Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be covering the National League as we break down some of those battles, while Ryan Boyer handles the American League. We'll go division-by-division, and next up is the NL East.
Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1
NL EAST BATTLES
Atlanta Braves
Shortstop: Mauricio Dubon (562), Jorge Mateo (723), Nacho Alvarez (750)
Ha-Seong Kim is set to miss the first month-plus of the season while recovering from finger surgery, which leaves Atlanta in a bit of a bind at the six. Dubon, who was acquired from the Astros over the winter to be a super-utility player, will instead handle starting duties at shortstop. The 31-year-old's glovework should be fine, but he doesn't offer much upside at the plate. If for some reason the club decides he's overextended as an everyday shortstop, the next men up would be Mateo, who last saw regular action at short in 2023, and 22-year-old Alvarez, who's sort of a Dubon starter kit.
Mateo at least might contribute some steals potential with regular playing time, and he could take over that top utility spot while Dubon is starting. Mateo also has a .216/.261/.350 slash line over the last three years though, so stolen bases are really all he has to offer.
Fifth Starter: Bryce Elder (693), Joey Wentz (740), JR Ritchie (676), Martin Perez (NR)
Atlanta's
Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be covering the National League as we break down some of those battles, while Ryan Boyer handles the American League. We'll go division-by-division, and next up is the NL East.
Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1
NL EAST BATTLES
Atlanta Braves
Shortstop: Mauricio Dubon (562), Jorge Mateo (723), Nacho Alvarez (750)
Ha-Seong Kim is set to miss the first month-plus of the season while recovering from finger surgery, which leaves Atlanta in a bit of a bind at the six. Dubon, who was acquired from the Astros over the winter to be a super-utility player, will instead handle starting duties at shortstop. The 31-year-old's glovework should be fine, but he doesn't offer much upside at the plate. If for some reason the club decides he's overextended as an everyday shortstop, the next men up would be Mateo, who last saw regular action at short in 2023, and 22-year-old Alvarez, who's sort of a Dubon starter kit.
Mateo at least might contribute some steals potential with regular playing time, and he could take over that top utility spot while Dubon is starting. Mateo also has a .216/.261/.350 slash line over the last three years though, so stolen bases are really all he has to offer.
Fifth Starter: Bryce Elder (693), Joey Wentz (740), JR Ritchie (676), Martin Perez (NR)
Atlanta's rotation is already in tatters, and Grapefruit League action hasn't even started yet. Spencer Schwellenbach and top prospect Hurston Waldrep are headed for elbow surgery, and while in both cases it's just a cleanup procedure to remove bone spurs and loose bodies rather than something more serious, neither is likely to be back until at least June. Another young option, AJ Smith-Shawver, won't be available until at least the second half after Tommy John surgery, and he might miss the whole season. That puts even more pressure on Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes to stay healthy, and none of them have anything close to pristine track records when it comes to durability.
For now, Wentz and Elder will duke it out in camp for the fifth starter job, but it wouldn't take much to put them both in the Opening Day rotation. They're both out of minor-league options, so if one isn't starting, he'll probably be kept as a long man in the bullpen. Wentz is a 28-year-old journeyman who has pitched for four different teams the last two years, and while the southpaw had a nice initial stint for Atlanta after being claimed off waivers from the Twins last July, his final numbers for his latest team were only marginally better than his career 5.57 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Elder gave Atlanta 28 mostly mediocre starts in 2025, but the 26-year-old righty did find another gear late with a 2.82 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 41:8 K:BB over his last seven starts and 44.2 innings. That late surge makes Elder the slightly more appealing dart throw late in drafts. If both guys struggle out of the gate, the organization could turn to Perez, who actually looked good between IL stints for the White Sox in April and August last season before falling apart in September.
Ritchie, another top prospect, isn't yet on the 40-man roster and has only 11 starts at Triple-A under his belt, but his strikeout rate began to return late in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, and it wouldn't be a big surprise if he forced his way into the conversation early in the year.
