Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets: Xavier Edwards, Max Muncy, Brendan Donovan

Targeting players for batting average and on-base percentage (OBP) are two very different things in today’s game. Outside of the top few rounds, you often have players who are good at hitting for average or have very good on-base skills. We will be looking at a total of 10 players today outside the top 100 of fantasy baseball average draft position (APD) in drafts. Four will be players to target for batting average; four will be players to target in OBP formats. We finish off the list with two sleepers for deep leagues.

P.S. The most obvious name is Luis Arraez. I did not forget about him but decided not to include the most obvious name of the bunch. I guess you can count this as his mention for batting average assets. He would be the top asset in this category.

Fantasy Baseball Players to Target

Fantasy Baseball Players to Target for Batting Average

Xavier Edwards (SS – MIA)

You might be able to call Xavier Edwards Luis Arraez-lite. Edwards has a very contact-heavy approach that has proven to work for him. In the last four stops across multiple levels, he has hit at least .295. He has a good eye at the plate and it shows.

Edwards does not chase much while hitting about 90% of balls in the zone. This high rate of contact helps him sustain those batting averages. The walks are inconsistent but when they are up the OBP is also a strength and he could be one of the few players who is a net positive in both categories. The batting average feels far safer as a strength here.

Fantasy Baseball Players to Target for OBP

Max Muncy (3B – LAD)

Even in down years where Max Muncy hits around .200, he still puts up a serviceable OBP. A career .352 OBP comes with a career 15% walk rate to back it up. Given the lineup context and on-base ability, there is a lot to like if you wait on third base in an OBP format.

Brendan Donovan (OF – STL)

Brendan Donovan is boring but there is playing time here with some power to go along strong batting average and OBP skills. The fact both are a strength fits the needs of either category.