When entering a fresh new fantasy baseball campaign, you’re always looking for players that are drafted outside of the top-five that have upside to become a top-five asset at the position, and that’s what Vinnie Pasquantino could be at first base in 2026. Which is ironic because he was just that in 2025 and yet is being taken as the 10th first baseman this year. I think he could take it a step further and finish as a top-three player at the position, so let me sell you the dream.

Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight: Vinnie Pasquantino

Pasquantino had a really solid 2025 campaign as he finished as the fourth-highest scoring first baseman per Yahoo scoring. Diving into that 2025 campaign is interesting because he dominated in a lot of different areas.

  • 32 home runs (career-high)
  • 72 runs scored (career-high)
  • 113 runs batted in (career-high)
  • .264/.323/.475 slash line

But looking into it further, things could’ve gone even better if Pasquantino got off to a halfway decent start. It didn’t even have to be good. In March and April – which was a 30-game span – Pasquantino hit .177. He had a .177/.242/.327 slash along with a .243 wOBA. The .186 BABIP suggests he was quite unlucky, so what could’ve been!

From May 1st on, “The Pasquatch” slashed .283/.341/.508 with a .361 wOBA, posting 28 bombs, 95 RBI, and 63 more runs scored. That’s better than half the positions over the course of an entire season, and that’s excluding 30 games that he played in!

 

 

 

Now, let’s talk about the ballpark change at Kauffman Stadium. There’s a video on MLB.com per Statcast that shows an average of 46 balls hit from 2021-’25 would likely become home runs with the new fences, and in the video here, you can see the adjustments made to the fence.

Here’s another video from MLB.com that shows how the wall will be moved in at “The K”

In fact, Pasquantino shared his own thoughts with Royals beat writer Anne Rogers about the Wall changes and how excited he is about them.

Only Pete Alonso and Pasquantino hit at least 30 home runs and drove in 100 runs at the position last year, and with an improved ballpark situation around him, that type of production should only amplify. 

With all that information, if you don’t land one of the top first basemen in the first few rounds of the draft, Pasquantino is available in the sixth and has another top-five finish lined up if he repeats 2025, yet I think 2026 is going to be even better. Buy the ADP and even reach on the player if he’s your guy.