Identifying early sleepers is one of the best ways to gain an edge in fantasy baseball drafts. Whether it’s a breakout hitter poised to take the next step or a pitcher ready to exceed expectations, finding undervalued players can make a huge difference in your championship pursuit. To help you stay ahead of the competition, we asked our Featured Pros to highlight their top early sleepers for the 2025 fantasy baseball season. Their expert insights will help you target the right pitchers before the hype catches up. Let’s dive into their picks!
Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Which hitter outside the top 150 overall in ECR do you expect to be this year’s biggest sleeper and why?
Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Pitchers
Which starting pitcher outside the top 150 overall in ECR do you expect to be this year’s biggest sleeper and why?
“I don’t know what more Seth Lugo has to do to prove his worth to fantasy managers. In 2023, he broke out in the Padres rotation, and last season, he was a Cy Young contender who tossed 206 innings with a 3 ERA and 184 Ks. Although Lugo is 35 years old, he doesn’t have nearly the wear and tear on his arm as he’s spent most of his career in the bullpen. The fact you can be that good and basically be a sleeper is frankly cuckoo.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
“MacKenzie Gore is going way too late in drafts. In 2024, he was 12th in K/9 (9.79), 10th lowest in HR/9 (0.81), and 9th lowest HR/FB rate (9.0%) while being unlucky with the highest BABIP in baseball at .340. Gore is missing more barrels, and his BB% is getting better by the year. An absolute bargain at his current ADP.”
– Todd D Clark (The Fantasy Fix)
“Hopefully, Maher doesn’t beat me to this pick, but Zach Eflin at an ECR of 190th overall sure feels like highway robbery to me. In nine starts after being traded to Baltimore at the deadline in 2024, Eflin went 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA (145 ERA+), averaging over six innings per start. His FIP was a bit higher, and the Great Wall of Baltimore is being moved in a bit this year, so I wouldn’t expect a direct repeat. But this is one of the two best pitchers for a team that expects to win a lot of games, so double-digit wins and nearly a strikeout per inning seem like a low-end outcome for a guy almost going after pick 200. Sign me up in any format at that price, especially when we’ve seen an even higher ceiling with the Orioles already.”
– Ryan Wormeli (FantasyPros)
“Cristopher Sanchez doesn’t get enough credit for putting up a workhorse-like year in 2024 with over 180 innings pitched. He produced low strikeout numbers, yet two of his three pitches had a 30% or higher WHIFF rate. The fastball brought him down as a nothing burger to punch outs at only a 13% WHIFF rate. This season he is working on adding the cutter in, which could be a difference-maker in getting to those strikeout pitches in bigger spots. If he raises his K% to around 25% to go along with a low three ERA, he could be a top-30 SP in 2025.”
– Chris Welsh (FantasyPros)
“The starting pitcher outside the top 150 overall in ECR that I expect to be this year’s biggest sleeper is Luis Gil of the New York Yankees. He’s the reigning AL rookie of the year and is coming off of a 15-win season. His 10.17 K/9 is outstanding, and I look for continued growth from Luis Gill in the 2025 season.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
“I will be the first to admit that I may have a slight obsession with Spencer Arrighetti, but I also think he has the potential to make a leap forward in 2025. He now has a full season under his belt, which ended with a 27.1% strikeout rate and a 27.7% whiff rate. He seemed to figure things out as the season wore on, accumulating a 3.18 ERA and .226 BAA in the second half. Arrighetti had an ugly 1.30 HR/9, but this does not track with any of his minor league history, and his xERA was a half-run lower than his actual. If he controls the long ball, he is going to be a boon to many fantasy teams coming out of the 18th round.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
“I might have Brady Singer in every league this year. I have him ranked over 100 spots ahead of his ECR and ADP. Sure, he struggled the last couple of months of the season, and he’s moving to Cincinnati’s terrible park for pitching. However, he was also 11th in GB rate among qualified pitchers last year. From the start of the season through July, he had 125 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 22.2% K rate, and a 7% BB rate. two out of the last three seasons, he’s had 150+ innings of sub-4 ERA ball going after pick 300.”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
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