Ryan Waldschmidt

Waldschmidt was underrated in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft and he remains underrated heading into 2026, despited being at least 40 percent better than the average hitter in each league he's played in. The No. 31 overall pick out of Kentucky has big-time bat speed and plus foot speed, and he is starting to look like a potential option in center field, where he played the majority of his games at Double-A. Waldschmidt slashed .309/.423/.498 with nine home runs, 19 steals, a 15 percent walk rate and a 17.7 percent strikeout rate in 66 games at Double-A, and as a righty hitter, he'll get a chance to play every day in the majors. He took advantage of the hitter-friendly environments at Amarillo and Hillsboro (.990 home OPS, .787 road OPS), but his patient approach and low strikeout rates still portend a high floor. He isn't on the 40-man roster, but the Diamondbacks depth chart makes it clear that Waldschmidt could spend the majority of his age-23 season in the majors. There could be some growing pains as a rookie, but long term, Waldschmidt could be a five-category contributor in fantasy while hitting in the top third of Arizona's lineup. Read Past Outlooks