Top 25 Rookies For 2026 Fantasy Baseball Leagues

Earlier this offseason, I profiled some deeper rookie targets for 50-round draft-and-hold leagues. On yesterday's Prospect Podcast, I ranked the top 25 rookies for 2026 fantasy baseball leagues:

This is the article version of that podcast. The last handful of prospects in the top 25 are best for the draft-and-hold format, but almost all of these players will be relevant in even the shallowest fantasy leagues at some point this season. 

I've noted each prospect's ADP from the first 12 NFBC Draft Champions leagues, and at the bottom of the article, there are tables showing my top 25 in tiers and the top 100 prospects by ADP.

1. Nolan McLean, RHP, NYM, ADP: 108.2

McLean was always expected to end up a pitcher, but it's worth noting that 2025 was his first full season as a full-time pitcher, as he was getting reps as a two-way player as recently as early 2024. This helps explain why he has seemingly gotten better as he's climbed higher in pro ball, and that was most apparent when he dominated big-league hitters over 48 innings (21.8 K-BB%, 61.1 GB%) in even more impressive fashion than he did over 113.2 innings at Triple-A (16.4 K-BB%, 53.5 GB%). He throws six distinct pitches and has all the weapons he needs to dominate righties and lefties. The only question is how much to discount him for lacking a multi-year track record in the majors.

2. Samuel Basallo, C, BAL, ADP: 177.3

Basallo was the youngest hitter and arguably the best power hitter at Triple-A last year while also working on his catcher defense, so it needs to be understood that his power ceiling is very high as early as 2026. The fact that he only struck out 25.4 percent of the time in the majors right after turning 21 erases any concerns I would have had about him making enough contact in his first full MLB season. Baltimore is incentivized to play him enough for him to factor in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and he should deserve regular at-bats anyway, so I see a high floor and a 30-homer ceiling. I would draft Basallo as Catcher 11, ahead of Adley Rutschman (165.8 ADP) and Alejandro Kirk (174 ADP) and a couple rounds after Catcher 10, Yainer Diaz (124.4 ADP).

3. Trey Yesavage, RHP, TOR, ADP: 146.7

Yesavage doesn't have the deepest arsenal or the best command of the rookie starting pitchers, but he's going to be a high-strikeout starter and is locked into a big-league rotation on a good team. He had a great minor-league season, but Yesavage wasn't considered in the same tier as these other top pitchers prior to his postseason dominance. The fact he doesn't turn 23 until after the 2026 All-Star break makes his long-term prospects all the more exciting. I think he's going in roughly the right spot, although there are some pretty appealing veterans going going right behind him: Sonny Gray, Shane Bieber, Drew Rasmussen, Trevor Rogers, Ryan Pepiot, Nathan Eovaldi. 

4. Bubba Chandler, RHP, PIT, ADP: 156.4

The market is confident in Chandler, as I would have expected his summer swoon and poor team context to lead to him going a couple rounds later at this stage of the offseason. Steamer, which only came out recently and hasn't had much effect on ADP yet, seems to care much more about Chandler's inconsistencies in 2025 (Steamer: 12.0 K-BB%, 1.36 WHIP), so his price could dip in the coming weeks. Chandler is all power all the time, sitting between 89 and 99 mph with his three offerings, which perhaps ups his risk of injury slightly, but he's been a relative workhorse entering his age-23 season. The Pirates have a loaded young rotation, but that won't help Chandler get wins in his starts, and he can't be projected for double-digit wins, but he could hang with any other top pitching prospect in ratios and strikeouts.

5. Sal Stewart, 1B, CIN, ADP: 247.3

I've been highest on Stewart for the past couple years and I see no reason to back off now. Stewart is a natural third baseman, but it's best to not worry too much about where he'll play or when he'll add another position of eligibility. The fact is, Stewart is arguably the Reds' second-best hitter behind Elly De La Cruz -- Steamer thinks he's clearly their second best hitter -- so he'll be in the lineup almost every day at a too be determined position. Great American Ball Park will help the plus-hitting Stewart to maximize his above-average power, and he'll chip in over a half dozen steals while potentially leading rookie hitters in batting average. I'd be willing to take Stewart ahead of ADP as my corner infielder, and ideally I'd already have a starting 1B and 3B.

