Preseason Prep - March 22, 2026

Adley Rutschman (C-BAL) is somehow already 28 as he comes off an injury-shortened 2024 campaign in which he recorded a career-worst 91 wRC+ as he finished with just a .220 average, 9 HR, 29 RBI, and 37 R over 365 PA. Both his strikeout (15.5%) and walk (11%) rates were near his career averages (16% and 12%, respectively) while Rutschman logged career-best 86.5% overall and 92.5% in-zone contact rates. Meanwhile, he continued to make loud contact at modest rates as Statcast showed a 38.5% hard-hit rate (37.5% career), 7.5% barrel rate (7.5% career), and an average exit velocity of 88.5 mph (same for his career). All that said, poor luck more than anything else seems to have tanked his average as his .240 BABIP came in significantly below his .280 career mark despite the aforementioned stability underneath the hood. At Fantistics, we are forecasting a .254 average and 20 HR for Rutschman in 2026. For what it's worth, he's enjoyed a solid spring, hitting .289 with 2 HR and 5 RBI with a 17% strikeout rate against a 7.5% walk rate through 41 PA entering Saturday's action.

Spencer Torkelson (1B-DET) rebounded from his hellish 2024 (.219 average, 10 HR, 37 RBI, and 45 R across 381 PA as he was demoted to Triple-A at one point) in 2025 as he batted .240 with 31 HR, 78 RBI, and 82 R over 649 PA. He still fanned often (26%), but posted a career-high 11% walk rate while registering a career-high 85.5% in-zone contact rate. But the biggest bounceback came in quality of contact as Tork's Statcast profile shows a 45% hard-hit rate (was 39.5% in 2024), 13.5% barrel rate (was 6.5%), and average exit velocity just north of 90 mph (was 89). We expect Torkelson's average to dip a bit in 2026 - we're forecasting .233 - but he should post his third career 30-homer campaign as we're calling for a career-best 32 and the RBI and runs totals should be solid as he'll again bat in the heart of the order.

Luis Garcia, Jr. (2B-WSH) underwhelmed statistically in 2025 as he logged a .252 average, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 67 R, and 14 SB across 526 PA, most of which were a step back from 2024 (.282, 18 HR, 70 RBI, 58 R, and 22 SB) as his wRC+ dipped from a healthy 110 in 2024 to a subpar 91 last year. Encouragingly, his strikeout rate actually dipped slightly to 15% (was 15.5%) while his overall (80.5%) and in-zone (90%) contact rates compared well with those from 2024 (81% and 89.5%, respectively). Meanwhile, Garcia's Statcast profile was even better in 2025 than the year prior as it shows a 46% hard-hit rate (was 41.5%), 9% barrel rate (up from 8%), and average exit velocity of 90 mph (was 89). We're a bit bullish on Garcia as we're projecting a .267 average, 21 HR, and 14 SB this season.

Willy Adames (SS-SF) posted his second career 30-homer campaign in 2025 as he hit .225 with 30 HR, 87 RBI, 94 R, and 12 SB across 686 PA in his first season in San Francisco. He again fanned often (26%) while recording a career-best 11.5% walk rate. His 12.5% swinging-strike rate, 72.5% overall contact rate, and 83.5% in-zone contact rate were all at or slightly better than his career norms while Adames's Statcast profile was among the best of his career with a 42.5% hard-hit rate, 12.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 89 mph with a career-high average launch angle of 21.1 producing 47.% flyballs and 21% liners. We're expecting more of the same out of Adames in 2026 as we're projecting a .233 average, 29 HR, and 12 SB.

Royce Lewis (3B-MIN) underwhelmed in his age-25 season as he again battled injuries while registering a .238 average, 13 HR, 52 RBI, 36 R, and 12 SB across a career-high 403 PA in 2025. Encouragingly, he trimmed his strikeout rate to 20% (22% in 2024) while his swinging-strike rate dipped to 12% (13% in 2024) and his overall contact rate ticked up to 76% (75% in 2024). But his in-zone contact rate actually slipped a bit to 83% (83.5% in 2024). On the plus side, Lewis's Statcast profile rebounded, with a 40.5% hard-hit rate (37.5% in 2024) and average exit velocity of 90 mph (87 in 2024). We're optimistic about Lewis being a producer this season as we're forecasting a career-high 508 PA in which he hits .251 with 27 HR and 17 SB. He will, after all, only turn 27 this coming season and has flashed an intriguing blend of power and speed when on the field.

Chase DeLauter (OF-CLE) has been plagued by the injury bug since making his minor-league debut back in 2023, never registering more than 242 PA in a single season. Last year in Triple-A, he posted a .278 average to go with 5 HR and 21 RBI across just 149 PA while fanning at a 15.5% rate and drawing walks at a robust 15% clip. He made lots of contact (84%) and lots of it was loud, with Statcast showing a 52% hard-hit rate and average exit velocity of 91 mph. He's poised to claim a starting OF spot in Cleveland out of spring training and the upside is intriguing given his plus hit and power tools, although his injury history is concerning. At Fantistics, we are projecting a .244 average and 21 HR over 545 PA for DeLauter in 2026.

