Steals are classically one of the most elusive stats to obtain in fantasy baseball leagues. Thankfully, due to a few rule changes in recent years (limited pickoff throws, bigger bases), the stolen base has become slightly easier to come by. In fact, there has been a pretty significant increase over the last three seasons. Comparing 2022 to 2025, the league total for stolen bases grew by a staggering 38%. That’s nearly 1,000 more steals around the league (3,440 total) than there were just a few years ago.
So while steals are still highly valuable and not always easy to find, the days of paying a premium price for them may be over. With that in mind, it’s a great idea – now more than ever – to target base stealers who can help you in other categories as well. While there’s still use for the 40-steal, 10-home run guy, there may not be much appeal for the 20-stolen-base player who hits .250 and is lucky to surpass 60 RBIs or runs scored.
There are plenty of obvious names in the first couple of rounds who fit this profile, but today we’ll be turning our attention to the less heralded. Let’s get right to it. Here are seven stolen base threats to target starting in round five.
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Fantasy Baseball Targets for Steals
Brice Turang (2B – MIL)
Brice Turang is the only second baseman who’s going to give you true five-category production. While he comes at a high cost, the steals, along with everything else, are easily worth it. The third-year pro nabbed 24 bags last year to go along with 18 homers, 97 runs, and 81 RBIs. He also finished the campaign with a cool .288 batting average.
Turang is entering his age-26 season and will likely continue to improve. He stole 50 bags in 2024, and with his added exit velocity and higher launch angle, a 20-homer, 40-steal season isn’t hard to imagine. Turang also takes his walks (.359 OBP last year), which helps lead to even more stolen-base opportunities. As he enters the prime of his career, Turang is an excellent value at second base and someone to absolutely target if you’re chasing steals.
Geraldo Perdomo (SS – ARI)
Can Geraldo Perdomo repeat last year’s success? Statcast seems to think so, as his xBA, xwOBA, squared-up rate, chase rate, whiff rate, K%, and BB% all rank in the top 13% of the league. Like Turang, Perdomo will cost you a pretty penny, but he should fill up the stat sheet on a nightly basis.
He doesn’t qualify at second base unfortunately, but his numbers at shortstop last year were good enough to place him in the top five at the position. As a full-time starter, Perdomo assembled a massive .290/.389/.462 season while supplying close to 30 steals. He also scored 98 runs and drove in 100. Perdomo should continue to thrive hitting alongside two of the best bats in baseball in Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte. He walked an impressive 94 times while striking out just 83 times and missed only a single game all year. He’s an excellent target to help fill up your steals category.
Jeremy Pena (SS – HOU)
Jeremy Pena is another player who can do it all. Entering his age-28 season, we may just be reaching the tip of the iceberg. The Astros shortstop stole 20 bags last year in just 125 games. He also hit 17 home runs (many of them in the clutch) while maintaining a .304 batting average.
His metrics are also extremely favorable. His sprint speed ranks in the top 3% of the league, while his squared-up rate (often leading to hits) ranks in the top 14%.
Pena just turned 28 in September, so I’m betting on a slight improvement over last year’s numbers. With a full offseason to put the nagging injuries behind him, and Yordan Alvarez back in the fold, I project Pena to finish somewhere in the neighborhood of a 90/23/80/28/.285 season. Not too bad for someone you can get in the 10th round.
Oneil Cruz (OF – PIT)
Oneil Cruz has fallen to nearly 100th overall in drafts due to his dismal batting average, but few players can provide as many steals. Cruz is a strong threat to reach 40+ bags this year, and with an improved supporting cast around him, his counting stats should rise.
Will he cut down on strikeouts enough to boost his average? That’s anyone’s guess, but I’m willing to take the risk in round 10 from a guy who could easily go 25/40. No one swings quite as hard, throws as fast, or runs quite as quickly as Cruz does. If he can even slightly improve upon his plate discipline, the sky is the limit.
Jakob Marsee (OF – MIA)
Jakob Marsee hit the ground running with a massive burst of production in his first month in the big leagues. The 24-year-old outfielder crushed 18 extra-base hits to go along with 25 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He was on fire in the minors prior to his call-up as well, but no one could have predicted the 1.058 OPS he posted in his first month.
While Marsee’s production did taper down in September, the speedy left-hander was still aggressive on the base paths, swiping five bags on nine attempts. In fact, over the final two months of the season, only Juan Soto, Corbin Carol, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. attempted more stolen bases than Marsee’s 20. Penciled in as an everyday player, the Central Michigan alum could push for a top-five finish in steals if he continues to get on base at a high clip (.368 OBP last year).
He also raked and ran in the minors, making him less risky than some may think. Marsee hit 14 homers and stole 47 bases in 98 Triple-A games last year before popping another five in the Show.
Batting near the top of the order against righties, Marsee should outperform his current ADP. The Marlins have nothing to lose, so expect him to continue to run wild.
Chandler Simpson (OF – TB)
No stolen-base list would be complete without Chandler Simpson. While Simpson won’t fill up the stat sheet like others on this list, he arguably has the highest upside when it comes to piling up steals. Simpson was a menace on the base paths in the minors, swiping 104 bags in 2024. Last year, he managed 19 steals in Triple-A before snagging another 44 in 104 MLB games.
He has zero power and doesn’t walk much, but he’s a solid singles hitter and will attempt to steal any time a base is open. He’s not worth reaching for before round 15, but if paired with a power heavy roster, he’s absolutely worth targeting soon after.
Jose Caballero (2B, 3B, SS, OF – NYY)
And finally, my sleeper of the group, Jose Caballero. Caballero isn’t a great hitter, nor is he likely to play more than 125 games, but early in the season he could be a massive source of steals. With Anthony Volpe recovering from offseason surgery, it’ll likely be Caballero who takes the reins at shortstop.
The well-traveled utility man swiped 49 bags last year, which was good for first in the Majors, despite limited playing time. Caballero has now attempted 149 steals in just 369 career games while playing a full game in fewer than three quarters of them. Caballero is the best late-draft target for steals and will likely start to creep up draft boards as the season approaches.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