Miami Marlins
First Base: Christopher Morel (643), Griffin Conine (668), Connor Norby (491), Liam Hicks (623)
The Marlins and Nationals appear to be having a spirited competition to see who can get the smallest contribution from the first base position in 2026. Miami signed Morel to a cheap one-year deal in December to give him a chance to rehabilitate his value, and while the 26-year-old does have 32 homers and 15 steals in 916 plate appearances over the last two seasons, they come with a .204/.288/.363 slash line and a 29.3 percent strikeout rate. Oh, and he's never played first base as a professional. If the Morel experiment doesn't work out, Conine might get a shot. Mr. Marlin Jr. has the same sort of contact issues as Morel and dealt with a shoulder issue in 2025, but if you squint it's possible to imagine him having the same kind of breakout Addison Barger did last year for the Blue Jays given his batted ball data – Conine's max exit velocity of 117.2 would've been in the 98th percentile if he's played enough to make the leaderboard.
Either one of them could platoon with Norby, who is also in the third-base mix but could be converted to a utility role this season. The former Orioles prospect hasn't had the same success with the Marlins that Kyle Stowers has had, but if he's healthy and playing nearly every day, Norby has the talent to put together a 15-15 or 20-10 kind of campaign. Hicks played 28 games at 1B last season and could see similar playing time there in 2026 while backing up Agustin Ramirez behind the plate, as he's got a useful bat against right-handed pitching.
Third Base: Graham Pauley (684), Norby, Javier Sanoja (643), Maximo Acosta (750)
I expect Pauley's ADP to rise as the spring progresses, as heading into camp he appeared to be the favorite to claim the starting job at the hot corner. If the position winds up being a Pauley-Norby platoon, Pauley would be on the strong side of it, and he graded out as the better defender in 2025. The 25-year-old isn't a zero at the plate, either. While he only saw 90 plate appearances after the All-Star break last season due to nagging injuries, he slashed .250/.367/.474 during that small sample with four homers, a 15.6 percent walk rate and a 16.7 percent strikeout rate. Pauley had a 20-20 season in 2023 in the minors, and while that overstates his upside in the big leagues, he could chip in some surprising power in 2026.
Utility options Sanoja, a 5-foot-7 spark plug who follows in a long line of slap-hitting Marlins bench players like Emilio Bonifacio and Alfredo Amezaga, and Acosta, a one-time Rangers prospect whose development was derailed by thoracic outlet syndrome surgery but who is still only 23 years old, could see time at third base as necessary as well.
Right Field: Owen Caissie (482), Conine, Heriberto Hernandez (697), Esteury Ruiz (706)
Miami's biggest offseason acquisition was arguably Caissie, who will be given every opportunity to lock down the starting job in right field. The 23-year-old has a somewhat similar profile to Kyle Stowers, who's coming off a breakout season despite his strikeouts, and the Marlins are hoping to lead Caissie to similar success. If he struggles or needs more minor-league seasoning, Conine could platoon with Hernandez, who is coming off a solid rookie campaign of his own. Hernandez didn't show any platoon splits in his first look at big-league pitching – in fact, his strikeout rate was higher against lefties than righties – and if the 26-year-old did wind up in a full-time role, he could deliver solid production.
Ruiz is a reclamation project and still only 27, but he hit more homers and drew more walks at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year. If he shows up at camp as more than just a one-dimensional speedster, he could change the OF/DH calculus in a hurry. Last season under Clayton McCullough, DH was mainly used as a way to keep both catchers, Ramirez and Hicks, in the lineup, with Hernandez's 33 games at the position being the most among the non-backstops on the roster. If Ruiz emerges as a viable starting-caliber hitter alongside Stowers, Caissie and Jakob Marsee, DH might become the OF overflow spot instead.
