Here’s what Scott Pianowski has to say A series of recent predictions from the Yahoo Sports MLB team 2026 MLB Season – Of course, there will also be some fantasy baseball games. You can view the story here;Consider this a natural companion to this set of predictions.
Which teams will make the 2026 playoffs? Who will win the World Series?
— American League playoff teams: The American League East is the only division to be nominated for three different championships. The AL Central ended with the Tigers beating the Royals 4-2; no one even allowed the Guardians (who stole the division title last year) to make the playoffs. The Mariners took just one game in their first World Series and swept the AL West.
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Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB season
Two other experts gave Kansas City a wild-card berth, meaning 4 out of 6 writers thought Kansas City made the playoffs. It’s a fun time for the Royals with plenty of fantasy, the fences keep coming in and out (and coming down again) and staff ace Cole Ragans is presumably healthy. I tried as hard as I could to draft Vinnie Pasquantino (even though I spent most of my time in fear of missing out).
Half of the polls had the Mariners in the World Series, while the other half picked the AL East. Seattle remains the safest place to attract fantasy pitchers, with its spacious parks and strong defense. I also liked Brendan Donovan as a later Rangers rookie.
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— NFC playoff teams: The division picks were pretty clean — 50-50 split between the Mets and Phillies, 50-50 split between the Brewers and Cubs, and all six experts picked the Dodgers as the favorite. In subsequent polls, we learned that the Dodgers would win 99.7 games this year and Ohtani would hit 47.5 home runs.
Don’t question these staffers’ predictions—they’re very scientific.
— World Series: Like the American League, the National League Central teams were not favored for the World Series. The Dodgers received the other pennant, according to half the panel, with the other votes going to the Mets (two picks) and Phillies (one pick).
Opinions on the Braves and Padres are divided. Two writers believe the Warriors will make the playoffs, while another expert ranks them as the team most likely to disappoint. San Diego’s situation was more polarizing — two votes put them in the playoffs, but three other voters considered them the most surprising playoff losers.
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Top-winner predictions include tons of fantasy talent
— MVP Picks: The writers are happy to play the hits here. Shohei Ohtani received five votes, Aaron Judge received four votes, Bobby Witt Jr. received two votes and Juan Soto received one vote. This mirrors fantasy baseball perfectly, as Ohtani/Judge takes 1/2 of the debate slots in most leagues, usually followed in some order by Witt and Soto. The Beatles are still alive.
— MVP Sleeper: These names are fun to read because anyone who checks this box is likely a prime target for fantasy. Roman Anthony (Yahoo ADP: 45.9) received two votes, and Julio Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Jolio and Yordan Alvarez each received one vote. I didn’t pick Chourio, but it’s close to my heart – I think the Brewers are the smartest organization in baseball and I want to support them as much as possible.
— Cy Young Picks: Once again a favorite, Tarik Skubal (four votes) and Paul Skenes (four votes) receive plenty of recognition to replicate their 2025 wins. They are both first-round fantasy draft picks for obvious reasons. Garrett Crochet (another first-round pick) received the two votes Skubal did not receive; Christopher Sánchez and World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto followed Skenes in the National League.
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The Dodgers often tread lightly with their pitchers in terms of workload, but perhaps Yamamoto is the exception to that rule. He logged 173.2 innings last year, well ahead of teammates Clayton Kershaw (112.2) and Dustin May (104). Tyler Glasgow (90.1) and Blake Snell (61.1) are tricky risk-reward options for fantasy managers to consider.
— Cy Young Sleeper: Jacob Misiorowski led with two votes; I didn’t pick him, but again I ordered off the Milwaukee menu. Mackenzie Gore is an interesting option, moving to a pitcher’s park and a team in Texas that should support him better than Washington.
——Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigal (three votes) and Nolan McLean (three votes) hold the yellow jersey. McGonigal has shown strength, speed and patience all spring, while McLean almost feels like a cheating option given how good he was in eight starts last year. (Note, I’m happy to cheat, though it’s hard to ignore J.J. Wetherholt and top prospect Konnor Griffin.)
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A last minute fantasy draft? Make sure you get some of these people
——Comeback Player of the Year: I struggled through the American League draft, considering Gerrit Cole and Adley Rutschmann, and ended up selecting Yordan Alvarez. I don’t want to play the waiting game with Cole, and Rutschmann is starting to give me some anxious Matt Waiters vibes. Upturning pitchers received NL votes: Zack Wheeler received three picks, and Sandy Alcantara, Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele each received one. Imonaga and Steele will enjoy working in front of Chicago’s outstanding defense.
— Home run champion: We love fantasy home runs; as my old friend Gene McCaffrey likes to say, they fall into four categories of activity. All four of our draft picks (Ohtani, Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Pete Alonso) should be gone by the end of the second round.
— Batting Champion: Retro liaison guru Luis Arráez received half the votes, which is no surprise, but the single vote also intrigued me. I picked Waiter, backing up my MVP pick, but I also like the nods to Jacob Wilson (an interesting fantasy value of 161.4 ADP) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
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— Bureau Champion: If I knew which star pitchers would stay healthy this year, I might draft all of the above for my team. Logan Webb received three votes and Garrett Crochet received two votes. One expert isn’t worried about Paul Skenes being limited in Pittsburgh.
—Era Champion: All three first-round aces (Skubal, Skenes, Crochet) have been heard, but the fantasy value may lie in Brian Wu and Hunter Brown (my picks). Since Brown retooled his pitching staff early in 2024, he has been dominant.
——Disappointing star: Injury concerns could explain the selection of Corbin Carroll and Spencer Steed (my pick; although I mentioned him before the injury news broke). Chris Sale is 37 years old and has only won one ERA title since 2017. Returns are a big deal for Cal Raleigh and Nick Kurtz; both are Yahoo’s top 25 picks.
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— Veterans who still have it: We went around the horn with this question, covering the infield, outfield, two starters and one reliever. Nolan Arenado and Max Scherzer are both around 190, offering the best value.