6 Late-Round Draft Picks to Target (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

Here are some of our favorite fantasy baseball draft picks to target from a recent fantasy baseball mock draft.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Picks to Target

Let’s run a 10-team, head-to-head, 5×5 category fantasy baseball mock draft using FantasyPros’ Draft Wizard tool. For this fantasy baseball mock draft, we’ll use the following positions: 1-C, 1-1B, 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-SS, 3-OF, 1-UTIL and 7-Pitchers. I randomized the draft order and am drafting from the 10th spot. You can find the draft board here.

11.10: Christian Yelich (OF – MIL)

Christian Yelich got back some of the power he lost over the previous five seasons. He hit over 20 homers (29) for the first time since 2019 (44). Yelich still provides a decent number of steals, and hopefully his batting average can bounce back closer to .270.

12.01: Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN)

Nick Lodolo broke out last season with a 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 8.9 K/9 in 156 innings. Like Hunter Greene, Lodolo has struggled to stay on the field for a full season, but the upside is tremendous for the fifth starter on this team.

13.10: Jeff Hoffman (RP – TOR)

Jeff Hoffman is expected to remain in the closer’s role for the Blue Jays. He struggled last year with home runs, but ended the season with 33 saves. In their World Series run, Hoffman had a 1.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, two saves and 13.1 K/9 in 12.1 innings.

14.01: Brandon Lowe (2B – PIT)

Brandon Lowe may be the best power source at the position (Ketel Marte and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also have strong cases). In 134 games last season, he led the position with 31 home runs and 83 RBI. There aren’t many players who can provide that in the 14th round.

15.10: Daniel Palencia (RP – CHC)

Daniel Palencia is my second and final reliever. He posted a 2.91 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 22 saves in 52.2 innings last season. There was some speculation that the Cubs might add a closer this offseason.

While they did sign five relievers via free agency, none should challenge Palencia for the closer’s job.

16.01: Yainer Diaz (C – HOU)

Yainer Diaz slots in as my starting catcher. In a 10-team league, catchers are plentiful. Even if Diaz doesn’t pan out, there are great options on the waiver wire. Adley Rutschman, J.T. Realmuto and Francisco Alvarez are still available after the draft.

Draft Wizard Insights

The Draft Wizard gave this draft a B grade (85/100). I’m projected to finish third in batting average, fourth in RBI and saves and fifth in WHIP and stolen bases. The Draft Wizard projects me to finish seventh in the league.

This feels like a solid team, although with a lot of volatility. Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Austin Riley, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo all missed significant time last year. Brandon Lowe stayed healthy, but that’s not the norm for him.

Elly De La Cruz, Kyle Tucker, CJ Abrams and Christian Yelich should be a solid floor for steals. Yordan Alvarez, Bryce Harper, Austin Riley and Brandon Lowe can bring the power, while Alvarez, Harper, Yelich and Diaz can provide a batting average boost.

In a 10-team league, it’s a lot easier to take bigger swings on players. Even though there’s a lot of injury risk on this team, the waiver wire should be stacked with talent if things do go wrong.