10 High-Impact Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers, Sleepers: Breakout Rookies for 2026

Targeting high-end prospects in the final rounds of your draft can provide your fantasy team with a massive spark throughout the season. Last summer, managers saw top prospects like Nolan McLean, Noah Cameron, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, and Jacob Wilson all make a massive impact during their rookie seasons. In this piece, we will spotlight […]

5 Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates (2026)

Shortstop is one of fantasy baseball's glamor positions. It's stocked with big-name superstars who go early in fantasy drafts and provide big-time production in multiple categories. The position is also a pretty deep one, with plenty of quality sleepers going later in drafts as depth pieces or potential breakout candidates with high upside. Whether you […]

10 League-Winning Hitters: Fantasy Baseball High Upside Draft Targets and Values

It's that time of year again. It's time to dive into my 10 league-winning hitters for 2026 fantasy baseball leagues. The goal here is to nail a hitter who provides significant profit at their current cost. It doesn't have to be someone who goes super late in drafts. It just has to be someone who […]

Exit Velocity Standouts (EV50) - Power Hitters On The Rise for Fantasy Baseball (2026)

We have so many advanced stats available on Baseball Savant, allowing us to dive deeper beyond average exit velocity. We're using Exit Velocity 50 (EV50), which Baseball Savant defines as the average of the hardest 50 percent of a player's batted balls, giving us a somewhat reliable metric for averaging exit velocity on flyballs and line […]

Leo De Vries Exits Early on Saturday

Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries (illness) was removed early during Saturday's Spring Training contest against the San Francisco Giants. De Vries was pulled out of the game due to illness, which was likely dehydration. Luckily, this sounds like something minor that shouldn't keep De Vries sidelined for long. The expectation is that he'll be back […]

JJ Wetherholt Homers for First Spring Hit

St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect JJ Wetherholt homered for his first spring training hit in Friday's Grapefruit League game versus the New York Mets. Per MLB Pipeline, Wetherhold is the No. 5 prospect going into the 2026 season. The home run he hit on Friday traveled 422 feet and had a 105.4 mph exit velocity. […]

Can Xander Bogaerts Play a Fully Healthy Season in 2026?

Entering his age-33 season, San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts is not the player he once was at his peak. However, the veteran was still a useful hitter when healthy in 2025, hitting .263/.328/.391 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 63 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases across 552 plate appearances. Bogaerts is also locked […]

Otto Lopez Profiles as a Projectable Middle-Infield Option in 2026

Miami Marlins shortstop/second baseman Otto Lopez emerged as a solid everyday regular in 2025, hitting .246/.305/.368 with 15 home runs, 77 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases across 594 plate appearances. Lopez also posted excellent defensive metrics while playing both middle infield spots, which should keep his playing time in Miami secure even […]

Pirates Expected to Approach Konnor Griffin With Long-Term Extension This Spring

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to approach shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin with a long-term contract extension this spring, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Despite being only 19 years old with just 21 games of experience beyond High-A in the minor leagues, Griffin is the No. 1 prospect in the sport and is trending toward […]

Grae Kessinger Suffers Knee Injury on Friday

New York Mets infielder Grae Kessinger (knee) is reportedly getting imaging done after suffering a left knee injury during Friday's Grapefruit League contest against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the injury didn't look too good, but the team will wait until the MRI comes back before they decide the next step. […]

Corey Seager Scratched Due to Illness

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that shortstop Corey Seager (illness) was scratched from Friday's Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox because he's feeling under the weather, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Seager will be down for a couple of days or so. The 31-year-old veteran and five-time All-Star fell short of […]

Elly De La Cruz Feels Fully Healthy This Spring

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is fully healthy this spring, which is evident by the way the ball is bouncing off his bat in spring training and by the way he's gliding around the bases, according to Charlie Goldsmith. "I've always been healthy," De La Cruz said. "It feels good to be healthy. […]

Konnor Griffin Back in the Lineup After Injury Scare

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin (foot) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, starting at shortstop and hitting eighth. Griffin was hit by a pitch on his foot in Wednesday's spring training contest and was removed as a precaution. The 19-year-old No. 1 overall prospect in baseball said […]

Top 70 Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

It's an exciting time to be a baseball fan, as Opening Day will be here before you know it. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update and tweak rankings for fantasy managers to crush their upcoming drafts. We focus on shortstops today with our 2026 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 […]

Willi Castro Expected to be Aggressive on Basepaths in Colorado

Colorado Rockies infielder/outfielder Willi Castro is expected to be aggressive on the basepaths during the 2026 season. Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta noted that Castro's skill as a baserunner was one of the first qualities they took note of when they signed him to a two-year deal this offseason. While Castro only swiped […]

