Connelly Early, SP, Boston Red Sox
I'll save the puns, but Early was excellent going 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. He allowed five hard hit balls. This was only his second big league start, so he only has 10.1 IP on 1 ER ball underneath his belt. Early posted a 31.9 % K rate in his 100.1 minor league innings prior to callup. He was also a respectable groundball getter at 50%. Early has all the makings of a solid contributor for your 2026 pitching staff, and he'll be one of my favorite mid/late round upside plays.
Dylan Beavers, OF, Baltimore Orioles
The rookie went 2-5 with R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, K on two hard hit balls. He's slashing 275/420/438 across 101 PA's. Beavers came into his debut with a very strong MiLB profile. He posted an 18/16 K/BB ratio in AAA with a .211 ISO and 152 wRC+. A 6.9% SwStr% only adds to the strength of the profile. He's largely brought that skillset over to the bigs thus far, posting a 25/21 K/BB ratio. More importantly, Beavers had 18 HR and 23 SB in AAA, giving him the potential to contribute across the board. I'll be targeting him in 2026.
Carter Jensen, C, Kansas City Royals
Jensen had a great day at the plate going 3-4 with 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K on three hard hit balls. Jensen is not just a rare breed, but actually one of the rarest breeds of prospect out there. He is a high school catcher. This profile pretty much never makes it. Jensen is hoping to be that outlier. In 25 PA's, the rookie is slashing .286/.400/.667 while both punching out and walking at 19%. Now, 25 PA's isn't enough to rely on the data, but he was running a 167 wRC+ in AAA before callup with 20 HR and 10 SB in 492 MiLB PAs. If you punt on catcher next year and need a deep flier, this is the guy.
Jurickson Profar, OF, Atlanta Braves
Profar went 1-4 with R, HR, 2 RBI, BB on four hard hit balls. Profar had a career year in 2024, hitting 24 homers and stealing 10 bags across 668 PA's. Unfortunately, he was suspended and was only able to start playing back in July. The good news is that Profar has mostly picked up where he left off. He's slashing 264/361/477 across 319 PA's, and has a 23.7% Pull Air rate and a career high 7.6% Barrel rate. His 19.1 LA is also a career high, but his 27.7 LASS% is the lowest rate since his rookie year back in 2023. That simply means there are a lot of flyballs that are probably more in the "popup" territory. It's tough to tell if this is due to an inherent swing change, or him getting started so late into the season. Either way, he hits in a strong lineup and his 162-game pace for 2025 would've had him reach the 20-20 plateau.
Dominic Canzone, DH, Seattle Mariners
Canzone went Nick Kurtz-mode today going 5-5 with 4 R, 3 HR, 4 RBI on four hard hit balls. Canzone has been a part-time player his whole career, and that doesn't look to change anytime soon. Nonetheless, he's certainly earned more playing time in 2026, as his .436 xwOBACON and 47.2% HH rate are absolutely eye-catching. The best part is that they are over the course of a 211 PA sample, granting some kind of legitimacy. If he is projected to play full time in 2026, I'd be interested.
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