Five Outfield Breakout Candidates for Fantasy Baseball (2026) - American League

March 12, 2026

Zach's five AL outfield breakout candidates and potential fantasy baseball sleepers for 2026. These AL outfielders have big upside as fantasy baseball values.

Outfield is always an exciting and intriguing position in fantasy baseball, since both MLB teams and fantasy teams need so much depth at the position. When shopping for depth options after you have your lineup mostly filled out, it makes sense to take some risks on young players who have shown upside before but have yet to put it together over a full season. While it may seem risky to select a player who has yet to reach their full potential, especially early in your drafts, you could be in a great position to win your league if you can get ahead of their breakout.

In this piece, we'll look at five outfielders in the American League who have big-time potential to break out in 2026. These players have shown plenty of potential but have yet to produce over a 162-game season. All ADP provided in this piece is from NFBC drafts as of February 1.

Be sure to keep following @RotoBallerMLB on X for more league-winning off-season content. Let's dive in!

Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays

ADP: 190.1

While you could make the case that Barger already broke through, his ADP just under 200 shows there's still some very solid value in targeting the Blue Jays' masher at the right point in your drafts. Barger brings 3B eligibility as an added bonus, but he's expected to play most of his time in the outfield, and he offers value at his ADP at either position.

The 26-year-old's added flexibility makes him an easy piece to fit on rosters, and his offensive upside in a good lineup could make him a great value grab. With Kazuma Okamoto at third base and Anthony Santander (shoulder) looking at a long absence to start the season, Barger will likely play right field against righties and has huge potential if he ends up hitting second between George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Barger was a little streaky in his rookie season last year, but when he was locked in, he was outstanding. Overall, he hit .243 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs in his 135 games with the Jays, and he finished with a 50.9% hard-hit rate that landed him in the top 10% of qualified hitters in the majors. As many rookies do, he struggled in lefty-lefty matchups, but his splits were especially impressive against righties and at home.

During three months from May 15 through August 15, he hit .275 with 17 homers, 51 RBI, a .356 wOBA, and a 52.4% hard-hit rate while tacking on three stolen bases in those 78 games as well. That middle portion of the season included his best stretches, after an adjustment period to the majors and before a tough stretch late in the season.

He finished the year strong, though, with an impressive postseason. In the playoffs, he went 22-for-60 (.367) with four doubles, three homers, and a 1.025 OPS. He definitely came through in the clutch and has already locked himself into Toronto lore with his monster October.

THE FIRST PINCH-HIT GRAND SLAM IN WORLD SERIES HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/eQHuu1t4S8

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 25, 2025

In his first full season in the majors, Barger will look to build off that postseason success, balance out his splits, and be more consistent. He has a clear path to playing time against lefties without Santander available, and if he starts hot, he could lock in an everyday role for this season.

He could definitely end up a top-10 option at 3B and also be a starter in 10-team and 12-team leagues in the outfield. He's coming off draft boards a little late, given his upside and versatility, so he's a great sleeper to grab late and look for him to continue his emergence as a fantasy star.

Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians

ADP: 302.7

The Guardians drafted DeLauter 16th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, and when healthy, he has shown a lot of potential. The issue has been that he hasn't been able to stay healthy for very long. Shortly after being drafted, he broke his foot while running the bases and needed surgery to replace a screw with a bone graft after re-injuring it. He fractured it again in 2024 and then needed core muscle surgery that forced him to miss most of last season.

He was only able to play 42 games in the minor leagues last season, smashing seven home runs and hitting .264 with 28 runs scored, 24 RBI, and a .383 wOBA. He had 28 walks and only 28 strikeouts, and his plate discipline and approach are some of the strongest parts of his game.

Chase DeLauter had a great past season with the Cleveland Guardians organization. He was only able to total 148 at-bats due to injuries but was still able to put together a great year. The outfielder made his MLB Debut for Cleveland in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series becoming… pic.twitter.com/7Inmgeps5u

— Milb Central (@milb_central) February 6, 2026

After making his MLB debut in the postseason, DeLauter is expected to compete for a starting job in spring training, and if he can stay healthy, it's easy to see him earning a substantial role right away. He could beat out Daniel Schneemann in center field or potentially George Valera in right field to earn playing time, although the team could still be careful with him against left-handed pitching.

DeLauter has a very high ceiling if he's healthy, so don't be afraid to take a flier on him past pick 300.

Isaac Collins, Kansas City Royals

ADP: 432.9

The Royals acquired Collins from the Milwaukee Brewers along with Nick Mears in exchange for Angel Zerpa. Collins had a surprising season last year while filling in for the injured Garrett Mitchell, but there wasn't much room for him to maintain a large role in Milwaukee. He should step right in as an everyday outfielder for the Royals, though, and could be an end-of-the-draft steal if he can build on last season's success.

Collins hit .263 with nine homers and 16 stolen bases in his 130 games in his strong rookie campaign, finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He had a .344 wOBA, which may have been a little inflated by his .326 BABIP.

Isaac Collins slashed .263/.368/.411 with a 118 OPS+ in 130 games for the Brewers last season.

