RADIO
Mike's outfield fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, values for 2026. These emerging hitters in the AL are fantasy baseball draft values with major upside.
What does the term "breakout" mean to you? When you were a teenager, likely something very different. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camps this week, and with that, fantasy baseball drafts will be in full flow soon.
For our purposes, a breakout can be defined as someone who is being underdrafted based on being an unknown player, or they could have some type of flaw that keeps them from getting playing time, such as a high strikeout rate. It could be a perception that a player cannot hit left-handed pitching.
The following list of players is youngish American League outfielders who could have breakout seasons in 2026. Obviously, things will need to coalesce (think health and opportunity), but here are some targets to mix in with your more vanilla outfielders.
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Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox front office has openly suggested that Abreu is going to play against left-handed pitching, which makes the Gold Glove outfielder more intriguing. Abreu had only 61 at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2025.
It appears the Red Sox do not have anyone to platoon with Abreu at this time and will let him play regardless of the pitcher. Abreu has 30 home run upside, and at his current NFBC ADP of 227, he could end up being a bargain.
See his box below. We don't talk about defense often enough in fantasy baseball, as Abreu's sterling outfield play will keep him in the lineup, while providing him more at-bats against lefty pitching in 2026. The 12.3% barrel rate last year was the highest of his career and showed annual progress.
Abreu is a player who could easily outperform his draft position. He gets on base, has an acceptable strikeout rate, and above-average bat speed. Keep Abreu on your board. He is currently being drafted near Heliot Ramos and Adolis Garcia, and I feel Abreu has more upside than both.
Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
It feels like we have been waiting on the Cowser breakout for years, doesn't it? Yet the talented outfielder is only 25. Cowser hit a woeful .196 but had 16 home runs, 40 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and 36 runs scored in 2025. A high 35.6% K% was the biggest suppressant of his batting average.
Cowser showed a propensity to hit the ball hard with an outstanding 14.1% barrel percentage. A normalization of his low .262 BABIP would help buffer his batting average. Projections for him this year are closer to .230, so that makes his profile more palatable.
With an ADP of 258 in NFBC drafts over the last two weeks, fantasy players are being attracted to the possibility of a 20+ home run/15 stolen base season in 2026 with ample playing time opportunity. If that batting average normalizes and he gets 550 plate appearances, 25 home runs are in reach.
Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox
This may seem like an easy pick, and perhaps it is. But let's take a look at why Anthony could be baseball's next big star in the outfield. His ADP is rocketing up the charts, up to 53 in 29 NFBC drafts over the last two weeks.
Several hallmarks of Anthony's game make him an attractive target, even at a high cost. Anthony got the call last year in June, and played in 71 games, hitting an attractive .292 with eight home runs, 32 RBI, four stolen bases, and 48 runs scored in his MLB debut.
Look at the chart below. Anthony hits the ball hard. His average exit velocity was 94.5 MPH, his barrel rate was 15.5%, and he posted a whopping 60.3% hard-hit percentage. His strikeout rate makes one pause; a 27.7% K% is quite high, as is a high 50.6% groundball rate.
Anthony should be the leadoff hitter and everyday left fielder to start the season in Boston. A season of .275 with 20 home runs and 10+ stolen bases seems to be a safe bet at this time, but fantasy players can dream on an even bigger 2026 season. The price is high, which shows that players expect more from Anthony in 2026. 
Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians
DeLauter had a wide variety of experiences in 2025. The gifted and oft-injured DeLauter ended his season playing center field in the playoffs for the Cleveland Guardians, one of only five players in history to make his debut in the postseason.
Talent is not the issue here; the ability to stay healthy is the key ingredient. DeLauter has battled through core muscle surgery, a broken hamate bone, a sprained big toe, and hamstring injuries in his minor league career.
In 2025, he played in only 34 games at Triple-A, but hit .278 with a .383 OBP and five home runs and 21 RBI. If the season started today, DeLauter would have an everyday slot playing outfield or DH and hitting in the middle of the batting order.
I feel like the projections are low for DeLauter. They call for 15 home runs with a .250 batting average. With an ADP of 311, he goes around Jung Hoo Lee and Cedric Mullins. I am willing to roll the dice on DeLauter if I am still looking for my fifth outfielder at that point in drafts.
Brooks Baldwin, Chicago White Sox
You may raise an eyebrow as I suggest taking a strong look at Baldwin, who, even on a rebuilding Chicago White Sox team, does not seem to have a clear daily position. Baldwin played every position last year except pitcher and catcher, and it is that versatility that will keep him in the lineup.
Roster Resource originally had Baldwin penciled in as the starting right fielder, but the team signed veteran Austin Hays last week, who should get the bulk of his at-bats in right field. Baldwin could move to center field, which seemed slotted for new acquisition Luisangel Acuna.
Acuna has yet to prove himself at the MLB level. There has been talk in Chicago that Acuna will also get at-bats at second base. It appears that the White Sox will try different looks with their players to determine what works best for them.
With playing time, Baldwin is a sneaky 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases guy going late in drafts, as his ADP is close to 550. He hit 11 home runs and stole five bases in 103 games last year at the big league level. Look for Baldwin to again play all over the field while getting some nice counting stats.
Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals
There were not too many prospects as hyped as Caglianone last season, and for good reason: the 23-year-old outfielder has light tower power, smacking 20 home runs in the minor leagues last season in only 304 plate appearances.
Caglianone hit another seven homers in the majors for the Kansas City Royals, but his struggles were evident with a woeful .157 batting average. That was mostly due to an improbable .172 BABIP. The strikeout rate was actually good for a power hitter at 22.4%.
The low average seems to be due to bad batted ball luck, as Caglianone boasts a 12% barrel rate and an incredible bat speed of 77.4 MPH, more than six miles per hour than the average. Caglianone could hit .250 and pop 25 home runs this season. See the chart below.
With an ADP of 215 over the last two weeks, Caglianone is being drafted around other notable outfielders like Daylen Lile, Anthony Santander, and Ramon Laureano. If I have played it safe to that point with my outfield, I may take a shot at Caglianone.
As always, a few words of caution at the end of this article. You may not want to draft too many of these young, potential breakout outfielders. Adding one or two to an established corps of outfielders could be a nice way to add some spice and upside to your team.
For example, if you start your draft with someone like Corbin Carroll, and then later pick up Wyatt Langford, and then add Teoscar Hernandez and Ian Happ, can you take risks with your fifth outfielder? Granted, these picks are all American League, but you get the point.
Happy Draft Season, my friends! Feel free to direct message me @mdrc0508 on X/Twitter if you have questions or want to blast my selections here!
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