Third/Fourth/Fifth Starters: Robby Snelling (326), Max Meyer (480), Braxton Garrett (489), Chris Paddack (723), Janson Junk (720), Ryan Gusto (NR)
Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are the only two pitchers truly locked into rotation spots, but Meyer, Garrett and Paddack are the heavy favorites to claim the other three spots – which makes Snelling's current ADP seem sus, to say the least. Paddack, signed earlier this month, worked a career-high 158 innings last year between the Twins and Tigers but managed just a 5.35 ERA and 16.7 percent strikeout rate, making him nothing more than a low-upside placeholder who will hopefully take the ball every fifth day as long as the Marlins need him to. Junk is coming off a career-best season, but that still only resulted in a 4.17 ERA and 17.2 percent strikeout rate in 110 innings, and he's best suited for a long relief or swingman role. Gusto is a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option who was picked up from the Astros last year in the Jesus Sanchez trade.
The first three names on the list represent the next wave of high-ceiling arms for Miami. Meyer began 2025 looking like he was headed for a breakout, posting a 2.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 41:7 K:BB through his first five starts and 30 innings, but a hip issue sabotaged the rest of his season and he wound up needing surgery in June. The 26-year-old right-hander boasts a plus-plus slider that flashed a 42.4 percent whiff rate last year and a 95 mph fastball, but he's expanded his arsenal to five pitches with a sinker, changeup and sweeper that each saw usage rates over 10 percent last year. Meyer already teased his ace-level upside, but workload will be a concern even if he stays healthy, as the 115 innings he threw in 2024 were a career high.
Garrett didn't pitch at all in 2025 and made only seven starts the year before prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the 28-year-old left-hander has also shown his potential with a nine-inning shutout of Arizona in May 2024. Garrett doesn't have the strikeout upside Meyer does, but prior to his elbow giving out he combined a varied arsenal with sharp control and command, delivering a 4.4 percent walk rate over 159.2 innings in 2023.
Snelling more than earned a promotion last season, but the Marlins kept him at Triple-A despite an eye-popping 1.27 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB over 11 starts and 63.2 innings at that level. A return to Jacksonville to begin this season also seems likely, but he'll be needed at some point. Snelling may not have one truly elite pitch, but he offers a mid-90s fastball, curve, slider and changeup that could all be above-average pitches in the majors.
New York Mets
Shortstop: Ronny Mauricio (562), Vidal Brujan (NR)
This is purely a temp gig at best to begin the season while Francisco Lindor recovers from hamate bone surgery, and Lindor hasn't actually been ruled out for Opening Day yet. Brujan is a switch-hitting utility player with a career .543 OPS in the majors, and while he has wheels he's just 16-for-30 on steal attempts as a big leaguer. Mauricio is the more intriguing option, and the 24-year-old switch hitter had back-to-back 20-20 seasons in the high minors earlier in his career before missing all of 2024 due to ACL surgery. Mauricio's 117.3 max EV from his MLB debut in late 2023 still serves as a tantalizing reminder of his upside as a hitter, but he'll need to make more consistent contact to reach that ceiling.
Right Field: Brett Baty (279), Carson Benge (409), Tyrone Taylor (748), MJ Melendez (746), Mike Tauchman (749)
The Mets would like to see Benge win this job in spring training, but they've given themselves options if he isn't ready. The 23-year-old broke out with a .309/.418/.507 slash line between High-A and Double-A last year, and while he scuffled late after another promotion to Triple-A, the organization loves his makeup and thinks he can handle the mental grind. Benge could be a five-category contributor, although it's more likely to be something like 15-15 production if he sticks this season rather than 20-20 or better.
If Benge needs to head back to Triple-A, Baty could get a long look. The 26-year-old spent his time at second base and third base last year, but the winter additions of Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette closed off those avenues for playing time. Baty put together a tidy .254/.313/.435 slash line with 18 homers in fewer than 400 ABs while flashing a bat speed in the 86th percentile, and something closer to a full-time gig, or at least the strong side of a platoon, could make him an NL version of Kerry Carpenter.
Taylor gives New York a defensive specialist who could platoon with either Benge or Baty, while Melendez and Tauchman provide some veteran depth.
