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Español2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakouts: Who's ready to make a splash at C, 1B, 2B, SS and 3B?
Drafting a team of safe, boring players is a great way to finish in third place. While those with a high floor have their place in a fantasy baseball draft, managers need to chase high ceilings at some point in the selection process if they want to build a truly special roster. The infielders listed below have a good chance to take a major step forward this year and are excellent targets in any draft.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Please note that I omitted rookies, as any production from first-year players would constitute some degree of a breakout season.
Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics
Coming off a pair of productive seasons, Langeliers is a step away from a Cal Raleigh-esque campaign. The slugger was dominant in the second half of 2025, when he used improvements in fly ball rate and pull rate to hit .328 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 57 games. He boosted his year-over-year batting average by more than 50 points, thanks to a vastly improved 19.7% strikeout rate. Langeliers barrels up the ball often, is part of a rapidly improving lineup and calls home to a hitter-friendly venue. He could produce 35-40 homers and 100 RBI.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
Managers in categories leagues should be excited to draft Keaschall at his ADP (123.6), as he will be among the steals leaders this year. The 23-year-old has an exceptional ability to get his bat on the ball and maintains a strong line drive rate, which will ensure a high batting average. He also knows how to use his plate patience to reach base, as he posted elite walk rates in the minors and logged an impressive 9.2% mark as a rookie. Keaschall doesn’t hit the ball hard, but that is the case with several speedsters, and his 86.2 mph average exit velocity is similar to the mark Brice Turang posted when he stole 50 bases in 2024. The rebuilding Twins will let Keaschall run aggressively from a premium lineup spot, which will result in 40 steals and 85 runs.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox
In some cases, breakout seasons are merely a repeat of skills shown in smaller sample sizes, but this time stretched over a full campaign. That will be the case with Montgomery this season, after he homered 21 times in 71 games as a rookie. Although he won’t stay on that 45-homer pace, the 24-year-old will use his penchant for pulled fly balls to go deep 35 times, and even in a weak White Sox lineup, he can drive in 85 runs. It’s also worth noting that although Montgomery could stand to lower his strikeout rate, he achieved his .239 average with a .263 BABIP, which means that his batted-ball luck could improve in Year 2.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies
Several small changes could lead to a breakout season for Tovar, who has already had some solid campaigns and is still just 24 years old. The youngster will never be confused with Juan Soto or Bryce Harper when it comes to plate discipline, but he made minor improvements to his strikeout and walk rates last year. He also posted a career-best 89.4 mph average exit velocity, and his xBA, xSLG and xwOBA were career-high marks. Finally, his line drive improved to a lofty 27.8% last year, and he dealt with an unfortunate 9.0% HR/FB rate that held his home run total down.
Beyond his skill gains, Tovar should be helped by the fact that the Rockies offense is bound to improve. The team scored just 587 runs, which was the lowest total in a 162-game season in franchise history. Even in a down year, Colorado’s lineup uses the benefits of Coors Field to score roughly 700 runs. I’m not predicting the Rockies to make major strides as a team, but their offense should be significantly more productive this year.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Think that we saw the Lopez breakout season last year? Think again. Through a consolidation of skills he has already shown, Lopez could take another step forward this year. Thanks to more playing time and an improved fly-ball rate, the infielder produced a career-high 15 homers, which is a repeatable total. This year’s improvements will come in the batting average category, as last year he was hampered by a .264 BABIP, which negated an improved 13.8% strikeout rate.
With better batted-ball luck, Lopez could hit .280 while using the increase in base knocks and his 81st percentile sprint speed to post career-high marks in steals and runs scored.
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, Chicago White Sox
For the deep-league crowd, I offer Vargas as a late-round breakout candidate. The 26-year-old who debuted way back in 2022 finally played a full season in 2025. The results were respectable but not impressive. Still, we saw some improvements, most notably major strides with a strikeout rate that was cut to 17.6%. Vargas has always produced many fly balls (career 50.3% rate) and respectable exit velocities but has been saddled by a lowly lifetime 7.3% HR/FB rate. That mark will finally push past 10% this year, which will give Vargas 25-homer potential.
MLB News Updates, March 2: Andrew Painter makes 2026 debut, and more from spring training to note for fantasy baseball
Every week, we will update fantasy baseball managers with all the MLB news they may have missed as we make our way through spring training and get closer to Opening Day.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Andrew Painter has brief, quiet outing in 2026 spring training debut
It seems like forever that fantasy baseball managers have been waiting for Andrew Painter to make noise in the majors. After all, three years ago, the then-19-year-old made his spring training debut, only to find himself undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending any hopes of an expedited career in MLB.
