Hitter Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Sneaky Mid-Round Draft Targets (2026)

January 22, 2026

Kipp's favorite hitter fantasy baseball sleepers for the middle rounds of 2026 drafts. These sneaky hitters are fantasy baseball values to outperform their ADP.

I think we have all learned how important it is to draft and acquire high-end pitching talent in fantasy baseball; however, to do that successfully, we must be able to identify late-round hitting potential. Identifying these types of hitters is crucial to success in early fantasy baseball drafts.

We'll use projections to identify five hitters to target in early 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. Additionally, we examine the hitter's skills and potential flaws to consider a range of outcomes for a player.

For this article, we identified five potential hitters to target who are being undervalued based on their current ADP and could provide immense value to fantasy managers this upcoming season. Fantasy players should note the following hitters to target in 2026 drafts.

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Noelvi Marte, 3B/OF, Cincinnati Reds

NFBC ADP Since January 1: 130

Noelvi Marte finally got to see the regular playing time we have all been waiting for down the stretch in 2025, and he did not disappoint. We all knew what he was capable of, and despite his 2023 PED suspension, he now has a firm path to regular playing time in the big leagues after a solid 2025 campaign.

With regular playing time from July through the end of the season, Marte managed to slash .263/.300/.448 with 14 HR, 51 RBI, 45 R, and 10 SB. The power and speed combination we saw is hopefully something we can expect to see moving forward, and the metrics back this up to an extent.

On the season, Marte posted a sprint speed of 29.0 ft/sec, which ranked him just outside the top 10% of the league. This leads me to believe that 20 stolen bases are certainly within reason if he has a full season's worth of at-bats under his belt, and that should be the case in 2026.

While the power metrics are a bit lower than I would have hoped, he did post a 6.4% Barrels/PA mark in 2025, which ranked him in the top 39% of the league. This Reds offense is also young and improving, so it is certainly within reason to see them improve upon their 92 wRC+ mark from 2025, which would put Marte in the thick of a more potent offense.

He currently has an ADP of 132, which means he is being drafted near the front end of the 11th round. He can certainly provide value at this ADP and is worth snatching up in drafts.

Taylor Ward, OF, Baltimore Orioles

NFBC ADP Since January 1: 152

Taylor Ward was recently moved to the Baltimore Orioles and should be in a great spot to outproduce his current ADP in 2026. He goes from an offense that ranked in the bottom five in terms of wRC+ to an offense that ranked 20th overall, yet has the potential to be much better in 2026.

Ward had a great campaign with the Angels in 2025, as he posted a slash line of .228/.317/.475 with a whopping 36 HR, 103 RBI, and 86 R. His power metrics were also very solid, as he generated an elite 13.7% barrel rate (87th percentile) with an above-average .333 xwOBA.

Ward's power is also not something new, as he has now put together 20+ home run seasons in three of the previous four years. Additionally, he has posted 60 or more walks in three of the past four years.

His current ADP is sitting right around 155, which means he is being drafted in the 13th round of 12-team leagues. He makes for a great selection here or sooner in rounds 11 and 12.

Taylor Ward has homered on back-to-back nights. 💪 pic.twitter.com/JX64BRYLwy

— MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2024

Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics

NFBC ADP Since January 1: 174

I am not going to sit here and pretend like this selection of Jacob Wilson is flashy, because it is not. He does not have spectacular power metrics that jump off the page and scream undervalued talent. However, Wilson is a superb value at his current ADP of 167, which means he is going late in the 13th round of fantasy drafts.

Wilson was a finalist for American League Rookie of the Year despite missing the better part of a month from late July to late August. That being said, he still slashed .311/.355/.444 with 13 HR, 63 RBI, and 62 R across 486 at-bats in what was his first full season in the big leagues.

Wilson also does not strike out, as noted by his 7.5% K rate, which ranked him in the top 1% of the league. He also ranked well above average in terms of AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, and wOBA. The fact that he plays in a minor league park that is conducive to scoring runs should also help his case as he enters his second full season.

You could do a lot worse than drafting Wilson in the 13th round of your draft; that is for certain.

Jacob Wilson's first career leadoff home run comes on the first pitch 💪 pic.twitter.com/2dwuszKsFL

— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025

Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves

NFBC ADP Since January 1: 72

We are going to stick with the third base theme in Austin Riley, as he has immense value heading into the 2026 season. Folks seem to be down on him, given his current ADP of 75, and that is understandable after his injury-plagued 2025 campaign, but we cannot deny the talent here.

Riley will be entering his age-29 season (turns 29 on April 2) and is in the heart of his prime years. It was not long ago that he was an early-round selection in fantasy drafts, and now he is going in the sixth round due to recent injuries. All signs point to him being ready to roll come spring training, and the metrics he posted while on the field last year were solid.

Overall, Riley slashed .260/.309/.428 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, 54 R, and 27 BB across 102 games played. The metrics behind these stats are what I am looking at for his 2026 rebound, however. Overall, he posted a hard hit rate of 50.2%, which ranked him in the top 22% of the league.

Additionally, he posted an average exit velocity of 92.3 mph, ranking him in the top 9% of the league. If that is still not enough, his Barrels/PA mark of 9.8% was good enough to rank him 21st among qualified hitters.

It is also worth noting that this Braves' lineup, despite a bevvy of injuries, ranked inside the top half of baseball in terms of wRC+. With a healthy roster in 2026, this offense could truly flourish, and Riley will be right in the middle of it.

Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego Padres

NFBC ADP Since January 1: 67

Jackson Merrill might be my favorite player in this article, as he got off on the wrong foot to begin 2025, after having such a dominant rookie campaign in 2024. He ended up getting injured at multiple points during 2025 (hamstring strain, concussion, and ankle sprain), which saw him play in just 115 games.

Despite the injuries, Merrill still managed to slash .264/.317/.457 with 16 HR, 67 RBI, 59 R, with 47 total extra-base hits. His metrics also did not suffer, as he ranked inside the top 8% of the league in terms of Barrels/PA with a mark of 9.1%. Additionally, he posted a very respectable 89.7 mph average exit velocity with a .347 xwOBA, placing him in the 80th percentile among qualified hitters.

Merrill should be able to return to his 2024 form, which saw him finish second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. During that campaign, Merrill posted an .826 OPS with 24 HR and 90 RBI. He makes for a great draft selection at his current ADP of 68.

Jackson Merrill hits his second #walkoff home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/qCU0g0rIzR

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2024

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