Preseason Prep – March 18, 2026
Edgar Quero, C, White Sox
Edgar Quero now has the opportunity to be Chicago’s everyday catcher to open the season, now that Kyle Tell is out 4 to 6 weeks with a hamstring strain. Quero held his own in his first taste of the big leagues in 2025, slashing .269/.333/.356 with 31 runs, 5 home runs, and 36 RBI in 111 games. He doesn’t have as much upside as Teel, mostly because of his 67.5 mph bat speed (4th percentile) that will limit any type of real power output. However, he posted an excellent 97th percentile 19.0% chase rate and 34.4% squared-up rate that helped him hit for a good average and get on base at a great clip. While he still likely won’t be a great option for one-catcher leagues, his plate discipline should be enough to make him worth drafting as your second catcher in two-catcher leagues. Even once Teel comes back, both of them could remain in the lineup at the same time through the use of the DH spot.
Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds
Tyler Stephenson had a slight down year in 2025 and missed time due to multiple injuries, slashing .231/.316/.421 with 40 runs, 13 home runs, and 50 RBI in 88 games. While the batting average took a dip, he was still the same in terms of power, posting an excellent 14.4% barrel rate (90th percentile), 49.2% hard-hit rate (84th percentile), and 42.2% launch angle sweet spot rate (98th percentile). His ability to hit the ball hard at optimal launch angles and the fact that he plays half of his games in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark make him one of the better bets at the catcher position for power, as long as he can stay healthy. Stephenson is seemingly a forgotten asset in fantasy due to a wave of young, exciting catchers debuting in 2025, which makes him a great value late in drafts if you wait to fill your second catcher spot.
Willi Castro, 2B/3B/OF, Rockies
Willi Castro signed a two-year, $12.8 million contract with the Rockies this offseason, and his move to Coors could unlock some new fantasy potential for the 28-year-old. He slashed an underwhelming .226/.314/.366 in 2025 but sprinkled in 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 120 games, showing that he does hold some dual power-speed potential. Nothing in his underlying metrics suggests a breakout, as he posted just an 86.7 mph average exit velocity and a 20.1% squared up rate that both rank in the bottom 10 percent of the league, but Castro has been fantasy relevant in deep leagues in the past with similar-looking metrics. The Rockies reportedly are expecting him to be aggressive on the basepaths, and his triple eligibility makes him worth taking a chance on in deeper roto leagues.
Luis Arraez, 2B, Giants
Luis Arraez signed a one-year deal with the Giants this offseason, and he figures to be their everyday second baseman. There’s nothing new with the soft-swinging contact hitter, who remains one of the best bets for batting average while being a detriment in all other fantasy categories. In 2025, he posted a 100th percentile squared-up rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate, while posting a 1st percentile barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and bat speed. He’s best taken as a very late round option if you’re desperate for average and looking good in the other four categories.
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Mike Trout finally stayed on the field for the majority of the season in 2025, playing 130 games. However, he batted just .233 with an ugly 32% strikeout rate. It wasn’t all bad, as he still hit 26 home runs and walked 15.6% of the time, which led to a .359 OBP. He still makes extremely good quality of contact, posting a 49.3% hard hit rate, 15.8% barrel rate, and 44.4% sweet-spot rate. Trout is still easily a 30-homer bat if he stays healthy, and could be drafted at a sneaky value in an OBP league if your league mates aren’t aware of the stark contrast between his BA and OBP. He says his knees are feeling better than ever, and it’s always tough to completely count out one of the greatest hitters of this generation.
Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers
Max Muncy only played 100 games in 2025 but was very productive when healthy, slashing .243/.376/.470 with 48 runs, 19 home runs, and 67 RBI. He posted an elite 0.374 xwOBA (94th percentile) and a 51.5% hard hit rate (92nd percentile), showing that he is still a reliable slugger at 35 years old. Especially in OBP leagues, he becomes a solid starting third base option thanks to his 16.5% walk rate. He’s best used at a corner infield slot in standard roto leagues, but make sure you’re paying attention to him in drafts if you’re in a points or OBP league.
Brenton Doyle, OF, Rockies
Brenton Doyle had an extremely disappointing 2025, slashing .235/.276/.379 with 57 runs, 15 home runs, 57 RBI, and 18 steals in 138 games. That’s a far cry from his 2024, when he hit 23 homers and stole 30 bases with a .260 batting average. However, in many ways, he looked like the same player in both seasons. For example, his 25.7% strikeout rate in 2025 was nearly identical to 2024, along with a 44.6% hard-hit rate and 89.9 mph average exit velocity that actually improved slightly. His great defense in center field will keep him in the lineup, and he’ll have a chance to right the ship in 2026. He dealt with a personal family matter in 2025 that would no doubt affect anyone’s mental focus, and he could be in for a big bounce back this season. He’ll still play half of his games in Coors Field, which provides offensive upside that many others don’t get the chance to take advantage of.
