By Travis Duncan Baseball Ticker Editor
JJ Wetherholt 2B/SS St. Louis Cardinals
Wetherholt will be the Cardinals starting second basemen in 2026 and was recently ranked as the Cardinals #1 Prospect by MLB.com
The 23-year old has had a nice spring in Jupiter, Fl for the Redbirds, with 2 home runs and 1.029 OPS in 22 ABs. Cardinals beat writer Derrick Gould said the rookie has been the best hitter in camp thus far.
Daylen Lile, OF, Washington Nationals
Lile played 91 games in his first season in the Majors and racked up eight steals and 11 triples in that timeframe, he’s rated as one of the fastest players in the game. Over the final two months of the 2025 season he complied a slash line of .351/.400/.608. He’s slated to hit 3rd in the Nats lineup according to Fangraphs.com projections. With a FanGraphs speed rating of 60 out of 80, there is a huge stolen base player here.
Jordan Lawlar, 3B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Injuries have plagued the early career of this former first-round pick, and ironically injuries to the D’backs outfield should open up everyday starts in 2026. Currently Lawlar is looking to win the center field spot but could be used in left or right field. Look for Lawlar as a very late round draft pick in the late 200s or early 300 in standard drafts. So far this spring Lawlar has four home runs and is hitting .323 in 37 PAs.
Ceddanne Rafaela, OF, Boston Red Sox
A 2025 Gold Glove winner, Rafaela looks to have the Red Sox center fielder job locked down in 2026, although some leagues may give him position eligibility at 2B.
Caddeanne won’t blow you away with his offensive numbers but because of his defense he’ll be in the lineup everyday. Look for him to produce in the range of 15-20 HR and 15-20 steals. A solid late round pick.
Agustin Ramirez, C, Miami Marlins
Agustín Ramírez enters 2026 as one of the most exciting young catchers in baseball and a legitimate fantasy sleeper at the position. His defensive numbers aren’t great and there’s a chance that he won’t stay a catcher and that could happen this season. Ramírez posted minus-14 defensive runs saved in 2025, including a brutal 8.8% caught-stealing rate, with base runners succeeding on 82 of 91 steal attempts against him
Last year he became the first catcher in MLB history to record 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases in the same season. Look for that trend to continue as he is stated to be the Marlins opening day catcher and hitting cleanup.
Andrew Vaughn, OF/1B, Milwaukee Brewers
Vaughn has always been able to hit for power. He’s slipping to beyond Top 200 in some early drafts (215 at Yahoo Sports), and can be a solid contributor as a fifth outfielder on many fantasy teams with some power production. He finished 2026 off well hitting 9 home runs with 46 RBI and an .869 OPS in 64 games after being traded from the White Sox to the Brewers.
Luis Robert Jr., OF, New York Mets
Though he’s a household name at this point in his career the Mets potentially got the best offensive player in the final rummages of the White Sox firesale. The prototypical five tool guy, he put up 33 stolen bases in 110 games last season, with a potential for more HRs as he moves to hitter friendly Citi Field. He’s sitting around 80-90 in ADP so there’s potential for a risk/reward play here.
Jac Caglianone, OF/1B, Kansas City Royals The former Florida Gator two-way star brings raw power to Kansas City’s renovated Kauffman Stadium in 2026 which is projected to play friendlier to left-handed hitters going forward.
Caglianone projects as KC’s everyday right fielder with legitimate 20-plus home run upside, and his dual position eligibility at both outfield and first base gives him added roster flexibility. Most drafters are still sleeping on him, which means you can stash this kind of prospect pedigree well outside the top 200 — a price that could look laughable by August if his batted-ball tools translate the way scouts believe they will.