Value is always a key part that dynasty managers look at year over year, looking to keep their spot atop the league’s mountain or find a way to climb up it themselves. There are going to be top guys that you already invested in, and excuse some down seasons or hiccups, but names like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto don’t belong in the same sentence as value. Maybe return on investment? Either way, one of my favorite stats to look at from major-league batters is Pitcher List’s own Process+. Specifically for late-season value, what players improved and how? That answer could give managers guys that belong in the value category, with greater return on investment than mortgaging your future for them.
If you haven’t watched Kyle Bland’s SABR Analytics Conference presentation on Process+, you have a whole offseason to amend that and understand what it is, how it works, and why you should care.
First, let’s look at the best early-career risers in Process+ to close out the 2026 season. From Rookie of the Year and MVP candidates to depth options, several players took steps forward.
There are several names here that dynasty managers should already be well acquainted with. Those who trusted the process with prospects entering the season like Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen and Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle were rewarded in kind with players and situations that put them in position to be dynasty contributors for 2027 and hopefully beyond. Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is the heavy favorite to win the NL MVP award after a historic season in the field and elite production at the plate for the NL Central club.
Add in guys like Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill, and several others, and there are players who had seasons that were already highly regarded for dynasty purposes. For those who are or aren’t on the dynasty radar, I defer to teammate Martin Sekulski’s latest top 400 rankings. Six of the 27 players listed here were already in Martin’s top 100, so they are hardly the underrated players that managers should be looking to pounce on this offseason, but rather the ones you will likely be paying a premium to acquire.
Let’s hone in on this list a little more. Who are the unranked guys, or those whose late-season improvements could garner managers a bit more bang for their buck?
Now that’s a list. Now for a closer look at each and to determine if the late-season numbers warrant consideration for you dynasty managers out there.
3B Brett Baty, 26, New York Mets
420 AB | .238/.311/.374 | .136 ISO | 26.4% K% | 9.3% BB% | 92 wRC+ | .321 xwOBA | 11 HR | 56 RBI | 5 S
Oh, whatever to do with you, Brett Baty. Whenever I’m out on him, the New York Mets infielder manages to pull me back in. Baty entered 2026 as a Baseball America dynasty target off a .291/.353/.477 finish to 2025. Then the Mets signed Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco, and the former first-round pick went from breakout candidate to bench piece before he played a game.
His season looked like it. He bounced among third, second, first, right field and DH, even made a start at shortstop, and sat against most lefties (a .500 OPS against them versus .723 against righties). On September 4, he was stuck at a .634 OPS. Then he hit .333 with three home runs and a 1.025 OPS over his final 51 at-bats. His Process+ climbed from 101 to 144 over his last 400 pitches, the second-largest jump in this group, driven mostly by power (+31) with a modest bump in swing decisions (+11). The 92 wRC+ on the season line is the reason he’s unranked. The late process is the reason to look anyway.
David Stearns brought up the late surge several times at his end-of-season press conference, and SI’s Mike Phillips called Baty the “most secure” of the young Mets. His dynasty value comes down to one decision that isn’t his. If Bichette opts out, Baty is the everyday third baseman. If Bichette stays, Baty is a strong-side platoon at second or a utility man again. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time, has one option left, and SI has floated him as a trade chip for a starter, so a deal could open the door as easily as an opt-out. No one has documented a swing change, and 51 at-bats is a small sample. But he costs nothing in most leagues, and a 144 Process+ earns a roster spot until the Bichette news breaks.
C Carter Jensen, 23, Kansas City Royals
527 AB | .239/.323/.467 | .228 ISO | 28.2% K% | 10.8% BB% | 116 wRC+ | .318 xwOBA | 27 HR | 81 RBI | 2 SB
Jensen entered the 2026 season with the most prospect capital from anyone in this group. After a strong September call-up to close out the 2025 season, Jensen was the Royals’ top prospect to start the season, but that label did not last long as he made the Opening Day roster and quickly graduated. A long list of nagging injuries to franchise cornerstone Salvador Perez gave Jensen more work than anticipated behind the plate, and the changed workload dragged down his production at the plate. But the bat came alive in a big way once again in September. He hit 10 doubles, 8 HR, and 20 RBI, led MLB in doubles, extra-base hits (19), and OPS (1.194), and won both AL Player and Rookie of the Month, the first Royals catcher to win Player of the Month. His 27 home runs tied for fourth among rookies and his 3.7 fWAR ranked third among catchers, helped by above-average framing and pop times (MLB.com).
He made MLB Pipeline’s All-Rookie first team as “one of the better all-around catchers in the game”, and MLB.com paired him with Jac Caglianone as the Royals’ “present and future stars”. The 2027 role is secure. Perez enters the last year of his deal and has said, “I won’t say I’m going to catch 110 games anymore because it’s going to be hard”. The caveat with Jensen’s rise in Process+ is that it was almost entirely driven by his power, while his swing-and-strikeout rate stayed consistent with his pre-surge numbers. But when you couple his role and production from last season as a catcher, the largest Process+ rise in the group is impossible to ignore.
2B Chase Meidroth, 25, Chicago White Sox
566 AB | .276/.350/.415 | .140 ISO | 21.9% K% | 9.5% BB% | 118 wRC+ | .301 xwOBA | 16 HR | 63 RBI | 4 SB
Meidroth entered 2026 as a contact-only utility type, the third piece in the Garrett Crochet trade. His rookie season produced an 87 wRC+ and a .320 slugging percentage. Just Baseball counted five players blocking his path, and RotoWire called him “a one-category producer.”
Instead, he became the White Sox’s everyday second baseman, scored 90 runs in 154 games, and by late September was the most valuable everyday second baseman in the AL by both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference WAR. The power arrived in the second half: nine of his career-high 16 homers came after the break, and he slugged .460 over that stretch while playing through a sore left wrist. He capped it with a three-run homer off Bryan Abreu to finish a Wild Card sweep of Houston. The mechanism matters here. His bat speed didn’t jump. Hitting director Ryan Fuller credits him with picking his spots to swing hard before two strikes, and that shows up in Process+. His score rose from 97 to 115, with power up 20 points and decision value down 8. He traded some patience for damage in chosen counts.
His real-life value has never been higher, but the fantasy ceiling is capped by a lack of steals and a .301 xwOBA that trails his 118 wRC+. The pipeline behind him is crowded, too: On SI named Sam Antonacci, No. 16 overall prospect Caleb Bonemer and No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky as threats to second base. He should open 2027 as the starter, but this is the smallest surge in the group, and it finished at a modest 115. With the playoff buzz behind him, Meidroth is a hold who’s closer to a sell than a buy in shallow leagues.
3B Coby Mayo, 24, Baltimore Orioles
412 AB | .228/.297/.461 | .233 ISO | 30.4% K% | 7.9% BB% | 112 wRC+ | .336 xwOBA | 24 HR | 63 RBI | 4 SB
Mayo entered 2026 as a cheap flier whose Orioles future the Baltimore Sun called “more uncertain than ever” in February. However, Jordan Westburg’s partial UCL tear, which later required elbow surgery and cost him all of 2026, handed Mayo third base for the Baltimore Orioles.
He played 132 games all told, stayed healthy, and was never optioned, but the season split in half. He hit .193/.264/.395 before the break and .269/.328/.563 after it. Against lefties, he posted 16 home runs and a 206 wRC+, best among qualified batters. Against righties, he was at 54 wRC+ for the season, but that rose to 99 after the break. He finished with 24 home runs, tied with Gunnar Henderson for second on the club. The antithesis to Jensen, Mayo’s surge was led by decision value (+40). Power was never the question for Mayo, and the later results show the benefits from a winter of breaking-ball recognition work on a sped-up foam-ball machine, after he whiffed on 43.8% of breaking-ball swings in 2025.
Mayo’s dynasty outlook is complicated with his extreme splits and the fact that third base should be Westburg’s once he is healthy. There really is not a platoon option there. So Mayo’s likely route in 2027 looks like a 3B/1B/DH rotation with Pete Alonso also taking 1B/DH at-bats. All that being said, several outlets are still ranking Mayo like he is the April 2026 version, not the September 2026 version. The fact that his second-half performance was buoyed by swing decisions gives me more hope that he can carry this over to the next season if he is given the path to playing time.
DH/RF Dominic Canzone, 29, Seattle Mariners
477 AB | .264/.336/.484 | .220 ISO | 20.6% K% | 9.0% BB% | 134 wRC+ | .359 xwOBA | 23 HR | 77 RBI | 2 SB
Canzone entered 2026 as a platoon bat coming off an .840 OPS season, mostly against right-handers. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer had named him Seattle’s breakout candidate, and for once the offseason breakout pick actually broke out.
