Top Prospects to Target in 2026 Draft Champions Leagues

I just finished my first NFBC Draft Champions of 2026 — a $150 15-team, 50-round draft-and-hold league. I know a lot of you take the fall and winter off from fantasy baseball, but for those who don't take time off, the Draft Champions contest is by far the best way to scratch that itch in my opinion. I want to share some of the results of my draft, as ADP isn't live yet, while also highlighting some prospects to target in this format in the coming months. 

Before I share the order the prospects went in this draft, I just want to stress these results are one draft, and the first 11 rounds of that draft were completed in August, so there are going to be outlier picks. Here is the order the prospects/international free agents were taken, with their round also noted:

Prospects To Target In 2026 Draft And Hold Leagues

I already released my Super Early Top 300 Redraft Rankings, so I'd recommend checking those out if you're curious how I rank/value the top guys. Among the prospects who went in the first 30 rounds of this draft, I'm most confident in Samuel Basallo, Nolan McLean, Bubba Chandler, Trey Yesavage, JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, Jonah Tong, Connelly Early, Konnor Griffin, Carter Jensen, Payton Tolle, Sal Stewart, Munetaka Murakami, Dylan Beavers, Bryce Eldridge, Aidan Miller and Colt Emerson. However, given that they require one of your top 30 picks, you probably don't want to have more than 2-3 of those guys, and it's much more about how they fit your roster and where they fall in your draft. I don't think you want to circle these guys as must-haves in a DC, but there's a time and place where they all make sense. 

In this section, I want to highlight prospects who should be available in the final 20 rounds of a 50-round draft and hold.

Joshua Baez, OF, STL

I discussed Baez in depth on this week's Prospect Podcast and think he's the most underrated top-100 prospect in the game. It's unclear how quickly the Cardinals will turn to Baez, but two strong months at Triple-A should be enough to punch his ticket after the Super Two deadline passes in early-June. Baez reworked his swing after going on the Development List in July 2024, and he's performed like a top-25 prospect since then. The 22-year-old right fielder has a chiseled 6-foot-3 frame and was drafted out of high school back in 2021 for his massive power potential. That potential is still clear to see -- he hit a 114-mph, 460-plus foot homer this year -- but he has surprisingly caused havoc on the bases to the tune of 54 steals (85.7% success) in 117 games this year. Baez has said that he takes pride in being a threat on the bases, and I expect him to chase 30/30 seasons in the majors for as long as that's a possibility. I was the first person to take him in a NFBC draft with my pick in the 40th round, so I'm not sure where his ADP will settle.

Didier Fuentes, RHP, ATL

Fuentes was the youngest player in the big leagues last year, so we can forgive his poor results and focus on his Triple-A dominance (28.1 K-BB%) as a 19-year-old. He's a flyball pitcher, so there will probably be some rougher outings mixed in, but Fuentes is young enough and talented enough to take a big step over the offseason and potentially be the talk of Atlanta's spring camp, assuming his shoulder inflammation at the end of the year is a non-issue after an offseason to rest. 

River Ryan, RHP, LAD

He may be a bit of a forgotten man, and the Dodgers' SP depth means they don't need Ryan to plug a traditional every-fifth-day role in the rotation out of camp. However, Ryan should be fully recovered from Aug. 25, 2024 Tommy John surgery. He would have been a helium monster in 2025 drafts if he had stayed healthy, as Ryan's short run at Triple-A in 2024 was elite and he suppressed hard contact in his brief MLB debut. If he makes 12-15 starts in the MLB rotation he should be worth a mid-30s round pick. 

Cooper Ingle, C, CLE

A .239 BABIP and 5.0% HR/FB led to Ingle's 28-game run at Triple-A being the first time he wasn't massively better than the average hitter in a league, but he still managed a 105 wRC+ thanks to a 19.6 BB% and 14.0 K%. I think he'll be up in the first half, and depending on how Bo Naylor is playing, Ingle could take the reins at catcher sometime this summer. Ingle probably doesn't have Drake Baldwin's upside, but Baldwin was seen as more floor than ceiling a year ago, and Ingle has the same type of strong hit tool, swing decision skill base that Baldwin did.

