Preseason Prep-February 14, 2026
Around the League
Braxton Ashcraft-Pirates-SP
The Pirates’ rotation is going to get a lot of buzz this spring because of the young talent they have. A name that is going to get overlooked is Braxton Ashcraft. He quietly had a solid debut for the Pirates last season (2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 24% K, 8% BB, and 3.61 SIERA). He is 26 years old but has struggled with various injuries since 2025. In his time in the big leagues, he showed the ability to miss bats (24% K and 12% SwStr) with at least average command (8% BB). This falls in line with what he was doing at Triple-A before being called up (26% K and 9% BB). Ashcraft has a five-pitch mix that includes a fastball, sinker, slider, curve, and the occasional changeup. He has shown above-average Stuff+ and Location+ numbers, which make him a nice backend starter in mixed leagues.
Wilyer Abreu-Red Sox-OF
Wilyer Abreu hit .247 with 22 HR, 53 R, 69 RBI, and 6 SB in 417 PA in 2025. He showed continued skill development by lowering his strikeout rate from 28% to 24% while increasing his walks from 9% to 10%. Abreu was able to do this without sacrificing his quality of contact (12% Barrels and 44% Hardhit). The only real question for Abreu is going to be health, which offers a buying opportunity for someone who could hit 30 HR and steal 10 bases if he were to reach 600+ PA. He offers a nice floor with room for surplus value if he stays healthy.
Michael Harris II-Braves-OF
Michael Harris II has been a frustrating player to roster for fantasy purposes. He burst onto the scene in his rookie season, hitting .297 with 19 HR, 75 R, 64 RBI, and 20 SB. The past two seasons, he has struggled to replicate the average (.264 AVG and .249 AVG). Despite a .249 AVG last year, he was still a productive fantasy player (20 HR/20 SB). Struggling to hit for average moved him down the order, limiting his run-scoring potential. On the optimistic side, he believes he fixed a mechanical flaw in the second half of the season. Harris II hit .299 with 14 HR, 33 R, 42 RBI, and 8 SB in 273 PA in the second half. He is going to be a streaky player due to his approach (2% BB) of swinging at everything, but his success wasn’t just BABIP-related. He lowered his strikeout rate from 21% to 19% while cutting his ground ball rate from 55% to 47%, which allowed him to have better quality of contact and better results. Second-half stats don’t have much statistical significance, but it is good to see Harris II identify a problem and then find a solution to that problem. He now offers true five-category production at a lower price.
Kyle Stowers-Marlins-OF
Kyle Stowers had a breakout 2025 season after struggling in his first couple of exposures to big league pitching. Although it was a small sample, we had not seen this version of Stowers at the major league level. He hit .288 with 25 HR, 61 R, 73 RBI, and 5 SB. He cut his strikeout rate from 35% to 27% while improving his walk rate (11% BB). This was great to see because he was able to combine a good plate approach with excellent quality of contact metrics (19% Barrels and 52% Hardhit). A season of full plate appearances could result in a 30+ HR season, and he has just enough speed to be a non-zero contributor. The skills growth backs up the power breakout in 2025, but it isn’t going to come at a discount because he is going to be on everyone’s “sleeper” list.
Ozzie Albies-Braves-2B
Ozzie Albies struggled like a lot of the Braves hitters in 2025. He hit .240 with 16 HR, 74 R, 74 RBI, and 14 SB. He continued to show good plate skills (14% K and 8% BB) but struggled to hit the ball hard (5% Barrels and 31% Hardhit). Albies also has severe platoon splits for his career. He has a .324 AVG with an .890 OPS vs. LHP compared to a .244 AVG with a .739 OPS against RHP. The issue is that the majority of pitchers in the big leagues are right-handed, so he sees most of his at-bats from his worst side. Albies did perform better in the second half (.260 AVG with 10 HR/7 SB), which is more in line with what we should expect out of him going forward. He isn’t going to hit close to .300 again, or 30 HR, but a .260 AVG with 20 HR and 10-15 SB should be doable for the 29-year-old second baseman.
Sandy Alcantara-Marlins-SP
Sandy Alcantara made 31 starts and logged 174.2 IP in his return from surgery. That is the good news. The bad news is that he did not pitch particularly well (5.35 ERA and 1.27 WHIP). This was not close to his career numbers 3.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He showed skills similar to 2023 before the injury (19% K and 8% BB). The main issue for Alcantara was a lack of command at times. His walk rate wasn’t ever a problem, but locating pitches in the zone was a struggle, which is why he posted a career-high 1.13 HR/9. The good news is that he got better as the season went on. He finished with a 3.33 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 15% K:BB over the second half. Alcantara was especially strong in his last eight starts (2.68 ERA and 25% K). He’s not likely to return to the ace he was from 2020-2022, but he could be a useful starter who logs a ton of innings with a decent ERA in the high 3s to low 4s, but a higher WHIP of 1.20+. Alcantara is better than his surface stats indicate, and he appeared to round into form as the season went on, but he isn’t the ace from three years ago. His 2023 season is a good baseline expectation (184.2 IP, 4.14 ERA, and 1.21 WHIP).
Zac Gallen-Diamondbacks-SP
Zac Gallen is still a free agent coming off his worst season as a professional (4.83 ERA and 1.26 WHIP). The only positive from a year ago was that he was able to make 33 starts (192 IP). His strikeout rate dropped from 25% to 22%, and this was also reflected in a drop in his swinging strike rate (11%-10%). His velocity and pitch mix were in line with recent seasons, but his best pitch (curve) was essentially useless. On one hand, this is very concerning, but it also gives hope that if he could get the pitch back, he could return to being a viable fantasy option. His velocity, pitch mix, Stuff+, and Location+ all look in line with his past three seasons, which aren’t elite but still good enough to be rostered in 12-team mixed leagues. The key to his draft value will be where he signs, when he signs, and then reports of his stuff, specifically his curve. There is some hope that he can get it back because he had a 3.97 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 14% K:BB in the second half.
