This article will uncover fantasy baseball sleepers in the home run department. That includes several legitimate 30-HR candidates who aren’t being drafted in standard leagues.
I’m also excited to disclose a pair of late-round power hitters that I have targeted (and mostly landed) in all of my season-long drafts. Hint: One of them plays for San Diego, who seemingly has an endless amount of sleepers for fantasy baseball. Those who read my “Starting Pitcher Sleepers” article already know that.
We’ll examine these home run sluggers by utilizing FantasyPros’ convenient “ADP Consensus Board” to reference draft expectations and sleeper candidates. On top of that, there will be a section devoted to waiver wire considerations for fantasy enthusiasts who have already drafted.
With that, let’s dive into the good stuff!
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Deep Sleepers (ADP 200 or more)
Domingo Santana has been rescued from the Milwaukee bench while stepping into an everyday role for Seattle. The last time Santana played an entire MLB season, he ended up with 30 HRs, 88 runs, 85 RBIs, and 15 SBs over 151 games in 2017. He’s still firmly in his prime at 26 years old as well. While 30 home runs probably hits his ceiling, Santana is a strong bet to clobber somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 round-trippers. Despite all of that, his ADP remains low at 240.
Framil Reyes is a 6’5″, 275-pound slugger with a raw power rating of 70/70. That alone is worth a look towards the end of drafts, currently holding an ADP of 242. He looked good to finish last season, but the .280 average is probably unsustainable. Something in the .250 to .260 range seems more likely. His playing time is less secure than the previous write-up of Santana, but Reyes could hold a premium lineup spot for the Padres if things go according to plan. There’s a wide range of outcomes here, but 25-35 home runs makes him worth considering this late in the draft.
Waiver Wire Sleepers
Owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues
- Randal Grichuk (OF – TOR)
- Maikel Franco (3B – PHI)
- Daniel Palka (OF – CWS)
- Yonder Alonso (1B – CWS)
- Ryan O’Hearn (1B – KC)
These guys were likely not drafted in standard leagues. Randal Grichuk will probably kill your average as a .248 career hitter who doesn’t seem poised to change. However, he’s also good for 25-30 HR if he stays healthy for an entire season. Did I mention nobody is drafting him? In fact, he’s owned in only 42% of Yahoo leagues. Go ahead and pick him up if your squad needs a power surge.
Maikel Franco has been dubbed as a breakout candidate over the past few years, but he hasn’t quite taken that step forward. The hype has subsided, and we are left with an everyday third baseman who should piece together 25 HRs with a .260 average and 80-85 RBIs. That makes him a nice depth candidate for those looking to beef up their power categories. Franco’s ADP currently rests at 256, and he is currently owned in only 23% of Yahoo leagues.
Daniel Palka may be the deepest sleeper of this article with an ADP of 330 and 4% ownership backing on Yahoo. Just as a reminder, he slugged 27 home runs through 449 plate appearances in 2018. Like most of these “HR Sleeper” candidates, Palka will probably kill your average with a .230 mark. However, his power numbers aren’t a fluke, making him an interesting bench platoon option for your fantasy squad. Take note that his nature as a specialist doesn’t bode well for weekly leagues.
Let’s go from one White Sox slugger to another. Yonder Alonso changed his launch angle in 2017, resulting in 51 total homers over the past two seasons. The 31-year-old seems destined for another helping of 22-25 round-trippers while moving to Chicago’s intriguing ballpark for hitters. Alonso has an ADP of 325 that translates to ownership in only 22% of Yahoo leagues. Food for thought.
Ryan O’Hearn is somebody I’m adding to my watch list. The signing of Lucas Duda is somewhat concerning, and there’s a chance O’Hearn will sit against left-handed pitching. I want to see how all of that plays out before making a move on the 25-year-old slugger. O’Hearn burst onto the scene last year with 12 HRs through 170 plate appearances despite only hitting 11 deep-balls through 406 minor league plate appearances. The raw power is certainly there, but O’Hearn needs to prove his staying power before getting consideration as a worthy fantasy option.
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Spencer Limbach is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Spencer, check out his archive and follow him @spencer_jl.