Brody Hopkins, RHP, TB

There's more risk of getting nothing from Hopkins in 2026 than there is with some of the pitching prospects I've got ranked below him here, but he's also got a chance to pitch so well at Triple-A that he's commanding a triple-digit FAAB bid when he gets the call in June or July. It all comes down to his strike throwing, which trended up to close 2025 but still needs to improve. Hopkins has frontline stuff and a nice team context.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, RHP, NYY

Carlos Lagrange has a higher long-term ceiling, but I think Rodriguez-Cruz is more likely to join the Yankees rotation in the first couple months of the season. Rodriguez-Cruz throws two distinct fastballs, two distinct sliders as well as a curveball and changeup. He had a 54.2 percent groundball rate and 19.6 K-BB% as a 21-year-old climbing from High-A to Triple-A this year, and his strike-throwing (8.2 BB% at Double-A) is a big separator relative to his peers. 

Ethan Pecko, RHP, HOU

I love Jack Perkins (ATH), and I'd like to christen Pecko as "Baby Jack", since his late-moving fastball and dominance of the harsh Pacific Coast League in the second half (23.8 K-BB%) are very reminiscent of Perkins in the first half of the year. Pecko was available 14 rounds later than Perkins in this draft, and I scooped him up in the 47th round, but I think he'll probably go more in the 40-45 round range this winter, as he checks a lot of boxes for late-round pitching flyers. We saw less talented/accomplished pitchers get run in the Astros rotation this year, so even if Pecko isn't in the mix to break camp, his number should get called in the first half, assuming he's healthy.

Tanner McDougal, RHP, CHW

McDougal is definitely one of "my guys" after his 2025 breakout, and I knew I was going to try to get him with my last pick of this Draft Champions league, since he wasn't in the player pool and hasn't gotten that much hype that I'm aware of. He was excellent at Double-A (20.3 K-BB%, 46.5 GB%) and closed strong, striking out six of the 12 batters he faced in the Southern League Finals. McDougal has upwards of three plus pitches in his fastball, curveball and slider and shouldn't have any trouble cracking the White Sox's rotation by June or July, health permitting.

Nelson Rada, OF, LAA

I don't think Rada's long-term ceiling is much higher than his short-term ceiling, which is why he's not a top 100 prospect, but in a 50-round draft-and-hold, he fills a clear speed/outfield need in the final 5-10 rounds. He's a good defender in center field, and the Angels have cycled through many less talented outfielders in recent years, particularly after injuries strike. 

Junior Perez, OF, ATH

Perez is a final round of the draft type of flyer pick, but Draft Champions vets will know that the outfielder pool is a wretched mess at this point in the draft, and has been for several rounds. In addition to logging very strong marks as a 24-year-old in his first 42 games at Triple-A (144 wRC+, 12 HR, 11 SB, 113.7 mph maxEV, career-best 10.3 SwStr%), Perez has a few things going for him: he'll need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, he's a good defender, his home park is hitter friendly, and he bats right-handed. I was deciding between Perez and Ryan Clifford (NYM) when I added Perez to the NFBC player pool, and Perez's handedness was the tie breaker, as I know Clifford will sit against lefties if he comes up in 2026, whereas Perez has a chance to be playing every day in a best-case scenario. 

Prospects Who Could Add Position Eligibility:

Catcher

There aren't any prospects I expect to add catcher eligibility in season, and that includes Moises Ballesteros, although it's not impossible that Ballesteros could. I don't expect Josue Briceno to be up for the Tigers early in 2026, but it's a notable wrinkle that he's eligible at catcher to start the year, as he'd likely be playing first base/designated hitter if/when he gets the call in 2026.

First Base

Samuel Basallo will probably add first base eligibility at some point in 2026, but it could be a slow accumulation where he isn't eligible there until July or August. Japanese third basemen Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto could pick up first base eligibility, depending where they sign, and assuming they sign.

Third Base

Shortstop prospects JJ Wetherholt (STL), Aidan Miller (PHI) and Colt Emerson (SEA) should all add third base eligigility shortly after making their big-league debuts. This is huge for their draft-and-hold value, as they will have the highly-coveted corner/middle eligibility if things play out as I expect. They each have paths to getting second base eligibility as well, although I wouldn't bank on that for any of the three. Sal Stewart, who is only eligible at first base, should pick up third base eligibility early in the year, and could potentially pick up second base too, but I'm not expecting that. Rangers phenom Sebastian Walcott has a more murky timeline of arrival. His Arizona Fall League arm injury could slow things, and they may just opt to give him another four-plus months in the minors while maintaining his rookie eligibility for 2027, but he could certainly add third base eligibility after he gets the call.

Outfield

Mets prospect Jett Williams is eligible at shortstop, but unless he gets the call due to a Francisco Lindor injury, he'd likely be used in center field and/or second base. Nick Yorke is eligible at second base but could add outfield eligibility. 

My Team

For those interested in how my first team of 2026 turned out: