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Welcome and everybody to Fantasy Pros MLB.

There's one thing everybody loves, and that's a good league winner.

So Joe Areco and I, Joe PZAP, are going to sit here and talk about four guys that Joe

O'Riko really likes this year that have the potential to win you your fantasy baseball leagues in 2026. If you haven't already, subscribe to the channel. We're trying to get to 30,000 this year. We can do it with your help. Of course, we love your comments. We love when you ring the bell until it goes ding and subscribe to the audio feed, a fantasy pros MLB as well. Joe O'Riko, the first guy we're going to talk about is a Boston Red Sock and a player that I think is being a little undervalued. A couple years ago, kind of burst onto the scene, had some pop, had some speed, get a little of everything here. And I feel like in the mix of all the chaos of the Red Sox the last two years is kind of lost in the shuffle. So let's talk about Jaron Duran, what he could do for folks in 2026 and fantasy. It's true. Boston's had a lot going on. They brought in Garretre Crochet. They traded Devers. They have Roman Anthony, one of the best prospects of baseball. And no one really cares about Sharon Duran anymore, a guy who was a second round pick last year, an early second round pick in a lot of rooms, like a top 20 player, and justifiably so, I think. Now, he had a poor year, but it was still 86 runs, 84 ribbies, 24 steel, 16 homers, so poor year, I guess, is relative. He was still very good. He was still very productive, almost 700 plate appearances. And now you're getting him in the 70s.

And that's kind of the basis of this. You're getting a guy who hasn't changed at all fundamentally. He's 29 years old now. And, you know, that's generally peak years, 27 to 30-ish, like we mentioned on another show that you guys can check out on the channel. but his barrel rate was 9.7% last year, best of his career,

46% hard hit rate, best of his career. Exit velocities, average and max were both the best of his career. It's a good ballpark. It's a really fun lineup. I think Jaron Duran feels like a baseline guy for 15 home runs, 25 stolen bases with a decent batting average,

and a hell of a lot of counting stats in the middle of that lineup. But 50 picks cheaper than

last year for no real reason other than maybe the counting stats weren't as loud as they were in

2024. Yeah. And if we're going by that age range thing that explains by Joe Rico is in his prime.

And I am well, well past it, obviously. He is 65 right now overall in the consensus ADP on Fantasy Pros, and I'm with you. I think going back to last year, I know the batting average down a little bit, but 257 in 2025, you go back to 2024, 285, 295 in 2023. So this is a player you know the batting average ceiling is higher. So a little bit better luck on the Babbib side, a little bit better year from Jaron Duran, I think could certainly be in store. The next guy we're going to talk about is another one. This guy's in a new place, though, hit 20 homers last year. He's going to qualify at a few positions to start the year and probably at first base

at some point you would hope by the time we cross from April into May and that's Jorge Polanco

now of the New York Mets. Now he could be more of a DH. We don't know. He might be the starting

first baseman. We'd seen Vietos and Beatty over there, but it seems like Polanco at some point

will play some games at first base. Now when he qualifies there, but it seems like Polanco at some point will play some games

at first base. Now, when he qualifies there, again, tough to figure out, my guess is by early May, we do cross that threshold. But it's not just the eligibility, which makes him appealing to me. Joe, it's also the fact that he's got some power, and he's hitting in a Mets lineup with some guys in front of him. I know Lindor's got

the hamate bone issue. Eventually, we hope that, you know, he kind of regains form. We know it takes a little while for that, but you've still got Juan Soto, you got Bobauchette, and then Polanco is slated to hit somewhere in that four, five, six area. I mean, there's going to be some guys ahead of him to drive in.

It seems likely, and I got some pushback on a short on the channel that I did recently,

but Polanco hitting cleanup. I don't know who else is going to hit cleanup for this team. It's probably not going to be Simian. He's not a typical cleanup guy. No. I could see it maybe being Lubbob or Alvarez, but I currently agree with what Fangraps has laid out that Polanco is going to hit fourth after what he did last year.

I mean, maybe it's falling under the radar based on his draft price this year, but 266 home runs.

He stole six bases.

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