But Painter, MLB’s 28th-ranked prospect and long considered one of the Phillies’ best prospects overall, is healthy now and ready to make his mark in Philadelphia’s rotation this season.
Painter made his 2026 spring training debut against the Yankees on March 1. He pitched two scoreless innings and collected one strikeout, to Jasson Domínguez (another former highly-touted prospect who’s already gotten a lot of MLB action).
Painter will likely be eased along, but it seems like a given that he’ll get a chance to stick in the Phillies’ rotation to start the season. He’s currently carrying a 205 ADP in Yahoo leagues; that won’t last.
Stanton makes startling injury claim
In what ended up being one of the more bizarre-sounding news stories of the past few days, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton claimed that the pain in his elbows is so bad that he “can’t open bottles, can’t open a bag of chips.”
As someone who has opened a lot of bags of chips in his day, that is a wild statement. Injuries, of course, are no strangers to Stanton — the last time he played more than 140 games was in 2018.
Highlights of Stanton running have been making the rounds on social media; that’s a low bar. But nonetheless, Stanton has remained one of the most feared, powerful hitters in baseball, despite his litany of injury woes. Last season was even a resurgence for him, posting a .944 OPS in 77 games (after returning from, yes, an injury) while hitting 24 home runs. Stanton currently has an ADP of 193, but this elbow news will probably lower that even further. At that point in drafts, you could do worse than taking a chance on someone who has 40+ homer upside.
Baseball’s No. 1 prospect makes his presence felt
The Pittsburgh Pirates are not a good team, but that doesn’t mean they don’t offer reasons for excitement. Oneil Cruz is an exciting hitter with a yet-untapped ceiling, Paul Skenes is already one of the five best starting pitchers in baseball and Bubba Chandler could reach that position at some point.
And there’s a chance another one of Pittsburgh’s prospects could take the field in the majors this season — and he might be the best of the bunch.
Konnor Griffin — who will turn a mere 20 years old when the season reaches its one-month mark — has already made waves across social media with his first spring training homers:
No. 1 Prospect Konnor Griffin hits his first #SpringTraining home run! 💪 pic.twitter.com/YllOJIHZLw
— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2026
Not only did he launch that blast against Boston’s prized free-agent pickup, Ranger Suárez, but Griffin would go on and hit a second home run later in the game. Then, he hit a third spring training homer on March 1. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Griffin is the Pirates’ top prospect — and the top prospect in baseball overall.
But again, Griffin is just 19 years old at the time of this writing. He’s only played in A-A+-AA (in which he made mincemeat of opposing pitching to the tune of a .333/.415/.527 slash line with a .941 OPS) in the minors. The chances of him making the big league roster before the summer — much less right out of spring training — are not high. And we know Pittsburgh isn’t exactly the place where prospects get rushed, no matter how good they are.
Griffin has a Yahoo ADP of 195.6 — apt for someone who is just a hopeful bench stash right now; Yahoo managers aren’t too hyped yet. But if he continues the highlight reel and fan pressure continues to build, the Pirates’ hand may be forced at some point in May or June. He’s a must-watch player during spring training.
Lindor on track for Opening Day; Carroll aiming for the same
Mets SS Francisco Lindor was one of a group of high-profile players who announced a need for surgery after injury to the hamate bone; for him, the surgery was performed on his left hand.
No one wants to hear about a star player needing surgery right before spring training, but thankfully, Lindor recently had his stitches removed and is reportedly still on track to start for the Mets on Opening Day.
Lindor is currently just on the cusp of being a second-round pick in Yahoo Fantasy leagues. If he falls to the third round, he’s a snap-selection, especially when you consider he’s gone nearly 30-30 (he stole 29 bases in 2024) for three straight seasons.
Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll (who currently holds a Yahoo ADP of 16.6) had surgery on Feb. 11 on his right hamate bone, and as he continues his rehab, he has stated that he’s “pushing” to be ready for Opening Day against the Dodgers on March 26.
At just 25 years old, we likely still haven’t seen Carroll’s best season; he has a .258/.341/.491 slash line with an .832 OPS in his career. His ADP could shoot up if his timeline does the same during spring training.
Hope for a resurgent Mike Trout season?
