Drew Rasmussen Rising While Bailey Ober Falls Among Fantasy Baseball Surprises
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MLB Spring Training is almost over as Opening Day is in a few days. Spring Training has brought the best and worst from some players - expected and unexpected. These players are on the radar for good and bad reasons heading into the 2026 fantasy baseball season. Let’s spotlight two Spring Training risers and two fallers who have drawn attention ahead of Opening Day:
Spring Training Risers
Drew Rasmussen -- Tampa Bay Rays (SP)
Coming back from the World Baseball Classic raised a few concerns but Tampa squashed those when they named Drew Rasmussen their opening day starter against St. Louis. The Rays moving back into Tropicana Field has to be music to the ears of every pitcher for Tampa. Now, there were concerns about his Spring (a near five ERA err 4.91 and 1.5 WHIP).
Again, the bright side is Rasmussen showed no wear or tear from missing part of Spring Training. That is the good news. Getting back into form and a more pitcher-friendly park should help immensely. It is no wonder why he ranks among the Top 50 starting pitchers ADP-wise for the upcoming season.
Mick Abel -- Minnesota Twins (SP)
There were several options here including Brandon Sproat and especially Kevin McGonigle (SS from Detroit). However, we opted for Abel because of the potential as the season goes on. Mick Abel showed a lot this Spring Training and that 2.00 ERA in 18 innings did not hurt. Did we mention that strikeout rate just above 30%? Oh my!
Maybe, there is a reason why Minnesota is waiting to see what happens to one of the fallers on our radar, Bailey Ober. Some argue the Twins need another veteran free agent starter but maybe going younger pays off. Abel is ready to show that breakout promise. His ADP has jumped into the Top 250 overall.
Spring Training Fallers
Dylan Beavers -- Baltimore Orioles (OF)
Someone hit the panic button, okay maybe not quite yet. Unfortunately, Dylan Beavers has done himself few favors this Spring. Worse, hitting .212 and showing some questionable decision making has some fantasy baseball owners, like Baltimore, scrambling a little. He has much hyped talent like Jordan Walker.
Beavers also needed to stand out with a plethora of outfielders in Baltimore. Standing out poorly is not the way to make an impression. That minor injury helps even less.
Orioles injury updates, per Craig Albernaz:
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 22, 2026
• Heston Kjerstad and Keegan Akin undergoing imaging tomorrow.
• Orioles taking it slow with Dylan Beavers. Hope is Beavers is ready by opening day.
My thought is it’s hard to imagine Kjerstad and Akin will be ready by Thursday.
It is among several reasons why Beavers has fallen a good deal in ADP. Stashing him might be a better option at this point.
Bailey Ober -- Minnesota Twins (SP)
Including two Minnesota pitchers was tough but reality bites here! Ober was trying to bounce back after a less-than-stellar 2025. Just when one thought it could not get any worse, it has. For those expecting the velocity to come back, Ober has regressed further arguably. He did have a decent Spring but each start saw his numbers come down.
While he was right at 90 mph in Start 1, he went down to 88.2 mph in Start 3. Worse, some movement on his pitches was not great. His fastball seemed flatter too. Flat is usually bad. With Pablo Lopez out for the year (UCL surgery), Minnesota needed no further concerns. Ober is a big one!
Maybe one can find Didier Fuentes from the Atlanta Braves and fast. He did have 17 strikeouts in nine innings. The Twins may be dialing up free agents if this continues with Ober too long into April.