Colt Emerson Heating Up at Spring Training

Seattle Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson has begun to find his footing in spring training and is making a strong case to crack the Opening Day roster. On Tuesday, Emerson went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. In his next contest on Thursday, Emerson stayed hot at the dish, going 2-for-3 once again. He […]

Aidan Miller Remains Without a Timetable

According to Lochlahn March of The Philly Inquirer, Phillies top infield prospect Aidan Miller (back) is still getting treatments on his back but remains without a clear timetable to resume hitting. March noted that the Phillies remain very cautious with the former 27th overall selection. The 21-year-old was in the mix to potentially crack the […]

Konnor Griffin "Trending Toward Being" Opening Day Shortstop

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory on Thursday that it looks like Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin is "trending toward being" the team's Opening Day shortstop. It was seen as a bit of a stretch going into spring training, since Griffin is only 19 years old and has played just 21 games […]

7 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions - Eric Cross' 2026 Picks

One of my favorite articles to write every pre-season is my bold predictions article here on RotoBaller. Why? Well, a bold predictions article can be both fun and informative. Many of these won't come true, but they're bold predictions for a reason. But at the same time, while the chances are slim, there's an element […]

2026 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - RotoBaller Staff's Favorite Picks and Roster Strategies

Hey RotoBallers! Fantasy baseball season is in full swing (pun intended), and it's time to begin enacting our offseason research into mock drafts. Mock drafts are the perfect way for you to simulate a real-draft experience and get a feel of which players will be available for you at your respective picks. This is now […]

Fantasy Baseball Post-Hype Sleepers: Infield Breakout Candidates for 2026

Targeting post-hype sleepers is one of the best ways to find upside in the later rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. Everyone is enamored with the "shiny new toy," so going after those who have lost their luster makes a ton of sense when looking for value. Just look at Jo Adell last year. He was […]

Later-Round Fantasy Baseball Prospect Sleepers - Rookies To Stash (2026)

While draft season is in full swing, it is never too early to begin looking at high upside prospects to stash. In the final rounds of your draft, managers often select high-upside prospects who have a path to an early MLB debut. Last season, those who either drafted Nick Kurtz or stashed him early in […]

Konnor Griffin Exits Early After Being Hit in the Foot

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin (foot) left Wednesday's Grapefruit League game in the sixth inning after he was hit in the foot with a pitch, according to DK Pittsburgh Sports. Griffin stayed in the game to run the bases, but he didn't come out to play the field in the seventh inning. It doesn't […]

Konnor Griffin Open to Long-Term Extension With Pirates

Top prospect Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates are open to a long-term contract extension, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 19-year-old is the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball going into the 2026 season, and he appears to be the favorite this spring to open the 2026 regular season as Pittsburgh's […]

J.P. Crawford has Minor Shoulder Injury

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (shoulder) is dealing with a minor shoulder issue that has kept him from playing in a Cactus League game early in spring training, manager Dan Wilson told Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Kramer writes that the Mariners' concern level "appears low," and Crawford dealt with something similar last spring. The 31-year-old […]

Francisco Lindor to Restart "Impact" Activities in 2-3 Days

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (hand) had the stitches removed from his surgically repaired hand on Tuesday and can restart some "impact" activities in the next two to three days, manager Carlos Mendoza told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Lindor had surgery two weeks ago to fix a stress reaction in his left hamate bone. […]

Romy Gonzalez Not Expected to be Ready for Opening Day

Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) does not see himself being ready for Opening Day, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Gonzalez expressed that his ramp-up would be "too quick" if he tried to be ready for Opening Day. Last season, Gonzalez appeared in a career-high 96 games at the MLB level and looked […]

Konnor Griffin Slugs Two Home Runs on Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin had a monster spring training showing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in his team's 16-7 victory. Griffin, who will turn 20 years old in late April, is widely considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. […]

Sebastian Walcott has Internal-Brace Surgery, Out 5-6 Months

Texas Rangers shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott (elbow) had successful UCL surgery last week, an internal-brace procedure performed by Dr. Keith Meister, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. The Rangers expect a five- to six-month recovery for Walcott. The 19-year-old could miss the entire 2025 season, delaying his development another year. Walcott is […]

Andres Gimenez Looking for Healthy 2026

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop/second baseman Andres Gimenez helped the Blue Jays get to the World Series in his first season after joining the team via trade, but he had a down year at the plate. He hit only .210 after hitting over .250 in each of his last three seasons in Cleveland, and he only […]