By early summer, Jerry Dipoto had promised him a “full-time spot in the middle of the lineup” regardless of the opposing starter, and Canzone held up his end with an .847 OPS in 145 plate appearances against lefties. He led the Mariners in home runs in late July, then hit safely in 20 of 22 September games, batting .303 with 16 RBI and reaching 23 home runs on September 25. His Process+ rose from 118 to 141 over his final 400 pitches, led by contact (+26). The starting point is what separates him from the rest of this list. He began the window at 118, already well above average. This wasn’t a breakout from nowhere. It was a good hitter getting better.
He projects to earn $3.0 million in arbitration, and with Randy Arozarena headed to free agency, there’s room in Seattle’s outfield. The main risk is the front office adding bats that crowd him out of the DH spot. The surge confirms his 204 ranking more than it beats it. He’s a hold in most formats and a fair buy in AL-only leagues, but at 29 he isn’t the long-term breakout this column is hunting for.
CF Drew Gilbert, 26, San Francisco Giants
340 AB | .238/.330/.394 | .156 ISO | 18.1% K% | 9.9% BB% | 104 wRC+ | .334 xwOBA | 11 HR | 43 RBI | 3 SB
Gilbert entered 2026 as a fading prospect. The Astros’ 2022 first-round pick, he was the Mets’ No. 2 prospect entering 2024 after the Justin Verlander trade, but injuries stalled him, and he hit .190 after the Giants acquired him at the 2025 deadline in the Tyler Rogers deal.
Injuries and deadline departures made him San Francisco’s regular center fielder in the second half, mostly batting leadoff, and his production came in streaks. He hit .353 with a 1.165 OPS over 10 home games in late August, then .182 over 15 September games, broken up by three homers between September 13 and 21. His Process+ rose from 97 to 120, with power up 27 points and contact down 17, which is about what that streaky September looked like. The splits tell the rest, primarily an .801 OPS in 343 plate appearances against righties, and a .210 OPS in 50 tries against lefties. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic summed it up: usable against righties, above average in center, and “not a leadoff hitter.”
He’s about 1% rostered, and as a pre-arbitration player, he’s cheap for the Giants to keep running out there. But local commentary is already pushing San Francisco to add an established outfielder, which likely leaves Gilbert on the strong side of a platoon. A surge to 120 built on more power and less contact, in a part-time role, won’t move the needle in 5×5 leagues. He’s a pass, though deep OBP leagues can stash him.
CF Henry Bolte, 23, Athletics
415 AB | .277/.359/.405 | .128 ISO | 28.1% K% | 8.2% BB% | 111 wRC+ | .317 xwOBA | 11 HR | 38 RBI | 21 SB
Bolte entered 2026 as the A’s No. 5 prospect on MLB Pipeline, with 70-grade speed and a hit tool nobody trusted. Just Baseball called him “a swing overhaul from being a top-100 caliber prospect,” keeping that tantalizing ceiling somewhat attainable. He forced the issue in May, going 12-for-12 over three Triple-A games, and has been the A’s center fielder ever since.
He spent the first half proving the scouts right, with a .655 OPS through July. Then he took off, hitting .312 with an .893 OPS and seven home runs from August through mid-September and .306/.416/.553 over 22 September games. His Process+ rose from 85 to 118, split evenly between better swing decisions (+22) and more power (+22), while his contact grade didn’t move. The tools are loud, led by a 77 mph average bat speed and the fastest sprint speed in baseball. The batted-ball profile is not. Teammate Matthew Creally measured a 63.3% ground-ball rate, the highest among qualified hitters, alongside a .379 BABIP. That ground-ball rate barely budged during the surge, so the breakout came with no change in launch, and he posted an .839 OPS at home against .679 on the road.
The buzz has already shifted, though. Jon Morosi called him “a potential future 30/30 player,” and his 2027 job in center field, possibly leading off, looks as secure as any on this list. The stolen bases should climb once the jumps catch up to the legs, since he’d been caught eight times by mid-August. But a final Process+ of 118 is good, not elite, and a 177 ranking already reflects the hype. His swing decisions look durable. His BABIP doesn’t. I’d hold, and buy only if someone in your league prices him below where he sits now.
CF Jakob Marsee, 25, Miami Marlins
516 AB | .231/.348/.359 | .128 ISO | 20.5% K% | 12.7% BB% | 100 wRC+ | .314 xwOBA | 11 HR | 41 RBI | 23 SB
Marsee’s 2025 debut (.292/.363/.478 and an eighth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting) set a high bar for the Miami Marlins outfielder, and the early 2026 results said he wouldn’t come close to clearing that again. He hit .175 into early May, sat at .212/.326/.320 in mid-August, and ranked 240th of 249 qualified hitters in wOBA against fastballs. Miami never benched or demoted him, because his glove (9 OAA, 95th percentile) kept buying him time.
