Preseason Prep - March 16, 2026

Hitters to Target

Ben Rice, C, 1B, NYY

Only 5 qualified hitters in 2025 posted a HardHit% above 55% and an xSLG north of .500 - Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber, and... Ben Rice.  And Rice had the lowest strikeout rate of that group.  He finished with a 55.8% HardHit% and .557 xSLG last season, both of which were top-10 marks in MLB.  He also cut his strikeout rate to a strong 18.9%, down from 27.0% in 2024.  His BA was just .255 last year, but he seemed to be a bit unlucky with a .271 BABIP, and his .283 xBA also indicates that he has room to grow in the BA department.  The Yankees did re-sign Paul Goldschmidt to be a part-time first baseman, but assuming Rice continues his progression, the Yankees will have to keep him in the lineup on a regular basis, whether at C, 1B, or DH.  That should give him a good shot at reaching 30 HR's with a BA that won't hurt you, making him one of the best catcher-eligible options.

Jonathan Aranda, 1B, TB

Aranda had somewhat of a breakout season in 2025, hitting .316 with an .882 OPS and 14 HR's across 422 PA's. The BA will likely regress as he posted an otherworldly .409 BABIP last season, but this wasn't a total fluke, as he had an excellent LD% (25.9%) and HardHit% (54.1% HardHit%).  His .291 xBA suggests that he should continue to be a strong contributor in that category. And while he may give back some with the BA, that could easily be made up for with an increase in power.  Considering how hard he hits the ball, he has room to improve on his 14.7% HR/FB from last year, and a full season of at bats could reasonably produce 20+ HR's and 80 runs and RBI.  His all-around production could end up being a nice value towards the end of drafts.

Jo Adell, OF, LAA

Adell put on a power show in 2025, clubbing 37 HR's on the back of a 49.6% HardHit%.  He hit plenty of fly balls (44.7%) and his aggressive approach at the plate (58.4% Swing%) allowed him to put more balls in play despite his swing-and-miss tendencies.  He still struck out a good amount (26.4% K%) but this was actually an improvement for him.  Adell's xBA (.260) and xSLG (.549) both well outpaced his actual numbers suggesting that he may not yet have reached his full potential.  He is still likely to hurt you in the BA category, and this is true for OBP as well since he doesn't walk much, but there aren't many players who can give you close to 40 HR's in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.

Trent Grisham, OF, NYY

Grisham had a breakout campaign in his age-28 season, smashing 34 HR's with an .812 OPS in 143 games in 2025.  Fantasy drafters aren't buying it though, as his ADP is currently outside the top 200.  Perhaps there's concern about his playing time, and perhaps some just don't trust him after so many poor seasons.  After all, Grisham's BA hadn't even cracked .200 since 2021.  But he did make some real improvements last season, cutting his K% to 23.6% after 3 straight seasons with a K% above 27%.  That came with a strong 7.7% SwStr%, which gives confidence that he can maintain those gains.  He also walked at a career-high 14.1% (career 12.0%) and had career bests in HardHit% (46.4%, career 39.9%) and Barrel% (14.2%, career 9.8%), while posting a respectable 19.4% LD% after sitting below 14% in two of the previous three seasons.  Grisham's .498 xSLG was 34 points higher than his actual mark, suggesting that he may actually have been unlucky last year.  There is a possibility that at some point he could lose at bats to someone like Jasson Dominguez, but he's poised to start the season as the Yankees' starting CF, and he'll cost you close to nothing in your fantasy draft.

