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Who should I draft for fantasy baseball in 2026? Fantasy baseball outlooks for Mookie Betts, Zack Wheeler, Luke Keaschall, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Busch, Tyler Soderstrom.
Who Should I Draft? Some common 2026 fantasy baseball draft decisions are regarding players like Mookie Betts, Zack Wheeler, Luke Keaschall, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Busch, Tyler Soderstrom. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Draft your optimal fantasy baseball teams for 2026. Our free Who Should I Draft? tool will help make your fantasy baseball draft decisions. Compare up to four MLB players, and we tell you who to draft... all free! Make the right decisions.
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Fantasy Baseball Draft Outlooks
Below are some fantasy baseball outlooks written by our MLB team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy baseball analysis and advice on which players to consider drafting in 2026:
Mookie Betts, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers played exclusively at shortstop for a whole season for the first time in 2025. The 33-year-old veteran played in 150 games after missing the start of the season due to an illness. Last year, Betts hit 20 home runs with 82 RBI, eight steals, a career-low 10.3 K%, and posted a .258/.326/.406 slash line. He logged 589 at-bats, his most since 2019. Betts struggled on offense through most of the season, as evidenced by a .258 BABIP and .330 xWOBA, both of which were career lows.
Betts blamed his disappointing play in the first half on recovering from a 2024 hand injury. The Dodgers' shortstop regained better form after the All-Star break, highlighted by a strong September where he recorded a .307 batting average, 31 hits, 23 RBI, six home runs, and 13 runs scored. The former MVP will likely be the No. 3 hitter for LA, giving him a solid statistical floor worthy of an early fifth-round pick in NFBC drafts. ATC Projections on RotoBaller support an improved stat line; Betts is projected to finish with 22 home runs, 80 RBI, and a triple slash of .268/.349/.451 in 2026.
Betts' NFBC ADP is 49, and RotoBaller.com ranks Betts at 50th overall, meaning he is appropriately ranked, as the days of being a fantasy superstar are now in the past. Fantasy players can trust that Betts might pick up his better form from the end of 2025, as he will be healthy to open the season.
Zack Wheeler, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Three-time All-Star pitcher Zack Wheeler was having another great season until he was sidelined by a blood clot in his shoulder in late August. Before his injury, Wheeler had a 10-5 record, a 2.71 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and was leading MLB with 195 strikeouts in 149.2 innings pitched. He posted a career-high K-BB% of 27.7 in 2025. Wheeler was first placed on the IL on August 16th with a blood clot injury before the diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome. Phillies' manager Rob Thomson gave an update in mid-February that while Wheeler's recovery is going as planned, as he started throwing from 120 feet in camp.
But he still has an unclear return date range. ATC Projections on RotoBaller point to Wheeler pitching for 126 innings and fashioning a 9-5 record with 145 strikeouts, 3.30 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP. While Wheeler is taken in NFBC drafts with an ADP of 147, RotoBaller.com views him as at No. 70 among pitchers (No. 164 overall). Fantasy managers who draft Wheeler will be taking an apparent risk, as it is uncertain how effective he might be upon returning.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
In a down season for the Minnesota Twins, one of their bright spots came in the form of rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall. In 207 plate appearances with the Twins, Keaschall slashed an impressive .302/.385/.445 with 25 runs, four home runs, 28 RBI, and 14 steals. That's a 650 plate appearance pace of 79 runs, 13 home runs, 88 RBI, and 44 steals. While there might not be more than 13-17 homer upside in the tank here, the rest of Keashcall's profile is quite exciting.
In his time with Minnesota, Keaschall had an 85th percentile sprint speed with a 9.2% walk rate, 14% strikeout rate, 86.7% zone contact rate, and a 81.5% overall contact rate. So even if he's in the 12-15 homer range, the upside to give you a good AVG and OBP, over 30 steals, and a decent amount of runs and RBI could push Keaschall way up the second base rankings this season, and he is currently ranked seventh among all 2B in the latest RotoBaller rankings.
Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (shoulder, hernia) does not expect to have any limitations ahead of spring training, he said during an appearance on the SportsDay Rangers podcast. Eovaldi's 2025 season ended early due to a rotator cuff strain last August, followed by a sports hernia that required surgery in October. However, it sounds like he's going to be a full-go for spring training, and projects as the Rangers No. 2 starting pitcher behind Jacob deGrom. When healthy, Eovaldi was excellent in 2025, with a 1.73 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 129 strikeouts in 130 innings pitched.
Eovaldi showcased excellent control with a 4.2 percent walk rate (98th percentile) and arguably had the best season of his 14-year career. Health is the main concern for the 36-year-old right-hander, as he has only thrown more than 170 innings in three of his 14 seasons at the MLB level. While there may be room for regression when you have a 1.73 ERA (3.02 xERA, 3.17 SIERA, 3.03 xFIP), all of those metrics are still above average, and combined with his experience and excellent control, he should provide value if he gets through Spring Training without any setbacks.
Eovaldi relies heavily on his split finger, which he throws 31.4 percent of the time, which contributes to his excellent 51.1 percent groundball rate (86th percentile). RotoBaller ranks him as the SP41, while NFBC ADP has him going 158.0 overall, making him a strong pick in the middle part of your drafts if he's able to stay healthy.
Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs
In his second season with the Chicago Cubs, infielder Michael Busch put together the best season of his career. In 592 plate appearances, Busch set new career-best marks with 78 runs, 34 home runs, 90 RBI, and a .261/.328/.523 slash line. A big reason for the production jump can be attributed to Busch's quality of contact metrics, ticking up to a 17.1% barrel rate, 92.2 mph AVG EV, and 47.3% hard-hit rate. At the same time, he trimmed his strikeout rate from 28.6% to 23.5% while increasing his zone and overall contact rates by 4.2% and 3.3%, respectively.
The 28-year-old currently has an NFBC ADP of 107.7, which is on target with his RotoBaller ranking of 112. If all the improvements from 2025 stick in 2026, Busch should cement his status as a top-10 first baseman while pushing top-75 overall value for fantasy, making him a tremendous value heading into fantasy baseball drafts.
Tyler Soderstrom, 1B/OF, Athletics
After a lackluster first two seasons in the majors, Athletics first baseman/outfielder Tyler Soderstrom found his footing in 2026. In 624 plate appearances, he slashed .276/.346/.474 with 25 home runs, 93 RBI, eight steals, and 75 runs scored. Soderstrom started the season at first base, but shifted to left field once Nick Kurtz arrived. That dual eligibility will be a nice added bonus in 2026 for a player who has legitimate .275/30/100 upside thanks to above-average power, above-average contact rates, a decent approach, and a hitter-friendly home ballpark.
For the second straight season, Soderstrom had a barrel rate above 11%, an AVG EV above 91 mph, and a hard-hit rate north of 49%, all while improving his zone and overall contact rates to 83.8% and 74.6%, respectively. You'll need to use a back-end top-100 pick to secure Soderstrom's services this season, but that's a fair price to pay. Soderstrom currently has an NFBC ADP of 91.1, which aligns with his RotoBaller ranking of 88 heading into upcoming fantasy drafts.
Who Should I Draft Tool for Fantasy Baseball
Read more about the Who Should I Draft tool here:
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Mookie Betts, Zack Wheeler, Luke Keaschall, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Busch, Tyler Soderstrom. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? We have lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats and projections, ADPs, and news -- enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy baseball rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy baseball managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's roto leagues (rotisserie) scoring, or points leagues scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are two small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Mookie Betts, Zack Wheeler, Luke Keaschall, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Busch, Tyler Soderstrom:
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