Studs and Duds From the 2026 Fantasy Baseball Season

The fantasy baseball season has wrapped up, and I’m sure that you have already replayed all of your draft picks, waiver pickups, and trades that impacted your season. Whether it was the pitcher you streamed to win you a win, the trade that you regret, or that third-round draft pick that you ended up dropping out of frustration a month into the season, we all have moments of regret and celebration throughout a 20-plus-week season.

What matters is that we learn from our mistakes and victories and apply those lessons to next year’s draft. Of course, there are going to be breakouts each year and players that we overlooked or overrated. That’s just part of the game. But reviewing the season is always an important part of preparing for next year.

Although we are talking about the studs and duds, I do want to put some parameters around what qualifies as a stud or a dud. I could sit here and talk about the top five fantasy players, call them all studs, and move on, but that really isn’t what I’m trying to accomplish. I want to highlight some of the players who outperformed their preseason draft stock while also talking about the players who underperformed expectations.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Studs

Pete Crow-Armstrong

2026 Stats: .280/.372/.570, 45 HR, 40 SB

PCA was a puzzling player going into the draft season. While many were willing to draft him relatively high, most outlets had him between No. 30-50 overall, even after his 30-30 season in year two. I get it, he had some really bad stretches, but the raw ability was always there for a true breakout, and we saw that in 2026.

Did anyone actually think PCA would tie Kyle Schwarber for the most home runs in the National League? He finished second in stolen bases, which was more predictable, but his power output was much better than anyone would have expected. The added power was obviously amazing, but more than doubling his walk rate helped his on-base percentage and overall fantasy value.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is the type of player you create in a video game. He can do everything and does it with a level of moxie that is hated by some and loved by others. I’m sure we’ll see him near the top of draft boards for 2027.

Jacob Misiorowski

2026 Stats: 1.80 ERA, 2.17 FIP, 12.98 K/9, 2.27 BB/9

What a season from the Miz. We all saw the talent when he debuted last season. I knew he would have the ability to eventually be a top option in fantasy baseball, but I did not think it would happen this quickly. Misiorowski led the National League in strikeouts, ERA, average against, and WHIP. A bona fide ace and fantasy baseball cheat code who racked up strikeouts without walking many batters.

Every draft season, there are “sophomores” who people are way too high on and buy into the hype too early. This was not the case with Misiorowski. In my draft, he fell just outside of the top 100 and floated between No. 70 and No. 130 in many other drafts. Like PCA, he’s not lasting very long in the 2027 draft.

We’ll see where he ultimately falls once draft season comes around, but anywhere you say in the first round, I could believe you. There’s not a number too high.

Gavin Williams and Parker Messick

Williams’ 2026 Stats: 3.76 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 12.11 K/9, 2.98 BB/9

Messick’s 2026 Stats: 2.57 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 9.32 K/9, 2.37 BB/9

I wanted to clump these two teammates together because I think that they both broke out in a big way in 2026. We all know that Cleveland has a history of churning out good pitchers, so both names were on people’s radars, especially Williams. But Messick was truly a great find for fantasy owners.

Williams came with the high strikeout potential that fantasy owners love, while Messick relied more on weak contact but still racked up enough strikeouts to be a top-tier pitcher this fantasy season. I also wanted to pair these two together because I think it’ll be interesting to see how they are drafted next season.

It might come down to preference, but I could see both of these pitchers being drafted near each other and relatively high in the draft. Messick might be the safer pick. We all know that neither one of these pitchers is a finished product and could have an even higher ceiling to reach.

Miguel Vargas

2026 Stats: .250/.363/.474, 33 HR, 22 SB

Miguel Vargas may be the breakout player of the year, and what a story he has. From looking like a failed prospect just a couple of seasons ago, to catching the eyes of many in the second half of 2025, to launching 33 home runs and being one of the top fantasy players this season, it was remarkable to watch.

The White Sox were one of the best stories this year, and much of their offense was driven by Vargas. I think it’s fair to say that most White Sox fans were hoping he would become an average player and get plugged into the lineup, and this outcome was not even in their wildest dreams.

Having eligibility at first base and third base will only help his draft stock next season. I’m a believer in the power, but even if it takes a step back, he showed the ability to steal 20 bases, which is something I did not expect. I know he’ll be pretty high on my personal draft board.

Jordan Walker

2026 Stats: .269/.327/.466, 29 HR, 22 SB

Finally. After multiple years of looking lost and being demoted, Jordan Walker put it all together and showed what made him a top prospect. His swing started to look much better, and his hot start to the year quickly put him on many owners’ rosters after going undrafted in most drafts.

The blend of power and speed was something that Cardinals fans had dreamed of, and many had written off, but the Cardinals’ patience paid off. I know, I know, I know. You’re waiting for me to talk about the sub-.700 OPS in the second half. Don’t think I did not notice.

I do think that his second half was concerning and will affect his draft stock in 2027. We might be talking about one of the riskier picks, especially for those who watched him closely in the years prior. If you have your doubts, I don’t blame you.

