March 2026

There were 1,682 posts published in March 2026 (this is page 156 of 169).

2026 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Breakouts: Rebuilding Nationals offer multiple options late in your draft

After looking at infield breakouts on Monday, it’s time to turn our attention to the outfielders who could make a major leap this year. With 90 starting outfield positions across baseball, there are several breakout players each season, as we saw in 2025 with the likes of Jo Adell and Kyle Stowers.

Please keep in mind that for both breakout articles, I omitted rookies and bounce-back candidates, instead focusing on those who can achieve a level this year that is much better than anything we have seen from them before. Let’s dive into a list that is headlined by a pair of Nats that I’ll be targeting in drafts.

Once one of baseball’s best prospects, Crews has thus far sputtered in the majors, logging a .634 OPS in 412 at-bats over two seasons. But this youngster has such a fantasy-friendly skill set that even with little success at the dish, he has still managed to produce 13 homers and 29 steals. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft has been hamstrung by a .248 BABIP, and the combination of better luck and improved skills will lead to a breakout campaign. For the cost of a late-round pick, managers could find themselves with a 24-year-old who hits .260 with 20 homers and 35 steals.

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Lile was far from the fantasy radar at this time last year and arrived at the 2025 All-Star break having hit .234 with two homers in his initial 111 career at-bats. But things clicked over the summer, as he improved in each of the final three months and loudly broke out in September (.391 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R, 1.212 OPS). Lile has strong contact skills and a line-drive stroke, and his overall .299 batting average was well-supported by a .302 xBA. Although he lacks the ceiling of the more heralded Crews, Lile is a more polished hitter and is nearly a full year younger. He’s also faster, as Lile hasn’t yet put his 92nd percentile sprint speed to full use. The rebuilding Nats will likely make their outfield trio of Lile, Crews and James Wood the foundation of their lineup.

Fantasy managers have run out of patience with Nootbaar, who is going undrafted in virtually every league. But there are still some interesting components to the 28-year-old’s skill set, and there is an abundance of opportunity for playing time and premium lineup spots on a retooling Cardinals team. Nootbaar has a solid career 20.2% strikeout rate and is among the most patient hitters in baseball (career 12.8% walk rate), which elevates his potential to score runs. He also hits the ball hard (91.3 mph average exit velocity in 2025), and his fly-ball rate skyrocketed from 30.3% in 2024 to 45.2% last season. An unusually low 7.3% HR/FB rate held Nootbaar’s power numbers in check in 2025, but he should hit .260 with 20-25 homers and 150 R+RBI from a premium lineup spot.

Despite doing some excellent things at the plate last season, Canzone is a complete afterthought in most drafts. The slugger hit .300 with 11 homers in 269 at-bats, thanks to elite marks in average exit velocity (92.4 mph) and barrel rate (14.5%). His success at the dish was well-supported by his expected marks, and his .533 xSLG was even higher than his .481 SLG. The left-handed hitter also put himself in position to be considered for a full-time role by posting a respectable .712 OPS against southpaws. The Mariners have a top-heavy lineup and could really use someone to emerge as the No. 6 hitter. Canzone currently looks like their best bet.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

After breaking out by posting a .917 OPS during the Rangers’ World Series run in 2023, Carter has dealt with significant injuries over each of the past two seasons. But he is healthy right now, and with 15 homers and 19 steals over 400 career at-bats, the 23-year-old has already proven to have the diverse skill set that is coveted in category formats. Despite going undrafted in practically all Yahoo leagues, Carter has 20-20 potential if he can stay off the injured list. Additionally, he should immediately improve on his career .235 average, since he made massive improvements on his strikeout rate last year.

Wallner is the definition of an all-or-nothing masher, as is evidenced by his career 32.3% strikeout rate and 15.7% barrel rate. He dealt with terrible luck last season, as his .228 BABIP seemed nearly impossible for someone who hits the ball so hard. Even in a down year, he still managed to produce 22 homers in 336 at-bats, thanks to his penchant for producing pulled fly balls. Wallner also logged some time on the IL last year, and this time around he will use better durability and improved luck to hit .250 with 30 home runs.

