2026 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 10 Late-Round Gems to Win Your League

As fantasy baseball draft season rolls around, everyone is clamoring for this year’s fantasy baseball breakout candidates. Who are this year's fantasy baseball sleepers? However, it’s not always the flashiest, biggest upside plays that take your team to the title. Sometimes, it’s that boring, under-the-radar player who greatly outperforms expectations and gives your team life. I’ve been looking through recent average draft positions (ADP), and have uncovered some hidden gems that I’m giving recognition to as my top fantasy baseball sleepers for the 2026 MLB season; players who should be targets in your fantasy baseball drafts.

What Defines a “Sleeper” in 2026? 

In this era of information, the typical definition of what a sleeper is tends to be a little archaic. It used to be an under-the-radar player who very few people in your league had even heard of before. But with the coverage available on the internet, the rise in popularity of fantasy baseball and everyone's thirst for being the one who unearthed such a hidden gem, very few stones are left unturned. As a result, we've changed the criteria for what makes a fantasy baseball sleeper. 

These are players who, in my opinion, are going far too late in fantasy baseball drafts and have a clear path to greatly exceeding expectations this season. Some of these guys may seem boring or lack traditional league-winning upside, but at the end of the day, a fantasy baseball sleeper is someone who presents a strong value for where they are being drafted – undervalued in drafts, but could provide immense return-value to our fantasy baseball teams.  

Let’s take a look at my top 10 fantasy baseball sleepers you should be targeting in your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.

Pitching Sleepers: Under-the-Radar Arms for 2026

Jacob Lopez, SP Athletics

He’s practically free in drafts, so why not take a shot in the later rounds of the draft on a soon-to-be 28-year-old southpaw who posted a 4.08 ERA, sub-1.30 WHIP, and 28.3 K% in his first extended run of big league action? He had three pitches with a double-digit SwStr% last season, headlined by his slider at 15.5%, not to mention a 76 wRC+ against it. He doesn’t boast any noticeable velocity, but he had a 95th percentile extension last year, and a somewhat untraditional delivery where he essentially throws back across his body.

Beyond his ability to miss bats, he had the 10th-highest soft contact percentage 
(19.5%) amongst pitchers with at least 90 IP last season. He will need to continue to limit hard contact against him, because he is a fly ball pitcher, and we saw last season that Sutter Health Park (108) had the second-highest Park Factor in all of baseball last year, per Baseball Savant, trailing only Coors Field (115). Despite his success at home last year, I expect some issues with home runs will rear its ugly head at times, but there’s a lot to like with Lopez, and he should be a part of the Athletics’ rotation from Opening Day. Love the upside here in the final rounds of drafts.

Kodai Senga, SP New York Mets

Senga’s first year in the MLB was phenomenal back in 2023, before injuries got in the way in 2024, and even parts of 2025. To be honest, his numbers from 2025 looked a lot better than I expected to be, primarily in the ERA department. He pitched to a 3.02 ERA (3.95 xERA, 4.12 FIP) across 113.1 IP, but he was a totally different guy after his return from a hamstring strain.

Yes, the second half was horrendous for Senga, but even with some luck on his side, there was enough from Senga to make him worthy of a late round dart throw in drafts. There may be more questions than answers with Senga, like can his cutter and ghost fork rebound to previous levels? Can he find a way to be more effective against lefties (.411 SLG allowed in 2025)? And perhaps most importantly, can he stay healthy and avoid the injured list? Fortunately, for 2026, his annual trip to the IL is baked into the cost, as he’s going outside the top 325 picks overall!

As part of a potentially, and maybe even likely six-man rotation in New York, Senga may not be seeing many two-start weeks, and there’s a chance that a rotation spot isn’t guaranteed for the righty who turns 33 in late January. However, at his current ADP, he’s worth a dart throw, with the hopes that he can show any resemblance of the guy we saw in 2023 or pre-hamstring injury in 2025. Given the draft capital used on him, if it’s a rough start, you can cut bait, no harm no foul.

Mackenzie Gore, SP Texas Rangers

His 5-15 record last year is ugly, I’ll give you that. However, his 4.17 ERA, 3.74 FIP and 27.2 K% are pretty solid, all things considered. A very, very poor second half is probably sticking in the minds of many, but let’s not forget that “Ace Gore” was alive and well for the majority of the season.

