It’s a bit too easy to say you’re excited to draft Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge or Paul Skenes — who wouldn’t be excited? No, instead, our task for today is to highlight names we’re amped to draft even though they’re not first-rounders (or even second-rounders …).
Consistency is key with this veteran
If we’re simply going off my preseason ranks relative to consensus, then I pretty clearly must declare Kyle Schwarber to be the player I’m most eager to draft. Schwarber was a top-20 batter in fantasy last season and he didn’t do anything that he’s not fully capable of doing again. He’s the leadoff hitter for an exceptional Philadelphia lineup and he’s coming off a year in which he hit 38 bombs, scored 110 runs, drove in 104 and managed to bat .248.
Schwarber has appeared in at least 150 games in each of the past three seasons, so there are no unusual injury concerns here. During the last three years, he’s averaged 44 home runs per season. The Phillies gave him five starts in the outfield in 2024, so he’s eligible (barely) to fill a spot other than Util. Schwarber is exactly the sort of hitter who was always likely to benefit from the new shift rules, so it’s no shock to see him deliver an average that fantasy managers can easily carry. His BABIP last season was a highly repeatable .301.
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Everyone is chasing steals at the top of drafts, understandably, but it’s not as if Schwarber is a total zero in the category. He’s swiped 15 bags over the past three years. His variety of power is rare in the current era, so let’s not overlook him in the third round on draft day. — Andy Behrens
Mariners pitching should keep you afloat
Seattle’s home ballpark offers the best pitching environment by far, so I’ll be targeting several arms on this staff. But let’s focus on George Kirby, who’s settled in with an affordable Yahoo ADP in the high 50s. Kirby has led the majors in K/BB ratio for two straight years, he’s proven durable, and he’s stepping into an age-27 season, where a career year is plausible. And because Kirby is such an extreme strike thrower, he’s easy to watch and more likely to score wins — since he works deep in games.
The others on this staff — Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo — will also be targets of mine. But the combination of draft cost, career arc and resume had me looking at Kirby first. I invite you to share my Kirby enthusiasm. — Scott Pianowski
Did this youngster figure it out?
Wyatt Langford failed to live up to his lofty expectations last season, but he more than held his own with a 110 wRC+ as a rookie. Langford sported just a .702 OPS against right-handers, but he also turned into one of baseball’s best hitters in September, when he posted a .300/.386/.610 line and recorded a 180 wRC+. His 600-AB pace over that span was 48 homers, 42 steals, 150 runs scored and 120 RBI.
That was a small sample, and it’s often best to exercise caution when looking at September stats, given the influx of minor-league players during the final month of the season, but a strong finish can also signal a young player has figured it out. Langford’s swing changed during September when he recorded his lowest average launch angle of any month last season (and when he led the American League in WAR).
Langford is a former top-five pick who absolutely destroyed the minors. His mechanical adjustments in September made him look like the star many were expecting. The Rangers haven’t been overly aggressive on the base paths, but Globe Life Field has increased HR for RHB by 16% over the past three years (the fourth-most in MLB). Langford is slated to bat third in the Rangers’ lineup (between two lefties), and he only recently turned 23 years old. I can’t wait to draft Langford. — Dalton Del Don
Buy the dip on this legacy kid
I’m taking the price dip on Bo Bichette all the way to the bank. The shortstop was awful in every way last year, failing to hit for average (.225) or power (4 HR) while playing in just half of the Blue Jays games. And fantasy managers have been quick to distance themselves from someone who had previously been a top-50 pick, leaving him on the board past pick 100 in most 2025 drafts. It’s a massive discount on Bichette, who is entering a contract year at age 27 as a career .290 hitter with 20-25 homer power and a premium lineup spot.
Although Bichette isn’t a burner, he still has enough speed to swipe 15 bases and players often like to flash all aspects of their skill set when heading to free agency. I’m mostly writing off last season as one in which everything went wrong, including a slow start and then two significant injuries (calf, finger) that limited Bichette to 15 games after June 15. Even if my Bichette enthusiasm winds up being overblown, I should still have a useful accumulator with a reasonable draft price in Round 8 or 9. — Fred Zinkie