Tyler O'Neill, OF, BAL

O'Neill's first season with the Orioles was a disaster, as he played in just 54 games, while hitting .199 with 9 HR's.  Unfortunately, injuries have become inevitable for O'Neill, who has reached 100 games played just twice in his career, and 120 games only once.  The greater disappointment was how poorly he played a year after hitting 31 HR's with an .847 OPS in 2024.  The irony is that O'Neill largely fixed his greatest flaw - his contact rate - by cutting his K% from 33.6% to 24.4% last season.  His .218 BABIP is all but guaranteed to improve this season, and his .243 xBA last season was actually his highest mark since 2021.  It is a concern that his HardHit% fell to 39.1% last year, nearly a 10% drop from the season before, but despite this, his .523 xSLG was the second highest mark of his career.  O'Neill is still capable of strong performance while on the field, and since he's going undrafted in most leagues, there's really not much cost in playing him until he gets hurt.  He's at least worth starting on Opening Day, a day on which he's homered in 6 straight seasons.

Ramon Laureano, OF, SD

Laureano had a surprise bounceback season last year, hitting .281 with 24 HR's and an .854 OPS across 488 PA's.  The reason this was so surprising is that he hadn't had a good season since 2019; in fact, he hadn't even played a full season since 2019.  Laureano's underlying stats support his success, as he lowered his K% to a career-best 24.4%, while raising his HardHit% to a career-high 48.8% (his previous career-high was 41.7% back in 2018). He remains an injury risk as the 132 games he played last season were a career high, but he is set to open the season as an everyday player in the Padres outfield.  Laureano lacks significant upside as he's unlikely to hit 30 HR's or steal 20 bases, but he can still be a very solid player who will be available in the later rounds of drafts.

Around the League

Nelson Velazquez, OF, STL

Velazquez went 2-3 with a HR and 4 RBI against the Nationals on Sunday, and has now hit 4 HR's this spring.  Overall, he's gone 11-33 for the Cardinals in Spring Training and is making the case to crack the big-league roster - and potentially get significant playing time in the Cardinals' outfield.  Velazquez burst onto the scene in 2023 when he hit 17 HR's in 53 games for the Cubs and Royals, but he struggled in 2024 and didn't play at all in MLB last season.  He clearly has plenty of power, but he struggles with contact (career 28.8% K%) and doesn't hit many line drives (career 15.0% LD%) which means he's getting very few hits outside of his homers.  It's obviously a very small sample size, but these issues haven't been a problem for Velazquez this spring, as he has struck out just 3 times in 36 PA's, and entered Sunday with a LD% over 30%.  Perhaps he can end up being a source of pop for a Cardinals' lineup that desperately needs it.

Shane McClanahan, SP, TB

McClanahan was certainly sharp against the Orioles on Sunday, striking out 7 batters across 3.2 hitless innings, while walking 2 in the contest.  This was his strongest spring start yet, as he closes in on making his first regular season MLB start since 2023.  McClanahan's current ADP is outside the top-200, however that could easily climb with every promising spring start that he makes.  He's a super intriguing option if you can get him late in fantasy drafts, as he looks to regain the ace form that he flashed from 2021-2023.

Taijuan Walker, SP, PHI

Walker pitched 5 shutout innings against the Braves on Sunday, striking out 3, while allowing 3 hits and 2 BB's.  It's been a strong spring for Walker who is slated to open the season in the Phillies' rotation, at least until Zack Wheeler is able to return.  2025 was a bounceback season of sorts for Walker; of course that's all relative to his disastrous 2024 when he finished with a 7.10 ERA.  Last season, he was at least usable with a 4.08 ERA across 34 appearances (21 starts).  However, his strikeout rate remained poor at 6.26 K/9 and his 4.73 xFIP indicates that he was lucky to get by.  How long Walker remains in the Phillies' rotation depends on the health of the team's other starters, but regardless, he is not a recommended fantasy option.