6. Carter Jensen, C, KC, ADP: 238.6

Jensen isn't a long-touted prodigy like Basallo, but Jensen is only 14 months older than Basallo and was undoubtedly more productive over the final two months. He has been streaky at times in the minors, but he's clearly got plus power, good enough plate discipline and a sneaky chance to flirt with double-digit steals. I'm not worried at all about the playing time, as Jensen and Salvador Perez are pretty obviously two of the Royals' six best position players (along with Bobby Witt, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone and Maikel Garcia)

7. Connelly Early, LHP, BOS, ADP: 203.3

There's a strange disconnect between Early's perceived value by prospect rankers and aficionados versus Early's perceived value in the redraft community. I'm on the side of the high-stakes redraft crowd that loves Early's full compliment of skills, even if he doesn't sit in the mid-90s with his fastball and was underrated at the time of his big-league debut. I also really like Payton Tolle (more on him later), and the Red Sox have a roster decision to make with Patrick Sandoval, so I don't think there's a 100 percent chance a healthy Early is in Boston's Opening Day rotation. I can't picture myself jumping ADP on Early at this stage of the offseason, but I really like the player.

8. Dylan Beavers, OF, BAL, ADP: 283.9

Whether or not Beavers gets platooned and for what portion of the season will dictate whether he's a great buy at this price or just an OK one. Beavers could get platooned or Colton Cowser could get platooned or they could both sit against a good chunk of lefties, and I think all those scenarios are realistic. If he were to play regularly, Beavers could reasonably hit 15-20 homers and steal 20-plus bases with a decent batting average and a strong OBP. He's even got some sneaky higher-end potential outcomes as a player whose projectable 6-foot-5 frame has always hinted at more power potential than he's shown in games. 

9. Konnor Griffin, SS, PIT, ADP: 288.1

Griffin vs. Kevin McGonigle (DET) for 2026 leagues was a hot debate topic at First Pitch Arizona. I'm on the side of Griffin, even though I think McGonigle is the safer bet for 500 plate appearances. Steamer thinks Griffin is the Pirates' second-best position player behind Oneil Cruz, and more importantly, I think it will be clear to everyone in spring training that he's one of the team's best players, and he'll obviously be a favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year. It makes sense for both sides to come to an agreement on a contract extension before Opening Day. If he is up all season, Griffin could hit 20 homers with 40 steals without hurting your batting average, and that type of realistic upside is almost never available this late. He's going 3-4 rounds higher in DCs than his overall ADP on the NFBC site suggests, which also factors in NFBC 50s and Gladiators.

10. Kevin McGonigle, SS, DET, ADP: 269.3

As with Griffin, I think the incentives are in place for McGonigle to be on Detroit's Opening Day roster, but also like with Griffin, there's obviously a chance he opens in the minors. Given that McGonigle is the best pure hitter in the minors and almost two years older than Griffin, he's a more obvious candidate to be up early, so I understand why the drafting public is more comfortable speculating on McGonigle. They're both good buys at these prices in Draft Champions, and this is the cheapest they'll be going until there's a report or injury that rules out Opening Day for either player. McGonigle's batting average is a big part of the long-term appeal -- he should contend for batting titles -- but it's possible he could play 135-plus games in the majors in 2026 and not clear 20 homers or 20 steals. 

11. JJ Wetherholt, SS, STL, ADP: 261

Wetherholt is more floor than ceiling entering his rookie year, which is odd to say about a player with zero MLB experience. He should add third base eligibility shortly after Opening Day, which is a really nice bonus, so that he'll be eligible in the corner and middle spots. There are shades of Luke Keaschall and Matt Shaw with Wetherholt, where it's firmly hit-over-power in his early-20s and the hope is he steals 20-plus bases while playing every day and hitting for a good average. I don't see him struggling as much as Shaw did early, or excelling as much as Keaschall did early, and I probably won't end up with any Wetherholt in redraft, given the other shortstops he's going ahead of: Masyn Winn, Carlos Correa and Brooks Lee are all more appealing and going later, plus I prefer Griffin and McGonigle, who are also going later.

