Whether you are trying fantasy baseball for the first time or are an experienced vet, the 2026 ESPN fantasy baseball draft guide has everything you need to help you crush your drafts.

From rankings and mock drafts to sleepers, breakouts and who you should — or should not — draft, we’ve got you covered from every angle, all in one convenient place.

This draft guide will be updated frequently, so keep checking in for more insight, analysis, and projections.

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Rankings, cheat sheets, mock drafts

ESPN expert rankings: Points leagues | Head-to-head categories/rotisserie

Cheat sheet central: Printable PDFs to take to your draft

The 2026 ESPN Cheat Sheet: You’ve read their names all preseason long, it’d be a shame to forget them now

Dynasty rankings: Top 300 players for 2026 and beyond

Prospect rankings: Kiley McDaniel ranks rookies for 2026 fantasy value

“The Perfect Draft” — Our experts reveal the ideal outcome for the first two rounds of a 10-teamer from each slot’s POV

Mock draft No. 1 (ESPN points leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our Feb. 10 mock

Mock draft No. 2 (ESPN category-based leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our March 3 mock

Mock draft No. 3 (ESPN points leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our March 16 mock

Fantasy baseball 101

A lapsed fan’s guide to fantasy baseball in 2026
Haven’t been paying attention this offseason? Eric Karabell catches you up

Nine tips to help you win your league
Tristan H. Cockcroft with strategies and angles that will make you a more competitive player

Everything you need to play, draft and run a league
Tristan H. Cockcroft lists the players he wants on as many fantasy teams as possible

Tools of the trade: How to use the ESPN fantasy app to your advantage
Tips for newcomers on how to best use the tools available in ESPN’s fantasy baseball game

Advice and expert intel

Read the warning label before drafting these guys
Who does Tristan H. Cockcroft think will underachieve in 2026? We have the names

20 must-have fantasy baseball draft picks for 2026
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s list of overlooked pitchers with the skills to shine in 2026

2026’s ‘Do Draft’ list: Go get Webb, Freeman and more
Eric Karabell wants these guys on his 2026 fantasy teams. You should too

Kings of Command: Nine fantasy breakout pitchers to draft late
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s list of overlooked pitchers with the skills to shine in 2026

Do NOT Draft: Why PCA, Seager and others could ruin your season
Eric Karabell warns you to steer clear of these players in 2026

Bold predictions for every team: American League | National League
Eric Karabell plants his flag with some bold fantasy-relevant predictions

Jeff Passan’s MLB season preview: Predictions, fantasy tips, more

From Vladdy to Arraez: 33 players who jump out for 2026
Tristan H. Cockcroft highlights the players — and stats — that have grabbed his attention

Should you avoid drafting players taking part in the WBC?
Tristan H. Cockcroft looks at the history of the WBC and how it has impacted fantasy

Don’t forget these injured players on draft day
Eric Karabell’s list of guys to keep on your radar for the last few rounds of your drafts

News or noise: What’s the fantasy baseball impact from news around MLB?
Hearing a lot of buzz, but don’t know what to make of it? Here’s where you should turn

Park factors: What is the true fantasy impact of where MLB teams call home?
Todd Zola breaks down what makes MLB stadiums favor pitching versus hitting

Fantasy baseball’s $100 man: Why you need to break the bank for Ohtani
Tristan H. Cockcroft discusses how much should you bid on fantasy’s top player

Top players to watch this spring: Acuna, Strider lead list
Eric Karabell outlines players in interesting new situations most likely to have fantasy impact in 2026

What to expect from Murakami, Okamoto, Imai and others
Todd Zola dives into the statistics to set expectations

Hot stove: fantasy impact of offseason trades and signings
Expectations for all of the players who have changed teams this winter

MLB betting info: World Series odds | AL futures | NL futures | 2026 Betting guide

Prospect watch

2026 fantasy baseball picks: MLB rookie, prospect rankings
Kiley McDaniel ranks rookie-eligible players for their potential 2026 fantasy contributions

Karabell’s top 10 prospects to consider drafting for 2026 leagues
A gaggle of shortstops leads the list of alluring fantasy newcomers

Ten names to know from the Arizona Fall League
Check out Eric Karabell’s eyewitness account of AFL action

Download the ESPN Fantasy Sports app, have every player at your fingertips.
Available on the App Store and Google Play.