Cristian Javier, SP, HOU

Javier carved through the Marlins lineup on Sunday, allowing just 2 hits and 1 BB across 4 shutout innings, while striking out 5.  Javier presumably has an inside track for a spot in the Astros rotation, and this outing certainly helps solidify his case.  He has had a lot of trouble staying on the field over the past couple of years, as he made just 15 starts over the last two seasons combined.   He looked like a potential ace back in 2022 when he posted a 2.54 ERA, 3.53 xFIP, and 11.74 K/9 across 30 appearances (25 starts), but he hasn't managed to replicate that success since, recording a 4.47 ERA, 5.19 xFIP, 8.47 K/9, and 3.70 BB/9 over the past 3 seasons.  He's not a very exciting fantasy target until he shows that he's regained his 2022 form.

Luis Gil, SP, NYY

Gil was shelled by the Tigers on Sunday, allowing 7 ER's on 9 hits, including 3 HR's, and 1 BB, while striking out 2.  He had looked pretty good over his first 4 spring appearances allowing 3 ER's across 11.1 IP with a 15:4 K:BB, but this last outing was not good at all.  With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon set to start the season on the IL, Gil's spot in the Yankees' rotation appears to still be safe.  But his underlying numbers were not good in 2025, when he compiled an ugly 5.65 xFIP, 6.47 K/9, and 5.21 BB/9.  If Gil can't get things going when the season starts, the Yankees will find someone to replace him regardless of how many injuries they have.

Hayden Birdsong, SP, SF

Birdsong has been diagnosed with a forearm sprain and it looks like he'll be missing a significant amount of time, if not the entire season.  It's likely that Birdsong wouldn't have made the Giants' rotation anyway, but this pretty much solidifies that Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser, and Landen Roupp will round out the Giants rotation to start the season.  Birdsong has posted excellent strikeout rates since joining the Giants in 2024, but his walk rates have been terrible (career 5.23 BB/9), leaving him with mediocre results.  It could be a while now before he has another opportunity to put it all together.

Francisco Lindor, SS, NYM

Lindor made his Spring debut against the Blue Jays on Sunday, and went 1-3 with a run scored as he makes his way back from a hand injury.  It looks like the star shortstop should be ready to go for the start of the season and once again serve as a top fantasy option.  Lindor has been one of the most consistent performers over the past decade, and particularly over the past three seasons, as he has reached at least 31 HR's, 29 SB's, 86 RBI, and 107 runs scored in each of the last three campaigns.  His ADP fell to the 3rd round because of his injury, but he's an excellent choice in the 2nd round as well.

Seiya Suzuki, OF, CHC

Suzuki sustained a knee injury in the WBC and will need to be examined by the Cubs' team doctors.  The extent of the injury is still unknown, but there appears to at least be a possibility that Suzuki will not be ready for Opening Day.  Suzuki has become a solid fantasy player as he combines power and run production with occasional speed and generally a good BA.  He set a career high with 32 HR's last season, and with a HardHit% of at least 48.0% in each of the last three seasons, he should remain a reliable power threat. His BA dropped to a career low .245 last year, but his .282 BABIP was low for him, so he has a shot to rebound at least somewhat.  Suzuki has a little extra value in OBP leagues, as he has consistently posted walk rates around 10 or 11%.  With his status unclear, fantasy owners may be hesitant to draft him in the 8th round, but don't let him fall too far unless it's been determined that this is a serious injury.

River Ryan, SP, LAD

Ryan had a strong outing against the Rangers on Sunday, allowing 1 ER on 4 hits and 1 BB in 4 IP, while striking out 5.  Despite having a solid spring so far, there's a good chance that Ryan will start the season at AAA, leaving the final spot in the Dodgers' rotation to either Emmet Sheehan or Justin Wrobleski.  Ryan missed the entire 2025 season due to injury, but he made a cameo for the Dodgers in 2024, pitching 20.1 IP and recording a shiny 1.33 ERA across 4 starts.  His underlying stats weren't nearly good (4.29 xFIP, 18:9 K:BB), but he had strong strikeout numbers in the minors and the potential is there.  Even if he starts the season in the minors, Ryan is extremely likely to pitch for the Dodgers at some point this season, and he'll be worth watching whenever that opportunity arrives.