The selection process for this article is gruelling. All off-season is spent determining which prospects feel most likely to breakout. Film is watched, FanGraphs pages are reviewed, scouting reports are read, insider news is accounted for, and it all culminates in a selection. However, it dawned on me this off-season that a breakout prospect for a shallow league may look very different than a breakout prospect for a deep league. To solve this, I adjusted my breakout article to look a bit different. Below, there are two different sections. The first section is shallow league breakouts. This focuses on more prospects that are already fairly well known, but could turn into high-value targets this season. The second section focuses on deep-league prospects. These are prospects with significantly less fanfare who could help take your dynasty team’s farm system to the next level.
2026 Breakout Prospects
Shallow League Breakouts
Josh Adamczewski– 2B/OF, MIL
Josh Adamczewski feels like a popular breakout pick for 2026 amongst those in the dynasty community. The hype is warranted. Adamczewski was the team’s 15th-round draft pick back in 2023. The 5’11” second baseman did not generate much fanfare after the draft, but has quickly proven capable of handling Minor League pitching. After hitting .322 in 2024, he followed that up by hitting .320 in 2025. Unlike many breakout prospect selections, Adamczewski already has a stable floor. He understands the strike zone incredibly well. He has no issue taking walks, has shown off good contact skills, and profiles to have a plus hit tool. At worst, Adamczewski is going to hit for a solid batting average with a top-of-the-lineup approach that will get a boost in on-base leagues.
The breakout potential stems from his power development. Adamczewski has excellent bat speed from the left side. Last season, Adamczewski made some adjustments at the dish to turn that bat speed into game power. Adamczewski focused on lifting the ball more last season and also getting to his pull side even more. The power did not show up during the regular season (as Adamczewski only hit five home runs), but it showed up in a major way in the Arizona Fall League. In Arizona, Adamczewski hit four home runs in just 20 games. There is sneaky pop in Adamczewski’s relatively small frame. Dynasty managers should not be surprised to see him set a new career-high in home runs this season. Now is likely your last chance to buy low on Adamczewski in dynasty leagues.
Owen Murphy– SP, ATL
Owen Murphy was well on his way to a breakout season in 2024 before an elbow injury prematurely ended his season. Tommy John Surgery forced Murphy to miss the majority of 2025 before he returned to the mound in July. Despite the 14-month layoff, Murphy was dominant in his return to the mound. Showing no signs of rust, Murphy struck out 30/9% of batters. In seven starts, he posted a 1.19 ERA and a 2.29 FIP. The argument here could be that Murphy’s breakout already occurred. However, Murphy is not being valued highly across dynasty leagues. Healthy for a full off-season and another year removed from surgery, Murphy is primed for an even bigger breakout in 2026.
Murphy’s critics cite fastball velocity as the biggest knock against him. They are not wrong. Murphy’s fastball was only sitting in the low-90s once returning from surgery. However, velocity is not everything. Murphy’s throws his pitches from a unique 52-degree arm angle. This high release point, paired with nearly 20″ of iVB help the pitch play up beyond the velocity. Also, Murphy’s fastball velocity has already started to tick up during Spring Training. Pre-injury, he was sitting in the mid-90s, and it would not be surprising to see him return to his mark in 2026. From there, Murphy mixes in a slider, changeup, and curveball. He commands both pitches well, with both having plus potential. Murphy’s profile is an enticing blend of polish and upside. Murphy has been dominant in small samples since the start of the 2024 season. With a growing sample of dominance expected in 2026, he is a prime breakout prospect candidate.
Seaver King– 2B/SS, WSN
The plan this off-season was not to write about Seaver King. In fact, there was very little excitement surrounding King leaving the 2025 season. Then, the AFL happened. The Arizona Fall League is not a great time to make knee-jerk reactions on prospects. The sample-size is small, and the hitting environment is favorable. However, when a prospect shows off a completely altered approach at the plate, that is when dynasty managers need to pay attention. After swinging at 53.1% of pitches he saw in his first season, King completely changed his approach at the dish. King walked 11 times in 18 games. He forced pitchers to beat him in the zone and was rewarded with a .359/.468/.563 slash. The sample remains small, but this new approach has carried over into Spring Training. King is swinging less, walking more, and doing damage on pitches in the zone.