12. Jonah Tong, RHP, NYM, ADP: 260.3

The best pitcher in the minors last year and an unlucky pitcher in a short big-league sample, Tong is going four rounds earlier in Draft Champions than his overall ADP suggests, as there's more buy-in from the higher-stakes crowd and enough uncertainty for him to be avoided in Gladiators. I'm getting higher on Tong as the offseason goes on and would love it if his price stayed in this range all winter. 

13. Payton Tolle, LHP, BOS, ADP: 301.5

The two Red Sox rookie starters have the two price tags I find most frustrating. I would have guessed they'd each be going a couple rounds later at this stage in the offseason, but Steamer isn't doing us any favors. It's possible Tolle is in the Opening Day rotation, and it's possible he's at Triple-A for over a month, even if he pitches perfectly fine in spring training. The ultimate bet on skills over roles pick this year is Tolle, as I'd value him as a borderline top-200 pick -- right behind Trey Yesavage and Bubba Chandler --- if I knew he'd make the rotation.

14. Bryce Eldridge, UT, SF, ADP: 352

The 6-foot-7 Eldridge will always have some swing and miss in his game, but he's been pushed very aggressively through the minors and had hard hit rates over 62 percent at Triple-A and the majors last year as a 20-year-old. Eldridge has 40-homer upside long term and logged groundball rates below 40 percent in 2024 and 2025. He would need to really struggle in spring training to not make the roster. The fact it'll take him at least a couple weeks to gain first base eligibility is something to consider as you're building your roster. I'd like to take Eldridge before I take my second first baseman in Draft Champions. 

15. Aidan Miller, SS, PHI, ADP: 402.9

Miller got off to a slow start last year after an aggressive assignment to Double-A as a 20-year-old. He rounded into form quickly, but the bigger story was that scouts were starting to throw out plus and even double-plus speed grades on Miller, whose speed was expected to be his least viable fantasy tool when he was drafted out of high school. From Memorial Day on, he had a .284 average, .425 OBP, 10 homers and 43 steals on 56 attempts in 77 games, with eight of those coming at Triple-A. The Phillies would love to trade Alec Bohm, who is heading into his final year under club control, but I don't expect the market to be robust. Even so, Miller is a dark-horse candidate to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster and I think he'd perform on par with Wetherholt as a hitter with more upside on the bases. Like Wetherholt, he'll probably add third base eligibility in the first half.

16. Moises Ballesteros, UT, CHC, ADP: 353.6

I'm still looking for a scout I trust to tell me Ballesteros has a chance to stick at catcher, but no luck so far. Even so, I came away from my deep dive higher than I expected to be on Ballesteros, both long term and short term. It's obviously all about the bat -- he's got a chance to be a DH and No. 5 hitter on a good playoff team someday. He's not as underpriced as Eldridge, but I could see myself ending up with some Ballesteros shares while assuming he'll clog my UT spot all year, and in the 5-10 percent chance he adds C eligibility, that would just be gravy. 

17. Parker Messick, LHP, CLE, ADP: 278.7

Messick is someone I used to think was very underrated in dynasty leagues, and now I think he's overrated in redraft leagues. He's a likely big-league rotation member in 2026, but Steamer projects a 1.32 WHIP and just under eight strikeouts per nine innings, so I don't think there's enough floor or ceiling to take him top 300. He's a lefty with a bunch of pitches and a big-time competitor, so I'm not ruling anything out, there's just no way I'd take him over Payton Tolle and the other pitchers going in the late-200s/early-300s. 

18. Robby Snelling, LHP, MIA, ADP: 369.3

Snelling surprisingly didn't make his big-league debut in September, instead continuing his onslaught of International League hitters. His development has been far from linear, as the Marlins had to rebuild him after acquiring him from San Diego in the 2024 Tanner Scott deadline deal, but he has never pitched better than he did at Triple-A last year (26 K-BB%, 47.9 GB%). Snelling has nothing left to prove in the minors, and while it's not a given he'll break camp in the big-league rotation, there are several paths to him doing so. Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett and Max Meyer will all be health question marks entering camp, and Sandy Alcantara is likely to be traded, so I'd say there's at least a 50 percent chance Snelling is in the Opening Day rotation.

