Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his historic season on Monday, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, a stolen base, one run, and four RBI. The superstar is now slashing .281/.374/.571 with 112 runs, 42 home runs, 102 RBI, and 37 stolen bases. This is true five-category output in the best of ways, as he's an elite contributor in every single one. While his 26.2% strikeout rate still isn't the best and has led to long slumps at times, the talent ultimately wins out in the end. With a .507 xSLG, 13.5% barrel rate, 49.1% hard-hit rate, and 96th percentile sprint speed, there's no doubting his star status for fantasy. He's ending up as a league winning pick in 2026, and will likely be the favorite for the number one overall pick in 2027 drafts. I hope you enjoyed the discount this season, as the youngster will be cemented in the first round for years to come.
Cole Carrigg, SS/OF, Rockies
Cole Carrigg went 2-for-5 with a solo home run on Monday against the Padres. It was the eighth home run of the season for the rookie, who's now slashing .261/.331/.444 along with nine stolen bases thus far. That's pretty good production for his first 81 major league games, putting his 162-game pace on line with a 16-homer, 18-steal season. It's nice to see from the 24-year-old, despite his underlying metrics not lighting up the page. His 5.3% barrel rate and 34.3% hard-hit rate both rank well below average, but he offsets that to some degree with an excellent 24.8% pull air rate. That's a profile that can certainly work in Coors Field for fantasy, as it often amplifies below-average talent to outstanding fantasy years. Just look at Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones' best seasons with the clubs, who were elite fantasy outfielders for individual seasons. While their success didn't last, Carrigg is a 24-year-old top prospect who could enter 2027 even better than he was in 2026. The power and speed combination in the best hitting environment in baseball is one you'll want to bet on in 2027, as Carrigg will make for a great breakout pick.
Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners
Kade Anderson struggled again on Monday, allowing five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts over 4.1 innings. This was a step back after he delivered a quality start in his last outing, and he now has a 5.33 ERA through five major league starts. That's not what many were hoping for after stashing him all season as he posted a 1.06 ERA in the minor leagues. It hasn't looked great for Anderson in this small sample, as he's also not seeing the strikeout success that he did in the minors, with a rate of just 19.6%. Obviously, major league hitters are significantly better than minor league hitters, but it's still surprising given Anderson was as much of a can't-miss prospect as you could find. It makes you wonder if fatigue is coming into play, as the youngster is now at 118.2 innings between the minors and majors. That's no easy feat for someone in their first year of professional baseball, so the six-month grind may finally be catching up to him. While it looks like he won't be the fantasy difference-maker we wanted him to be in 2026, he'll still be one of the most popular breakout candidates for 2027, and that is completely justified.
Kazuma Okamoto, 3B, Blue Jays
Kazuma Okamoto continued his spectacular rookie season on Monday, going 1-for-3 with a three-run home run. It was his 33rd home run of the season, raising his slash line to .236/.311/.468. He's been successful despite a 10th percentile strikeout rate of 29.3% and a 13th percentile xBA of .224, and those metrics are especially surprising given that he rarely ever struck out in Japan. His power has still shown through thanks to a 90th percentile barrel rate of 13.7% and an elite pull air rate of 28.3%. The massive home run output makes him a solid option at one of the weaker positions in fantasy, even with the harmful batting average. He will likely be drafted among the back end of the top-12 at the position in 2027, but he has a path to take a step forward if he can cut back on the strikeout rates more like he did in his home country. However, he is already 30 years old despite this being his first year in the major leagues, so his prime years are already coming to an end.
Lars Nootbaar, OF, Diamondbacks
Lars Nootbaar went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI on Monday against the Marlins. He's now slashing .247/.349/.393 with 31 runs, 7 home runs, 31 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in 80 games. That's nothing too exciting, but he has been better since being dealt to the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, as he entered Monday slashing .250/.366/.417 with his new club, compared to .234/.333/.354 with the Cardinals. Despite the unimpressive results as a whole, his underlying metrics look excellent, which has always been the case throughout his career. He has posted a 50.3% hard-hit rate, 92.2 mph average exit velocity, and .447 xSLG that you'd expect from a very good hitter. Additionally, his 14.0% walk rate is elite and makes him even more valuable in points and OBP leagues. With a 19.5% chase rate and 17.7% whiff rate, he's also able to get the ball in play a good amount of the time. Those are all things you'd want to see out of a hitter, yet it never materializes into actual great production. One of the big issues is injuries, as the outfielder has always struggled to stay on the field, as he's played over 120 games just one time in his six-year major league career. He'll once again be a sleeper for five outfielder leagues for 2027, and hopefully he can stay healthy long enough to turn those underlying metrics into a breakout year.
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