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Who should I draft for fantasy baseball in 2026? Fantasy baseball outlooks for Pete Alonso, Shota Imanaga, Trea Turner, Logan Gilbert, Jakob Marsee, Matt Olson.
Who Should I Draft? Some common 2026 fantasy baseball draft decisions are regarding players like Pete Alonso, Shota Imanaga, Trea Turner, Logan Gilbert, Jakob Marsee, Matt Olson. 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:
Pete Alonso, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Pete Alonso enjoyed a classic Alonso season in 2025, slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 homers across 709 plate appearances. The performance earned the 31-year-old slugger a $155 million contract from the Baltimore Orioles, and some may be nervous about how the Polar Bear will play in Baltimore. Don't be. Per Statcast, Alonso would've hit 45 homers last season had he played every game in Camden Yards against 36 if his entire schedule was at Citi Field. Baltimore also has a much higher 1B factor for right-handed batters (104) than the Mets home park (93), potentially boosting Alonso's average.
The career .253 hitter probably won't hit .272 again after posting a .305 BABIP (.270 career), especially since his 20.2 LD% should regress toward his career rate of 18 percent. A repeat of his 126 RBI is also a lot to ask for. Still, Alonso should make his annual run at 40+ homers and 100+ RBI while hitting in the middle of Baltimore's batting order, making him a safe power-focused pick at his 27.63 ADP. He's a modern-day iron man who can be trusted to compile all counting stats save stolen bases.
Shota Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga failed to live up to expectations last season, posting a 3.73 ERA with a 9-8 record in 144 ⅔ innings pitched. His 4.07 xERA and 4.51 xFIP suggest his performance was worse than his surface numbers. First, Imanaga's K% fell from 25.1 percent to 20.6 percent. His fastball lost velocity (91.7 mph in 2024, 90.8 mph last season) and saw its SwStr% decline from 8 percent to 6.7 percent. Imanaga's split lost effectiveness (26.2 percent SwStr% in 2024, 18.7 percent last year) despite a higher Zone% (39.6 percent to 49.9 percent), and he abandoned a changeup that generated whiffs in 2024 (17 SwStr%).
Imanaga's FB% also ballooned to 54.5 percent. The 32-year-old's 13.6 percent HR/FB wasn't that bad, but turned into a lot of homers with so many flies. The good news is that Imanaga's extreme fly ball profile limits his BABIP, making him an asset in WHIP even if his ERA is inflated. The 32-year-old could also regain his strikeout ability from 2024. The Cubs provide a solid supporting cast, making Imanaga risky but a solid value at his 167.12 ADP.
Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia Phillies
Trea Turner was spectacular again in 2025, hitting .304/.355/.457 with 15 homers and 36 steals over 639 plate appearances. Turner's 30.3 ft./sec Statcast Sprint Speed ranked in the 100th percentile in his age-31 season, and he was only caught stealing seven times for a success rate of 84 percent. His .350 BABIP wasn't that much higher than his .339 career mark, and Turner makes the most of his BABIP by seldom striking out (16.7 K% last season). He's also fast enough to consistently outperform his .272 xBA. If there are any red flags, they concern Turner's power.
His 9.4 percent HR/FB was below the MLB average and was backed by mediocre contact quality metrics, such as his 111.7 mph max exit velocity, 92.6 average exit velocity on flies and liners, and 5.8 percent rates of barrels per batted ball event. His 32.9 FB% isn't high enough to produce high HR totals, either. That said, he should still hit about 15 homers with a great average and plenty of runs and steals atop Philadelphia's potent lineup. Turner is easily worth his 27.44 ADP.
Logan Gilbert, SP, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert entered the 2025 season as one of the top workhorse pitchers in the sport, logging at least 185.0 innings of work in each season from 2022 through 2024. However, Gilbert would suffer a right-elbow flexor strain in April, which prevented him from returning to the mound until June. Before his injury, Gilbert looked like his typical dominant self and was even flashing more strikeout potential, racking up 44 punchouts through 33 1/3 innings with a 2.37 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. After his injury, Gilbert took a step back, holding a 3.75 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP across 100 2/3 innings. During this stretch, he struck out hitters at a 30.9% rate, compared to the dominant 37.6% rate he struck out hitters before his injury.
Despite the missed time and slightly higher ratios, Gilbert finished the season sitting with a 3.07 xERA and a .208 xBA, placing him in the 87th and 86th percentile, suggesting positive regression should be on the way in 2026. He also generated an overall 32.3% K rate, which was the highest of his career. Much of his strikeout production came from his split-finger, which he deployed 19.6% of the time in 2025, a six-point jump from 2024. The 28-year-old also continued to show impressive command, posting an 86th percentile 5.8% walk rate.
With improving strikeout numbers, his projected high workload, steady command, and a full offseason to return to form, Gilbert should provide elite SP1 upside and could be had at a discount, going just outside the fourth round with a 36.1 ADP on NFBC.
Jakob Marsee, OF, Miami Marlins
Jakob Marsee's Miami debut was loud, hitting .292/.363/.478 with five homers and 14 steals in 234 plate appearances. What will the 24-year-old do for an encore? Likely a bit of everything. With 46 steals on the farm in 2023, 51 in 2024, and 47 in just 429 plate appearances at Triple-A last season, fantasy managers can expect the steals to keep flowing. His 8 percent rate of Brls/BBE, 111.1 mph max exit velocity, and 93 mph average airborne exit velocity are all around league-average and should translate to a HR total in the teens.
The biggest knock on Marsee is batting average risk, and his .357 BABIP probably won't repeat. However, his expected batting average of .278 would still be a fantasy plus, and his 28.1 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed may be high enough to perform consistently above his xBA. Marsee also demonstrated strong plate discipline last season, posting a 9.4 BB% and 20.5 K% backed by double-digit walk rates and a sub-23 K% at every MiLB stop. Miami's leadoff man should deliver plenty of runs scored in an improving lineup, making Marsee a solid value at his 147.87 ADP.
Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves
Since launching an NL-leading 54 home runs back in 2023, Matt Olson has provided a safe floor with a much lower ceiling for fantasy baseball. In 2025, Olson held a .272 AVG (a strong jump from the .247 he held the year prior) but hit only 29 home runs, matching his 2024 total. He added 95 RBI with 98 runs batting near the top of an inconsistent Atlanta offense while appearing in all 162 games. While managers should expect his batting average to take a bit of a dip in 2026, as suggested by his modest .254 xBA (52nd percentile), his power upside remains near the top of the first base position.
He generated an impressive 14.3% barrel rate with a 53.5% hard-hit rate, placing him in the 89th and 95th percentile among qualified hitters. His hard-hit rate was more in line with the 55.5% he generated back in 2023, compared to the low 47.4% he posted in 2024. However, his power production did not take much of a jump forward in 2025 due to his lower 28.3% fly-ball rate. If Olson can continue to elevate the ball, he could return to the 35+ HR territory as his power metrics under the hood remain elite.
With a healthy Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley set to bat alongside him at the top of the order, Olson has a favorable price tag at his 50.9 ADP on NFBC given his potential to provide high-floor counting stats and push for 30+ home runs.
Who Should I Draft Tool
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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Pete Alonso, Shota Imanaga, Trea Turner, Logan Gilbert, Jakob Marsee, Matt Olson. 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 Pete Alonso, Shota Imanaga, Trea Turner, Logan Gilbert, Jakob Marsee, Matt Olson:
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