Designated Hitter: Mark Vientos (366), Baty, Mauricio
Vientos looked like he would be one of the future cornerstones of the Mets roster after a breakout 2024, but a big regression last season has his role in question. The 26-year-old offers plenty of power potential and did show some marginal improvement in his plate discipline in 2025, but he's a defensive liability at any position and has no speed, so he needs to hit to keep a spot in the lineup. If Vientos can't find his swing again, the DH spot could become a revolving door as manager Carlos Mendoza tries to keep an aging and potentially fragile lineup (Lindor, Semien and Jorge Polanco are all on the wrong side of 30, while Luis Robert and Bichette have missed significant time to injuries within the last couple years) fresh and healthy. That plan would open up more playing time for younger options like Baty and Mauricio.
Fifth/Sixth Starters: Kodai Senga (286), Clay Holmes (368), Jonah Tong (449), Christian Scott (647), Tobias Myers (699)
The Mets may roll with a six-man rotation in the early going, which would alleviate the need for a competition for the fifth spot between Senga and Holmes. Senga's got more upside than anyone on the staff other than Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean, but two straight seasons derailed by injuries make him a risky bet to stay both healthy and effective. Holmes' conversion from the bullpen was generally a success in 2025, but he predictably faded late and was rarely asked to work more than about five innings.
With Sean Manaea also carrying injury risk and David Peterson far from a proven commodity, organizational depth will almost certainly be tested. Tong is a little behind McLean on the prospect pipeline, but the 22-year-old Tim Lincecum starter kit finished last season with a 201:56 K:BB in just 132.1 innings across three levels. Scott missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, but he was the first of the current wave of Mets pitching prospects to reach the majors in 2024 and had a 94:24 K:BB in 89.2 innings between Triple-A and MLB that year before being shut down. Both youngsters figure to pitch meaningful innings for the Mets at some point this year.
Myers, the second piece in the Peralta trade with the Brewers, will fill a long relief role in the bullpen, but depending on how the rest of the staff holds up, he could make some starts as well. The righty doesn't have the raw stuff of Scott or Tong, but a 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his first 188.2 career innings marks him as more than just staff filler.
Philadelphia Phillies
Left Field/Center Field: Justin Crawford (284), Brandon Marsh (481), Otto Kemp (703), Johan Rojas (749)
The Phillies roll into the season with mostly the same roster as 2025, but the outfield could have a new look even beyond Adolis Garcia slotting in for Nick Castellanos in right field. Crawford will get a long look as the center fielder this spring after slashing .334/.411/.452 at Triple-A last year with 46 steals in 57 attempts. The 22-year-old doesn't offer a lot of power at this stage of his career, but his father Carl hit only seven homers in his first two seasons before adding some pop to his profile. A line similar to his dad's first full MLB campaign (.281/.309/.362 with 55 SBs in 2003) might be something like a 90th percentile outcome, but it's not completely off the table.
If Crawford isn't ready, Philly will likely go back to the Marsh-Rojas platoon they were using prior to picking up Harrison Bader, who's now in San Francisco. Having Crawford in CF would allow Marsh to slide over to left, where his glove is more of an asset. His bat's useful too – over his three full seasons with the Phillies, the 28-year-old has averaged 13 homers and 12 steals with a .268/.347/.440 slash line. Marsh's platoon partner in CF would be Rojas, who offers some steals but hasn't shown much with his bat in the majors, while in LF it would be Kemp who probably gets that assignment. Kemp underwent cleanup procedures on his knee and shoulder in the offseason, but he's coming off a quietly impressive 2025 at the plate, as he slugged 24 homers with 15 steals over 137 games between Triple-A and the majors.
Fourth/Fifth Starters: Andrew Painter (333), Taijuan Walker (746), Bryse Wilson (NR), Tucker Davidson (NR), Alan Rangel (NR)
While it may not be now or never for Painter, now would be very much appreciated by the Phillies. Still only 22 years old, the right-hander with the sky-high ceiling missed the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and his control and command were understandably shaky over 106.2 Triple-A innings last year upon his return. Early reports this spring are promising, but the team needs him in the Opening Day rotation with Zack Wheeler not likely to be ready after the less serious version of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.