A Sánchez breakout may not be as spectacular as that of the others on this list, but it still could happen for someone who has become an afterthought in fantasy drafts. By being traded twice since last summer and ultimately moving from Miami to Toronto, Sánchez received an upgrade in both supporting cast and home ballpark. A poor finish to the 2025 season with the Astros hid the fact that he improved his walk rate last year, while maintaining strong marks in average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (11.1%). The Blue Jays made a point of acquiring Sánchez on the eve of spring training, and he should occupy a premium lineup spot against righties. He has averaged 14.5 steals over the past two years and should finally produce a 20-homer season.

This World Baseball Classic is a victory lap for Shohei Ohtani

The last time Shohei Ohtani appeared for Team Japan on home soil, his trophy case was almost entirely vacant.

That’s difficult to believe, considering all the Dodger mega-star has achieved since. But entering the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ohtani had captured one measly MVP Award. And though he already established himself as a generational superstar and a singular two-way force, a 62-homer campaign from Aaron Judge in 2022 had relegated Ohtani to a second-place MVP finish.

He’d experienced a dose of team success in Japan, winning an NPB title as a 21-year-old in 2016, but his stateside playoff résumé was completely barren. Through five seasons with the discombobulated Angels, Ohtani had not appeared in a single postseason game. October, for him, was a month of recuperation.

His track record with Samurai Japan, the country’s national baseball team, wasn’t much better. An ankle injury forced him out of the 2017 WBC quite late in the process. That qualified as a massive disappointment, as Ohtani, months removed from his first and only NPB MVP, was already the nation’s biggest star. Japan, without its phenom, crashed out in the semis.

So ahead of the 2023 tournament, the pressure was heavy. Famously, Ohtani exceeded all expectations, leading Japan to WBC glory over Team USA with a tournament-ending strikeout of Angels teammate Mike Trout. That performance was simultaneously an opening ceremony for what may just be the greatest three-year run in sporting history. It’s up there, at the very least.

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Three seasons, three MVP awards, two World Series titles, that WBC trophy, a $700 million contract with the Dodgers, transcendent superstardom and all that comes with it. He has altered the sport, globalizing the game like no one before him.

Ohtani’s stampede of dominance was not without road bumps. A Tommy John surgery in late 2023 kept Ohtani off the mound for all of 2024 and much of 2025. He also sidestepped a gambling scandal that sent his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to federal prison. Neither issue sent Ohtani scrambling, threatened his popularity or derailed his parade. He is bigger now, more important, more prominent, than ever.

It’s a bummer that Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch in this WBC. Good thing he can hit. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
Toru Hanai via Getty Images

That brings us to the present, with Ohtani readying himself for another World Baseball Classic, albeit one in which he will not pitch. Japan opens pool play Friday at 5 a.m. ET against Chinese Taipei.

Concerns about Ohtani’s workload from 2025 and doubts about his ability to receive insurance as a pitcher will keep Ohtani DHing only this time around. That’s unfortunate for Japan’s chances, but has done little to spoil the fun. He and Team Japan are now home, playing scrimmages against NPB teams in front of sold-out crowds. Predictably, Ohtani has received a hero’s welcome of epic proportions.

Whenever he emerges in public — boarding buses, moving through train stations or into restaurants — he is bombarded by throngs of onlookers, rows deep, recording his every move. He is flanked by a phalanx of security guards at all times. It’s Taylor Swift with better bat-to-ball skills.

Last Friday, Ohtani took batting practice at the Vantelin Dome in Nagoya before a Team Japan scrimmage against NPB’s Chunichi Dragons. That’s a rare occurrence for the reclusive slugger, who typically gets his swings in out of sight, in some subterranean batting cage. For whatever reason, he opted to buck that trend, leading to an awe-inspiring display in front of a sold-out, transfixed crowd.

Each thwack of wood meeting rawhide elicited a guttural, involuntary “ooh” from the stands. His walk-up song — “Feelin’ Good” by Michael Bublé — rumbled in the background. Players from both teams dropped whatever they were doing to watch the show. Multiple members of Chunichi’s support staff whipped out their cell phones to record the action. There was ample gawking. Dragon players sat crosslegged just beyond the dugout, like eager school children, to take in what they understood was a golden opportunity.

