Sport: MLB

Prospects being hyped up is common, though not everyone can live up to that hype. Sometimes their downfall is a struggle against major league pitchers, or an injury derails their journey. However, their early struggles can be fixed. Below are three post-hype sleepers who had promising starts to their professional careers but haven’t lived up to the hype. They’ll look to get back on the right foot this season, and could be valuable additions late in fantasy baseball drafts.

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2026 Fantasy Baseball: Post Hype Sleepers
Francisco Alvarez – C, New York Mets

Francisco Alvarez was signed as an international free agent in 2018 at the age of 17. He quickly rose through the minor leagues as a top prospect and power hitter. He hit 24 combined home runs in Single-A and High-A in 2021. Alvarez followed that up the next season, hitting 27 home runs while in Double-A and Triple-A. He’s had an impressive slash line over the six seasons he’s spent time in the minors, hitting .268/.377/.533; however, that hasn’t translated to the big league. In four MLB seasons, he’s slashed .230/.306/.429.

The Mets catcher made his MLB debut in 2022 but had only 14 plate appearances. In 2023, he had 423 plate appearances, hitting 25 home runs, scoring 51 runs, and recording 63 RBIs. Alvarez hasn’t shown this power since, hitting only 11 home runs each of the next two seasons. Due to the struggles, he was demoted to Triple-A at the end of June last season.

He made a return to the big leagues a month later and saw a surge in his power and contact. Over 139 plate appearances throughout the rest of the season, he hit eight home runs and had a .276/.360/.561 slash line. If Alvarez can carry these improvements into this season, he will be a valuable deep-league starting catcher or number two.

Kristian Campbell – 2B, Boston Red Sox

The 132nd overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, Campbell flew through the minor leagues as a top prospect in the Red Sox farm system. He made his much-anticipated MLB debut last season and started his big league career on fire. Over his first 123 plate appearances through April, he hit .301/.407/.495 with four home runs, 18 runs, and 12 RBIs. He had great vision at the plate, walking 19 times and striking out 32 times.

The hot start earned him an eight-year, $60 million contract, as the Red Sox wanted to get their promising prospect signed long-term quickly. However, Campbell experienced a drastic decline over the next two months and was demoted to Triple-A for the rest of the season. The struggles continued in Triple-A, but in the Puerto Rican Winter League, he’s shown slight improvement, hitting .245/.403/.367 over 62 plate appearances. He has yet to homer, though.

Spring Training will be monumental for Campbell to show he’s ready to return to MLB. The Red Sox won’t want to keep the $60 million prospect in the minor leagues for long. Romy Gonzalez stands in Campbell’s way at second base, but his skills won’t be enough to block Campbell if he can show his struggles are behind him. Keep an eye on how Spring Training goes. It’s not a guarantee the 23-year-old will break camp with the big league club, but he won’t be in the minors long.

Max Meyer – SP, Miami Marlins

Max Meyer was the third overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft. He was electric throughout his first two minor league seasons, posting 3.24 and 3.84 ERAs, respectively. Meyer made his MLB debut in July 2022. However, it was short-lived, as he threw only six innings before suffering a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery. He returned in April 2024 but threw only 17 innings before being sent down to Triple-A to manage his workload. The 26-year-old had a 2.12 ERA and allowed hitters to hit .180 off of him during his three-game return from injury. His success was not repeated when he was recalled to the Marlins in July of that season.

In his return, his ERA rose to 7.20, and hitters hit .320 off of him. His 2025 season was off to a promising start, with a 3.18 ERA and 47 strikeouts over his first 34 innings. Although over his final seven starts, Meyer saw his ERA skyrocket to 7.01. A hip injury could have been the cause of the struggles, as he required season-ending surgery. The once-promising prospect will look to stay healthy this season. He is slotted as the third starter on a Marlins team that could be a surprise.

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