February 19, 2026

The former first overall pick with Philadelphia back in 2016, Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak quietly had a breakout season in Colorado last year. The 27-year-old hit .270 with an .824 OPS and 24 home runs in 461 PA. He did almost all of his damage against right-handed pitchers, and he likely be part of a strong-side platoon in Colorado in 2026. Batters who get playing time for Colorado are always interesting to a degree, and Moniak was a monster at home last season, hitting .303 with a .946 OPS and .295 ISO in the friendly confines of Coors Field. It wasn't all Coors Field, though, as Moniak made some real improvements at the plate. He increased his barrel rate to 13.8% and cut his strikeout rate to a career-best 23.9%. He's still a free swinger with a high 56.1% swing rate and just a 4.8% walk rate last year, but that's not necessarily a bad approach in 5x5 leagues for a Colorado hitter. He's best used in daily lineup leagues because he will likely sit against lefties, and in daily leagues, you can bench him on the road in tough matchups. When deployed in the right situations, Moniak could be a sneakily valuable fantasy asset in 2026. He's slated to hit second for Colorado against righties, which should give him good opportunities to rack up counting stats along with a decent average and some pop.--Elliott Baas