While you’re looking for sure things in the first few rounds, the later you get into drafts the more upside you’d like to accrue. As always, there appears to be plenty of value to be had later in fantasy baseball drafts.
Below, we’ve asked our experts to identify their favorite late-round targets, in this case, players outside the top 150 of our Expert Consensus Rankings.
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Who’s your favorite late-round pick?
Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF – BOS): ECR 208
“Bradley Jr. is still in the prime of his career with a 26-homer season under his belt back in 2016. Bradley Jr. stole a career-high 17 bases last season on just 18 attempts. The speed provides a nice floor for value but where Bradley Jr. can really move the needle is with his power. He was extremely unlucky in terms of power in 2018 managing just 13 home runs on 35 balls barreled. For comparison sake, that’s the same number of barrels as Nolan Arenado and Cody Bellinger and his average exit velocity on line drives and fly balls ranked 20th in the league last year with a minimum of 200 batted balls. His elite defensive play in center field gives him an everyday role. Bradley Jr. has a great shot at hitting 20+ homers while swiping 15 bags and is going right around pick 250 overall in drafts.”
– Max Freeze (@FreezeStats)
Trevor May (SP/RP – MIN): ECR 295
“I’ve already talked up Josh James enough so let’s move over to another late-round pitcher that I want in every draft this season. May should win the Twins’ closer job for a potential playoff team in Minnesota after an absolutely dominant second half. He struck out 13.3 per nine innings which comes out to 100+ over a full season. Among the relievers with a rate above 13 per nine innings, May has the fewest walks at 1.85. As a result, his WHIP was much better than Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen, and Aroldis Chapman. We could be looking at the next uber-closer in the last round of drafts.”
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypros)
Tyler White (1B – HOU): ECR 209
“I was a proud Tyler White owner last season, as he really showed up late season. White slashed .287/.350/.551 with 10 homers and 147 wRC+ through 51 games post-All-Star break. Based on this alone he should be starting at DH moving into the 2019 season over Evan Gattis. He’s not a sure thing by any means with his big 2016 struggles, however, I see him continuing to thrive with the rest of the extraordinary Astros’ offense. I’m absolutely buying with his current ADP.”
– Kamran Hoda (@Kamran_H7)
Matt Barnes (RP – BOS): ECR 327
“As of right now, Barnes is competing to be the closer for the reigning World Series champions. He had a stunning 36.2% K rate, which makes up for his 12% walk rate. In addition to all those Ks, he racked up a 53% groundball rate, and his FIP and xFIP showed much better than his still-decent 3.65 ERA. While Ryan Brasier is an obstacle, Barnes is the more dominating pitcher, and Brasier had luck on his side last year (86% strand rate, .198 BABIP). If you are drafting right now, taking Barnes with the last pick in standard leagues is smart. Of course, if Kimbrel signs back with the Red Sox, you can cut him easily. If he signs elsewhere, Barnes would likely shoot up over 100 spots in ADP. Make sure you gamble on him before it’s too late.”
– Carmen Maiorano (@cmaiorano3)
Jeimer Candelario (3B – DET): ECR 278
“Candelario was hitting .272/.359/.497 prior to getting sidelined with a wrist injury in mid-May. Although he only sat out 11 games, the third baseman wasn’t the same when returning. He ended 2018 with a putrid .224/.317/.393 slash line and a .292 xwOBA actually falls below his lackluster .311 mark. As a result, he doesn’t have a top-300 ADP in any of the five sites included in the consensus, and the experts aren’t loving him either. Drafters might as well purchase a cheap lottery ticket. The 25-year-old, who hit .283/.359/.425 in 142 plate appearances the previous season, has a locked-in job for the Tigers. If healthy, he could repair last season’s strikeout woes and compile 20-25 homers with decent counting stats and a respectable batting average. He’s the perfect post-hype flier to round out your roster.”
– Andrew Gould (@andrewgould4)
Eduardo Escobar (3B/SS – ARI): ECR 185
“What if I told you that you could get 20+ home runs, 80+ RBI, 80+ runs scored, a .265-ish batting average, multiple-position eligibility, and even a handful of steals after the 150 slot in your fantasy draft? Eduardo Escobar’s current ADP is 188, and he offers some excellent value with shortstop and third base eligibility late in drafts. In 2018, he hit .272 with 23 home runs, 74 runs scored, 84 RBI, and two stolen bases while increasing his walk rate and his hard-hit percentage. He was traded to the Diamondbacks and should start the year hitting second or third in the Arizona lineup. And while the Arizona lineup will not look the same in 2019 without Paul Goldschmidt or A.J. Pollock, Escobar should get plenty of opportunities to score and drive in runs.”
– Mike Maher (@mikemaher)
Billy Hamilton (OF – KC): ECR 170
“This hurts to even type, but hear me out. Hamilton was a player that I would refuse to draft each year, and I would write heavily against fantasy baseball players taking him, too. He would typically go within the first five rounds of drafts, and that was just too high for a one-category player. This year, though, Hamilton finally has a chance to return value at his current ECR and ADP. The only way the Royals are going to score is by stealing bases, and there’s no reason Hamilton can’t give you 40-45 steals with a .245-.250 average and 65-70 runs. He’s going to have the automatic green light in Kansas City, and he is, for once, a good, cheap source of stolen bases.”
– Michael Waterloo (@MichaelWaterloo)
Luke Voit (1B – NYY): ECR 183
“In late-August, the Yankees trotted out Luke Voit as their everyday first baseman for a series in Baltimore. Voit went deep three times in the series, instantly earning more at-bats in the Bronx. He then followed with 11 HRs over the final five weeks (seven in the last 11 games) and solved the Yank’s Greg Bird problem. Giving him a full season in Yankee Stadium with the short porch is a major opportunity at a nice value. He gave fantasy owners a clutch power boost to end last year and could be the cheap power bat that leads owners to the promised land in 2019. Want affordable power? Voit has very real potential of clubbing 40 HRs on the cheap.”
– Josh Dalley (@joshdalley72)
Kenta Maeda (SP – LAD): ECR 201
“Since coming over from Japan, Kenta Maeda has been quietly dominant. He boasts a career 3.80 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 3.72 K/BB ratio over three seasons with the Dodgers. Maeda was in the middle of his best year as a big leaguer last year, posting a 3.30 FIP and 10.62 K/9 in 20 starts. His strikeout rate surged thanks to an improved changeup, which, along with his slider, helped Maeda achieve a monster 14.4% SwStr rate. He was moved to the bullpen later in the season, but that was thanks to the Dodgers’ wealth of quality arms. Alex Wood is gone, and manager Dave Roberts already stated that Maeda would begin the year in the rotation. Yes, he has injury troubles, and yes he hasn’t pitched more than 135 innings in each of the last two seasons, but when healthy Maeda has frontline potential because of his two above-average breaking pitches. At his current ECR, Maeda is a gamble worth taking in upcoming drafts.”
– Elliott Baas (@elliottbaasbb)
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