Cam Schlittler

2026 Stats: 1.95 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 11.11 K/9, 2.28 BB/9

I guess the flashes that we saw in 2025 were no joke, huh? Like Miz, Schlittler was a hot name coming into draft season that many drafted higher than others. Where he was drafted varied quite a bit, but he did fall outside of the top 100 in most drafts. Well, that won’t happen again.

Schlittler finished the season with the best ERA in the American League, clearing Dylan Cease by a mile. He also racked up the third-most strikeouts with the second-lowest average against. While there’s no such thing as a perfect pitcher, Schlittler is about as close as it gets.

He’s going to fly up draft boards, even if a repeat season is unlikely. Not because he’s not talented enough, but because putting up those numbers again is extremely difficult.

Jake McCarthy

2026 Stats: .291/.334/.475, 15 HR, 32 SB

Jake McCarthy was one of those players who constantly yo-yoed between good and bad seasons when he was in Arizona. A high-contact hitter often relies on batted-ball luck to drive the difference between a good and bad season. Once he joined the Rockies this year, their home ballpark helped lift his value enough to make him a valuable fantasy asset.

A lot of his data was the same as it was in previous years, but Coors Field helped him reach an OPS of .886 at home, and he dropped down to a .727 on the road. I wouldn’t imagine McCarthy’s fantasy value is suddenly on the rise, but I do think it’s good enough for him to be drafted. Regardless, I just wanted to shout out a great year.

Duds

Cal Raleigh

2026 Stats: .182/.296/.368, 23 HR, 69 RBI

The Mariners not living up to their preseason hype was largely due in part to the struggles of Cal Raleigh. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bigger flop to start a season. Going from 60 home runs and breaking records to looking like he’s never stepped into the batter’s box was something that could only be explained by injury.

I know that most people selected Raleigh very high and dropped him before they ever got to experience a decent second-half rebound. Look, I’m not saying that Raleigh isn’t what we saw last season. But what we saw this year is extremely concerning. I would still be willing to bet on a bounce-back, but where he goes in the draft is going to be interesting to see.

Framber Valdez

2026 Stats: 4.03 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 6.98 K/9, 3.47 BB/9

Framber Valdez never relied on being a high-strikeout pitcher in order to drive his fantasy value. But when you have the drop-off in your strikeouts per nine by almost two, you were going to have a problem. There’s less room for error, and Valdez continued to get hit hard and see many of his ground balls sneak through the infield.

He was susceptible to blow-up starts in Houston, where we usually saw seven or eight per season. In his first season in Detroit, we saw a lot more than that. I still think that Valdez is a good enough pitcher to have fantasy value going forward, but I’m not sure if he is on the decline or just had a bad season. We’ll learn a lot about him over the next year.

Kyle Tucker

2026 Stats: .233/.330/.385, 17 HR, 12 SB

There’s something about signing big deals in California and being disinterested in baseball all of a sudden. What was going on with Kyle Tucker? Your guess is as good as mine. His body language and demeanor did not look like somebody who really wanted to play baseball for most of the season, and his production tanked.

Tucker was a very high draft pick and ended the season with only 17 home runs and 12 stolen bases, to go with a .233 average. Pedestrian numbers that you could usually find in the late rounds and even on the waiver wire. I might be overreacting, but I would not draft Tucker at all in my fantasy leagues going forward.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

2026 Stats: .260/.332/.356, 9 HR, 57 RBI

Another player that I will be staying away from is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nine home runs? The power was never true to his 48-home-run season, but chopping his total by more than half in a single year is alarming. Not to mention, his comments over the past couple of weeks about his contract make me believe that he’s not all that worried about his production.

He’s not going to strike out much, but I don’t think anyone wants a contact-first first baseman who hits a ton of ground balls. What is his draft value going forward? Are people just going to stay away from him and now treat him as a flyer in the late rounds? That might be an overcorrection, but it’s reasonable to think after the season we just saw.

Freddy Peralta

2026 Stats: 4.42 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 8.31 K/9, 3.36 BB/9

Freddy Peralta was one of the more consistent and great pitchers year in and year out when he was with the Brewers. I was shocked to see that consistency did not carry over to New York. A complete disaster of a season led to him being traded to the Rays at the deadline. While the 3.25 ERA with the Rays looked better, he still wasn’t striking anybody out.

How much do you believe in Freddy Peralta, the 3.25 ERA and less than seven strikeouts per nine pitcher that we saw in Tampa? Are you that interested in taking a mid-round draft pick to see if he can rebound? I’m not so sure that I am.

Trea Turner

2026 Stats: .242/.297/.378, 19 HR, 21 SB

It might be time for a standing ovation every single time Turner comes up to the plate. This was truly a season from hell for Trea Turner, who did not have any BABIP luck and posted a strikeout rate above 20% for only the second time in his career. His 83 wRC+ was a career low as well. If you did not spend much time watching Trea Turner this year, just check out Phillies Twitter (I mean X), and you’ll learn what type of season he had.

I might be crazy, but I think I could buy into a bounce-back season for Turner. If he drops in the draft, it might be the perfect opportunity to find a player who you know is much better than what we saw and perhaps could regain some value. Ask me again in February and see if I still feel the same way.