Walker will likely be part of the initial rotation as well, before becoming the stopgap in case Painter is overmatched. The veteran righty has averaged 18 starts and a little over 100 innings over the last two years in a swingman role, but those innings have come with a 5.30 ERA and 1.53 WHIP.
If another injury crops up, the Phillies could be in trouble, as the depth behind those two is poor. Wilson is coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a 6.65 ERA in 20 appearances (five starts) for the White Sox. Davidson spent most of last season in the KBO but finished it with six starts for Triple-A Nashville in the Brewers' system, posting a 4.68 ERA but with a 25:7 K:BB. Rangel has the least big-league experience of the three, but he might be the next man up after producing a 125:38 K:BB over 118 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025, albeit with a 4.65 ERA thanks to 28 homers. If a hole develops in the rotation that can't be simply papered over with a spot start or two, expect Dave Dombrowsky to work the phones to trade for reinforcements.
Washington Nationals
Catcher: Harry Ford (500), Keibert Ruiz (556)
The Nationals have fewer set starters coming into camp than any other big-league team, and the uncertainty starts behind the plate. Ruiz has the incumbent's advantage, but the 27-year-old switch hitter played only 68 games last season due to a concussion, and his bat has been going backwards for a couple years now – he was in the sixth percentile in barrel rate in 2024 and the fourth percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate in 2024, and his rankings wouldn't have been appreciably better in 2025 if he's played enough to make the Statcast leaderboard.
The new challenger for the starting catching job is Ford, who was picked up from the Mariners in the offseason for high-leverage reliever Jose Ferrer. Ford offers a bit of power potential and on-base skills, and some big steals totals in the minors will get some fantasy GMs dreaming. However, the 22-year-old went just 7-for-11 on the basepaths over 98 Triple-A games in 2025, so expecting 20-plus steals is probably asking a bit much, even if he does move into the top spot on the depth chart ahead of Ruiz.
First Base: Luis Garcia (231), Abimelec Ortiz (686), Andres Chaparro (749)
The first base situation for Washington is a mess. Chaparro has gotten late looks each of the last two seasons, and while there's been little sign that his strong Triple-A production will follow him the big leagues, he could be the default option for Opening Day.
Garcia is the nominal starter at second base, but his poor defensive metrics have the Nationals considering a shift down the defensive spectrum. The 25-year-old also saw his offense take a step back in 2025, but if you're looking for an encouraging sign, he did post a career-high 15.5 percent pull air rate, and a lot of his decline came via BABIP variance. Garcia may be seeing which way the wind is blowing on his career and focusing more on hitting for power to match a move to first base.
If Chaparro flops and Garcia doesn't move off the keystone, it might be because Ortiz claimed the job at first base. Part of the package the Nationals receiver from the Rangers for MacKenzie Gore, the 23-year-old put together an impressive finish to his 2025 campaign, slashing .283/.388/.565 with nine homers in 41 games for Triple-A Round Rock. Once you account for PCL inflation on those numbers and consider his struggles against same-handed pitching, Ortiz begins to look more like Rowdy Tellez with slightly better contact skills, but that would still be an upgrade for Washington.
DH isn't a primary option for any of them with Daylen Lile likely to see most of his time there.
Second Base: Garcia, Nasim Nunez (551), Jose Tena (NR)
If Garcia's stone glove isn't tolerated any more at second base, Nunez would be the next man up. The 2024 Rule 5 pick out of the Marlins' system opened some eyes last September by batting .282 with four homers in 16 games. He's a strong late-round dart throw if you're looking for steals, as he has a path to regular playing time and has gone 17-for-20 on the basepaths in just 170 career big-league plate appearances, with a 70-steal on his resume in the minors.