That patience paid off, and his turnaround was an explicit mechanical answer. Marlins hitting coach Pedro Guerrero said his swing decisions never broke, but his posture did: he was standing too upright on pitches up and in and pushing everything the other way. A deeper, narrower stance fixed it. From August 7 to September 26, he hit .309/.418/.497 with 22 walks against 29 strikeouts. His Process+ rose from 93 to 114, led by decision value (+15) with gains in power (+11) as well. He finished with 23 stolen bases, though it took him 35 tries.
Then came the bad news. On October 12, Marsee had internal brace surgery on his left elbow with roughly a six-month recovery, and Rotoworld expects him to miss at least the first month of 2027. Esteury Ruiz, Javier Sanoja, and organizational Player of the Year Cam Cannarella are the named fill-ins, and Cannarella is the long-term threat, especially since the defense that protected Marsee’s job runs through the arm that was just operated on. The fix is real and documented, and his price has never been lower. Just plan on stashing him through April.
DH/C Mickey Gasper, 31, Boston Red Sox
191 AB | .251/.357/.466 | .215 ISO | 17.3% K% | 12.0% BB% | 130 wRC+ | .353 xwOBA | 10 HR | 24 RBI | 0 SB
Gasper entered 2026 with no dynasty profile at all. He was a journeyman who went 0-for-18 in his 2024 debut, struggled through plantar fasciitis with the Minnesota Twins, and was dropped by two clubs in January before the Red Sox claimed him on February 4. He opened in Triple-A, carried a .613 OPS with no homers through his first 34 big-league games, and was optioned again on June 28.
The August recall rewrote his season results,s though. He hit .400 with a 1.671 OPS and 6 HR in 12 games, one of the best single months in Red Sox history, and Boston.com reached for Ted Williams and Barry Bonds comparisons. He credited Worcester hitting advisor Rich Gedman and “just good mentals,” not a swing change. His Process+ rose from 97 to 142, driven by power (+35) and better decisions (+23), the second matching the plate discipline he showed throughout his minor league career. September cooled to a .739 OPS, and on September 25 he tore his right biceps on a swing. He had distal biceps repair on October 2, with a 4- to 6-month recovery.
He’s now a fan favorite and a natural 2027 bench piece, but the roster math is unkind. Adley Rutschman, Carlos Narváez, Connor Wong and Willson Contreras all stand between him and regular at-bats at catcher or first base. Power drove his surge, and power is the skill most at risk after surgery on the arm he swings with. Add in that he just turned 31 and the whole sample is 855 pitches, and Gasper is a pass outside two-catcher deep leagues.
3B Zack Gelof, 26, Athletics
394 AB | .256/.322/.475 | .218 ISO | 24.6% K% | 7.1% BB% | 114 wRC+ | .323 xwOBA | 22 HR | 55 RBI | 16 SB
Gelof entered 2026 about as close to the waiver wire as a former top prospect can get. He hit .211 with a 34.4% strikeout rate in 2024, managed just 30 games in 2025 before season-ending shoulder surgery, and then watched the Athletics trade for Jeff McNeil. In February, the best manager Mark Kotsay could offer was that “there could be a role” for him.
He opened at Triple-A, got the call on April 10, and played his way into a super-utility job, mostly at third. He had spent the winter leveling out his swing, and Kotsay noticed early: “The swing-and-miss seems to be down.” Then the injuries came, and none of them were his fault. San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman stepped on his hand in June, and in July a Comerica Park fence cut his knee just below the kneecap, an injury he later sued the Tigers over. He missed 51 games in all. He returned August 10 with a 456-foot homer, the longest of his career, and went from 11 HR to 22 over the final seven weeks. His Process+ rose from 97 to 139 over his last 400 pitches, built almost entirely on power (+33) while his contact grade held flat. Season-long, his strikeout rate settled at 24.6%, about 10 points better than 2024.
Athletics on SI went as far as predicting a 30/30 season in 2027 and calling third base “his job to lose,” but that buzz hasn’t reached national fantasy coverage. Max Muncy and McNeil are still in the infield mix, and Kotsay was still talking in August about wanting to “define a role” for him. Still, a hitter who hit 22 HR and stole 16 bases in about two-thirds of a season, with a strikeout rate that finally looks livable, shouldn’t sit too low on anyone’s board. His injuries were collisions, not hamstrings, and Sutter Health Park won’t hurt.