Adolis Garcia, Phillies
Adolis Garcia took another slight step back in 2025, slashing .227/.271/.395 with 19 home runs and 13 steals in 135 games. He seems a long way away from his 2023 season when he hit 39 home runs, but there may be a chance for a bounce-back in 2026. The slugger signed with the Phillies and figures to be their everyday right fielder, who will bat at least within the top 6 of the lineup, but there’s a chance he’s the cleanup hitter. The move from Globe Life Park to Citizens Bank Park could do wonders for his home run totals, and hitting behind Turner, Schwarber, and Harper will allow him to rack up RBI. He still hits the ball extremely hard, with an average exit velocity of 92.1 mph (89th percentile).
Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles
Colton Cowser could be a sneaky post-hype sleeper for 2026. He slashed a measly .196/.269/.385 in 2025 but hit 16 home runs and stole 14 bases in only 92 games. That power and speed combo is rare to find as late in drafts as he’s being taken, but it all comes down to him cutting down on strikeouts. He struck out 35.6% of the time, which led to a .200 xBA, which both ranked in the 1st percentile. Still, his 14.1% barrel rate ranked in the 88th percentile, and it’s amazing that he even got the chance to steal 14 bases with how little he was actually on base. If he can make improvements to his contact skills in 2026, a breakout could be coming.
Noah Cameron, SP, Royals
Noah Cameron impressed in 2025 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, but he isn’t being drafted like he had much success at all. His 114 strikeouts in 138.1 innings are a weakness for fantasy, but he was still effective overall in almost all of his outings. He posted an 81st percentile barrel rate of 6.3% and a 37.4% hard-hit rate that allowed him to succeed despite the 20.5% strikeout rate. This didn’t come out of nowhere, as he posted a solid 3.08 ERA in the minors in 2024, too. Sometimes soft-throwing lefties can be much harder to hit than their underlying metrics suggest, and they are able to consistently overperform their expected stats. That could be the case for Cameron, who’s being drafted in the very late rounds of drafts.
Isaac Collins, OF, Royals
Isaac Collins was solid in 2025, batting .263 with a .368 OBP while hitting 9 home runs and stealing 16 bases in 130 games. He moved from the Brewers to the Royals this offseason, just in time for Kansas City to move in their outfield walls by ten feet in the corners. That’s especially beneficial for Collins, who posted an exceptional 20.4% pull-air rate that allows him to tap into some decent power despite having a hard-hit rate of only 38.9%. Double-digit homers and steals could be very valuable in five-outfielder leagues for how late he is being drafted.
Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies
Aaron Nola had the worst season of his career last season, posting a 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 94.1 innings. He was held out with a fractured rib and sprained ankle, which kept him out for the majority of the year. However, he posted an xFIP of 3.71 and SIERA of 3.81, which are much better than his actual ERA and not much worse than the 3.44 and 3.68 marks he posted in those metrics in 2024. He looked much better in the postseason and has carried that momentum into the preseason. In 14 innings combined between spring training and the WBC, he’s allowed two runs on 11 hits and two walks with 14 strikeouts in 14 innings. Nola won’t return to ace form, but he has a good chance of still being a valuable fantasy option in 2026, despite currently being drafted more like waiver-wire fodder.
Chase Burns, SP, Reds
Chase Burns has officially made the opening day roster, despite rumors circulating that he was going to start the year in Triple-A. While that is good news, it’s important to note that all three of Burns, Williamson, and Lowder have made the roster, which means they have six starting pitchers for five spots. Lowder or Williamson is likely to piggyback off of Burns at least in the first couple turns through the rotation, if not longer, which shows that the Reds are still taking his build-up slow. The flamethrower is a high-risk, high-reward pick, as he has elite stuff, but it seems like an arm injury could already be looming.
Trey Yesavage, SP, Blue Jays
After an explosive playoff run that had Yesavage flying up draft boards this offseason, recent news has come out that the Blue Jays are slow-playing his buildup. Toronto’s manager has said they expect to limit the youngster to 3-to-4 innings per start early in the season, which sounds like a deliberate plan that could potentially affect his innings throughout most of the month of April. This makes it much harder to get excited about him from a fantasy perspective, since even after they slowly build him up, it’s likely he’ll have stats skipped or shorter outings worked in to continue to monitor his workload throughout the year. That makes it especially hard to draft Yesavage in weekly lineup leagues, as you’ll never truly know what to expect from him when setting your lineup for the week. Still, he possesses some of the highest upside in the majors, as is evidenced by his ridiculous 41.1% strikeout rate in the minors in 2025.
Carson Benge, OF, Mets
Carson Benge is a great target for late in drafts, who is flying more under the radar than many other rookies. He was the 19th pick in the 2024 MLB draft and made it through all levels of the minors in 2025, batting .281 with 15 homers and 22 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was also excellent at .385. His biggest strength is his plate discipline, as he struck out 17.7% of the time and walked 13.1% of the time. It’s rare to find this mix of plate discipline, power, and speed in a hitter who’s spent just one season in the minors, and he’s projected to make the opening day roster for the Mets. The most likely scenario is that he is the strong-side of a platoon in right field, but could stick in the lineup every day if he gets out to a hot start.