Tena's the depth option who's likely headed for a utility role. A big 2024 at Triple-A (.284/.342/.478 over 100 games with 18 homers and 15 steals) put him on the map, but Tena hasn't shown that kind of offensive upside so far in the majors. he could chip in some steals with regular playing time, though.
Center Field: Jacob Young (680), Robert Hassell (723), Joey Wiemer (NR)
Having light-hitting Gold Glove contender Young in center field provides the Nationals with their best defensive alignment. That may not be their best offensive lineup, however. Yet another part of the return from the Padres for Juan Soto, Hassell slashed .310/.383/.456 with 10 homers and 16 steals in 76 games with Triple-A Rochester, and while he didn't come close to matching that production in the majors, he's at least re-established some upside after a rough 2023 and 2024. If the 24-year-old does bump Young to the bench, it's not clear whether it would be a straight 1-for-1 swap, or whether Dylan Crews would shift from right field to center while Hassell and Lile figure out who gets RF and who gets DH.
The depth option in case of injury is Wiemer. The 27-year-old has bounced from the Brewers to the Reds to the Marlins the last few years and has a career .205/.279/.359 slash line, but he does offer a bit of power and speed.
Starting Rotation: Foster Griffin (637), Brad Lord (720), Josiah Gray (734), Jake Irvin (748), Mitchell Parker (750), Andrew Alvarez (751), Jake Eder (NR)
Last season's Opening Day rotation for the Nationals featured Gore, Irvin, Parker, Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams. It's entirely possible that none of them will be in the initial rotation just one year later. Gore and Soroka are gone and Williams will begin the season on the IL after elbow surgery, while Irvin and Parker aren't guaranteed spots.
The hurlers that have jobs all but sewn up are Cade Cavalli, a 2020 first-round pick who's finally getting back on track after Tommy John surgery in 2023, and Miles Mikolas, signed to a one-year deal a couple weeks ago to soak up some innings. Around them, the top candidates are Gray, who has missed most of the last two years after his own Tommy John surgery and had control issues even before getting injured; Griffin, a 30-year-old left-hander signed to a modest one-year deal after turning his career around in Japan; and Lord, who held his own as a rookie last season as he started in the bullpen before shifting to the rotation.
Irvin produced respectable numbers in 2024 before regressing badly last year, but if he bounces back he could be a reliable innings-eater. Parker followed the same pattern as Irvin, just from the left side, and offers the same limited ceiling.
Beyond that, there isn't much in the pipeline as top prospects Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana have yet to pitch above Double-A, and both are returning from surgery. Alvarez offers the closest thing to upside after delivering a 3.95 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 114:52 K:BB over 123 innings at Triple-A Rochester. Eder barely pitched for his new organization after being acquired from the Angels last July, and he'll need to show he can keep the ball in the yard before being a real option for the big-league rotation.
Closer: Clayton Beeter (365), Cole Henry (727), Luis Perales (748), PJ Poulin (750), Jackson Rutledge (NR)
With Ferrer in Seattle and Kyle Finnegan in Detroit, the late-inning situation in Washington is wide open. Beeter is the favorite to claim the closer role, as he has a classic high-leverage profile with a 96.5 mph fastball and plus slider that generated a 49.1 percent whiff rate last year, but he needs to drastically improve his control to become reliable. Henry has an interesting profile with a sidearm mid-90s four-seamer and a sweeper, but neither is a put-away pitch and the contact he does allow tends to be loud.
Poulin's sweeper could make him an effective weapon against lefty-heavy lineups, getting him some save chances if new manager Blake Butera prefers to mix and match in the ninth rather than having a set closer, while Rutledge is a former starting prospect just trying to salvage his career in the bullpen.
The dark horse candidate for saves is Perales. The 22-year-old right-hander has a legit high-90s fastball and a plus cutter, and his injury history makes a shift to the bullpen at some point more likely. The Nationals may still view him as a potential starting candidate and try to develop him accordingly after picking him up from the Red Sox, but Perales could make an immediate impact for them as a reliever.
