As you prepare for your fantasy baseball drafts, figuring out who you want to target in drafts and who you want to avoid is important. Culling your draft list is crucial to make it go seamlessly. Luckily for you we have a range of players to target and avoid below. From that list, here are a few top sleepers for you to consider. Unlocking value late in fantasy baseball drafts is key to building toward a championship.
Fantasy Baseball Players to Target & Avoid
- Catchers to Target & Avoid
- First Basemen to Target & Avoid
- Second Basemen to Target & Avoid
- Shortstops to Target & Avoid
- Third Basemen to Target & Avoid
- Outfielders to Target & Avoid
- Starting Pitchers to Target & Avoid
More Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice
Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Walker is one of the top prospects in baseball. While there is a crowded situation in the outfield, where he is transitioning to because of Arenado, he is crushing in spring training with three home runs and a .429 average in 29 at-bats. He has very little to prove in the minor and could force his way into the Opening Day roster. If they announce he will be up on Opening Day, expect him to be drafted in the top 50 picks and be well worth that price. Grab him in your drafts as soon as possible.
I felt better about this call before Turner got hit in the face with a pitch this last week, but it sounds like he is going to be ready for opening day. Turner is always underrated, but now he is moving to a nice park in Boston where he is going to be a full-time DH, which should help him stay on the field. He struggled early in 2022, but after August, he was fantastic, hitting .318/.384/.503 with five home runs. I am betting on him in deeper leagues for a nice first year in Beantown.
The fantasy community buries prospects that struggle in their first go around. Abrams struggled last season, but he was rushed by the Padres and then was traded in the Soto deal. He should play every day in Washington and offers a ton of stolen base potential, but I think the hit tool is very good, and I think there is enough power to get over double digits in Nationals Park. He’s efinitely a good fallback option if you miss out on shortstops or need speed late.
Coming into the offseason, I was largely ignoring Donovan. He seemed like an empty average guy. However, the more I dug into him, the more I became interested. It looks like he might hit second in St. Louis and spent the offseason working on lifting the ball. He also added more muscle and strength. With even just a little bit of power added, he could go from a boring empty average guy to one that is an enticing accumulator.
It has been a few years since Will Myers delivered fantasy goodness, but Great American Ballpark cures a lot of ills for hitters. The main question on Myers isn’t talent; it’s health. He should play pretty much every day in the middle of the lineup for the Reds and could be this year’s Brandon Drury.
Lars Nootbaar has been a popular sleeper target already this draft season, and I am a bit surprised that his ADP has not risen higher. He has all the physical tools with power and speed for a breakout. There is also a belief that he could lead off, which would be huge on what looks like one of the best lineups in baseball. The question is how many plate appearances we could see. If Nootbaar gets 650 plate appearances, he could be one of the best deals in the draft.
My love for TJ Friedl is no secret. He has power and speed and is in the conversation to lead off in Cincinnati, which is one of the best parks in baseball to hit in. In 2022, he hit eight home runs and stole seven bases in just 258 plate appearances. If you prorate that out to 600 plate appearances, it looks like an 18/17 season He isn’t even being drafted in 10 and 12-team leagues, which makes him a perfect late dart throw with a ton of upside.
Bradish is quickly becoming a trendy sleeper for deeper leagues, but those of you in shallower formats should begin to take notice as well. He has great stuff with average command and a fantastic home park to pitch in. After a pitch mix change in the second half, he posted a 3.28 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 65 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. He is still extremely cheap and a nice gamble if he can keep the gains we saw at the end of last year.
Suarez also made a pitch mix change in the second half of 2022, throwing his slider more, and it resulted in a breakout. He threw 64 innings in the second half with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts. He has great command and good stuff, and as long as he continues with the slider-heavy approach, he could maintain a lot of his gains from 2022.
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – which optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
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