While King’s approach and mindset are the key changes, by themselves, they lack dynasty appeal. This is where the rest of King’s profile comes into play. King has great contact skills. Despite chasing nearly everything last year, King still managed to make contact over 78% of the time. He controls the bat well and consistently uses the whole field. More patience leads to more walks, more pitches to hit, and more times on base. This is where King’s dynasty value really takes shape. He is a plus runner with great stolen base skills. King stole 30 bags last season and projects as a 25+ stolen base threat in the future.
Sometimes, the dynasty community writes off prospects too quickly. The reviews out of Spring Training have been nothing but stellar for King this season. Reports are even positive about his defense at shortstop despite the common belief that his long-term home is at second base. King has all the makings of a breakout prospect. He has athleticism, a draft pedigree, and has made tangible changes to his offensive profile. The development of his game power is going to be the biggest key. This breakout pick is a bet that as King swings at better pitches, his quality of contact will soar, and the game power will come. Now may be the last chance for dynasty managers to buy low.
Trey Gregory-Alford– SP, LAA
The MLB Draft is the most unique draft in all of sports. The best players do not always go in sequential order. With unique bonus pools and collegiate commitments, sometimes intriguing players fall into the later rounds. That is what happened with Trey Gregory-Alford, who fell down to the 11th round of the 2024 draft but signed well above slot at $1,957,500. As a high school prep pitcher, Alford’s fastball was already touching triple-digits. That, combined with his power slider, had many predicting a breakout last season. While Alford pitched well in terms of ERA, his strikeout-to-walk ratio was disappointing, and his dynasty value has dissipated.
Alford is 19 years old. He still possesses a huge fastball that sits comfortably in the upper 90s, his slider profiles as a plus offering, and he posted a 2.86 ERA in his first professional season. There should be a lot more hype surrounding Alford’s potential. The key to a breakout is having the stuff to see a spike in strikeout rate. Alford checks that box. His high-octane fastball, and plus breaking pitch combine to give Alford an extremely high ceiling. The key is going to be learning how to harness his control. Too often, Alford’s pitches were uncompetitive. Even with his plus stuff, he failed to generate much chase out of the zone leading to a mediocre strikeout rate. His low strikeout rate is a product of a lack of execution rather than an indictment of his stuff.
Although Los Angeles is not known for having a strong player development system, Alford is a prospect that all dynasty managers should have on their radar. His athletic and fluid delivery, combined with plus stuff give him a ceiling few other arms have. To end the 2025 season, Alford posted a 1.22 ERA across his final eight starts. The strikeouts are going to come, and with them, will come a soar in Alford’s dynasty value. Now is a perfect time for dynasty managers to buy low on a prospect with exciting breakout potential.
Deep League Breakouts
Liomar Martinez- SP, MIA
Despite being just 20 years old, Liomar Martinez has been part of the Marlins’ organization since 2022. Martinez signed with Miami out of the Dominican Republic and spent the bulk of his first three seasons pitching in the DSL and Complex League. After a bumpy start, Martinez finally found his footing in Low-A last season. Standing at 6’2″, Martinez has a fluid and athletic delivery. He works well from both the windup and the stretch with a front-line arsenal. Martinez has a deep six-pitch arsenal giving him the ability to mix and match against both righties and lefties. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, but he can touch higher at times. Where Martinez really makes a name for himself is with his nasty curveball. The big-bending pitch is one of the best curveballs in all of Minor League baseball and a true difference-making pitch. His slider also has plus potential and two different shapes (Martinez features both a gyro and a sweeper).
Martinez’s long-term success boils down to his control. High walk rates have plagued Martinez throughout his professional career and impacted his lone Spring Training appearance. However, Martinez showed substantial growth in this area during the back half of 2025. Over his final six starts, Martinez walked only 5.7% of the batters he faced, resulting in a 2.37 ERA. He also allowed just one home run, speaking to improved command along with his improved control. Martinez has the stuff to turn into a significant dynasty asset. He is also still young with plenty of time to develop in an organization that has thrived at developing pitching prospects. Martinez should be on every dynasty watch list entering 2026.
Cole Miller– SP, ATH
Cole Miller is a breakout pick for those in the deepest of dynasty leagues. Miller was selected in the fourth round all the way back in 2023, but did not make his professional debut until 2025. The A’s were careful with Miller, limiting him to only 52 innings. In those 52 innings, Miller posted a sparkling 1.90 ERA backed up by a 3.38 FIP. Despite the strong results on the mound, nobody is paying Miller much attention in dynasty leagues.
