With the regular season in the rearview mirror, it's time for a look back. So far, we've examined the position players, starting pitchers and relief pitchers who provided the most value relative to their draft slot. This week, we're moving on to relief pitchers. I'll be using RotoWire's preseason ADP numbers and earned auction values.
Disclaimer: You won't find guys who had their seasons derailed by a major injury (i.e. UCL, ACL) in this space. We know what went wrong there.
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, 
Baltimore Orioles
ADP: 59.8, 2nd among catchers
EAV: 36th among catchers
Rutschman has the dubious honor of occupying this space for the second year in a row. Injuries to both obliques conspired to limit the Orioles catcher to only 90 games and 365 plate appearances this season, and when healthy the 27-year-old managed a lowly .673 OPS with nine home runs and 29 RBI. Rutschman's plate discipline remained excellent, as he sported an 11.0 percent walk rate and just a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. Additionally, his hard-hit rate (38.6 percent), barrel rate (7.5 percent), average exit velocity (89.4 mph) and max exit velocity (111.3 mph) were all virtually identical to his numbers from 2023, his best full major-league season. Rutschman's xwOBA (.334) was 36 points higher than his actual wOBA (.298). All of this seems to point to Rutschman being unlucky and likely to bounce back in 2026, and that may very well happen. That said, a .209/.294/.332 batting line since July 2024
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, it's time for a look back. So far, we've examined the position players, starting pitchers and relief pitchers who provided the most value relative to their draft slot. This week, we're moving on to relief pitchers. I'll be using RotoWire's preseason ADP numbers and earned auction values.
Disclaimer: You won't find guys who had their seasons derailed by a major injury (i.e. UCL, ACL) in this space. We know what went wrong there.
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
ADP: 59.8, 2nd among catchers
EAV: 36th among catchers
Rutschman has the dubious honor of occupying this space for the second year in a row. Injuries to both obliques conspired to limit the Orioles catcher to only 90 games and 365 plate appearances this season, and when healthy the 27-year-old managed a lowly .673 OPS with nine home runs and 29 RBI. Rutschman's plate discipline remained excellent, as he sported an 11.0 percent walk rate and just a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. Additionally, his hard-hit rate (38.6 percent), barrel rate (7.5 percent), average exit velocity (89.4 mph) and max exit velocity (111.3 mph) were all virtually identical to his numbers from 2023, his best full major-league season. Rutschman's xwOBA (.334) was 36 points higher than his actual wOBA (.298). All of this seems to point to Rutschman being unlucky and likely to bounce back in 2026, and that may very well happen. That said, a .209/.294/.332 batting line since July 2024 is tough to look past. The Orioles also have an alternative at catcher ready to go in Samuel Basallo, though president of baseball operations Mike Elias has said Rutschman will be the primary catcher heading into 2026.
Runner-up: Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox
First Base: Michael Toglia, 
Colorado Rockies
ADP: 185.8, 13th among first basemen
EAV: 64th among first basemen
Toglia entered the 2026 campaign coming off a 2025 season that saw him slug 25 home runs and steal 10 bases in 116 games. He also posted a hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity that were all in the 91st percentile or higher. When you add in that he would be playing half his games at Coors Field, it was easy to see the appeal. However, the lesson here is that it's difficult to outrun major swing-and-miss concerns, especially when the contact issues get even worse. Toglia was sent to the minors in late May following a dreadful 39.1 percent strikeout rate in his first 54 contests, and he finished the year with a 39.2 percent strikeout rate and just 11 home runs across 88 games. The 27-year-old wound up spending much of 2025 in the minors, including the last few weeks of the season. You don't have to squint too hard to see Toglia bouncing back to some degree in 2026, and because he's out of minor-league options, he should be back on the big-league roster on Opening Day. However, given the very flawed profile, it's probably likelier that Toglia is out of the league in a couple years than it is that he becomes a reliable fantasy contributor.
Runner-up: Jake Burger, Texas Rangers
Second Base: Matt McLain, 
Cincinnati Reds
ADP: 90.9, 6th among second basemen
EAV: 23rd among second basemen
McLain flashed immense fantasy upside in 2023, batting .290 while hitting 16 home runs and stealing 14 bases over just 89 games. He missed the entirety of the 2024 season due to labrum surgery on his left shoulder and later a stress reaction in his rib cage. Even after all the missed time and a relatively worrisome 28.5 percent strikeout rate in 2023, fantasy managers made McLain a top-100 draft pick this past spring. That investment did not pay off, as McLain saw his average fall 70 points to .220, and he had one fewer home runs (15) and just four more stolen bases (18) despite having 174 more plate appearances. The strikeout rate for McLain got a tick worse (28.9 percent), and so did his hard-hit rate (40.7 percent), barrel rate (7.7 percent) and average exit velocity (88.8 mph). After beginning the season as the Reds' No. 2 hitter, McLain spent most of the final two months batting ninth. McLain was fine at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, putting up a .731 OPS with 10 home runs, but he slashed an ugly .193/.269/.281 with five homers away from his friendly home confines. The power/speed combo remains intriguing, but McLain needs to make more contact in order to be a steady fantasy option.