Zac Veen (OF-COL) has batted .250 with 2 HR and 4 RBI across 24 PA during spring training while drawing walks at a 16.5% clip and fanning at a 33.5% rate in that tiny sample size. The 24 year-old added about 40 pounds during the offseason after weighing a shade over 200 pounds at the close of the 2025 campaign, and much of that appears to be muscle. The 9th overall pick in the 2020 draft offers an intriguing blend of power and speed to go with contact issues as his stock has dipped over the last couple of seasons thanks to injuries and subpar performance; he's also revealed that he's now sober after some substance abuse issues. For what it's worth, Veen didn't show much in a brief audition in the majors last season (.118 average, 1 HR, 2 RBI, SB across 37 PA, with a 38% strikeout rate) after flashing his power-speed combo in Triple-A (.289 average, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 59 R, 15 SB over 423 PA while fanning 20.5% of the time and drawing 9% walks.). We're forecasting a .246 average, 13 HR, and 10 SB over 272 PA for Veen in 2026. Make sure he's at least on your watch list as he could break camp with the big club.

Wilyer Abreu (OF-BOS) put together a productive 2025 campaign as he batted .247 with 22 HR, 69 RBI, 53 R, and 6 SB across 417 PA in his age-26 season. He posted a 110 wRC+ while fanning at a 24% clip while drawing walks at a 9.5% rate. Abreu logged a solid 78% overall contact rate and 86.5% in-zone contact rate while his Statcast profile shows a good bit of loud contact in the form of a 45% hard-hit rate, 12.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 91 mph while an average launch angle of 23 generated lots of flyballs (53.5%), which is good for power but not the average. We're expecting another productive - if unexciting - year for him in 2026 as we project a .249 average, 24 HR, and 7 SB as he logs 410 AB. He'll likely sit against most LHP in 2026 after he registered just 68 PA against them in 2025, hitting .230 with 1 HR.

Dylan Crews (OF-WSH) was assigned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday after a rough spring training in which he hit just .103 with no HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, and 1 SB across 34 PA while fanning at a 32.5% clip. The 24 year-old is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 campaign in which he batted only .208 with 10 HR, 27 RBI, 43 R, and 17 SB over 322 PA. He fanned a good bit (23.5%) while drawing walks at a 7.5% rate and posting subpar overall (71.5%) and in-zone (84.5%) contact rates, with a 13.5% swinging-strike rate attesting to his struggle to make consistent contact. His Statcast profile was, meanwhile, pretty middling, with a 38.5% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 89.5 mph. An average launch angle of 8.5 generated a 51% groundball rate, 15% liner rate, and 34% flyball rate. He'll most likely return to the majors at some point this season, but fantasy owners shouldn't expect much more than a .240 average, 12 HR, and 20 SB, depending upon when he gets the call.

Zebby Matthews (SP-MIN) was a candidate to start the 2026 campaign in the big-league rotation, but was sent to Triple-A on Friday. But he'll more than likely rejoin the Twins sooner or later and so fantasy owners should have him on their watch lists. Despite his lack of big-league success to date, the 25 year-old RHP is interesting for fantasy given his track record in the minors, which included a 2.60 ERA, 10.6 K/9, 0.7 BB/9, and 2.45 xFIP across 97 IP in the minors back in 2024. In 117 IP in the majors in 2024 and 2025, Matthews has recorded an ugly 5.92 ERA, but his 10.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 3.88 xFIP are all encouraging figures. He's been snakebitten by a 67.5% strand rate, .359 BABIP, and 15% HR/FB, but the opposition hasn't made a lot of contact against him, with a 75.5% overall and 84.5% in-zone contact rate. While there's been some loud contact - with Statcast showing a 40% hard-hit rate, 10% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 89.5 mph - that's not exactly astronomical. We do expect Matthews to be a fantasy contributor at some point in 2026 as we project a 4.14 ERA and 9.6 K/9 over 150 IP. He, after all, grades above average in control, velocity, and his ability to limit hard contact.

Matthew Liberatore (SP-STL) flashed some potential in his age-25 last season, recording a 4.21 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and 4.31 xFIP across a career-high 151.2 IP in the majors. The southpaw did not, however, miss many bats (9% swinging-strike rate) while opposing hitters made plenty of contact against him (81.5% overall, 90% in zone) and that included some loud contact as Statcast shows a 41% hard-hit rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 90.5 mph. He may have tired a bit down the stretch as he posted a 4.38 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 3.2 BB.9, and 4.68 xFIP in 51.1 IP after the All-Star break. As Liberatore prepares to start on opening day against the Rays - the team that drafted him 16th overall in 2018 - we are not exactly high on him as we're forecasting a 4.45 ERA and 7.6 K/9 over 166 IP.

