I’ve done a bunch of fantasy baseball drafts and some common players are on more than one of my rosters. Here are some of those names, the players who will likely define my season — for better or worse.
SS Francisco Lindor, Mets
His New York onboarding was a little rocky in 2021, but Lindor has been a five-category star since then, especially over the past two seasons (64 homers, 60 steals, 215 runs, 189 RBI). I love landing players in destination offenses — the Mets should easily have a top-five offense in 2025 — and I also love playing the volume game; give me as many 1-2-3 hitters as I can get. Lindor slots as the New York leadoff man, conveniently in front of Juan Soto. Sounds good to me.
1B Bryce Harper, Phillies
The corner infield used to be a fun place for fantasy managers to shop; that hasn’t been as true in recent years. Harper is a high-floor and high-upside pillar who’s priced at a reasonable ADP (around pick 20-22 in Yahoo drafts). An easy click for me. You want some pieces of the Philadelphia offense.
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SP Cole Ragans, Royals
He’s a Cy Young contender who’s drafted a half-tier below the top names at the position. My starting pitcher ethos is similar to my closing plan: try to grab an established player who still has a plausible chance to jump a tier.
SP Bryan Woo, Mariners
T-Mobile Park is the worst hitting environment in baseball, which means we want to attack proactively with their starting staff — I’m happy to roster any of these guys. I’ll center on Woo for now, an extreme strike-thrower whose efficiency allows him to work deeper into games. The strikeout rate is under code, sure, but because he’s not giving away baserunners, he can get us strikeouts through innings volume. And entering an age-25 season, we know more growth could be on the way.
C Austin Wells, Yankees
Wells showed enough last year to make my target list for 2025, but when the Yankees started imagining him as a leadoff hitter, my interest especially perked up. Another volume-grab for the win.
3B Alex Bregman, Red Sox
His batting metrics show the slightest bit of erosion, perhaps, but a move to Boston can mitigate that. Understand the distinction — Houston’s yard is a great home-run park down the lines, while Fenway Park is a great offensive environment, period. Bregman has the catbird seat in a loaded lineup, slotted third and directly after Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers. Get ready for some pinball. Bregman also might add second-base eligibility during the year.
OF Ian Happ, Cubs & OF Bryan Reynolds, Pirates
It’s time to plug some Raul Ibañez All-Stars, named after the former outfielder who was consistently underappreciated in his 30s. Boring veteran players are often discounted at the draft table, and Bill James told us decades ago that versatile players are often underrated while specialists tend to be overrated. You’re not trying to market your team to the public, you just want production that fits the cost. Happ and Reynolds are unsexy targets who help you build a strong roster.
If you’re looking for some pitchers who fill this frame, consider Sonny Gray and José Berríos.
1B Michael Toglia, Rockies
There will be plenty of swing-and-miss; think 200 strikeouts or so. But Toglia showed pop (25 homers) and speed (10 bags) in just over two-thirds of a season last year. Assuming the Rockies leave him alone, Toglia can challenge for a 30-15 return if he holds the job. With category juice like that, I’ll live with a risky batting average.
OF Byron Buxton, Twins
Everyone is worried about the other shoe dropping with Buxton — he seems to get hurt every year. I mention him here — and drafted a few shares — because Buxton is still capable of being a 3-4 category man when he plays, and he’s the arbitrage version of Mike Trout — an injury-risk pick but someone who is roughly 100 picks cheaper than Trout. If your roster build allows you one high-upside, high-risk outfielder, I steer you to Buxton at ADP, not Trout.
SP MacKenzie Gore, Nationals
This is particularly a target of mine in head-to-head and weekly-grade formats, where you want to follow the strikeouts and not sweat the ratios too much. Gore whiffed 181 batters last year and, given his prospect pedigree, there’s potential for growth entering an age-26 season.
RP Ryan Walker, Giants
Every season I like to identify a second-tier closer whom I could see jumping into the first tier. Walker grabbed my attention for this frame, after a dominant 2024 (1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP) and 10 saves down the stretch. If you want to bet on the skills, they’re all on display. If you want to focus on the role — when it comes to saves, it’s the one time we might want to focus on role over skills — Walker has no major competition for San Francisco’s ninth-inning work.
SP,RP A.J. Puk, Diamondbacks
I expect his wipeout ratios to play in most fantasy formats, and there’s still a reasonable chance Puk could be the best saves candidate in Arizona. If he stays healthy he’s a likely value — if he works in the ninth, you hit a home run.
RP Tyler Holton, Tigers
Jason Foley was a white-knuckle ride as the Detroit closer last year, and hardly worked in the playoffs. Holton scooped up seven wins and eight saves in 2024 — with better ratios than Foley — and although the Detroit bullpen is stocked with several leverage options, I expect Holton to be a key part of that mix. He’s the type of player I target very late in a mixed league. I will also look for unknown relievers all through April, once they start to build credible K/BB ratios. They’ll emerge out of nowhere every season.
SP Hayden Birdsong, Giants
I understand why some fantasy managers ignore the preseason completely (other than injuries) and I’ll concede there are more false positives than actionable items from the exhibition season. But when Birdsong struck out eight Athletics over the weekend, giving him 18 strikeouts against zero walks through March, I knew I’d want him on a few rosters. If he does settle into the San Francisco rotation, he’ll enjoy a roomy park and a plus defense working behind him. And if Birdsong doesn’t quickly click, he becomes an early April drop. Done and done.
OF Michael Conforto, Dodgers & C Joey Bart, Pirates
While I’ve already targeted a couple of San Francisco pitchers, I’m happy to also circle some hitters who have escaped the offensive challenge that comes with working at Oracle Park. Bart made the move last year and quietly gave us a .265/.337/.462 slash with 13 homers in 80 games; if he receives a modest bump in playing time, he’s an easy fantasy win. Conforto hit 17 of his 20 home runs away from Oracle Park last season; a more neutral environment in Los Angeles should lead to his best fantasy return in five years.
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