TJ Rumfield and 5 other forgotten prospects making waves early in 2026 who need to be on your fantasy baseball radar

The Colorado Rockies haven’t been a competitive baseball team in some time. Their last winning record (and playoff appearance) came in 2018. The Rockies have lost 100-plus games for three years running, and last year they collapsed to 43-119.

But Coors Field remains the best hitting environment in the majors, so we have to monitor this lineup carefully. And out of nowhere in 2026, the Rockies have seemingly produced a useful fantasy bat who’s widely available.

Let’s have a talk about TJ Rumfield.

Rumfield, a first baseman, has been a pedestrian prospect his entire career. He was merely a 12th-round pick out of Virginia Tech back in 2021. He’s never shown up on any top-100 prospect lists. The Phillies traded him to the Yankees a few months after drafting him, and Rumfield has mostly been blocked during his time in the New York system. He was steady at Triple-A last year (.285/.378/.447, 16 homers) but not prioritized as a future starter.

In late January, the Yankees traded Rumfield to Colorado in exchange for pitcher Angel Chivilli. It was just what Rumfield needed, an organization with an opening. He put together an excellent spring training (.286/.359/.554, five homers, five walks against just two strikeouts) and won the first base job.

He’s been even better in the real games, off to a .364/.417/.636 start with a couple of homers. The Rockies have slotted him fifth against all right-handed starters; he did miss a game against a lefty. His strikeout rate is above average, his walk rate a little below the mean.

There’s a fair chance Rumfield can hold this job all year. And with Coors Field in the background, we need to take him seriously. I’m surprised he’s still rostered in just 8% of Yahoo leagues, even with some proactive movement the last couple of days.

Don’t forget about Cam Smith

While Rumfield had two RBI in the Monday loss to Houston, Cam Smith had two hits and a homer on the other side. The Smith story has a cleaner plot for fantasy managers — the post-hype sleeper. Smith was a touted rookie last year but didn’t do much with the opportunity (.236/.312/.358, nine homers in 134 games). But he’s come out smoking in his first 11 starts this year: .297/.422/.595, with three homers and three steals. He’s walked seven times, too.

Smith is still just 23, and was a top-100 prospect on everyone’s board a year ago. He’s been chased up to 48% in Yahoo leagues, so this is likely your last call on him. If Yordan Alvarez stays healthy, this could be another fun year with the Houston lineup.

Jordan Walker looking for redemption

Walker is another name for the post-hype bucket; you could arguably put him over Smith if you want. Walker was a top-10 prospect on all clipboards back in 2023, and became a helium player for the 2023 draft season. A .276/.342./.445 debut with 16 homers over 117 games was fine, if not ultimately worthy of his draft slot. But Walker fell into a .201/.253/.366 rut the next year and hasn’t been fantasy relevant since.

Maybe things will click now, in his age-24 season. Walker already has three homers and four walks in the fresh year, and a .314/.385/.629 slash. It’s important to note that he wasn’t just a respected prospect, he was considered a “can’t-miss” kid just three years back. Player development isn’t always linear. Because of the upside at play here, Walker deserves to be rostered in more than 38% of Yahoo leagues.

Garrett Mitchell off to hot start despite platoon

I added some Mitchell shares to my portfolio in the last couple of days. He’s a strong-side platoon bat for Milwaukee, a lefty swinger who won’t face many southpaws. But when he’s on the field, good things happen.

Mitchell had a homer and six RBI in the Saturday doubleheader at Kansas City, and he picked up two hits and two RBI in the win at Fenway on Monday. For the year, Mitchell has a .333 average, a homer, three steals. With OBP machines in front of him in this sneaky Milwaukee lineup, he’s already driven in 13 runs. Mitchell probably won’t start Tuesday against Garrett Crochet, but eight of the next 11 Milwaukee opponents are right-handed. He’s ready to add in 86% of Yahoo leagues.

Same name, different player

If you have an infield hole to fill, perhaps Max Muncy can be of assistance. We’re not talking about the Dodgers infielder, though he’s fine, too. We’re looking at the Max Muncy who plays for the Athletics, and covers three infield slots in Yahoo.

The A’s have the best hitter park in the American League, Sutter Health Park. Muncy took full advantage of that yard over the weekend, with a 7-for-13 binge against the Astros (four runs, one homer, three RBI). Muncy has some back class as a prospect (first round pick in 2021) and although his rookie year was a mixed bag, he did homer nine times in 63 games. Given his versatility and environment, I understand why the A’s Muncy has chased up to 39% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

The House is starting to win

Strikeouts are part of the game with Brady House, Washington’s third baseman. You have to accept that. But when House makes contact, good things happen. He’s hitting .333 in the fresh season, and conked his second homer Monday. All of his hard-hit sliders are on the good side, the right side of his Savant page. His bat speed is also in plus territory.

House also clicks the post-hype page, the 11th overall pick in 2021. His spring training was a mix of homers (three) and strikeouts (11), though he did bat .429. The Nationals aren’t going to contend this year, but they’re been a top-5 offense through the opening week and a half. You can kick the tires on House in 8% of Yahoo leagues.