Max Fried (SP-NYY) delivered in his first campaign in pinstripes, logging a 2.86 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and 3.41 xFIP across a career-high 195.1 IP. In his age-31 season, the southpaw registered a career-high average fastball velocity of 96 mph while posting an 11.5% swinging-strike rate that aligns with his career norm; the opposition's 76% overall and 84.5% in-zone contact rates were also par for the course for Fried. Much the same goes for quality of contact as opposing hitters recorded a 37% hard-hit rate, 7% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 87 mph. Compared to seasons past, Fried emphasized his cutter (28% usage) much more while his sinker usage was up slightly (17.5%) and all other offerings were deployed less frequently. We're expecting another solid campaign in 2026 - a 3.46 ERA and 8.6 K/9 in 189 IP.

Kyle Bradish (SP-BAL) was surprisingly effective in limited action in 2025 as he returned from undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace to post a 2.53 ERA, 13.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 2.67 xFIP across 32 IP. In his age-28 campaign, the righty's average fastball velocity was the same as it was before his elbow injury (94.5 mph) while he missed a lot of bats (14.5% swinging-strike rate) as the opposition struggled to make consistent contact (67.5% overall, 81.5% in zone). Even though his pitch use and velocity remained about the same across the board in 2025 to what it was in past seasons, Bradish found success as he continued to limit loud contact (38% hard-hit rate, 9% barrel rate, average exit velo of 90 mph). We are fairly optimistic about Bradish in 2026, projecting a 3.58 ERA and 8.9 K/9 over 166 IP.

Tanner Bibee (SP-CLE) will start on opening day against the Mariners. He underwhelmed in 2025, registering a 4.24 ERA, 8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 4.34 xFIP across a career-high 182.1 IP in his age-26 season. Every one of those figures represented regression from what he did in 2024 when he posted a 3.47 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 3.56 xFIP over 173.2 IP. His average fastball remained about the same (94.5 mph) and opposing hitters made about the same amount of loud contact (36.5% hard-hit rate, 8% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 88.5 mph), so what gives? He did miss fewer bats as his swinging-strike rate was down from a shade over 12% to exactly 10% while opposing hitters made significantly more contact in 2025 (78.5% overall, 86% in zone) than they did in 2024 (76% overall, 80.5% in zone). There were some notable changes in Bibee's pitch usage as he deployed his heater less often (down from 43.5% to 27.5%) while adding a cutter (21%) and sinker (15.5%), shifting away from his slider (down from 28% to 16%), curve (down from 10.5% to 5%), and change (down from 18% to 15%). It seems that the "variety of fastballs" fooled fewer hitters than his previous approach that incorporated more off-speed offerings so it will be interesting to see how Bibee approaches things in 2026. We're expecting something between his nice 2024 and disappointing 2025 this coming season: a 4.08 ERA and 8.5 K/9 across 177 IP.

Kris Bubic (SP-KC) was solidly productive in his return to the starting rotation in 2025 as he logged a 2.55 ERA, 9 K/9, 3 BB/9, and 3.63 xFIP across 116.1 IP in his age-27 season. The gap between the lefty's ERA and xFIP does indicate that a 5.5% HR/FB and 77.5% strand rate (73.5% worked to suppress the former a bit. Bubic's 13.5% swinging-strike rate was pretty good, though, as he limited the opposition to a 72.5% overall and 81.5% in-zone contact rate. When opposing hitters did get the bat on the ball, they didn't make much loud contact, either, as Statcast shows an average exit velocity of 87.5 mph, 6.5% barrel rate, and 39.5% hard-hit rate. We're expecting a 3.61 ERA and 8.7 K/9 from Bubic this season.

Yusei Kikuchi (SP-LAA) is expected to be a "full go" when he takes the mound against the Astros in the team's second game of the season. The southpaw put together a solid if unspectacular age-34 campaign with the Angels, registering a 3.99 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 4.28 xFIP across 178.1 IP. His control was certainly concerning as his BB/9 was just 2.3 in 2024 while his K/9 was down considerably from 10.6 in 2024. Under the hood, his swinging-strike rate dipped from a healthy 13% in 2024 to just 10.5% last season while the opposition's 78.5% overall (73% in 2024) and 85% in-zone (81% in 2024) contact rates were up significantly. The lefty did lose most of a tick off his heater as average fastball velocity was down from 95.5 mph to a little under 94 mph year-over-year while Kikuchi leaned more heavily on his slider than in the past, as that usage was up from 23.5% in 2024 to 36.5% last season (his fastball usage, meanwhile, dipped from 47% to 35%). Quality of contact was, overall, about the same, with Statcast showing a 42% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 91 mph (45%, 9.5%, and 90 mph in 2024, respectively). We're projecting a 4.13 ERA and 8.7 K/9 across 173 PA for Kikuchi in 2026, which should make him a back-end rotation or streamer option.