Looking back on 2025

Which pitchers are MVPs, LVPs of 2025?
The best and the worst fantasy hurlers from last season

Which hitters are MVPs, LVPs of 2025?
Some of the top bats that surprised, for better or worse

France star Kylian Mbappé cannot envision his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar missing the World Cup.

Injuries have kept Neymar, Brazil‘s all-time leading scorer, out of the national team since Oct. 2023.

He is in a race against the clock to regain his fitness in time to play at his fourth World Cup this summer.

“The World Cup is a competition of stars,” Mbappé said ahead of tonight’s World Cup warmup game against Brazil.

“All the stars are here, and in my book, Neymar is one of the biggest stars. I can’t imagine the World Cup without Neymar. But in the end, I can’t go against my former coach, [Carlo] Ancelotti. I have to respect his decision.”

Asked if this Brazil squad is that of Neymar or of his Real Madrid teammate Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé said: “Vini now needs to take another step forward with the national team, but Neymar is Neymar. Neymar is a fantastic player.”

Vinícius, meanwhile, is rooting for Neymar to be fit for the World Cup. “The pressure on Ney is normal,” he said. “I’m biased, Ney is one of my idols. He’s doing everything to be 100%, to return to the national team.

“Now, the decision rests with the coach. But we players always want to play with the best.”

– Neymar not giving up Brazil World Cup squad dream
– Neymar defends fitness ahead of World Cup: ‘Difficult to be me’
– Brazil’s Neymar: I might retire at end of ‘important’ 2026

Vinícius is expected to lead Brazil’s attack against France. Ancelotti, who will announce his World Cup squad on May 18, insisted Neymar still has a chance to make the cut provided the Santos forward is 100% fit.

Former Brazil stars have joined the debate on whether Ancelotti should take Neymar even if the player is not at his best.

Asked about the ongoing debate on Neymar’ absence, Ancelotti said on Wednesday: “I observe everything, I listen to everything. But my role is to make decisions. It’s normal that everyone can have an opinion, because football isn’t an exact science.

“Everyone has their opinion, and I have to respect everyone’s opinion.”

ON THE DAY she would become the all-time winningest coach in the history of the all-time winningest Division I softball program, UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez went about her usual game-day routine. She had no idea she was about to make history.

When she walked onto the field in Fullerton, California, for the Bruins’ doubleheader last month and saw her former coach and boss, Sue Enquist, she asked quizzically, “What are you doing here?”

Inouye-Perez eventually figured out she was about to pass Enquist in the UCLA record books with win No. 888. In her 20th year as head coach, and 38th overall as a member of the UCLA program, Inouye-Perez added the record to a list of accomplishments that includes three national titles as a player, three as an assistant and two as a head coach, all while living through nearly every era of collegiate softball.

But her focus has never been on how many wins she has piled next to her name.

“We are so much more than wins,” Inouye-Perez said. “At the end of the day, I’m proud of what we do here at UCLA in very hard moments.”

In Year 2 in the Big Ten, the No. 8 Bruins (27-3) are riding a 22-game winning streak while on a two-week road trip — culminating in a huge Big Ten showdown at No. 6 Nebraska (24-5) starting Friday.

That the 56-year-old Inouye-Perez has spent her entire career at UCLA is remarkable. That she is still winning despite the changes, challenges and upheaval in the current collegiate landscape might be most remarkable of all.

IN THE MOMENTS after UCLA beat Florida 15-12 on Feb. 27 to clinch the historic win for Inouye-Perez, the team gathered for an impromptu celebration just outside the stadium. UCLA deputy athletics director Christina Munger-Rivera said to Inouye-Perez, “You have helped build this legacy. You continue to build this legacy and you accomplished something that I bet you never as a young girl ever thought you’d be standing here doing. Today Coach Enquist passes the crown on to you.”

Enquist knelt down and bowed her head as she gave Inouye-Perez a gold crown studded with blue gems.

“The key to success is to surround yourself with people that are just as committed and passionate as you,” Inouye-Perez said to the group gathered around her.