The numbers certainly fell off, and we can’t ignore them altogether. However, we also can’t forget what he did for the majority of the season! He should fall somewhere in between those ranges, and I’m intrigued to see if he continues to lean into using his curveball and slider more, as those two pitches were elite last year. Steamer seems to like the strikeout upside as well, as he's one of just 17 starters projected for 190+ strikeouts in 2026, and Gore is the only one drafted outside of the top 90 overall!

Now, let's dig into the surroundings. Texas sent numerous prospects to Washington, and I like to believe that the Texas offense will give Gore more run support than he was going to get in Washington had he remained on the Nats' roster. Not only does he get an upgrade in the offense supporting him, but Globe Life Field is quite pitcher-friendly. Texas is a very good landing spot for him, and while I expect his ADP to rise following the trade, he is still likely going to an undervalued arm that you should target in drafts.

Victor Vodnik, RP Colorado Rockies

It never feels good going with a pitcher for Colorado, let alone its closer, considering that the team is, well, not good. However, Vodnik was strong last season, recording four wins and 10 saves in 50.2 IP to go along with his 3.02 ERA (4.19 xERA). I don’t love the hard contact he allowed (7th percentile), but a strong ground ball rate can help offset some of the concerns with pitching at Coors Field. He posted a 54.3% ground ball rate and 0.71 HR/9 last season, and let’s not discount the fact that he had a 1.33 ERA (3.36 FIP) across 27 IP at Coors Field last season. He boasts excellent fastball velocity with a 90+mph changeup that recorded a .109 BAA and 44.2% whiff rate last season. Increased usage on his changeup would help elevate his strikeout rate, too, which would be great for fantasy purposes. He should open the season as Colorado’s closer, and as a dart throw for saves, you could do far worse than Vodnik in the latter rounds of your draft. 

Infield Sleepers: High-Upside Corner and Middle Options

Austin Wells, C New York Yankees

Wells was one just eight catchers to have at least 20 home runs last season, but perhaps more impressive, he was one of just four catchers to hit at least 20 home runs and steal five bases! The other three (Cal Raleigh, Shea Langeliers, and Agustin Ramirez) are top six catchers by ADP at the moment, whereas Wells is outside of the top 20 catchers! His numbers took a significant downturn after the All-Star break, and the most drastic change came with his strikeout rate. He struck out 30.8% of the time in the second half, compared to 23.9% in the first half. The strikeout rate is going to suppress his batting average, so it’s tough to realistically project him for anything higher than .230-.235 at the most.

What’s interesting with Wells is if you have some fun with projections, courtesy of Steamer:

Player A is Francisco Alvarez. Player B is Wells. Player C is Agustin Ramirez..

Half of his games will be in Yankee Stadium, which for left-handed hitters, is very, very, very hitter friendly. His 2025 season is very repeatable, and if he can avoid a major slump at any point, there could even be some growth for the 26-year-old backstop. 

Alec Burleson, 1B St. Louis Cardinals

It’s somewhat weird to have someone be a sleeper after what was widely considered a breakout 2025, but here we are, with the masses seeming to be quite low on Burleson. In his age-26 season, he slashed .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs, 69 RBI, and five stolen bases. While the power wasn’t there against lefties (.127 ISO), he did hit southpaws at a .271 clip. He showed solid power against right-handed pitching, and overall, he enjoyed noticeable increases in his average exit velocity, launch angle (15.2 degrees), and barrel rate (9.4%). Burleson has also done a great job of becoming a “tougher out” as he continues to increase his effectiveness against non-fastballs.

While he may not carry the high-end power of a typical corner infielder, there’s optimism that he can set a new career high in home runs this season, as he figures to get everyday at-bats in the heart of the order of a St. Louis team that should be prioritizing ABs for its young talent. For fantasy purposes, he also has OF eligibility, so he gives your team some lineup flexibility.

Luke Keaschall, 2B Minnesota Twins

I really, really like Keaschall this season, but I’ll admit, I might be stretching the sleeper label a bit here. He’s just 23 years old with 49 MLB games under his belt, so maybe he’s more of a prospect than a sleeper, but nonetheless, I’m giving him some flowers here. Despite injuries derailing his season in 2025, he hit four home runs and stole 14 bases while slashing .302/.382/.445 across 49 games. Yes, he’s being drafted inside the top 10 second baseman and top 150 overall, but the ADP seems too low for this guy! His offensive profile through the minor league ranks carried with him to the big league level, and he’s going to be a guy that hits for a good average, while a strong walk rate will keep that OBP inflated as well. There are likely to be some growing pains, and I do have some questions about his raw power (.372 xSLG, 5.2% barrel rate in 2025), but Minnesota is going to play him everyday, and the speed is legit (85th percentile in 2025). The Twins may not be an offensive powerhouse in 2026, but Keaschall’s ceiling is something like 10+ home runs, 22-28 stolen bases, and a .275+ batting average, which is something only one second baseman (Brice Turang) did in 2025.

