Skip to main content

Draft These Late-Round Targets (Fantasy Baseball)

Draft These Late-Round Targets (Fantasy Baseball)

You’ve all but finished your draft but there is one pick left. What you do with that pick could mean nothing, or it could mean snagging the potential steal of the draft. Unlike real team drafts where the last pick may be Mr. Irrelevant, it’s far from unheard of to find a fantasy contributor in those final rounds.

With so many players to choose from, we asked our featured pundits below which hitter or pitcher they’d take with the final picks in their drafts.

Nail your draft with pick-by-pick advice from experts partner-arrow

Q1. What hitter should fantasy owners target with their last pick as a final-round flier?

Ryan McMahon (1B – COL)
“Rockies’ first baseman, Ryan McMahon, is going mostly undrafted in standard 12-team leagues, yet I consider him to be the odds-on favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year. Last season in the minor leagues, the top 50 prospect batted .355 with an amazing 63 extra-base hits in just 119 games played. Add on 11 stolen bases in that time and you’ll see why I think he can be a 5-category first baseman from the get-go in Coors if he is given the starting job out of spring training.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Dustin Fowler (OF – OAK)
“Fowler made headlines in 2017 for the wrong reason, as the rookie ruptured his patellar tendon in the first inning of his Major League debut with NYY on an exposed power box at Guaranteed Rate Field. This overshadowed his hitting 13 homers and stealing 13 bases in 70 Triple-A games, which explains why he was called up! Now with Oakland, Fowler could find himself leading off when he plays, but Boog Powell may eat into his playing time more than folks would like. If the playing time presents itself, he could be a 15/15 threat with counting stats that come from atop the lineup.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)

Nick Senzel (3B – CIN)
“The Cincinnati Reds love Nick Senzel so much, they’re trying to get him into their lineup as soon as possible and that includes sliding him over and trying him at shortstop. Senzel’s bat will play just fine at any position. He has arguably one of the best hit tools in the minors and enough power and speed to pump out plenty of 20/20 seasons. It’s likely not going to take long for Senzel to crack the Reds’ everyday lineup and you’re going to want him on your fantasy team when that happens. So, get a head start and draft him in the last round.”
– Eric Cross (Fantrax)

C.J. Cron (1B – TB)
“With a current consensuses ADP of 456, C.J. Cron could easily be snagged with the final pick in most formats. That said, I love his upside for this year. In the last 3 seasons, Cron’s playing time was limited, never exceeding 407 ABs. With a fresh start in Tampa, and seemingly no competition for playing time, I expect to see a reasonable increase across the board in all counting stats. The AVG will not be fantastic, however, 25 HR and 80+ RBI are very possible targets for a full season of production.”
– Jason Johnson (Understanding Fantasy Baseball)

Q2. What pitcher should fantasy owners target with their last pick as a final-round flier?

Tyler Glasnow (SP – PIT)
“The Pirates may not plug Glasnow back into the rotation to begin the season after he was lit up in spring training. Eventually, however, they will, and although he was lousy in the big leagues last year, the 6’8″ fireballer was sensational again in the minor leagues last season. He posted a 1.93 ERA with 140 Ks in 93 innings and a sub 1.00 WHIP. Now, he won’t be that dominant in Pittsburgh, but there is obviously serious upside here.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Chris Stratton (SP – SF)
“As always, ‘final round’ is relative to your league size so I’ll extend a bit and go with Chris Stratton: Curveballer Extraordinaire. With pitcher-friendly AT&T Park as his home and Buster Posey serving as his batterymate, the stage is set for Stratton to unlock his Rich Hillian potential thanks to a curve that topped the spin-rate leaderboard at 3,105 RPM (min. 100 pitches). The 27-year-old made nine starts down the stretch last season, posting a 2.42 ERA with 43 K’s in 44 2/3 innings. His 3.81 FIP in that time period sets a more reasonable expectation, and wouldn’t you know it — he’s got a 3.86 ERA with 18 K’s in 16 1/3 spring innings as of this writing. Stratton is out to give “spin class” a whole new meaning in 2018.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)

Chris Devenski (RP – HOU)
“One pitcher that deserves a lot more love in drafts is Chris Devenski. In his two Major League seasons, Devenski has a 2.38 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 9.7 K/9 while his 17.1% swinging strike rate trailed only Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen last season. He might not get you more than a handful of saves, but his ratios and strikeouts are highly valuable. If Ken Giles were to land on the disabled list, Devenski would be a borderline top-10 fantasy relief pitcher.”
– Eric Cross (Fantrax)

J.C. Ramirez (SP – LAA)
“With a consensus ADP of 525, J.C. Ramirez is not getting drafted in most leagues. He has looked very good this spring, continuing to maintain a 95+ mph fastball and an improved K/9. The Angels overall have improved this offseason and should give him a chance to win some games. After Richards and Ohtani, there isn’t much talent that should challenge him for a spot in the rotation, and if he starts the year strong, he could see a full season of work. Absolutely worth a late-round flyer.”
– Jason Johnson (Understanding Fantasy Baseball)


Thank you to the experts for naming their final-round picks. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and listen/subscribe to our podcast below for all the latest discussions this season including more sleepers with Eno Sarris!

SubscribeiTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | Google Play

More Articles

Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice: Week 1 (2024)

Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice: Week 1 (2024)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 5 min read
Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart: Michael Harris II, Zach Eflin, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2024)

Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart: Michael Harris II, Zach Eflin, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2024)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 10 min read
MLB DFS, PrizePicks & Underdog Player Props Picks: Thursday (3/28)

MLB DFS, PrizePicks & Underdog Player Props Picks: Thursday (3/28)

fp-headshot by Josh Shepardson | 1 min read
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Jordan Romano, Michael Kopech, Paul Sewald (2024)

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Jordan Romano, Michael Kopech, Paul Sewald (2024)

fp-headshot by Austin Lowell | 4 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice: Week 1 (2024)

Next Up - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice: Week 1 (2024)

Next Article