Once considered the clear best player in baseball, it’s been a rough couple of seasons for Mike Trout on the injury front. Trout last played more than 130 games in 2019 (134). He played just 29 and 82 games in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He did play 130 games in 2025, but the results were pretty subpar, by his standards: .232/.359/.439 with a .797 OPS, 26 home runs and just two stolen bases.
But maybe there’s a chance things turn around this season. On Saturday, Trout flew down the line in an attempt to beat out an infield single versus the D-backs. He was recorded as reaching a sprint speed of 29.9 feet per second — his highest sprint speed since a meniscus tear in 2024. Trout himself revealed that his goal for this season is 30 feet per second.
Now, this is not to say that Trout will suddenly return to his glory days of stealing 30+ bases, but a return to elite speed would certainly help in that regard. At the very least, a healthy Trout will undoubtedly steal more than the measly two bags he’s averaged the last six seasons.
For context, Trea Turner had the highest sprint speed in the league in 2025 at 30.3 feet per second, per Statcast. Trout was down at 223 with 27.9 feet per second.
Trout is coming off the board as OF58 in Yahoo leagues, a far cry from his previous elite years. Two years removed from his meniscus tear and with an eye on redemption, Trout could end up being a draft-day steal.
Yankee youth shining early in spring training
The Yankees aren’t exactly the Pirates in terms of exciting prospects, but they do have some young players who have been turning heads so far in exhibition play.
George Lombard Jr., baseball’s 32nd-ranked prospect, has been making defensive highlight after defensive highlight so far in spring training, and the Yankees expect his bat to catch up with his glove. Defense can get players onto the field sooner than later; Lombard’s ascension is one to watch.
Carlos Lagrange is another of New York’s top prospects, a potentially front-line starter with triple-digit stuff. His arm is already making waves on social media. In Double-A last season, Lagrange put together a 7-6 record with a 3.22 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched. At 22 years old, Lagrange has the chance to not only begin the season in Triple-A, but could see himself in the big-league club sooner rather than later, whether as a starter or in the bullpen.
Finally, we have Ryan Weathers, the Yankees’ offseason trade acquisition from the Marlins. At just 26 years old, Weathers hasn’t even reached his prime yet; once upon a time, Weathers was a Padres first-round pick. He flamed out with San Diego, but delivered moments of promise with the Marlins. The Yankees traded for that promise, and it may have already shown itself in spring training:
Ryan Weathers with a 99.8 MPH strikeout. He has never thrown a pitch that fast in his MLB career pic.twitter.com/0gN2GGUdB5
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 25, 2026
Weathers ended his exhibition outing with the following line: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 5 K, 0 BB. Not bad for a debut. He currently holds a Yahoo ADP of 207.6; expect that to rise in the coming weeks, barring injury or a blow-up outing, as Weathers is projected to be the Yankees’ third or fourth starter to open the season.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: AL-only Rotisserie salary cap (auction) results, along with recap
Leagues don't get much deeper than this
AC Milan Vs Inter Milan – Two Rossoneri Defenders At Risk Of Missing Derby Della Madonnina
AC Milan stars Matteo Gabbia and Davide Bartesaghi are reportedly at risk of missing Sunday’s Serie A clash against Inter.
According to Sky Sport Italia via FCInterNews, the question marks are hovering over both defenders’ heads.
Inter and Milan will renew hostilities in the second Derby della Madonnina edition of the season this weekend.
Despite emerging victorious in November’s reverse fixture, Massimiliano Allegri’s men are trailing the Nerazzurri by a whopping ten points.
Therefore, Cristian Chivu could all but secure the Scudetto in his first season at the club with a win on Sunday.
Gabbia & Bartesaghi Could Miss AC Milan vs Inter Milan Clash
TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 15: Massimiliano Allegri, Head Coach of Juventus looks on prior to the Serie A match between Torino FC and Juventus at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on October 15, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Matteo Gabbia missed Milan’s last-gasp league win at Cremonese last Sunday due to a thigh injury.
However, the Rossoneri had hoped to welcome their defensive cornerstone back for the upcoming Milan derby.
Unfortunately for Allegri, this fixture will come too soon for the Italian center-back.
Meanwhile, Bartesaghi suffered a knock at Stadio Giovanni Zini, and Allegri is sweating over his fitness.
If the Milan academy graduate don’t recover, Pervis Estupinan is likely to take his place on the left wing.