On Tuesday, I put out a piece discussing Yahoo’s overrated players in terms of average draft position (ADP). Today, we’ll be focusing on underrated players and the best values. While Yahoo tends to overrate closers, managers seem to ignore catchers on Yahoo.
Many fantasy drafts have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the draft season is over. The official Opening Day is still a week away. Meaning, there is still time to right the wrong that was an earlier fantasy draft. Why not play in an extra league this year? If those earlier drafts didn’t go so well, now is the time to fix it, and I’m here to help.
These studs are being drafted far earlier on other platforms but have fallen in Yahoo leagues. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. Getting a player that has slipped through the cracks, presents an excellent value play. So pay attention to consensus fantasy baseball ADP as the draft progresses. With that said, here are the most underrated players in terms of ADP for Yahoo leagues.
All average draft positions (ADP) are roto league-based. Yahoo ADP is listed first followed by the Consensus ADP. The consensus FantasyPros ADP is created by taking the average ADP between Yahoo, Fantrax, RTSports and NFC leagues.
Undervalued Players to Target on Yahoo
Jeffrey Springs has been consistently awesome throughout his relatively short career. Injuries have often derailed what could have been an elite season, but when Springs is on the field, he produces.
Springs was excellent for Tampa Bay, even back when he joined the club in 2021. As a relief pitcher in his early days, Springs put up strong numbers while striking out an impressive 35.2% of batters. Since then, he’s primarily worked as a starter, where the 6-foot-3 hurler has maintained an ERA under 3.00 with a strikeout rate approaching 30%.
Over the last two seasons, the crafty lefty was able to start just 10 games, but even coming off of long absences, he still pitched well. Now fully healthy for the Athletics, a solid bounce-back year for the 32-year-old could be in store. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him produce fine numbers across the board.
Springs may not win a ton of games pitching for the transitioning club, but the A’s are improved, making 10 wins a reasonable get. The ex-Ray should be rostered in all leagues, including standard ones. If he’s still available at the end of your draft, select him with confidence.
Ivan Herrera doesn’t hit for much power, but boy can the man hit. The Cardinals’ latest backstop hit over .300 last year (259 plate appearances) with a .372 on-base percentage (OBP). He’s been a monster at getting on base again this spring, wrapping up the exhibition games with an eye-catching .379 average and .474 OBP. He has also scattered seven extra-base hits over his 38 plate appearances.
Herrera spent nearly eight years in the Minor leagues perfecting his craft. So while he was considered a rookie last year, he was far from inexperienced. Herrera is penciled in to bat somewhere near the middle of the order, likely around the six spot. There he should have an ample amount of RBI chances, as well as plenty of run-scoring opportunities because of his high on-base percentage.
It’s not often you can snag a catcher who hits over .300 after the draft has been completed. I love Herrera as a deep sleeper this year and I’d take him before plenty of the backstops selected in front of him. In Yahoo leagues, he is an ignored commodity, so you can likely wait until the very end of your draft to snag him.
Merrill Kelly is lasting into the 300s in Yahoo leagues, but I think he deserves a bit more attention. He not only has a knack for winning games, but he keeps his WHIP well below 1.20 and he strikes out a decent amount of batters.
Kelly is now 36 years old and endured an injury-plagued season last year. But if he pitches like he’s capable, 12 wins, a 3.40 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 175 strikeouts are within range. Those may be closer to his ceiling than his floor, but at his extremely late draft slot, he comes with little risk. You can wait till the very end of drafts to get him and he could perform like a mid-round starter.
I’m not the biggest advocate of drafting Yainer Diaz, but if you can get him past the 100th overall pick he possesses some adequate value. The Astros are going to be counting on Diaz a lot this year. He is currently not only expected to catch around 120 games but he’s also slotted in to be their number five hitter.
Diaz can hit over .290, blast 20+ homers and drive in 80+ runs. That type of production from a catcher is worth far more than a selection in the 11th round.
There is some chatter among fantasy circles Diaz will have a tough time reaching 600 plate appearances again. With Christian Walker at first base and Yordan Alvarez ticketed for designated hitter work, there may not be room for Diaz to bat on days he’s not catching. While he may not reach 600 plate appearances again, I do believe 550 is well within range.
Given that Alvarez played 53 games in the outfield last year, he could certainly do it for 30-35 games again this season to keep Diaz active. That would push Jose Altuve back to second base if he is indeed ticketed for left field, but I feel like Astros manager Joe Espada will get creative enough to keep Diaz’s potent bat in the lineup.
If you’re slightly nervous about his playing time, you can move him down a few ticks, but I wouldn’t let him slip into the 100s, as he has in Yahoo leagues. In his third year, Diaz could be in for a monster season and you don’t want to miss out.
Yahoo, like CBS leagues, doesn’t seem to favor Taylor Ward. Down 36 picks from his consensus fantasy ADP, Yahoo players seem to forget the Angels’ lineup should be improved this year. Are they going to win many games? Probably not. But if Mike Trout and company can even stay remotely healthy, Ward should be rewarded with some decent numbers.
Ward is capable of hitting .265 with 25+ home runs and 80 runs/RBI. He’s a tough out almost every time up and regularly hits the ball hard (13% barrel rate, 40% hard-hit rate). Once Luis Rengifo and Zach Neto return to the lineup and pair with Trout and Jorge Soler, the Angels will have a sneaky good top of the lineup.
With a solid supporting cast around him, I fully expect Ward to return some nice value going so late in the draft. Lasting into the 200s seems like a massive bargain, so if he sticks around that long, don’t hesitate to pounce.
Garrett Mitchell is an excellent value going past 300th overall. A strong candidate to finish with a 20/20 season, Mitchell is capable of doing it all on the baseball field. Penciled in to bat fourth in the Brewers’ lineup, per FanGraphs, Mitchell could have a banner year producing in all five categories.
Injuries have held him back to this point in his career, but over three partial seasons, the Milwaukee outfielder has registered 13 homers and 20 steals in just 322 at-bats. Steamer has him projected for a 15/19 season but their projections are usually of the modest variety.
Mitchell’s worth a selection well before pick 300, but since he is going so late in drafts, you can probably wait on him until the final couple of rounds. He may also sit on occasion versus the league’s top lefties, so he may have a bit more value in leagues that allow for daily lineup transactions.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
