It’s only logical, as some players move up our rankings, others must move down. To help make sense of all this, our writers are taking a deeper look at some of the players climbing the ladder and some who have slipped a few rungs.

Risers

Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox – Current Rank: 11, Previous Rank: 25

OK, so Roman Anthony is not the biggest riser, but I thought he’d be the most fun to write about so here we go. Anthony ranked 25^th last year in our outfield rankings.  He was right next to Colton Cowser, and leapfrogged Outfield Faller candidates Anthony Santander and Bryan Reynolds. What a difference a year can make.

Anthony was considered the best hitting prospect going into the 2025 season, and he lived up to the billing after being promoted to Boston in June. Anthony slashed a terrific .292/.396/.463 and 140 OPS+ before an oblique injury ended his season after 71 games. Despite only 300 plate appearances Anthony finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and posted a 3.1 WAR according to Baseball-Reference.

Anthony had too small a major league sample to register percentiles on his Baseball Savant page, but his average exit velocity was 94.5 mph which nearly matches the 95.0 mph he registered at Triple-A Worcester prior to being promoted. Compared to Major Leaguers his 90^th percentile exit velocity is a less impressive but still excellent 107.4 mph. Anthony barrels the ball 15% of the time, and he has a mature approach at the plate. He doesn’t chase pitches out of the strike zone, he takes a lot of walks, and only 8% of his contact was of the soft variety per Fangraphs.

If you want to hunt for some potential problems for next year, Anthony struck out 27% of the time. He swung at only half the pitches he saw in the strike zone, and his contact rate was merely an acceptable 83.3%. Despite near elite average exit velocities and excellent barrel and hard-hit rates during his debut, Anthony’s maximum exit velocity was a more human 113.7 mph. His groundball rate has consistently been over 50% on his batted balls throughout his professional career.

I had to dig a bit to find any flaws. Even Anthony’s less glowing traits would be glowing for three-quarters of the league. I’m not sure I expect Anthony’s 2026 to match the offensive pace he set in his debut, but it’s probably unreasonable to expect him to be an MVP in his first full season. I think for next year Anthony should get a .270 average, good OBP, and 20-25 homers while hitting in the middle of Boston’s lineup. It’s fun when you can find a young guy like Anthony who had such a stellar debut and yet find points where he can grow and improve. They are the kind of young players I like to have on my teams.

Fallers

Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles – Current Rank: 69, Previous Rank: 28

Colton Cowser was our 28^th ranked outfielder last January after a season where he hit 24 home runs and finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. He played 153 games for a playoff team and looked cemented into Baltimore’s lineup. Cowser did present some caution flags underneath the surface, as he struck out 30% of the time. He had a very disappointing season in 2025 when he slashed .196/.269/.385. His strikeout rate climbed to 35.6%, and his walk rate dropped from 9.3% in 2024 to 7.5% in 2025. Pretty discouraging, right?

The context of Cowser’s terrible, horrible, very bad 2025 season is that after four games Cowser broke his thumb and missed two months. After coming back, he ran into the wall in Detroit and fractured his ribs. He played through the fractured ribs and honestly, he probably shouldn’t have. To top it all off, he also suffered a concussion.

In 2024 Cowser produced a 90^th percentile barrel rate and well above average exit velocity. He generated a 73.6 mph bat speed in both 2024 and 2025, allowing Cowser to maintain similar exit velocities in 2025. As mentioned, he did strike out in 35% of his plate appearances last year, yet he did not chase more out of the zone. He was more passive on pitches in the strike zone, swinging at 6% fewer pitches, and when Cowser swung at those pitches he missed them 5% more frequently. That is a lot of extra strikes, resulting not only extra strikeouts but also more counts that are not in his favor. As an admittedly small sample size example, in 2-1 counts he hit .308/.357/.462. In 1-2 counts he hit .098/.098/.157, and he was in 1-2 counts 51 times as opposed to just fourteen 2-1 counts.

Cowser should enter Spring Training healthy and looking to regain his 2024 form. With the departure of Cedric Mullins last season, the Orioles added Taylor Ward this offseason in a surprising trade, but Cowser should still see quite a bit of playing time as the only centerfielder currently on the roster. This could change before Spring Training, but Cowser could be a player worth looking at later in drafts or if his current owner is willing to move him at a discounted price. Often players who play through nagging or painful injuries subtly adjust their mechanics to compensate for the injury, so a return to form is certainly not guaranteed. But Cowser should receive ample opportunity and patience given how thin the Orioles are in the outfield.

(Brandon Ring)