98th percentile in chase rate and 90th percentile in BB%.

Obviously familiar with #Royals new hitting coach Connor Dawson. pic.twitter.com/XmqOYq3ALu

— Jack Johnson (@JohnyJ_15) December 13, 2025

In 2024 in Triple-A, he had 14 homers, 24 stolen bases, and hit .273 with a .383 wOBA. In 2023, he had 10 homers and 29 stolen bases in 96 games, mostly in Double-A.

While he doesn't have the prospect pedigree of DeLauter or some of the other breakout candidates in this piece, the switch-hitter showed he can provide strong totals in multiple categories, and he could earn his way into a prominent lineup spot, possibly even leading off, if he fits in well with his new team. He should step right into a full-time role in left field and bring plenty of versatility, which makes him a relatively safe late-round option with the potential to continue to really shine with the Royals, given his projected playing time.

Walker Jenkins, Minnesota Twins

ADP: 611.6

Walker Jenkins is one of the highest-rated outfield prospects in baseball coming into the season. MLB Pipeline ranks him second at his position and No. 14 overall coming into the year, and projects him as a midseason call-up for the Twins. Baseball America ranked him as the top outfield prospect for fantasy this season, so grabbing him very late in drafts is a baller move that could pay off.

Like DeLauter, Jenkins has huge upside and has shown great potential, but he has dealt with a wide variety of injuries that have limited his development time. He seems a little more likely to start the year in the minors, which is why his ADP is even lower than DeLauter's, but he offers an extremely high ceiling when he gets the call and is able to stay healthy.

Last year, he played 84 games across three levels of the minors and hit .286 with 10 homers, 17 stolen bases, and a .395 wOBA. He had a 43.1% hard-hit rate in his 23 games at Triple-A and hit a pair of homers.

We have our first @WalkerJenkins6 home run at @CHSFieldStPaul. This one goes a Lowertown mile up on top of the Operations and Maintenance Facilities Building in right. A two-run shot, his 2nd with the Saints, caps off a six-run fourth inning pic.twitter.com/26m2W0Y8ZC

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) September 14, 2025

The lefty shows big-time power potential and also adds good contact and above-average speed.

Unlike Delauter, his injuries haven't required surgery and long layoffs, but they have been numerous. Last year, an ankle sprain was the main issue after he battled a quad strain and hamstring injury in 2024. He's only played 192 games as a pro over the last three years with all the injuries, but he did make it to Triple-A last season.

Jenkins will turn 21 during spring training, so the team still has plenty of time to bring him along. He could start the year in Triple-A, and if he battles injury again, he could not arrive until late in the season. On the other hand, the Twins don't have much excitement on their roster and could give their fans and the team a big boost by including Jenkins in the mix.

His health and performance will be key to watch this spring, but if you can stash him with a late draft pick, he could end up being a breakout outfielder who makes a huge impact on your roster later in the season.

Denzel Clarke, Athletics

ADP: 544.1

Clarke is going undrafted in most formats, but the Athletics are expected to open the season with Clarke patrolling center field, and the 25-year-old delivers enough premium stats to be worth a look late in drafts if he's in the lineup on a regular basis.

Clarke deserved and received plenty of attention and hype last season after his call-up, mostly due to his jaw-dropping defense in centerfield, including MLB's Play of the Year:

Denzel Clarke scaled the wall and gave us one of the most incredible catches we have ever seen 🤯

His out-of-this-world grab lands him the @CapitalOne Premier Play of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/CqXhrMIG9a

— MLB (@MLB) November 14, 2025

After starting the season in Triple-A, Clarke played 47 games with the Athletics, hitting .230 with only a .281 wOBA but delivering three homers, 18 runs scored, and six stolen bases. In Triple-A before his call-up, he hit .280 with a .396 wOBA and no homers. He did have 12-to-15 homers in each of his previous three minor-league seasons, though, so there is a little bit of pop in his bat.

In Triple-A, Clarke had a 17.0% walk rate, which plummeted to just 3.8% in the majors, while his strikeout rate spiked from 22.2% to 38.4%. Most of the damage to his rates and ratios was done early in his time in the majors, and he was heating up in July with a .298/.340/.574 triple-slash and 146 wRC+, with six doubles, two triples, and one home run in just 52 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, he tweaked an adductor muscle rounding third base and didn't return to the majors after July 20. He played just one minor-league game and was then shut down for the rest of the season.

Clarke has had injury issues due to his all-out, full-speed approach throughout his time in the minors, but if he can stay healthy this season, he should be a staple in the Athletics' strong young lineup. Even if he hits in the nine-hole, he has lots of runs scored potential and brings a little thump and plenty of speed.

As your drafts wind down, Clarke is one of my favorite late-round fliers to target since he has an everyday spot due to his excellent defense and brings more upside at the plate than he's getting credit for, according to this ADP. Even if his strikeout rate stays high and he doesn't walk much, his home runs and stolen bases are big enough impact numbers to add him late, since he has legitimate 15/15 potential if healthy.

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