Hitter Rankings: The Third Quarter

Week one gave us the cornerstones. Week two moved into the roster-shaping middle where profit and risk begin to share the same zip code. Now we arrive at week three of the Top 100 Hitters for 2026, and this is where drafts quietly start to get won. This tier lives in the tension between upside and imperfection. The tools are obvious. The production often shows up in bursts. But something in the profile has kept these hitters just outside the top 50 to this point. Maybe it’s batting average volatility. Maybe it’s playing time questions, platoon exposure, or skills that still need refinement. In many cases, the ceiling is high, but the floor just isn’t as comfortable. These are the hitters who can change the shape of a roster. The stars are mostly gone. The boring stability is mostly gone, too. What’s left are players who provide a wider range of expected outcomes and can outperform their draft slot by a wide margin if the right skills click at the right time. Let’s get into the next 25.

51. Brice Turang

52. Jarren Duran

53. Randy Arozarena

54. Maikel Garcia

55. Eugenio Suárez

This is the speed-with-question-marks tier, ignoring Eugenio. We can shuffle the top four hitters in this tier in any order, but each will come with 25–30 steals and a few notable concerns. Turang’s power is unlikely to stick at the level from last year, when he hit 10 homers in August with an absurd 37% HR/FB rate, which was roughly four times his career norm. Duran has been up and down throughout his career but had a strong underlying second half in 2025. Arozarena and Garcia are each potential 20/20 bats, with Randy struggling the last few years to provide a passable batting average, while Garcia may struggle to generate enough power to really make his mark. Finally, we have the anti-speed bat here, with Eugenio Suárez landing in the best possible spot for his 40-homer bat in Cincinnati. 2025 might have been a career year, but it would not be surprising to see a similar line in 2026.

56. Corey Seager

57. Shea Langeliers

58. Luke Keaschall

59. George Springer

60. William Contreras

Corey Seager should be much higher on this list if he can simply stay healthy. There is a .300/30/100 line in the profile, but health continues to be the stumbling block. A pair of catchers in this tier start to highlight how significantly the position has changed over the last few years, providing us with plenty of depth options. Shea gets the nod over Contreras as he took considerable steps forward in 2025, and if he manages to keep the strikeouts under the 20% mark, we are in store for another big season for the Athletics with a strong all-around game from the rising star. Luke Keaschall is a breakout candidate in his own right this season. Don’t be surprised to see a 20/30 season for the Twins, with some potential multi-positional flexibility if the team gives him time in the outfield as they have shown in spring training.

61. Teoscar Hernández

62. Trevor Story

63. Christian Yelich

64. Drake Baldwin

65. Will Smith

We have a brief detour into the boring old veterans who just continue to produce before two more valuable catchers. Teoscar continues to hit in an ideal lineup and is going on five years of 25–35 homers, 90 RBI, and a respectable .250–.265 batting average, which can simply be locked in and forgotten about. That appears to be exactly what is happening at draft tables this spring. Story was healthy for the first time in a few years in 2025 and reminded us why he was once considered a first-round talent with a tantalizing 25/31 season. Christian Yelich boosted the power in 2025 and will likely see that drop off this season as he regresses in that department. Even a drop to a 25-homer, 15-steal, 100-RBI season is plenty valuable at this point in our rankings. Will Smith continues to be himself, delivering solid everyday value for the Dodgers, but Drake Baldwin looks like he might have a breakout season in him. Baldwin’s combination of plate discipline (15% strikeout rate), contact ability, and developing power gives him a much higher ceiling than the typical backstop profile. He’s not being drafted as a difference-maker yet, but the skill set suggests he should be.

66. Jakob Marsee

67. Jeremy Peña

68. Geraldo Perdomo

69. Oneil Cruz

70. Willy Adames

Am I twenty spots higher than the industry average on Jakob Marsee? Well, yes, I am. Repeating last season’s output alone would put Marsee firmly in the breakout conversation, but there’s reason to believe there’s more ceiling here. Speed has always been his calling card. In the minors, he swiped 51 bags across 137 games in 2024 and followed that up with 47 steals in just 98 games the following season. At his current cost, it’s easy to dream on a season where Marsee hits .275, pops 15 home runs, steals 50 bases, and contributes healthy counting stats simply by staying near the top of the order. Oneil Cruz sits in this tier as well, with great tools that can easily deliver 20/20 seasons or better. However, he will continue to be a health concern and a major liability in the batting average category, meaning he is high risk and high reward. Jeremy Peña injured his finger in the WBC exhibitions and, while historically a reliable shortstop, has a capped skill set and an injury hanging over his outlook.

71. Ian Happ

72. Jose Altuve

73. Salvador Perez

74. Michael Busch

75. Yandy Diaz

This final tier, as we close out the top 75 hitters for the 2026 fantasy baseball season, includes players heading in different directions. Ian Happ and Michael Busch are doing their part for the Cubs. Happ traded off a bit of power at the plate for a better approach in 2025. I expect those to converge this season and see him getting back to double digits in steals this season. Busch, on the other hand, would be best served by a repeat of 2025, but his HR/FB rates are likely to decline, leaving him as a middling-average, power-only bat. Jose Altuve and Salvador Perez are both on the downswing, and neither are exciting picks at this point in the draft after a run of exciting catchers and upstart middle infielders. However, neither looks destined for a cliff and therefore should continue to be useful, if not particularly sexy, picks.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Be sure to find a Razzball Commenter League to play in before they are all filled!  Our FREE, 5×5, roto leagues are the only leagues in the industry where you can compete in overall Master Roto Standings against all your favorite Razzball writers and commenters. JOIN NOW!