Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Seth Lugo, MacKenzie Gore, Zach Eflin (2025)

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 hitters and pitchers before the hype catches up. Let’s dive into their picks!

Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

Seth Lugo (SP – KC)

“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 (SP – WAS)

“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)

Zach Eflin (SP – BAL)

“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)