Josh Hader 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Elite Status Comes With Some Question Marks
After a so-so first season in Houston, last year Josh Hader reminded everyone why he's one of the best relievers in baseball. Hader's 2.05 ERA was much better than his 3.80 ERA in 2024. It's also a reminder of the volatility of closers, given Hader had similar underlying numbers in 2025 (3.18 xFIP and 2.47 SIERA) and 2024 (2.93 xFIP and 2.38 SIERA). Hader's 99th percentile strikeout rate (36.9% K%) will mean he outperforms his xFIP and SIERA most of the time. And while his 7.8% BB% was barely better than league average last year, it was Hader's lowest walk-rate since 2019. He'll need to sustain that to repeat a sub-2.20 ERA. Hader did have a 22.5% GB%, which was in the first percentile. He misses enough bats to mitigate that, but it's not a trend that Hader will want to continue. Hader only tallied 28 saves last year, due to his season ending early with a shoulder injury. That ended his streak of 30+ save seasons. Question marks are lingering over Hader, and some things will need to change if he is to return to being a top-five fantasy reliever. But Hader also has the potential to finish the season as the number one closer in fantasy.
Read More News
RADIO



