{"id":582115,"date":"2026-02-20T02:27:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/582115\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T02:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:27:17","slug":"5-fantasy-baseball-draft-targets-rbi-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/582115\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets: RBI (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of the earliest-selected hitters in fantasy baseball drafts will be significant contributors to RBIs. Gamers don\u2019t need to be instructed that Shohei Ohtani<\/a>, Aaron Judge<\/a>, etc., are excellent targets for RBIs. Instead, the following five hitters have an average draft position (ADP) of 80 or higher. In fact, four of the suggestions have an ADP after 120, three after 200 and two after 280.<\/p>\n

\"fantasy<\/a><\/p>\n

Fantasy Baseball Players to Target for RBI
\nVinnie Pasquantino (1B, DH \u2013 KC)<\/a> |\u00a083.2 ADP<\/a><\/p>\n

Vinnie Pasquantino had 97 RBIs in 554 plate appearances in 2024 and 113 in 682 in 2025. According to FanGraphs, Pasquantino has the eighth-most RBIs (210) since 2024, and he\u2019s one of just 13 players with at least 200.<\/p>\n

He logged 568 plate appearances as the No. 3 hitter for the Royals in 2025 and 93 as their cleanup hitter. Pasquantino\u2019s lineup placement is ideal for piling up RBIs. The left-handed-hitting first baseman\u2019s ballpark is also a plus. Kauffman Stadium is tied for the third-highest park factor for runs (1.064), using our three-year data<\/a>. Moreover, the Royals renovated the ballpark<\/a> in the offseason to increase the number of home runs in Kansas City. The Zeile consensus projections<\/a> project Pasquantino for 92 RBIs, tying for the 13th-highest projection.<\/p>\n

Jo Adell (OF \u2013 LAA)<\/a> | 129.4 ADP<\/p>\n

Jo Adell inched closer to being an average hitter in 2024, tallying a 91 wRC+. However, he finally broke through last year. In 573 plate appearances in 2025, Adell recorded the following stats.<\/p>\n

63 runs
\n37 homers
\n98 RBI
\n5 stolen bases
\n5.8 BB%
\n26.4 K%
\n.236 batting average
\n.260 expected batting average (xBA)
\n.485 slugging (SLG)
\n.549 expected slugging (xSLG)
\n112 wRC+<\/p>\n

Adell fits the classic archetype of a low-walk rate, sell-out-for-power slugger.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old outfielder slotted up and down the order. Still, he had his most plate appearances from the fifth spot, with 172. Adell mostly batted cleanup from late August through the end of the season, and Roster Resource projects Adell to hit fifth, which would be fine for his RBI outlook, too. Gamers who draft Adell for RBIs must account for his low batting average, but he should deliver taters and steaks.<\/p>\n

Sal Stewart (1B \u2013 CIN)<\/a> | 223.4 ADP<\/p>\n

The Reds recently signed Eugenio Suarez<\/a>, adding firepower to the lineup, but potentially shortening Sal Stewart\u2019s leash. Nevertheless, Stewart ripped through the minors and excelled in 58 plate appearances for the Reds.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old rookie has a path to starting at first base<\/a>. Stewart will also get reps at second base in spring training.<\/p>\n

Some notes from Terry Francona.<\/p>\n

Sal Stewart is mostly going to play first and second this spring, less third base. Matt McLain<\/a> is the Reds\u2019 second baseman, but Stewart is a candidate to play second on days where McLain is off or Elly is at off and McLain is at short. Francona\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Stewart could be one of Spring Training\u2019s biggest risers with a strong showing. He had a massive 152 wRC+, 78 runs, 20 homers, 80 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, a .309 batting average, .383 OBP, .524 SLG, 9.3 BB% and 15.6 K% in 494 plate appearances in the upper minors (329 in Double-A and 165 in Triple-A) last year.<\/p>\n

Stewart wasn\u2019t overwhelmed at the plate by the bright lights of The Show. Instead, he had the following stats in 58 plate appearances.<\/p>\n

11 runs
\n5 homers
\n8 RBIs
\n5.2 BB%
\n25.9 K%
\n.255 batting average
\n.289 xBA
\n.545 SLG
\n.626 xSLG
\n124 wRC+<\/p>\n

Stewart\u2019s bat is exciting, and his home field is dreamy for his offensive outlook. Great American Ball Park has a park factor of 1.039 for runs, and its 1.285 park factor for homers is MLB\u2019s highest. Stewart has a Zeile projection of a ho-hum 61 RBIs, but they\u2019re on only 418 plate appearances. He can blow that number out of the water if his bat is too good to remove from the lineup.<\/p>\n

\"Mock<\/a><\/p>\n

Marcell Ozuna (DH \u2013 PIT)<\/a>\u00a0| 284.8 ADP<\/p>\n

Among qualified hitters from 2023 through 2024, Marcell Ozuna was sixth in homers (79), ninth in RBIs (204), tied for sixth in ISO (.263), tied for 13th in batting average (.289), and 17th in expected batting average (.280). The veteran slugger had a forgettable 2025 season, but he still had a 114 wRC+, and his .354 expected wOBA (xwOBA) was markedly higher than his .334 wOBA.<\/p>\n

The Pirates signed Ozuna, hoping to get a bounce-back from the 35-year-old hitter. He\u2019d fit perfectly in the middle of Pittsburgh\u2019s order if he hit closer to his 2025 xwOBA than his wOBA. Furthermore, Ozuna could be one of fantasy baseball\u2019s biggest steals this year if he can recapture his 2023-2024 mojo. Ozuna should be a cheap source of RBIs as long as last year wasn\u2019t the start of him going over the cliff.<\/p>\n

Andrew Vaughn (1B \u2013 MIL)<\/a> | 292.0 ADP<\/p>\n

Andrew Vaughn might be the latest poster child for a change of scenery doing a player good. He was the third pick in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft, but Vaughn\u2019s bat never fully flourished with the White Sox.<\/p>\n

The righty\u2019s bat exploded with the Brewers, with blistering underlying data to support the explosion. Vaughn had the following stats in 64 games and 254 plate appearances for the Brewers.<\/p>\n

26 runs
\n9 homers
\n46 RBI
\n9.4 BB%
\n14.6 K%
\n.308 batting average
\n.293 xBA
\n.493 SLG
\n.502 xSLG
\n.373 wOBA
\n.377 xwOBA
\n142 wRC+<\/p>\n

Notably, Vaughn was more selective with the Brewers. He had a 36.1 O-Swing% in 193 plate appearances for the White Sox in 2025 before whittling that down to a 24.6 O-Swing% for the Brewers. His patience on pitches outside the zone wasn\u2019t a product of a more timid approach, either. Instead, Vaughn had a 63.1 Z-Swing% with the White Sox and a 63.2 Z-Swing% for the Brewers last season.<\/p>\n

The lack of love for Vaughn is perplexing. Roster Resource projects him to bat fifth for the Brewers, and the Zeile consensus projections project him to have 72 RBIs in just 490 plate appearances. Vaughn\u2019s projection of 490 plate appearances feels light for a player coming off a massive breakout after joining the Brewers, who had 555, 615, and 619 plate appearances in his final three full seasons with the White Sox. He\u2019s an outstanding target for RBI-needy gamers, and it\u2019s not outrageous to reach more than a round ahead of his ADP to ensure snagging him.<\/p>\n

\"Fantasy<\/a><\/p>\n

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive<\/a> and follow him @BChad50<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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