Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Early Rounds (2025)

Fantasy baseball drafts can be an enigma to even the most experienced managers. They sometimes have close to 30 rounds, and it is easy to get lost after the top players fall off the board. Below, you will find a broad draft strategy applicable to all fantasy baseball league formats.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategies

The Start

The key to the beginning of the draft is to be prepared. Be ready for your favorite player to get sniped right before your turn. You will be frustrated. You will want to make impulsive decisions. Don’t.

First, familiarize yourself with the average draft position (ADP) of players. Note players who interest you and watch where they are projected to be drafted. Keep in mind that the ADP of players is 1). Always shifting and; 2). An average of all fantasy leagues and can not predict outliers like your Cubs fan league-mate drafting Kyle Tucker first overall.

After you glance at fantasy baseball ADP, I recommend creating a ranking of enough players to fill the first two rounds of your draft. This list will be 20 players in 10-player leagues and 24 players in 12-player leagues. Use this ranking to target the best players available in the first two rounds of the draft. It is a good idea to avoid pitchers in these first rounds.

Since fantasy baseball lineups are so big your first picks do not matter as much as they do in fantasy football leagues. You do not have to shoot for the stars. Your first picks will ideally be reliable players who can serve as the foundation of your lineup, such as Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor — proven and healthy commodities. Go through the first rounds of the draft collecting consistently good players to anchor your team. Place a special focus on positional scarcity, such as outfielders in leagues with five outfielders. This is not the time to find upside. There will be plenty of upside later in the draft.

I recommend drafting a lot of consistent hitters during these early rounds and perhaps an ace pitcher or two.