Tears in her eyes, Inouye-Perez immediately called over best friend and longtime assistant Lisa Fernandez, who got a crown of her own. “It’s not about any one person. It’s about all of us that represent something that is bigger than all of us,” she said.

“I still see her as that little catcher with her big bangs, and now she is just this transformative leader running one of the most storied programs in the history of softball,” Enquist said. “The thing that I’m most in awe of Kelly is her sustained ability to be in the run for championships every single year for this long.”

Every decision Inouye-Perez has made, going back to the day she decided she wanted to be a catcher as a 10-year-old in Southern California, led her to this moment. Inouye-Perez took one look at the daughter of her coach, in all her gear, and thought, “Wow she looks cool. I want to try that.” The first time she crouched behind the plate to take a pitch, it bounced off her mask. Undeterred, Inouye-Perez wanted to try again, and again, and soon it became clear she had the skill, talent and mentality to play a position that serves as a de facto coach on the field.

She quickly joined a travel team, where she met Fernandez, who would become perhaps the greatest pitcher in the history of the sport.

Fernandez found a like-minded soul in Inouye-Perez, starting a 46-year friendship that still has them together — the way they envisioned when they used to tell each other as UCLA players, “Wouldn’t it be cool to one day be the coaches here?”

“You find people that are passionate and they have a common thought process and inquisitiveness, or just that ability to want to learn more,” said Fernandez, in her 28th year working side by side with Inouye-Perez. “Really, it’s that belief that you can conquer all. Kelly has that about her. There is no situation that cannot be managed. It may not be easy, but it can be done, and it’s very contagious.”

Take the anecdote current senior Jordan Woolery shares when asked for her favorite Inouye-Perez story. UCLA was at Stanford two years ago, and Woolery was in the middle of a rough stretch. During the game, Inouye-Perez told Woolery to just vent and let all her complaints go. When Woolery was done, Inouye-Perez took her phone out and showed Woolery one of her favorite quotes:

“They whispered to her, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ She whispered back, ‘I am the storm.'”

On her next at-bat, Woolery hit a home run.

“Coach I has this ability to connect with people and meet them where they’re at, and also bring out the best in them,” Woolery said. “It’s really unique. I said three complaints. She showed me the quote, and then, boom, I was ready to go.”

A crushing shoulder injury during Inouye-Perez’s sophomore year opened her eyes to the possibility of coaching, but she had planned to go to graduate school to study sports psychology once her playing career ended in 1993.

What Inouye-Perez did not know is Sharron Backus and Enquist, co-head coaches at the time, needed a No. 2 assistant to fill out the staff.

“Sharron asked me, ‘Who are you thinking?'” Enquist said. “I’m like, ‘Hands down, I’m thinking Kelly.'”

“Of course,” Backus said in response. “My co-pilot.”

Inouye-Perez always rode up front with Backus in their team vans on the way to games. Enquist says from the day Inouye-Perez arrived as a freshman in 1989, “It was like we had a mini coach.”

“Her technical, tactical expertise, and her game IQ were off the charts,” Enquist said. “Her relationship range was off the charts, too. She could connect with the spoiled person on the team, with the person that lacked confidence, but she also spoke the vernacular of the future greatest softball player in the world, Lisa Fernandez, and she had this uncanny ability to bring them all together.

“To have the rigor on the performance side but also know how to build those relationships was indescribably important.”

Inouye-Perez became a UCLA lifer, loyally upholding the history and tradition of a program with a record 33 Women’s College World Series appearances, to go with a record 13 national championships and more wins than any other program in softball. She remains the only person in Division I history to win a national championship as a player and coach.

“I’ve learned now to take the harder path,” Inouye-Perez said. “You don’t really know what the best version of yourself is until you truly get challenged.”

That happened in 1999, when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. At the time, there were few coaches with children, fewer still who had their children with them at practices or games.

Inouye-Perez asked to meet with Enquist, bawling. She planned to quit.

“I can’t do this,” Inouye-Perez told her. “I can’t put softball before my family. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Enquist told her without hesitation. “We can do this. We will do this. You’re not leaving this program, Kelly. You are going to be in this program forever.”