19. Logan Henderson, RHP, MIL, ADP: 310.2

Projections will always like Henderson more than scouts, as he's an undersized righty whose only notable pitch is a potentially 80-grade changeup and the 103 innings he logged in 2025 were actually a career high. The Brewers say he has a clean bill of health, but considering a flexor strain ended his season and he already had durability issues, seemingly a lot has to go right for him to be worth this price. I'll take his rotation mate Chad Patrick, who is going four rounds later, straight up over Henderson.

20. Chase DeLauter, OF, CLE, ADP: 319.9

DeLauter has never played more than 57 games in a regular season, but his production has been as reliable as his fragility en route to making his big-league debut in the 2025 postseason. Lower-body injuries from before he was drafted in 2022 through the 2024 season have led to him no longer stealing bases, although his unavailability in 2025 was due to a sports hernia and broken hamate. Assuming he doesn't start running again (one steal in 70 games of full-season ball since 2024), DeLauter needs to be really productive at the dish, as he could also sit against lefties and I assume he'll get hurt at some point. Give me lefty-hitting outfielders Jesus Sanchez, Gavin Sheets and Dominic Canzone, among others, who are all going at least a round later than DeLauter.

21. Andrew Painter, RHP, PHI, ADP: 357

Drafting Painter in this range is basically a blind bet on the 2022 version of Painter still being in there somewhere, as the 2025 version won't do us any good. It's not like his stuff was terrible, he just wasn't sharp or consistent from inning to inning, let alone start to start. He was basically as young and famous as you could be before getting TJS, so there's an argument that his body just needs more time to get back in sync. The one thing we know is the Phillies won't delay Painter's ascent to the big-league rotation if he's ready.

22. Colt Emerson, SS, SEA, ADP: 462.3

Even the redraft crowd seems to know that the 20-year-old Emerson's game isn't tailor made for standard roto, but he's still a phenom who could make waves in spring training and I believe he is clearly the short-term and long-term option at third base. He's too close to being ready for them to bring someone in ahead of him, so like with JJ Wetherholt and Aidan Miller, I'm betting Emerson is corner and middle eligible shortly after his big-league debut. Over Emerson's last 62 games, split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .307/.403/.508 with a 17.7 K%, nine home runs and nine steals. There are shades here of Jackson Merrill in 2024, where everyone knew the hit tool was special but the game power and speed were TBD. 

23. Carson Benge, OF, NYM, ADP: 537.8

David Stearns made waves Tuesday by saying Benge has a legitimate chance to make the team out of spring training. It's bad news for those who already assumed that would be the case, and good news for those who already drafted Benge at his outdated ADP. It wouldn't be surprising at all if Benge and Dylan Beavers have very similar stats in 2026, likely having to sit against some same-handed pitching as they attempt to go 20/20 with a solid OBP by rookie standards. 

24. Joshua Baez, OF, STL, ADP: 544.3

Baez got top billing in my Rookies to Target article from a month ago, and he's worth mentioning again here, as getting a potential everyday power/speed OF after pick 500 has the potential to pay dividends. It's not clear how aggressive the new regime will be at promoting prospects early in 2026, but Steamer projects a 26.8 K% for Baez, which would make him playable right away, given his power and defense.

25. Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, ARI, ADP: 654.8

Similarly to Baez, Waldschmidt could be an everyday power/speed OF, albeit with a little less upside in the speed department. Steamer gives Waldschmidt the same 104 wRC+ as Carter Jensen and has him just a tad behind JJ Wetherholt's 106 wRC projection. He's got a top-6 Steamer wRC+ among Diamondbacks, so I could see him up as early as late-April or early-May, and as a righty who can play all three spots, he shouldn't have to come out of the lineup.

Top 25 Prospects For 2026 Redraft Leagues

Top 100 Prospects By Draft Champions ADP (12 Drafts)