Fantasy managers saw what Chicago Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong achieved in the first half of the 2025 season, when he was one of the top hitters in the game. Then came the final two months, as Crow-Armstrong delivered a .553 OPS with only four home runs, and it decreased his value. Crow-Armstrong still went in the sixth round of ESPN ADP for this season (No. 53), but investors could not be sure what statistics they were going to get.
What they got was the seventh 40-homer, 40-steal season in MLB history.
Crow-Armstrong started this season rather slowly, then he adjusted his mechanics and approach and, well, he became the best hitter/player in the sport. The numbers don't lie: Crow-Armstrong entered June hitting .237 with seven home runs. Then he hit .381 with 11 home runs in June and continued his assault on pitchers over the final few months. He blasted 14 home runs in August. He reached 40/40 in the closing games. This is the NL MVP -- and fantasy's MVP hitter as well.
As for the great Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani, it may be difficult for him to earn our nod for fantasy hitter MVP because he was the No. 1 pick in virtually every league. Monster numbers are always expected. Crow-Armstrong certainly wasn't some late-round steal (and we have some listed below), but a sixth-round choice going 40/40 is massive value. Ohtani pitched like a Cy Young Award winner for a while and the hitting numbers were there, but then he stopped pitching, struggled at the plate and ended up hitting the IL as the season approached its final weeks.
Other MVP hitter candidates
Yordan Alvarez, DH/OF, Houston Astros: Fantasy managers did not forget that Alvarez was a terrific offensive option for four seasons prior to missing most of the 2025 campaign due to several injuries. A third-round pick in 2026 ADP, Alvarez sure bounced back and then some, delivering his best season and a likely AL MVP award. Alvarez posted career bests with 158 games, a .316 batting average, 42 home runs, 106 RBIs, 105 runs and 109 walks. He finished fifth on the overall Player Rater, third among hitters.
Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals: Once a top prospect, Walker hit a sad .215 with six home runs in 2025. He made changes in his approach and ended up as arguably the top bargain of 2026, considering he went undrafted (No. 458 ADP) in almost every league. He hit .269 with 29 home runs, 102 RBIs and 22 steals -- and he won the midseason Home Run Derby. Despite a tepid second half, Walker still finished 17th overall on the Rater. He should be a fantasy building block for years to come.
Miguel Vargas, 3B/1B, Chicago White Sox: Vargas also went undrafted (No. 255 ADP) in most fantasy leagues after posting a .717 OPS with 16 home runs during the 2025 season. Then he blossomed into a legitimate star, hitting 33 home runs, scoring 106 runs and even stealing 22 bases as the White Sox made the playoffs. Vargas finished 23rd on the Rater and was fifth among hitters in points formats.
Kevin McGonigle, SS/3B, Detroit Tigers: This talented rookie went in the Vargas range of drafts (No. 250), if he went at all in your league. What happened next? In case you didn't notice, he ended up as a top-10 hitter in points formats and No. 32 in roto/categories. Not too shabby.
Jake McCarthy, OF, Colorado Rockies: There was little reason to invest in McCarthy prior to the season, but then he became a starter for the Rockies and delivered a top-tier outfielder season. No, really. McCarthy was the No. 7 outfielder this season -- a five-category provider in roto formats.
Honorable mention: Alec Burleson, OF/1B/DH, Cardinals; Otto Lopez, SS/2B, Miami Marlins; Sal Stewart, 1B/3B/DH, Cincinnati Reds; Luis Garcia Jr., 2B/1B/DH, New York Yankees/Washington Nationals; Jake Bauers, 1B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers; Carson Benge, OF, New York Mets.
2026's fantasy LVP hitters
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees: Volume matters, and Judge, the consensus No. 2 pick in ESPN leagues after Ohtani, participated in only 66 games. That's it. Fantasy managers did not get what they expected after Judge appeared in 152 and 158 games the prior two seasons. He wasn't the only top hitter to miss significant playing time due to injury (Juan Soto, Jose Ramirez, Ronald Acuna Jr.) -- it was that kind of fantasy season. Still, the good news is this: Alvarez was last season's LVP hitter (48 games) and he did OK this time around.
Cal Raleigh, C, Seattle Mariners: Fantasy managers were warned that investing in a catcher -- any catcher -- to build a fantasy offense around is a dangerous practice. Catchers get hurt and often they play through injury and their numbers suffer as a result. After an amazing 2025 season (60 HR), Raleigh never got going in 2026, hitting just .182 with 23 home runs.
Dishonorable mention: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays; Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets; Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles; Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox; Brent Rooker, OF/DH, Athletics.