Runner-up: Jonathan India, Kansas City Royals
Shortstop: Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
ADP: 134.8, 12th among shortstops
EAV: 43rd among shortstops
Tovar was hampered by injuries last season, with hip and oblique problems limiting him to 95 games and 390 plate appearances. Even when healthy, his power was well off the pace he established in 2024, when he slugged 26 home runs and 45 doubles. Tovar did appear to be due for some level of regression, having easily outrun his .289 xwOBA in 2024 with a .324 wOBA. Things swung back too far in the other direction in 2025, though, with Tovar underperforming his xwOBA (.329) by 28 points (.301 wOBA). After putting up virtually even home/road splits in 2024, Tovar's disparity of performance in 2025 at home (.339/.374/.511) versus on the road (.172/.218/.296) was comical. Meanwhile, Tovar's batted-ball data this season was basically the same as last season, if not a bit better, and he cut his strikeout rate from 28.8 percent to 25.1 percent. The 24-year-old looks like a good bounceback candidate in 2026, just don't expect him to return all the way to his 2024 level.
Runner-up: Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees
Third Base: Austin Riley, 
Atlanta Braves
ADP: 30.9, 2nd among third basemen
EAV: 26th among third basemen
We have another repeat offender here in Riley. After slashing .286/.354/.525 while averaging 36 home runs and 99 RBI from 2021 to 2023, Riley has hit .258/.316/.445 with a total of 35 long balls and 110 RBI over his last two seasons. The injury bug has bitten Riley each of the last two years, and in 2025 he also saw his strikeout rate rise to 28.6 percent, which is easily his highest since his abbreviated rookie season in 2019. Riley will remain a risk from a batting average perspective in 2026 if he's not able to get that strikeout rate back to around 25 percent. However, the good news is Riley's power hasn't gone anywhere, as he was still elite in terms of hard-hit rate (50.2 percent), barrel rate (15.2 percent) and average exit velocity (92.3 mph). A core muscle injury knocked the 28-year-old out for virtually all of the second half, but he underwent surgery in late August and will be fully recovered well ahead of spring training. Riley represents an obvious buy-low target for 2026.
Runner-up: Mark Vientos, New York Mets
Outfield: Jackson Merrill, 
San Diego Padres
ADP: 31, 9th among outfielders
EAB: 68th among outfielders
Between the high contact rate, the good batted-ball data and the ability to contribute across all five categories, Merrill seemed relatively bust-proof in 2026, at least as much as a player going into his age-22 season can be bust-proof. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year runner-up was not bad in 2025, but he was an objectively bad fantasy investment with where you had to take him. Injuries were a major reason why Merrill was a disappointment, and you could argue they were the lone reason. He missed most of the first month of the season with a hamstring injury, missed a week in June with a concussion and another couple weeks in the second half with a sprained ankle. The two leg injuries could help explain why Merrill hardly ran, as he attempted just three stolen bases all season after pilfering 16 bags in his rookie year. Merrill finally found his groove at the end of the season after recovering from the ankle issue, putting up a 1.053 OPS with seven homers over his last 20 regular-season contests before going 3-for-9 with another long ball in the wild-card series loss to the Cubs. His strikeout rate did regress to around the league average in 2025, but Merrill's .331 wOBA was 32 points worse than his .363 xwOBA, which wasn't far off from his .372 xwOBA from 2024. I suppose we can't necessarily count on a full bounceback from a steals perspective, but Merrill posted the same sprint speed in 2025 that he did in 2024. I'll be buying back in.
Ronald Acuna, Atlanta Braves
ADP: 32.7, 10th among outfielders
EAV: 47th among outfielders
Acuna, of course, got a late start to the season as he continued to work his way back from knee surgery. There was an element of unknown as to when he would ultimately be ready for his season debut (which wound up occurring May 23), but that didn't stop fantasy managers from popping him in the top three rounds. Acuna was excellent when on the field, slashing .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs over 95 contests. He pilfered only nine bases, though, and the lack of aggressiveness on the bases was something he telegraphed at the beginning of spring training. Fantasy managers either didn't believe Acuna or, more likely, thought the drop in steals wouldn't be as dramatic as it was. Acuna is no longer an elite runner in terms of sprint speed, ranking in the 63rd percentile in 2025. However, he ranked in the 67th percentile during his 73-steal season in 2023. Returning to that level would be a big ask, but he's capable of being among the league leaders again in 2026, and the aggressiveness should return as he further distances himself from knee surgery.
Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies
ADP: 72.7, 18th among outfielders
EAV: 65th among outfielders
We now arrive at our third Rockie to make the list. I wonder how they lost 119 games this season? OK, their league-worst pitching staff also had something to do with it, but I digress. Doyle was a breakout fantasy stud in 2024, cranking 23 home runs and stealing 30 bases, but he fell off to 15 long balls and 18 steals in 2025. The 27-year-old also had some massive home (.843 OPS)/road (.593 OPS) splits and right (.593 OPS)/left (.839 OPS) splits. The former wasn't a surprise, but Doyle fared better versus righties than lefties in 2024. I should also note that Doyle spent time on the bereavement list early in the season after he and his wife lost their unborn baby, and you could certainly understand if that took a toll on his performance. Doyle is an aggressive hitter who walked at just a 5.6 percent rate in 2025, but his 25.7 percent strikeout rate essentially matched his 25.4 percent mark from 2024, and his hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity was all a tad better in 2025. It's a profile that will have ebbs and flows, but Doyle seems like a solid bounceback candidate for 2026.
Runners-up: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates; Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox
