Sports
Fantasy baseball: Top 10 prospects to consider drafting for 2026 leagues
Fantasy baseball managers seeking a draft-day edge with untapped upside often look to the league’s top prospects — perhaps too eagerly — to fortify their teams. Just look at those awesome minor league numbers! Who can resist? Prospects have yet to fail at the big-league level and so many of the boring, veteran players we could invest in already have.
Prospects look great during these cold, snowy winter months until … well, nobody wants to hear that most prospects will disappoint. We only want to hear the good stuff!
Remember Boston Red Sox 2B Kristian Campbell, baseball’s “it” selection from last season? He had a great spring, signed a long-term contract and, after hitting .301 with a .902 OPS for Boston in April, he hit .134 with a .355 OPS in May and spent much of the season in the minors.
Meanwhile, Washington Nationals OF Dylan Crews and Chicago Cubs IF Matt Shaw were top-200 selections in ESPN ADP, and they hit .208 and .226 for the season, respectively. Hitting is hard. Relying on prospects can be dangerous. Few had Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz and Atlanta Braves C Drake Baldwin winning their respective league’s Rookie of the Year awards.
To be officially defined as a prospect, one must not have exhausted their MLB rookie eligibility yet (130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, 45 days on active roster). Unlike last season, when Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki led our list (and posted a disappointing 4.46 ERA in only 36⅓ regular-season innings before winning the World Series), we are not including incoming veteran Japanese players such as Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox 3B, age 26), Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays 3B, age 29) or Tatsuya Imai (Houston Astros RHP, age 27). Sure, any one of these three might earn AL Rookie of the Year honors, but they are experienced players. For this project, we will stick to the traditional prospects.
2026’s top fantasy baseball prospects
Ranked for fantasy value in 2026 only
1. Konnor Griffin, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates: The generally acknowledged top prospect in the sport — a potential Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. clone — hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three minor league levels in his age-19 season. Those are numbers to dream about. There seems to be little doubt that Griffin, a tall, five-tool option who bats right-handed, will be a terrific MLB player, but the question is when?
The Pirates, like several other franchises in a Central division with top shortstop talent, seem open to Griffin starting the season with the parent club, depending on how he performs in March. The lure of immediate statistical impact (while pretending not to notice the downside of waiting months for a debut) should be enough for fantasy managers to invest in the middle rounds of ESPN’s shallow drafts. Why not take a chance, right? There will be plenty of options available in free agency.
2. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Detroit Tigers: As noted in our November Arizona Fall League wrap, McGonigle, 21, sure looked like the best player there, slashing .362/.500/.710 and earning MVP honors. Similar to Griffin, McGonigle has yet to appear at Triple-A, but he is older, more mature and was a 2023 draft pick. He elicits comparisons to Chase Utley.
The Tigers, coming off consecutive playoff appearances, seem open to McGonigle, a left-handed hitter who crushed 19 home runs and had more walks than strikeouts, winning an Opening Day starting role.
3. JJ Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals: The No. 7 pick in the 2024 amateur draft hit better than .300 in lengthy stints at Double-A and Triple-A last season, with 17 home runs, 23 stolen bases and an excellent walk rate. Similar to McGonigle, Wetherhold is a left-handed hitter and appears ready for the majors. These might not be safe picks at shortstop when compared with proven veterans also going in the mid- to late rounds such as Dansby Swanson, Masyn Winn and Xander Bogaerts, but the prospects boast untapped statistical upside and many fantasy managers cannot help themselves.
4. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers: Finally, here comes yet another shortstop with fantastic offensive upside and at least some possibility of earning an initial or early-season starting role with the big club. Walcott, 19, produced a .741 OPS over 552 Double-A plate appearances last season, with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases. The Rangers already have a shortstop in Corey Seager, but like McGonigle and Wetherholt, if the player can help the team, he can easily slide over to another infield position.
Myriad fantasy managers will be watching closely — as they should! — in March to see what happens with these four excellent, young shortstop prospects, because this may be a special season indeed.
5. Sal Stewart, 1B, Cincinnati Reds: Stewart is a different type of prospect in numerous ways. For one, he debuted in 2025, smacking five home runs over 18 games in September. Stewart, 22, is a right-handed slugger with strong plate discipline and, though he played both second and third base in the minor leagues, he might fit in as Cincinnati’s first baseman or DH. Don’t worry about the defense. Look for a .275 batting average and 25 home runs.