“I had no children, but I knew in our industry we were in this interesting time,” Enquist said. “It was all about dedication, and everyone’s a professional, and you’ve got to pick your career. But my mother raised us all to believe that being a mom was an asset.”

Enquist called a team meeting with a clear message to her players: “If you can’t make this adjustment, if you can’t get A’s in school, and you can’t field a backhand and change a diaper, then I recruited the wrong person.”

They found a way. They had cribs and strollers in the clubhouse and on the road. Inouye-Perez’s parents traveled with her to help care for her son, Mikey, born in August 1999, and later her daughter, Kylie. Her husband, Gerardo Perez, took a job as a high school baseball coach to be closer to home. When he was 1, Mikey took his first steps at an Embassy Suites during another trip to the WCWS, ringed by the entire UCLA team.

Inouye-Perez has a photo of that moment hanging in her house.

OVER THE PAST 38 years at UCLA, both the game and the enterprise have changed dramatically. When Inouye-Perez played, pitchers dominated and games often went 20-plus innings. Since then, changes to the sport and advances in technology have transformed softball into a hitter’s game — one that has gained substantial popularity as a result. To that end, UCLA is currently on pace to set a school record for runs scored in a season and a school record for highest team ERA.

But the biggest changes happened over the past five years, with NIL, loosened transfer rules and, most recently, revenue sharing with student-athletes — all while UCLA made the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten to begin play in 2024.

UCLA does not have a softball budget that ranks among the top 10 programs in the country, nor does Inouye-Perez rank among the top 10 coaches in salary. A school such as Texas Tech, without the same softball tradition as UCLA, can suddenly become a contender with a $1 million player on its roster in pitcher NiJaree Canady — a player the Bruins know all too well. She played at Stanford the last year of the Pac-12 in 2023. This past offseason, UCLA lost one of its starting pitchers, Kaitlyn Terry, to Texas Tech.

“Sharron Backus built the blueprint, and when I took over, I never had to change the blueprint,” Enquist said. “But Kelly, midway through her career, she had to change the blueprint because the game and collegiate athletics had a systemic renaissance. I’m just so proud that she has been able to maintain the legacy blueprint of UCLA softball, while changing and adapting.”

Inouye-Perez acknowledges “we don’t have every resource,” but accepting the challenges of this new era is something she and Fernandez have willingly embraced. They have won, too. Maybe not national championships, but Inouye-Perez always says the goal is to get to Oklahoma City, and then see what happens.

Since NIL went into effect in July 2021, UCLA has had three 50-plus-win seasons and made three WCWS appearances, including last season.

“We’re competitors, and we have an inner drive that we can find a way,” Fernandez said. “We were meant to be in this time, in this place. We are going to do everything we can to continue to evolve and develop as the game changes.”

Enquist noted the way Inouye-Perez has built a network of fundraising and business partners to help fill in the gaps.

“We are at a very challenging time in the sport, and to be able to sustain it is not easy,” Inouye-Perez said. “To be at an academic school when the game is about money right now — it’s not the golden ticket it used to be. It used to be the golden ticket to get that college degree. This generation, it’s more difficult. They would take softball and the money over the college degree. So it’s challenging. There’s a whole different dynamic.”

UCLA softball has had only three head coaches in its 52-year history: Backus, Enquist and Inouye-Perez. If there is pressure to uphold the UCLA standard, Inouye-Perez never shows it because she has a job to do, and the job is more than the wins and the losses.

“It’s not about making more money or finding an easier way to win or even rebuilding something in a different location,” Inouye-Perez said. “This is not just about a job. It’s not just about softball for me at all. This is much more than that. To be able to represent Sharron and Sue is something that I’m very proud of.”

The game has changed, the landscape has changed, but her core values have not. So she goes to work every day challenged, yes, but wholeheartedly believing in her mission to help develop the women on her team into the best version of themselves, to keep the “Bruin Bubble” filled with people who come back to support each other and support the program.

If she never wins another championship, Inouye-Perez will know she has done more than enough. It is like one of the favored clichés she tells her seniors:

“Get to your final destination as late as you can with a smile on your face to know that you enjoyed the journey.”