Frank Ammirante | Wed, Jan 28th 2026, 7:15am EST

Fantasy Baseball Value-Based Drafting Primer & Advice (2026)

With the fantasy football season over, it’s time to start thinking about fantasy baseball. It’s never too early to draft, as you’re able to find value on younger players before they start getting hyped during spring training.

Below are 25 prospects to consider drafting that could play a role on your squad at some point, be that Opening Day or later in the season.

On this page, we’re going to focus on value-based drafting (VBD). This is where you not only find overvalued players to avoid and undervalued players to target, but also consider position scarcity. Position scarcity is huge in fantasy baseball, since some spots are much thinner than others, so you want to lock those up early.

Without further ado, let’s dive into some fantasy baseball value-based drafting tips.

Fantasy Baseball Value-Based Drafting Primer

We’re going to go through each position and let you know how you should tackle these spots.

We’re also going to consider each category, prioritizing the most scarce attributes. The goal is not to just take who you think will do best, but also build the most well-rounded roster.

1. Prioritize Batting Average With Power

Batting average is down more than ever, especially with teams prioritizing bat speed. Last season, there were only seven qualified hitters who hit .300. But what’s even harder to find is hitters who can slug 30+ home runs while approaching .300.

Here’s a list of hitters with a .280+ average and 30+ home runs:

Here are some other hitters who can achieve this feat in 2026:

2. Build a Strong Batting Average Base

Speaking of batting average, it’s good to prioritize this category throughout the draft. When you keep your batting average high, you can afford to take shots on power hitters with lower batting averages later in your draft.

We often see hitters who are around .230 to .240 fall in drafts since no one wants to kill their batting average. However, if you build a strong base in the early and middle rounds, you can capitalize on this value.

3. Wait on Catcher

If you’re in conventional one-catcher leagues, it’s a good idea to wait on catcher. I know drafting Cal Raleigh is tempting, but those types of seasons are extremely rare. You can stream the position or target young and talented catchers like Francisco Alvarez. There are even undervalued catchers coming off down seasons, like Adley Rutschman.

In one-catcher leagues, there’s too much of an opportunity cost to pay a premium at the position. As for two-catcher leagues, it’s fine to take one early, but wait on your second catcher.

4. Rates Over Volume

For pitching, I’d rather take someone with a high strikeout rate but projected for fewer innings than a workhorse with limited strikeout upside.

In other words, pitchers like Cole Ragans are preferred over someone like Logan Webb. You raise your weekly ceiling this way.

5. Wins & WHIP are Important

Fantasy baseball players tend to prioritize ERA and strikeouts when building their rotation, but don’t neglect wins and WHIP. Make sure to take a few pitchers from World Series contenders, since they have a better chance at wins.

Focus on starters with elite walk rates and low hard-hit rates to help build out your WHIP.

6. Don’t Forget About RBI

When building a lineup, the first thought is home runs and speed. I mentioned how batting average is scarce, but it’s also worth noting that RBI can get neglected.

With that in mind, you don’t want to have a team filled with leadoff hitters. Mix in some hitters in the heart of the order to help with your RBI projection.

7. Saves are League Dependent

How you approach closers depends on your format. If you’re in a traditional head-to-head or roto format, you can wait a bit because they often don’t go as high. You can even punt the category altogether, focusing on finishing first in wins and strikeouts instead or winning those categories each week.

In deeper leagues, such as draft-and-holds, where you don’t make waiver wire pickups, closers are pushed way up the board, since players want security there.

8. Consider Each Position

We also want to think about the depth of each position. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to approach them:

Catcher: Draft late in one-catcher leagues. Target an anchor and wait on your second catcher in two-catcher leagues.
First Baseman: Thins out quickly. Try to get a first baseman as your corner infielder since they tend to have more plate appearances than third basemen.
Second Baseman: Weak at the top, but deep overall. Several bounce-back candidates like Matt McLain.
Third Baseman: Thin, with a few rare speed contributors. Getting stolen bases from here can be helpful.
Shortstop: Thins out quickly. Try to get a shortstop as your middle infielder since they tend to have more plate appearances than second basemen.
Outfielder: Deep position where there are several power and speed options, so prioritize that.
Starting Pitcher: Try to get an anchor in the first three rounds; balance floor and ceiling.
Reliever: Depends on your league, but I like to get a top-seven closer as my RP1 and then wait on RP2.

9. Compare Platform ADPs

It’s always good to compare average draft position (ADP) on the platform of your league with other sites. You can see where the player is likely to go in your league and find who is undervalued compared to other sites.

Some platforms are more active, making their ADP sharper and better to use, perhaps even more so than the one where your league is. For example, ESPN leagues may have some prospects like Konnor Griffin go way later, making them easier to draft there.

10. Balance Risk & Upside

Throughout your roster, you want to balance risk and upside. You don’t want your pitching staff to be filled with players like Tyler Glasnow, who are more likely to be limited in volume.

It’s a good idea to pair upside and floor players. For example, if you took Glasnow, it would make sense to pair him with someone like Logan Webb, since the latter has a high floor.

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