Fantasy Baseball Breakouts and Resurgent Hitters - Are They For Real? (Week 13)

June 23, 2026

Frank analyzes five fantasy baseball breakouts and hitter resurgences in Week 12 of the 2026 season. These batters are off to hot starts, but are they real fantasy breakouts to stay?

Building a championship roster in fantasy baseball requires you to hit the nail on the head when it comes to breakouts and resurgences. These can be hitters taking their game to the next level, or veterans getting back on track.

In this column, we're focusing on five hitters who meet this criteria. Each of them has surpassed expectations or made adjustments to get back on track.

With that in mind, let's dive into Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dillon Dingler, Luis Arraez, Max Muncy, and TJ Rumfield.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs

You may read this and ask yourself, "Why is Pete Crow-Armstrong in this article?" After all, he broke out last season, slashing .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases in 647 plate appearances. However, he had an extremely poor second half, where he slashed .216/.262/.372 with six homers and eight steals in 218 plate appearances.

This abysmal finish to the season had fantasy managers wondering whether the league had caught up to PCA, turning him into a mediocre bat. It caused him to fall in drafts to the point where he was a consensus fade among many top fantasy baseball players.

However, so far this season, PCA has been phenomenal, slashing .286/.363/.521 with 16 homers and 18 steals in 329 plate appearances. He's been a lot more patient at the plate, increasing his walk rate from 4.5% to 8.5%. He's also consistently generating harder contact, bumping up his hard-hit rate from 41.6% to 51.2%.

Your AL and NL Players of the Week!

Logan Gilbert: 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 18 Ks
Pete Crow-Armstrong: 11-for-20 (.550 AVG), 4 HR, 7 RBI, hit for the cycle on 6/15 pic.twitter.com/Mf22mWQZq7

— MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2026

What PCA has been able to do in June so far has been truly special, as he's slashing .437/.481/.930 with nine homers and six steals in 79 plate appearances. This is a player who is completely locked in at the plate right now.

We should use the example of PCA as a lesson: don't just count out a player because of a poor second half, especially a young hitter who is still developing. Just because the league adjusted to a hitter doesn't mean that we should rule out a hitter from making an additional adjustment to counter these changes and get back on track.

If you drafted PCA at the reduced cost this season, give yourself a pat on the back, since you got an absolute stud.

Dillon Dingler, C, Detroit Tigers

Dillon Dingler had a rock-solid rookie season, slashing .278/.327/.425 with 13 home runs in 469 plate appearances. He's renowned as a defensive catcher, which is why he was worth 4.1 WAR last year. But most fantasy managers came into the 2026 season viewing Dingler as a decent second catcher, but not someone you can rely on in traditional formats, where you start only one catcher.

That's why it's been surprising to see Dingler slash .269/.338/.546 with 18 home runs in 292 plate appearances so far. He's increased his walk rate from 4.9% to 7.5% while trimming his strikeout rate from 23.5% to 20.5%. He's also been hitting the ball a lot harder, bumping up his hard-hit rate from 45.6% to 50.0% and barrel rate from 45.6% to 50.0%.

Dillon Dingler CRUSHES a ball 430 feet to straightaway center 😤 pic.twitter.com/7GOG9KW1te

— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2026

Dingler has been scorching hot in June, slashing .386/.408/.786 with seven home runs in 76 plate appearances.

Just like with PCA, we can take a lesson from Dingler. Most considered him as a hitter who can top out at 20 homers with a .260 batting average. No one saw this power surge coming. The lesson here is not to underestimate a player with limited at-bats at the big league level. They can always grow with more reps.

With Dingler establishing himself as an elite defensive catcher, that keeps his bat in the lineup more often. More volume means more opportunities to grow as a hitter, which is exactly what he's been able to do so far.

Luis Arraez, 1B/2B, San Francisco Giants

Luis Arraez has always been a one-category type of hitter, where he only provided elite batting average with minimal power. Last season was a down year for Arraez, where he slashed .292/.327/.392 with eight homers and 11 steals in 675 plate appearances. It was the first time since 2021 that Arraez didn't bat over .300.

After an offseason where very few teams were interested in acquiring him, Arraez is proving to the league that he can be quite valuable. The veteran contact hitter has put up an impressive 2.9 WAR, which is already the second-highest of his career, despite only playing in 74 games. Arraez has improved defensively, which has made him a better player.

Luis Arraez ties the game for the @SFGiants with a solo homer! pic.twitter.com/a8QgulGLnW

— MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2026

If we look deeper at Arraez's profile, we see that he was always due for positive regression. Last season, Arraez had a .289 BABIP, which was the lowest of his career by a longshot. This year, he's getting better returns on batted balls in play at .319, which is why he's hitting .320.

While, of course, Arraez still isn't going to provide power for you. But it looks like he's found a home with the Giants, so there's a good chance that he'll hit the higher range of his potential outcomes in batting average. We may see a .330 season from Arraez this year.

Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Max Muncy has always been a productive power hitter with strong on-base skills; he's just dealt with injuries throughout his career. The veteran third baseman had a terrific second half in 2025, putting up an impressive 152 wRC+. He's carried over that momentum to this season, where he's slashing .265/.369/.513 with 16 home runs in 268 plate appearances. His current 145 wRC+ would be his highest since 2018.

Muncy has been absolutely crushing the ball so far, as highlighted by a 15.6% barrel rate, which is his best since 2021. Last year, Muncy began wearing prescription glasses and contacts. It's helped his vision, which has made him a better hitter.

#Dodgers get on the board. Max Muncy RBI line drive that scores Ohtani. LAD 1 BAL 2 pic.twitter.com/15ankisESk

— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) June 21, 2026

Playing for the best team in baseball in a star-studded lineup, Muncy should continue to provide 30+ homer power with great counting stats. If you're in an OBP league, you absolutely hit the jackpot with this pick.

I wouldn't even recommend selling high because Muncy has a high floor due to his elite walk rate. The only concern is injury, but your league mate knows this, so they're unlikely to give you enough in a trade offer.

TJ Rumfield, 1B, Colorado Rockies

TJ Rumfield wasn't even on the fantasy radar coming into the season. This is a 26-year-old who put up a 121 wRC+ at Triple-A in the Yankees' system last year. But here we have a case where a player finally got an opportunity on a rebuilding team, and he can now show what he can do.

Rumfield is slashing .279/.359/.483 with 12 home runs in 301 plate appearances. You have to love the contact skills, as highlighted by a 14.6% strikeout rate.

TJ Rumfield go-ahead two-run homer! ⛰️ pic.twitter.com/ZBna856Fbk

— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2026

While you're likely to see him slow down in power because he doesn't hit the ball hard enough, it's nice to have a hitter who can be an asset in batting average, which is rare nowadays.

If you're in a deeper league, you can continue to enjoy Rumfield as a viable CI option to help boost your batting average.

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