Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs emerged as the fantasy baseball MVP hitter in 2026 after a slow start, adjusting his mechanics to deliver a historic 40-homer, 40-steal season — the seventh in MLB history. Despite a .553 OPS in the final two months of 2025, he was drafted in the sixth round (No. 53 ADP) and exceeded expectations with a .381 June surge, 14 homers in August, and a finish as NL MVP and top fantasy performer. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, though the No. 1 overall pick in most leagues, underperformed as a hitter after stopping pitching and struggling at the plate, landing on the IL late in the season and failing to meet MVP expectations.

Other strong candidates include Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, who bounced back from injury to post career bests (.316 AVG, 42 HR, 106 RBI) and contend for AL MVP; Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, an undrafted bargain (No. 458 ADP) who hit .269 with 29 HR and 102 RBI; Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox, also undrafted (No. 255 ADP), who broke out with 33 HR and 22 steals; and Kevin Mc Gonigle of the Detroit Tigers, a rookie who finished top-10 in points formats. Honorable mentions went to Alec Burleson, Otto Lopez, Sal Stewart, and Luis Garcia.