The scene was indicative of what Ohtani has become. He is more than a baseball player, but he is that too. The man is, above all, a source of raw wonder for millions of his countrymen. That dynamic has given this particular return to Nippon the energy of a victory lap.

Ohtani, his teammates and Japanese ballfans would very much like to win another WBC, yes. But nothing that happens between now and Opening Day will alter Ohtani’s legacy, already secure on multiple fronts. Ohtani’s dominance is not yet in decline, far from it, but he has already checked nearly every box, both personal and team-oriented, that a ballplayer can check.

What’s left, then, is celebration. Acknowledgement. Appreciation. If the last WBC was Ohtani’s proving ground, this one is his showcase. How lucky are we all to witness it?

Trae Young ejected after coming onto court during incident in Wizards’ loss to Rockets, days before his debut

Trae Young isn’t quite ready to take the court just yet for the Washington Wizards, but that didn’t stop him from getting ejected on Monday night.

Young was thrown out of the Wizards’ 123-118 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday after he ran onto the court and started complaining to the official. Young did not play in the contest and is actually set to make his Washington debut later this week after being acquired last month.

The incident started after Tari Eason shoved Jamir Watkins down to the ground hard as the Rockets were bringing the ball up the court in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. The shove seemed to come out of nowhere, which sparked a decent scrum on the floor.

Players and coaches quickly pulled the two players apart without incident. But Young came out onto the floor from the bench in street clothes and started complaining to the official on the baseline. That resulted in his automatic ejection.

Eason was hit with two technical fouls and ejected, too. Watkins and Sharife Cooper received one technical foul each for their response. 

Young has not played since Dec. 27 due to knee and quadriceps injuries. He’s only appeared in 10 games all season and is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game. The Wizards acquired Young in January in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Young is set to make his debut with the Wizards on Thursday in their game against the Utah Jazz.

Young seemed to take the ejection well after the game, too.

The Rockets had little issue cruising to the win despite the second-half incident and a late push from Washington. Alperen Şengün led the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds, and Kevin Durant added 30 points. The Rockets shot just shy of 50% from the field and outrebounded Washington 59 to 27. That got Houston to 38-22 on the season.

Bilal Coulibaly led the Wizards with 23 points, and Cooper added 21 points off the bench. Despite their struggles, the Wizards went 19-of-35 from beyond the arc. Washington holds just a 16-44 record after Monday’s loss, which marked their fifth straight. It is well out of playoff contention entering the final stretch of the regular season. 

And even though he’s not yet scored a single point in a Wizards uniform, that’ll come on Thursday, Young does have an ejection to his name. While maybe not ideal, it’s a start to his career in Washington.

NBA Awards Eligibility Tracker: Which star players are at risk of missing out under the 65-game rule?

The NBA awards races are heating up. But in addition to the nightly on-court performances of the league’s brightest stars, fans (and voters) will have to keep an eye on whether or not the stars are actually, um, on the court.

Due to the NBA’s 65-game rule in which players must appear in 65 games over the course of the 82-game season in order to qualify for year-end awards, a number of injured stars — including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry — are already ineligible for regular-season honors. In addition, several other notable awards candidates are at risk of losing their eligibility with six weeks — and roughly 20 games — left in the season. Let’s take a look.

Under the league’s 65-game rule, players who miss 18 games will no longer be eligible for season-ending awards.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 16 games missed

Devin Booker, Suns: 15 missed games

  • Currently out with a right hip strain; also missed time with an ankle sprain

  • Remaining schedule

Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: 15 games missed

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: 14 missed games

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs:14 missed games

Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers:14 missed games

Luka Dončić, Lakers:12 missed games

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: 11 missed games

Cooper Flagg, Mavericks:11 missed games

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves:10 missed games

These star players will not reach the league’s 65-game threshold for year-end awards this season.

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

  • Jimmy Butler, Warriors

  • Stephen Curry, Warriors

  • Anthony Davis, Mavericks/Wizards

  • Joel Embiid, 76ers

  • Josh Giddey, Bulls

  • LeBron James, Lakers

  • Lauri Markkanen, Jazz

  • Ja Morant, Grizzlies

  • Austin Reaves, Lakers

  • Domantas Sabonis, Kings

  • Franz Wagner, Magic

  • Jalen Williams, Thunder

  • Trae Young, Hawks/Wizards