Of the many reasons to love fantasy baseball, the draft has to be at the top of the list. Looking ahead to 2024 drafts, let’s discuss which positions drafters can be patient with and where they need to be aggressive. The goal is to try and get as much value as you can at every position.
Fantasy Baseball Positional Value Takeaways & Advice
Catcher
In a one-catcher league, you can almost always be patient and wait to draft a catcher. The difference between the first catcher and any other starter isn’t going to be huge. Cal Raleigh is going 100 picks after Adley Rutschman, but they will likely have similar counting stats with more homers and a worse average.
First Base
This is the deepest position in fantasy baseball. Drafting Freeman is safe and he’ll probably end up as a top-five player, but you’re likely passing up on players at a position with more of a need. There are lots of options outside the top-100 with which you could be happy.
Second Base
There are four true standouts at this position: Mookie Betts, Ozzie Albies, Marcus Semien, and Jose Altuve. Getting one of these players could give you an advantage over your opponents.
Third Base
This position was surprisingly deeper in 2023 than was originally thought, although third base doesn’t offer a lot of options for speed. That doesn’t matter much in a points league, but it’s important to note for category leagues. There were only five players at the position with 25+ steals last season: Bobby Witt, Ha-Seong Kim, Elly De La Cruz, Willi Castro, and Jose Ramirez.
Shortstop
A perennially deep position, there are studs at the top, but you can also be patient. There is speed and upside throughout the shortstop player pool.
Outfield
This position is a mess. Getting an OF1 is a top priority in most drafts, and even more so in any league starting five outfielders. Getting two top-20 outfielders would be ideal. Getting Ronald Acuna would be perfect.
Starting Pitcher
The top guys are accurately priced, but it’s hard to pass up a top hitter in the first round for a pitcher. Pitchers inherently have more injury risk and in a categories league, it’s likely that they’re not contributing to all pitching categories. Framber Valdez, Max Fried, Pablo Lopez, or Logan Webb can hold down a rotation as your SP1 if you want to wait.
Relief Pitcher
In a league that values saves, it is important to get at least one reliever you can trust to get most of a team’s opportunities, but you don’t have to be the first one to take a reliever either. Edwin Diaz is currently 28 spots behind Devin Williams in ADP and we know his upside at the position. In saves plus holds leagues, be as patient as you can handle, then wait for one more round.
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