Yes, believe it or not, we’re up to the 20th week of the 2026 fantasy baseball season. With playoffs on the horizon, it’s a good idea to start loading up on bench help, or even add a piece to help with one’s starting lineup. Here’s our hitter target list for Week 20, highlighted by a well-known prospect from the Cardinals.
Best Week 20 hitters to target
- OF Joshua Baez (Cardinals)
- OF Jakob Marsee (Marlins)
- 1B/3B Isaac Paredes (Astros)
- OF Cam Smith (Astros)
- SS Trevor Story (Red Sox)
Before we begin, let’s get something straight: don’t expect a three-home-run day from Joshua Baez every day. I don’t think that needs to be stated but it should just be gotten out of the way.
Baez is a legitimate home run hitter, one with pop and the ability to affect the game in other ways, too. But after he led all of Triple-A in home runs — and still does, as of now — before his promotion, the prospect of picking up a strong power hitter for a club with depth in the lineup has a lot of perks.
However, one thing to note is that, as we documented shortly before his official promotion, there’s a lot of swing-and-miss and chase in his game.
Jakob Marsee’s 2026 season has not been easy. The second-year outfielder entered play on August 16 with a .212 batting average. But over the past week-plus, Marsee has done his job. From August 7 through August 15, Marsee had 11 hits and seven runs scored over an eight-game span.
It feels like a biweekly reminder to pick up Isaac Paredes has to be given. Paredes, entering the 16th, had an eight-game span in which he accrued 13 hits and seven RBI for the Houston Astros. And Cam Smith, who’s gone through his ebbs and flows over the first two seasons of his MLB career, hit three home runs and seven runs scored over a seven-game span this month.
Lastly, Trevor Story is on the rehab path, as he started an assignment on August 16 in Triple-A Worcester. We’ll see how much of an impact that Story can have for the Sox over the last few weeks. But with the former Silver Slugger winner, he’s always worth a stash — especially since he’s available in so many leagues.
Overview of Week 19
George Lombard Jr., who was on our Week 19 list, continued a strong start to his MLB career with hits in four of six games this past week.
Twins infielder Royce Lewis turned into a must-own in recent weeks. Lewis had three two-hit games versus the Orioles this past week, plus two more hits over the club’s three-game series against the Phillies.
Josh Bell had seven hits over the last week. Five of those, including a home run, came in the Twins’ series against the Orioles.
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