Second Half Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - Young Hitters on the Rise

July 29, 2026

Thunder Dan analyzes fantasy baseball breakout hitters, sleepers for the second half of 2026. These hitters are widely available on the waiver wire and trending up.

Last week, I wrote about some of my favorite lightly rostered players to invest in for the second half. Included in that group was Chicago rookie Braden Montgomery, whose recent surge in production happened to coincide with his crossing of the 100-at-bat threshold that has often been a benchmark for when rookie hitters start to adjust to major league hitting and find more success at the plate.

So I decided to look exclusively at some young hitters who have recently hit that benchmark and could also follow the same trajectory that Montgomery, Konnor Griffin, and others have.

Here are five hitters that you should consider adding (or at least monitoring closely) for the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season. All stats are current through Tuesday, July 28.

Cole Carrigg, OF - Colorado Rockies

• 23% Rostered
• 2026 Stats: 133 AB, .301 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 31 R, 3 SB
• Last Two Weeks: 34 AB, .382 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB

The Rockies rookie is the only player in this piece with any type of substantial rostership in Yahoo leagues; however, you could easily argue that he's still badly under-rostered. I mean, how many other young hitters have an OPS of .896 in their first 40 MLB games?

As we expected, his power numbers have slowed down considerably after he burst onto the scene with three home runs in his first week of MLB action. He's not a traditional power hitter in any sense, but is going to run into home runs just by hitting the ball hard, playing in an elite hitting environment for home games, and elevating the ball 45% FB%).

COLE. CARRIGG.

Off 101.9 mph 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/d2LLDaWhxf

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 26, 2026

Fangraphs has Carrigg with just a 30 hit tool, but the switch-hitter had a .338 average at Triple-A across 225 at-bats before coming up to the majors. He continues to defy his expected statistics (.247 xBA, .322 xwOBA) but is hitting the ball to every part of the ballpark.

Even though he's a switch-hitter, he still has a very impressive 23.4% Air Pull%, which has helped his early HR production.

The real draw here is the speed, as Carrigg had 30 steals at Triple-A and possesses 88th percentile sprint speed. So even if there is some regression coming to his batted balls, I still think there are a lot more steals coming than just the three he's racked up so far.

The plate discipline from Carrigg is what we love to see from a young hitter. He's striking out just 20% of the time, while drawing walks at a 9.7% clip. His wRC+ of 126 is easily the best of the rookies featured in this article and would place him ahead of studs like Corbin Carroll, Michael Harris II, and Alec Burleson if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

We aren't sure if Mickey Moniak or Jake McCarthy will be in Colorado after the break, but Carrigg is likely to start in the outfield the rest of the way and have a spot in the top half of the lineup. He's a player who could contribute in all five categories and should be rostered in more leagues for his potential!

Cooper Pratt, SS -  Milwaukee Brewers

• 8% Rostered
• 2026 Stats: 106 AB, .283 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 17 R, 9 SB
• Last Two Weeks: 32 AB, .344 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 3 SB

This is a pick-up that I can get behind in all leagues, not just deep formats. The Milwaukee Brewers have an embarrassment of riches in their organization with pitchers like Shane Drohan and Logan Henderson looking like studs and homegrown hitters such as Pratt and Luis Lara rounding into form.

Pratt is a former sixth-round pick who is still just 21 years old, having worked his way up through the minor leagues quickly. He played only 58 games at Triple-A before being summoned to Milwaukee, mainly for his speed and defense. But Pratt has shown that he has some pop in his bat with a couple of home runs already, too.

Cooper Pratt turns on a fastball for his second career home run!

The rookie now has a 105 wRC+ through his first 31 career games 👀 pic.twitter.com/8nRB24Nz0Q

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 25, 2026

Like Carrigg, however, the appeal here is really his speed, as Pratt has solid 85th percentile sprint speed and has already stolen nine bases in his first 34 games. He had 17 steals at Triple-A and swiped 31 bases last season at Double-A, too.

The Brewers are aggressive on the basepaths, averaging the fourth-most steals per game of any MLB team. If Pratt can continue to keep getting on base at a high rate (.363 OBP, 11.3% BB%), I think we will see him keep racking up stolen bases.

