an 80% success rate stealing bases in each of the last three seasons.

He's also combined to swipe 135 bags over the last three seasons and hasn't hit below .300 at any level since he hit .288 in 18 High-A games back in 2023.

Crawford's elite speed, plus contact (92% zone, 85% overall in 2025), and solid approach give him a rock-solid base to work with, and I believe there's more power potential waiting to be unlocked as well. Crawford posted an 89.8 mph AVG EV and 40.7% hard-hit rate in Triple-A last season, but a 59.4% ground-ball rate limited him in the home run column.

Even if Crawford is only a 10-12 homer guy this season, that could come with a good AVG/OBP and more than 30 steals. He's a great late-round upside flier in 12-team leagues.

Jett Williams, Milwaukee Brewers

As it stands now, the current left side of the Milwaukee infield projects to be Luis Rengifo at third base and Joey Ortiz at shortstop. And by current, I mean temporary, as Jett Williams is someone who should spend a large chunk of time in the majors this season, likely as Brice Turang's double-play partner up the middle.

Jett Williams turns on the burners

11.49 seconds home-to-third on this two-run triple for the @Brewers -- third-fastest this spring! pic.twitter.com/RZfnXrYltr

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 23, 2026

Williams quietly put together an impressive season in the upper minors last season, playing 96 games in Double-A and 34 in Triple-A. His .209 AVG in Triple-A caused his overall average to dip to .261, but that came with a .363 OBP, .465 SLG, .204 ISO, 17 home runs, 34 steals, and a 13.3% walk rate.

Williams' on-base abilities and plus speed immediately stand out when watching him play or looking at the profile. But he's also an above-average contact hitter with enough power to be a 12-15 homer guy annually. If you're looking for a late-round middle infield flier with upside, I'd look long and hard at Williams, especially if it looks like he's going to break camp with the Brewers.

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