6. Nolan McLean, SP, New York Mets: Young starting pitchers, no matter how skilled and polished, remain far bigger risks than top position players because of health and statistics. McLean, however, is 24, and we have seen him thrive. After dominating at Double-A, McLean posted a 2.06 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over eight starts for the Mets, winning five of them. McLean struck out five or more hitters in each outing, fanning 11 in his season finale at Wrigley Field. No rookie-eligible players are going in the top 100 of NFBC ADP, but McLean is closest.
7. Trey Yesavage, SP, Blue Jays: You might recall seeing Yesavage occasionally dominate during Toronto’s run to its World Series appearance. Yesavage made only three regular-season starts, and he looked great, but then he fanned 11 New York Yankees over 5⅓ hitless innings in his playoff debut, and his stock rose quite precipitously. Yesavage tossed 27⅔ playoff innings with a 3.58 ERA and a 35% strikeout rate. The team says there is no innings cap for him in 2026. Don’t overrate him, but he looks good.
8. Samuel Basallo, C, Baltimore Orioles: Basallo, 21, debuted in mid-August last season and hit .165 over 118 PA, albeit with a .187 BABIP. Ignore it all. He was among the youngest players in Triple-A and still produced a .966 OPS with 23 home runs in 76 games. There is little doubt he will hit big league pitching. Of course, Orioles C Adley Rutschman also used to hit quite well. The team added 1B Pete Alonso recently, but Basallo, with his high exit velocity readings, figures to split catching duties and see considerable action at DH, too. Fantasy managers in standard, multi-catcher formats must consider investing.
9. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants: A 6-foot-7, 240-pound lefty slugger, Eldridge smacked 25 home runs across three minor league levels last season, then debuted with the Giants in September. Eldridge, 21, might not hit for high average, as he accumulated high strikeout totals and low contact rates in the minors, but there is little concern about his power potential. Some might compare him to Royals OF Jac Caglianone in that respect. Both should supply power.
10. Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies: The son of former big league speedster Carl Crawford offers a similar skill set and, after winning the International League’s batting title with a .334 mark, the Phillies are giving him ample opportunity to win their starting center field job. Crawford, 22, stole 46 bases with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He offers little power, but he will play, and he will run when he reaches base. His numbers might mimic what Tampa Bay Rays OF Chandler Simpson achieved in his rookie season, and they are more valuable in roto leagues than points formats.
Others on our mind (alphabetical order): Moises Ballesteros, DH, Cubs; Carson Benge, OF, Mets; Owen Caissie, OF, Miami Marlins; Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates; Max Clark, OF, Tigers; Connelly Early, SP, Red Sox; Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners; Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins; Carter Jensen, C, Royals; Jesus Made, SS, Milwaukee Brewers; Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies; Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies; Jonah Tong, SP, Mets
The 2026 men’s basketball tournament is here! Throughout the tourney, Mark Zinno will provide his best bets for each round, as well as his picks for the new ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge Eliminator game.
Note: Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.
Thursday’s best bets
(12) High Point +10.5 (-115) vs. (5) Wisconsin
Game time: 1:50 p.m. ET
The committee loves to take lower-seeded teams’ strengths and match them up with higher-seeded teams’ weaknesses. That’s what you have in this game. High Point averages more than 90 points per game. Of the top six teams in the Big Ten, Wisconsin’s defense is the worst of them. The Badgers are middle of the road in effective field goal percentage defense and 3-point shooting defense. High Point will present all sorts of problems for the Badgers.
The Panthers have the nation’s longest current winning streak at 14 games. They play with a ton of pace, and their ball movement allows them to get inside and make easy shots. Defensively, they are excellent on the perimeter, holding opponents to 31.9% shooting from 3-point range. The Badgers are immensely dependent on 3-point shots falling. High Point forces turnovers at the fifth-highest rate in the nation and could frustrate Wisconsin shooters. If there is a prototypical 12/5 upset this year, this is it. I think this is playable down to +9.5.
(2) Houston/(15) Idaho first half OVER 63.5 points (-105)
Game time: Approx. 10:10 p.m. ET
Sometimes it’s just about the numbers. This first-half total is so low that two things need to happen here: Houston needs to score fewer than 40 points and Idaho needs to score fewer than 25. If only one of those happens, I think this gets over. Of course, the Cougars’ defense can shut down Idaho. But there’s shutting down Idaho and then there’s holding a team to 23 points (or fewer) in a half, which rarely happens in college hoops. The Vandals take a lot of 3-pointers, and they really need only a few of them to fall to clear 25 points in the first 20 minutes.