Last season, Miller’s stuff was just simply better than his competition at the Complex League and Low-A. A three-pitch guy, Miller relied heavily on his changeup and slider to generate strikeouts and keep batters off balance. His slider gets sweeping movement while his changeup has significant two-plane action. The arm side run that Miller gets on his changeup is also seen on his fastball. While the velocity on his four-seam was below the levels it sat pre-injury, a clean bill of health for the entire 2025/2026 offseason sets Miller up for success in 2026. Still just 20 years old, there is a good chance Miller regains some of that velocity the further removed he is from surgery. More velocity with two intriguing secondary offerings gives Miller breakout potential. He is just 3% rostered in Fantrax Leagues making now the perfect opportunity to grab him before it is too late.
Griff O’Ferrall- SS, BAL
The Orioles selected Griff O’Ferrall 32nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. O’Ferrall played his college career at the University of Virginia, where he was one of the best pure hitters for all three of his seasons. This combined with his glove pushed Baltimore to draft him despite the limited fanfare around his name. Now one full professional seasons in the books, an O’Ferrall is still not a highly sought-after dynasty asset. This could be a mistake, as O’Ferrall seems primed for a breakout season in 2026.
Remember, this is the deep-leagues section of this article. However, O’Ferrall has real upside for dynasty managers. Starting with what we know, O’Ferrall has an elite hit tool. His combination of pitch recognition, zone understanding, and contact skills give him one of the best pure hit tools in all of Minor League Baseball. In 121 games last season, O’Ferrall’s contact rate sat up at 86%. The differentiation between him and other prospects with strong contact skills is his patience. O’Ferrall is not just swinging at anything. He works counts, takes walks, and then makes contact when he has to. He profiles as an on-base machine and gets a clear boost in formats in which that is valued.
The surprising part of last season was that O’Ferrall hit just .228. This is not going to continue. Despite a 34.6% line drive rate, O’Ferrall posted a BABIP of just .266. This BABIP really starts to make no sense when you factor in his ability to use the whole field and his plus speed. His luck is bound to improve in 2026, leading to a higher batting average. This will also lead to even more stolen bases as O’Ferrall is a plus runner. After stealing 44 bases last season, O’Ferrall is a safe bet for 20+ steals at the Major League level.
An elite hit tool and plus speed, already is enough to consider O’Ferrall as a breakout candidate for deep-leagues. He is a strong defender and should move quickly through Baltimore’s Minor League system. The only downside to O’Ferrall is underwhelming power. That is not to say he has none though. O’Ferrall stands at 6’1″ and does show flashes of average power to his pull side. If Baltimore can get him to tap into it more, that will only raise the appeal of his profile for dynasty managers. O’Ferrall will not be flying under the radar for long and has a good chance of breaking out in 2026.
Andres Valor– OF, MIA
Technically, this is the first time that Andres Valor is landing on the breakout prospect article. However, he has been included in several of my articles over the past two seasons. Heading into 2026, I am officially planting my flag in a Valor breakout season. Standing at 6’3″ and weighing 180 pounds, athleticism has never been the question for Valor. He has great instincts and blazing speed, which helps him both offensively and defensively. As his frame has filled out, the speed has ticked down just a touch, but he is still an above average base stealer. He stole 45 bases in 108 games last season and is a true threat for 40+ steals at his peak projection. The biggest issue for Valor has really just been putting everything together
Valor has adjusted his stance multiple times over the past few seasons to try and solve the issues with his hit tool. Although his strikeout rate ballooned up to over 29% last year, he showed significant improvements during the second half. From July 13 forward, Valor struck out 23.2% of the time while maintaining a double-digit walk rate. As the season moved along, Valor worked to start his hands in a more loaded position. Raising his hands helped with his contact skills first, and then the power uptick came. Valor was dominant over the final month of the season. From August 2 forward, he slashed .274/.358/.474. The number that really sticks out is his .211 ISO. Although Valor only hit three home runs during that stretch, he finally gave dynasty managers a glimpse into the raw power his profile possesses. Dynasty managers should expect this power outburst to carry over into 2026. Valor has the raw power and speed to be a dynamic dynasty asset. Now that he has his stance figured out, the sky is the limit for the 20-year-old outfielder.