Brenton Doyle-Rockies-COL
Brenton Doyle is coming off a disappointing 2025 (.233 AVG with 15 HR/18 SB) season after breaking out in 2024 (.260 AVG with 23 HR/30 SB). It was a tale of two halves for him. He hit .202 with 7 HR, 33 R, 30 RBI, and 9 SB in 331 PA in the first half and then turned it on in the second half .282 AVG with 8 HR, 24 R, 27 RBI, and 9 SB in 207 PA. The first half was difficult for Doyle because he dealt with an injury (quad) and the loss of his unborn child. He attributes his improvement in performance in the second half to getting healthy. Doyle is a strong candidate for a bounce-back this season because the skills didn’t disappear, and he still plays half his games in a very hitter-friendly environment. He also plays excellent defense, which is going to keep his bat in the lineup daily.
Jesus Sanchez-Blue Jays-OF
Jesus Sanchez was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday for OF Joey Loperfido. Sanchez wasn’t able to repeat his 2024 season (.252 AVG with 18 HR, 60 R, 64 RBI, and 16 SB), but he also did not kill fantasy teams (.237 AVG with 14 HR, 61 R, 48 RBI, and 13 SB). The trade to Toronto likely makes him a strong side platoon bat, given that they have right-handed outfielders in Davis Scheinder and Myles Straw projected to be on their bench. Sanchez also has severe platoon splits (.181/.231/.289 vs. LHP and .253/.324/.450 vs. RHP). He is still projected for double-digit homers and steals with .240-.250 AVG, which will make him a fantasy viable in deeper mixed leagues even if he only plays against RHP. Sanchez hits the ball hard (11% Barrels and 43% Hardhit) with a good plate approach (9% BB and 22% K), giving him a nice floor.
Moises Ballesteros-Cubs-DH
Moises Ballesteros has an interesting profile because he doesn’t have a defensive home and is small in stature (5’8″), but has produced offensively at every level. He was able to gain the confidence of manager Craig Counsell in his short time in the big leagues (66 PA). Counsell felt comfortable enough in his bat to have hit cleanup at the major league level. IF he has a good spring, he is expected to make the Opening Day roster and get most of his at-bats at DH while occasionally filling in at catcher or first base. He hit .316 with 13 HR, 62 R, 76 RBI, and 5 SB in 509 PA at Triple-A with excellent plate skills (10% BB and 13% K). In the majors, he hit .298 with 2 HR, 12 R, 11 RBI, and 0 SB with 13% BB and 18% K in 66 PA. He is going to go late in deeper mixed leagues, but could offer upside because he will be overlooked due to the lack of a position.
Nick Castellanos-Free Agent-OF
Nick Castellanos was released by the Phillies on Thursday. His relationship with the organization soured as the season went on, as he saw his playing time dwindle. Castellanos is 33 years old, coming off a season in which he hit .250 with 17 HR, 72 R, 72 RBI, and 4 SB. The issue for Castellanos is that his defense has declined to the point where teams are going to be worried putting him out there. He also doesn’t hit enough to be a full-time DH, so the market for Castellanos is going to be small. There is also a chance that he doesn’t get a full-time role, which is going to greatly impact his fantasy value. He doesn’t have elite skills (23% K, 8% Barrels, and 35% Hardhit). He also does not have a plate approach that ages well (45% O-swing), which is why his average is lower for someone who doesn’t strike out much. It is also why he doesn’t make much hard contact. Add these factors to the clubhouse issues, and it is going to be hard for Castellanos to find a spot that is going to be a positive for him. This makes it tough to draft Castellanos at this point.
Guardians Rotation
The Guardians are going to have to make some tough decisions this spring in terms of their starting rotation. The only guys who are locked into a job right now are Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee. There is going to be a battle between Parker Messick, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, and Slade Cecconi for three spots. Slade Cecconi made 23 starts for the Guardians last year and posted a 4.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 20% K, and 6% BB. He is a right-hander with below-average stuff, but is able to make it work because he has six pitches that he can throw at any time. From a real-life perspective, he has value, but his fantasy value is limited and will mainly be tied to his batted ball luck. Joey Cantillo showed promise last year (3.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 27% K, and 11% BB). He was able to miss bats (27% K and 12% SwStr) but struggled with control (11% BB). Unfortunately, this has been a problem throughout his professional career, so banking on an improvement there is a fool’s errand. However, his fantasy upside is greater than Cecconi’s because of his ability to miss bats, and adding the fact that he is a left-hander should give him a leg up for a rotation spot. Parker Messick may have the most upside of the group, but he appears the least likely to make the rotation out of spring. Messick had a 2.72 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 23% K, and 4% BB in 39.2 IP for the Guardians last year. He has the best combination of strikeouts and walk rate, which resulted in the lowest SIERA (3.43) of the group. He has five pitches from the left side, including an above-average changeup that will allow him to get hitters from both sides of the plate out. However, he still has options, so he is most likely to start the year in Triple-A but should see a lot of innings for the Guardians. The pitcher that has the least fantasy value is Logan Allen. He has a career 4.48 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 379.1 IP. He struggles to miss bats (18% K) and doesn’t have elite control (9% BB). His 4.79 SIERA represents a pitcher who should be moved to the bullpen. Ranked for fantasy value, it is: Cantillo, Messick, Cecconi, and Allen. We will have to keep an eye on the news to see how things look in camp. This could be a buying opportunity for Messick as he looks like the odd man out right now.