Furthermore, do we really believe Idaho’s defense can slow down a Houston offense that is 14th in offensive efficiency? I don’t.
I know the Cougars play one of the slowest tempos in the country, but they still should have their way with the Vandals’ defense enough to score 40 here. Again, the danger here is that Houston will have a double-digit lead and slow things down even more, but the Cougars average 38.1 points in the first half this season. If they hit that number, that should get us home.
Thursday’s Eliminator pick
I have a little worry here about the 14-seed North Dakota State Bison causing problems for the Spartans, but Michigan State’s defense should do the heavy lifting. I can’t see a spot I would use the Spartans again, given that the UConn Huskies are the 2-seed in the East, and it wouldn’t even surprise me if they didn’t get to the round of 16.
How to play ESPN Eliminator Challenge
Friday’s best bets
(10) Santa Clara +3.5 (-115) vs. (7) Kentucky
Game time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Kentucky is the favorite here based on what feels like only name recognition. This game should be closer to a pick ’em, in my opinion. The Broncos are battle-tested, having played in the West Coast Conference. They have the size to compete inside with the Wildcats, ranking 19th in the nation in offensive rebound percentage. The Broncos take a lot of 3-pointers, and if they even have mild success in making them, it will put a lot of pressure on Kentucky.
The key to this game will be Santa Clara’s ability to force turnovers, as they are 22nd in the nation in turnover percentage on defense. But Kentucky is very good at taking care of the basketball, so the Broncos must win the turnover battle. Santa Clara is also the better free throw shooting team, and that’s something that can be the difference in a tightly contested game.
(5) Texas Tech -7.5 (-115) vs. (12) Akron
Game time: 12:40 p.m. ET
Texas Tech will be without its best player, JT Toppin (torn ACL), but that shouldn’t slow the Red Raiders down here against the Akron. The Zips’ numbers are a bit of a farce, as they’ve played the same poor competition that the Miami (OH) Redhawks played. Whenever Akron played anyone in the nonconference in the top 125 in adjusted efficiency margin, they lost. So, facing a Texas Tech team that’s 20th in that category suggests they will be overmatched, particularly on the perimeter. The Red Raiders are an elite 3-point shooting team, making better than 39% of them this season. They should feast on a Zips defense that is 253rd in 3-point shooting defense. Akron has been an underdog only once this season, to the Purdue Boilermakers in a game it lost by 18. This isn’t the 12/5 upset spot people think it is. Lay the points with Tech.
(10) UCF +5.5 (-108) vs. (7) UCLA
Game time: 7:25 p.m. ET
UCLA has covered five straight games leading into its matchup with UCF in Philadelphia. But the Bruins have struggled outside of the Pacific time zone this season. They have only one win in seven regular-season games, against the cellar-dwelling Penn State Nittany Lions, and have been favored in only two games outside of the Pacific time zone this season (-4.5 vs. Penn State and -1.5 vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers).
They did manage to win two games at the Big Ten tournament in Chicago, against the lowly Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Michigan State Spartans, but they needed to shoot 56% from the field and 48% from 3-point range (their sixth-best shooting game this season) against the Spartans to do it. This just feels like too many points for this UCLA team to lay and is a good “sell high” spot on the Bruins.
(15) Queens team total OVER 68.5 (-120) vs. (2) Purdue
Game time: 7:35 p.m. ET
I keep staring at the numbers, and I can’t envision Queens not being able to score 70 points here. There’s a lot of correlation to every number here. Purdue’s team total is 94.5. Queens is one of the worst defenses in the country, so the Boilermakers’ No. 1 offensive adjusted efficiency ranking should have them scoring at a high clip, even with a pace that’s 324th in the nation. The more Purdue scores, the more possessions the Royals will get.
And Queens can shoot. There’s no doubt about it. The Royals take a ton of 3-pointers — and they make them. Purdue isn’t particularly stout defensively, coming in 232nd in effective field goal percentage defense and 197th in 3-point shooting defense.
