2026 Fantasy Baseball Season in Review – Outfield Surprises

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    Last Updated on October 9, 2026 11:56 am by Paul Williamson | Published: October 9, 2026

    Our fearless leader Paul Williamson covered outfield studs and duds earlier this week. Now, it’s time for outfield surprises. These are the OF’s who came out of nowhere in 2026. They’re the ones who went from zeroes to heroes and may have helped direct some fantasy teams to championships.

    Let’s take a look at the accomplishments of some of 2026’s top OF surprises along with a sneak peek into how to view them for 2027.

    NOTE: These players had OF eligibility in the Yahoo format.

     

    Jordan Walker – St. Louis Cardinals

    Jordan Walker defied the odds in 2026. Unless your crystal ball enabled you to anticipate a post, post, post-hype breakout, we pretty much ignored Walker during 2026 drafts. After all, lackluster performance forced him back to the minors for most of 2024 and then he “rebounded” in 2025 to hit just .215 with six homers and a 32% strikeout rate. Yuck. There didn’t seem to be much hope for the toolsy outfielder this year.

    Surprise!

    Jordan Walker was the No. 14 overall player in Yahoo this year! Yes, FOURTEEN!

    Walker exploded by hitting .269/.327/.466 with 29 homers, 97 runs scored, 102 RBI and 22 steals. He started off hot by hitting .284 with nine homers by April 30. He slumped somewhat in September but otherwise stayed hot all year long. I hope you claimed him off your waiver wire AND KEPT HIM ALL YEAR rather than drop him back in April after he gave you a few good games as a streamer.

    Walker’s average and slugging percentage were nearly identical to his expected stats, so he ‘deserved’ his excellent year. Also, he made many under-the-hood improvements in 2026. He lowered his strikeout rate by almost six percentage points and increased his contact rate by more than three points. He further improved his bat speed to one of the fastest in MLB. His average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate were all in the top 10%. Walker’s barrel rate has now increased in three straight years.

    I obviously cannot guarantee that Walker will repeat as the No. 14 player next year. Everything has to go right for that to happen, including staying healthy all season. However, a repeat certainly seems possible. Walker was a first-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft and will still be just 24 years-old next Opening Day. It took him a few years to get going, but now that he has, I don’t see why he cannot be among the top hitters again in 2027. While a first-round pick is probably too steep, I think he could be worth a second-round pick. He would be an easy selection for me if he lasted into the third or fourth round.

    Jake McCarthy – Colorado Rockies

    Going back to 2025, Jake McCarthy hit and anemic .204 and, despite being known as a speed guy, stole a mere six bases. He was so bad that he spent a good part of that season in the minors. The Diamondbacks traded him to the Rockies in January 2026 in a move that failed to raise eyebrows, especially since we didn’t even know whether he’d make the Opening Day roster.

    You may have claimed McCarthy off your wire ahead of a series or two at Coors Field. That was a perfectly understandable move. You probably sent him right back to the wire when the Rockies left town on a road trip. If so, I hope you quickly reclaimed him and didn’t let go. Unbelievably, McCarthy finished as a top-30ish player!!

    McCarthy had a career year in 2026. He slashed .291/.334/.475 with 80 runs scored, 15 homers and 83 RBI. He was successful on 32 of 38 stolen base attempts. Almost every one of McCarthy’s stats was the best in his career.

    It would be easy to attribute McCarthy’s success to playing half his games at Coors but that is too simplistic. Yes, he was better at Coors (.312 average) but even his .267 road average exceeded his career average and didn’t hurt your team. He is a lefthanded bat and interestingly hit lefties better than righties (.319 to .278).

    McCarthy somewhat outplayed his expected stats. Also, his average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate were very similar to those of his poor 2025 season. He was in MLB’s bottom quartile in all three of those categories. I anticipate a pullback for McCarthy next year. He probably won’t be in the top-50 again in 2027 but he’ll certainly be a much more appealing draft target than he was entering 2026.

    Carson Benge – NY Mets

    Carson Benge started 2025 in Single-A but made the 2026 Opening Day roster for the Mets. That’s a fast riser, feel-good story and a big accomplishment, but certainly not one made us anticipate a season that ended with some chatter about Benge contending for NL Rookie of the Year.

    Benge made his MLB debut and, understandably, got off to a slow start by hitting .192 in April. He was much better in May (.306) and went on to have a fabulous year. The rookie quickly became a full-time player who ended up hitting .282 in 156 games. He hit 20 homers, drove in 65 runs and stole 22 bases in 27 attempts. Those stats were good enough to make Benge nearly a Top 50 player – as a rookie! He set a record as the first Mets rookie to have a 20/20 season.


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    October 9, 2026, 11:56 am