Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report: Rookie hitters making a splash, while pitchers flash upside

4 weeks ago 7

We’re a little over a month into the 2026 MLB season and this may be one of the more impressive crop of rookies we’ve seen in a while. The Pirates wasted no time bringing No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin up to the big leagues and he’s starting to show signs of promise from a fantasy baseball perspective. Other players are surging while some have struggled. Let’s dive into the latest MLB prospect report for fantasy.

Note: The players covered in this article are among the top-100 prospects per MLB.com’s list. For example, Pirates SP Bubba Chandler has graduated from the list and is not featured below.

Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates

Nothing is exciting about Griffin’s Baseball Savant page currently. And that’s fine, he just turned 20 years old. It’ll take a bit for Griffin to find his way at that age as a rookie. He did belt his first career homer on his 20th birthday, which was a great way to celebrate. Griffin also appears to be turning a corner; he has multi-hit games in three of the past six. He also has seven stolen bags since being called up, which over the course of a full season would put him on a 40-SB pace.

Griffin is striking out too much (29.3%), which isn’t surprising. If he can drive that number down, his BABIP is at .310, which suggests he’s doing good things when he makes contact. Expect Griffin to continue to show improvement as he gets more comfortable at the plate.

Kevin McGonigle, 3B/SS, Tigers

As of this writing, McGonigle is third in all of MLB in WAR (2.0), tied with Braves 1B Matt Olson. McGonigle has been better than advertised and looks like a seasoned veteran despite being 21 years old. Detroit rewarded the youngster with a shiny new eight-year, $150 million contract.

If you drafted or added McGonigle in fantasy, he’s looking like a league-winner. He’s ranked top-five on Yahoo among 3B with a .333 average and .937 OPS. McGonigle should compete for the AL batting title the way he’s trending. His Baseball Savant page shows he’s in the 90th percentile or better in most batting metrics. McGonigle may not offer much raw power but he’s such a sound hitter that he should get plenty of extra base hits while producing runs at the top of the Tigers’ order.

JJ Wetherholt, 2B/3B/SS, Cardinals

Wetherholt is in the midst of his best stretch of the season. He’s on a six-game hitting streak, homering in three straight games from Saturday-Monday. The Cardinals have also been surprisingly good to start 2026 at 17-13, much of that thanks to their young core of Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson. Wetherholt is pacing like a true five-tool player; he could finish this season with 100+ runs scored, 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. Wetherholt is currently ranked third on Yahoo in points leagues among 2B. He’s looking like one of the better picks in all of fantasy baseball this season. Wetherholt and McGonigle are a good reason why you should consider top prospects late in drafts.

Trey Yesavage, SP, Blue Jays

Yesavage started the season on the shelf but made his 2026 debut on Tuesday vs. the Red Sox, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings of ball. He only racked up three strikeouts but didn’t walk any batters. It’s hard to garner anything from a start vs. Boston given the state of that team. But it was an encouraging start for Yesavage, who was among the potential sleeper SPs for 2026.

Payton Tolle, SP, Red Sox

The Red Sox may be a mess but their pitching staff hasn’t been too bad, outside of ace Garrett Crochet, who is now on the IL. The 23-year-old Tolle has been solid through two starts this season with an xERA and xBA in the 98th percentile. He didn’t have the best outing his second time around the rotation on Tuesday, allowing three runs on three hits with four walks in 4.2 innings vs. Toronto. But his first start was stellar, striking out 11 batters over 6.0 IP vs. the Yankees. Tolle is rostered in 51% of Yahoo leagues; that number needs to be higher.

Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians

DeLauter has been fine but inconsistent, though is heating up as of late. He’s being buoyed in fantasy by his lineup slot in the Cleveland order, which lacks depth and pop. DeLauter’s bat speed and barrel% raise some red flags but his plate discipline is there with a low K% (11.6) and chase% (20.7). He’s strung together a nice stretch with hits in seven of his past eight games, including five straight entering Thursday. DeLauter should provide better fantasy value once Jose Ramirez rebounds as well. DeLauter is worth hanging onto for now in deeper formats.

Noah Schultz, SP, White Sox

The hulking lefty was a first-round pick back in 2022 by a White Sox team that is no longer historically bad. Schultz started this season in AAA but pitched well enough to get the call up for his first start on April 14. That outing went about as you’d expect for a 22-year-old in his first career start (3 ER, 4 BB, 4 Ks, 4.1 IP). But the 6-foot-10 hurler has been strong the past two starts, striking out 14 batters in 11 IP while surrendering just one homer. Schultz is rostered in 42% of Yahoo leagues and is an intriguing add in all formats, especially keeper leagues.

JR Ritchie, SP, Braves

Ritchie had a shaky second outing this season on Wednesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four walks, one HR and four strikeouts over 5.1 innings. For now, it appears the 22-year-old will stick in the rotation, even with Spencer Strider expected to be back this weekend. On the surface, Ritchie’s numbers are fine, and he has a wide array of pitches, but he’s been lucky so far. His xERA is 5.04, much higher than his actual ERA under 3.00. Manager Walt Weiss said Ritchie will make his next scheduled start Monday at Seattle. He’ll remain a deep-league streaming option but it feels like there’s a good chance he gets sent down soon.

Prospects to watch in Triple-A: Colt Emerson, SS, SEA; Thomas White, LHP, MIA; Bryce Eldridge, 1B, SF; George Lombard Jr., SS, NYY; Charlie Condon, 1B/OF, COL

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