The Boilermakers’ pace is the only thing that can stop this from going over. In all but one instance when Queens played a team in the top 200 in adjusted efficiency margin, including five matchups against Power 5 schools, the Royals got to 69 points. The one game they didn’t was a 41-point loss to the Auburn Tigers where they scored only 65 and had their second-lowest field goal percentage and their lowest 3-point percentage this season. That’s how this doesn’t get there.
Friday’s Eliminator pick
The Jayhawks have a tough draw in the East in a bracket that I think could have a lot of carnage in it. But the likely path of St. John’s and then Duke as their next two games makes it more probable that Kansas might be out early in this tournament.
Sports
Venezuela hero Eugenio Suarez taps faith after shocking Team USA: ‘All the glory is for the Lord Jesus’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eugenio Suarez, the man who hit the game-winning RBI double to lift Venezuela over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final, tapped into his faith during his post-game interview.
“I mean, what can I say about this? It’s amazing. God is good, all the glory is for the Lord Jesus. He was with us the whole time,” Suarez told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal after being asked his emotions following the 3-2 win over the U.S.
“We have to glorify, put his name in front of everything. Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we [won] the championship today. This is a celebration for all [of Venezuela].”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela reacts after hitting an RBI double against Team United States during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Suárez shared his faith on Monday night after Venezuela came from behind to defeat Italy, when he hit a solo home run. But he knew the job wasn’t finished with one more game left on the schedule before he and his teammates — whom he called a family — returned to their MLB clubs.
It was a dominant performance by Venezuela at loanDepot park on Tuesday night, a surprising showing in which Team USA was held to just two hits and four total baserunners when Bryce Harper came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
VENEZUELA SHOCKS TEAM USA TO WIN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC FOR FIRST TIME
However, the game turned on its head, as Harper hammered an Andres Machado fastball over the center-field wall to tie the game at two runs apiece. The momentum shift was palpable, but Suarez found himself in a great position to bring it back to the Venezuelan dugout.
Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against Team Italy in the fourth inning at loanDepot park on March 16, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
As Javier Sanoja stole second base, Suárez didn’t miss a 3-2 changeup in the heart of the plate from Garrett Whitlock, driving it to left-center field for the game-winning hit.
He stood on second base and immediately looked to the sky, which Rosenthal asked about – what exactly did he say?
“I just prayed at the time,” Suarez said. “I pointed to my family out there – they were happy for me. God is good, man. God is good.”
Venezuela’s upset over Team USA, one of the most stacked lineups the Stars and Stripes have fielded in this tournament, marked the country’s first-ever WBC victory. It’s why everyone, from players to coaches, was emotional in celebration on the field after the game.
Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela reacts after hitting an RBI double against Team United States during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The union – we are together the whole time. We’re not just teammates, we’re all family,” Suarez added. “This team is awesome – we are family here. That’s why we play with passion, with love because we feel that on our jersey. We feel our country on the front of us. That’s why this is a lot for us as players, as people, as human beings and as a Venezuelan. Now, we are the champions.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sales at US apparel, clothing accessories stores up 4% YoY in Jan 2026
US’ Stitch Fix Q2 FY26 revenue rises 9.4% to $341.3 mn
Ryan Gosling ‘Project Hail Mary!’ reaches ‘New Heights’
Stock market crash today (March 12, 2026): Nifty50 opens below 23,600; BSE Sensex down over 900 points on continuing US-Iran war – The Times of India
Intertextile Shanghai 2026: Fringe events spotlight market trends
What time will NASA’s 600 kg satellite crash to Earth today— 14 years after launch?
-
Business6 days ago
Stock market crash today (March 12, 2026): Nifty50 opens below 23,600; BSE Sensex down over 900 points on continuing US-Iran war – The Times of India
-
Fashion1 week agoIntertextile Shanghai 2026: Fringe events spotlight market trends
-
Entertainment1 week agoWhat time will NASA’s 600 kg satellite crash to Earth today— 14 years after launch?
-
Fashion1 week agoGerman brand Adidas posts 13% revenue growth in 2025
-
Fashion7 days agoUK’s Topshop unveils Tolu Coker capsule collection
-
Tech7 days agoMeta Developed 4 New Chips to Power Its AI and Recommendation Systems
-
Business1 week agoUS ignites Iran war, but Gulf Arab states pay the price | The Express Tribune
-
Fashion7 days agoIndia’s textile recycling market may reach $3.5 bn by 2030: Report