Masyn Winn, SS St. Louis Cardinals

A nagging knee injury impacted his numbers last season, and I’m a firm believer that simply a return to full health will have Winn easily exceeding his ADP in 2026. Despite the knee issue, he slashed .253/.310/.363 across 129 games last season, while hitting nine home runs, scoring 72 runs, and going 9-for-14 on the base paths. After an 87th percentile sprint speed in 2024, he was down at the 77th percentile last season, but I’m encouraged that he’s come out and said that he wants to be more active on the base paths and “use that speed.” He ran at a similar clip last season that he did in 2024, so I’m very excited to see where his stolen base total can end up, especially if he maintains last year’s O-Swing rate of 24.8%. I would like to see him take a few more walks, and despite an underwhelming batted ball profile, sheer volume of at-bats should get his home run total right around the low-teens, while 15+ stolen bases is not out of the question. I love the upside at his current price, and I’m genuinely shocked that he’s still outside the top 20 shortstops.

Outfield Sleepers: Speed and Power for Cheap

Mickey Moniak, OF Colorado Rockies

Despite the fact that Moniak likely gets platooned in the Colorado outfield, he’ll be on the larger side of it, and he’s routinely being drafted outside the top 55 outfielders! Last season, he posted a career best 24 home runs, while going 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts, and slashing .270/.306/518. A miniscule walk rate has followed him from team to team over the years, so he’s a better asset in leagues that value batting average compared to on-base percentage (OBP). 

His batted ball profile was impressive, as he made a lot of strides that give confidence to maintaining a solid power floor. He continues to pull the ball at a high clip, and he’s had a 43+ percent fly ball rate in each of the last four seasons. That’s the important part for Moniak in 2026, because half of his games will be played at Coors Field, and regardless of where you play, you can’t hit home runs on the ground! His home/road splits were drastic last year, and again, I’m skeptical Colorado trusts him early on against left-handed pitching, but he was fantastic against RHP last season (.271 ISO, .360 wOBA), and at his current ADP, the value is too good to pass up for a guy who could go 25/10 with a .255+ batting average after just missing it last year.

Bryan Reynolds, OF Pittsburgh Pirates

Last year, I was out on Reynolds, as he just wasn’t going to get it done at that price point within the confines of the Pittsburgh offense. However, with his ADP nearly outside of the top 50 outfielders, he’s an intriguing sleeper in 2026 drafts. The additions of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and [hopefully] Konnor Griffin will help the offense, and Reynolds should hit in the heart of the order with arguably his best supporting cast in years.

After four straight seasons of 24+ home runs, his homer total dipped to 16 last year, largely due to a decrease in his launch angle to a career low 7.3 degrees. Furthermore, his 28.5% fly ball rate was his lowest since 2019. He pulled the ball more last season, compared to years past, so if he can loft the ball a bit more, a return to 20+ home runs is easily on the table. I don’t expect him to be overly active on the base paths, but he should be able to get to 5-8 bags by the end of the season. We’re banking a bit on an improvement in the pieces around him to help the counting stats, but don’t sleep on a guy who has played in 145+ games in five straight seasons. He’s not the flashiest or most exciting pick, but he gets the job done, and as your fourth outfielder, you won’t complain with a .255-.265 average 18+ home runs, 75+ runs, 75+ RBI, and five stolen bases.

Fantasy Baseball Sleepers In 2026 Can Take Your Team To The Next Level

When targeting 2026 Fantasy Baseball sleepers, remember to balance potential upside with solid performance history. Whether you're in a deeper league or looking for low-risk, high-reward options, these MLB Sleepers 2026 could provide the breakthrough performances needed to give your fantasy squad a competitive edge.

As always, monitor spring training closely to see how these players are faring and adjust your draft strategy accordingly. These 2026 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers are just waiting for their moment to shine – could they be the key to your championship season?