He's hitting near the bottom of the order in Milwaukee, but this lineup is stacked with good hitters and he's been taking full advantage of his RBI opportunities. I'm buying into his post-All-Star Break start, and I think we have a true potential breakout on our hands here.

Hao-Yu Lee, 2B/3B - Detroit Tigers

• 8% Rostered
• 2026 Stats: 182 AB, .275 AVG, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB
• Last Two Weeks: 33 AB, .364 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R, 0 SB

Need help at second or third base (arguably the two weakest positions in fantasy baseball)? The Detroit rookie is red hot lately, riding a 12-game hit streak and making an impact for the Tigers, who refuse to go quietly and now find themselves in the mix for a playoff spot.

12 straight games with a hit for Hao-Yu Lee! pic.twitter.com/0QUHV5RYEI

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 27, 2026

He was struggling pretty badly at the plate earlier this season, hitting just .205 through his first 87 PA before being sent down to Triple-A. He didn't stay down for long, and since he's been back up (he was recalled on June 14), it's like he's been a totally different hitter.

He's hitting .330 with four home runs and 16 RBI since then, and his strong hitting has earned him a more regular role in the lineup as he's started seven of Detroit's last nine games.

Lee has not shown the same type of plate discipline that Pratt and Carrigg have (24% K%, 4.7% BB%), but does sport a solid 39.4% HardHit% and 9.5% Barrel%. He's hit third a few times against lefties, and has a wRC+ of 110 in that split.

I'm interested in riding the hot bat while we can, even if we aren't sure if Lee is an everyday MLB player just yet. It's pretty clear that he's seeing the ball well right now and earning more opportunities.

Victor Mesa Jr., OF - Tampa Bay Rays

• 4% Rostered
• 2026 Stats: 112 AB, .223 AVG, 8 HR, 17 RBI, 17 R, 4 SB
• Last Two Weeks: 23 AB, .261 AVG, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB

This one feels like a deep league pick-up, while I could really advocate the first three rookies in any format. Mesa Jr. is still technically a rookie as he only picked up 32 at-bats last year. As a lefty, he's being platooned right now against righties only, though I should point out that he has an identical .768 OPS against lefties so far, albeit a small sample size of only 20 AB against southpaws.

If you are hunting for power, Mesa Jr. might be the best power bat who is so widely available on the wire. He has eight home runs in only 112 at-bats with a strong 39% HardHit% and an impressive 11.5% Barrel%.

Victor Mesa Jr. delivers another big hit for the Rays. He has a 117 wRC+ through his first 117 PA and shows off his plate coverage here on a Slider down in the zone. 104.6 MPH off the bat. pic.twitter.com/3QFNuK9RH1

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) July 22, 2026

When we are looking at home run production, one stat that always stands out is Air Pull%. The vast majority of home runs are pulled, and so a hitter's ability to pull the ball in the air goes a long way towards sustainable home run totals.

Mesa Jr.'s strikeout rate of 24.8% is pretty acceptable for a power hitter, and his 11.6% walk rate is a good sign that he has a selective eye. The playing time will surely be spotty as Tampa loves their platoons, and he runs the risk of being lifted late in games that he does start when he faces a left-handed reliever, but this is definitely a player to keep an eye on down the stretch and give strong consideration in AL-only or deep formats.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF - Arizona Diamondbacks

• 3% Rostered
• 2026 Stats: 145 AB, .276 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 17 R, 6 SB
• Last Two Weeks: 29 AB, .379 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 0 SB

We've all been waiting for the Waldschmidt breakout to happen for some time. The former first-round pick was a popular pick-up earlier this season when he was first called up by the Diamondbacks, but he didn't do enough to stick on the major league roster and was sent back down to Triple-A in mid-June. The Snakes called him back up right before the break, and he's been a much more productive hitter in the second half.

His overall numbers are still lagging compared to expectations, as he's a guy with a 55 power and 50 speed tools; however, he's definitely starting to show signs of improving. He crossed the 100-AB threshold in mid-June and has been hitting the ball with more authority since then.

Ultimately, he's going to have to make better contact, as he's striking out 33.5% of the time and that number has not improved in July. But I think the arrow is still pointing up here and he should get plenty of opportunities down the stretch to prove that the hype around him is legit.

He's a tough add in anything but the deepest of formats with his playing time being spotty, but he's certainly a player to monitor going forward.

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