6 Late-Round Draft Fliers - Fantasy Baseball Value Picks With Upside (2026)

March 16, 2026

Mike's fantasy baseball late-round draft fliers, sleepers and value picks with upside. These hitters and pitchers can be drafter in the later rounds of drafts.

If you're anything like me, and you probably are since you are reading this, you are in the midst of fantasy baseball draft season. You have been researching for weeks now and finalizing your strategies to build this year's championship team.

To add, part of the strategy is not just about grabbing those first few rounds of superstars. Finding players that your league mates may undervalue is key to your success. Many articles are written about these types of players annually.

For this piece, we are looking at three hitters and three pitchers going after pick 200 in NFBC drafts as of February 10. I recognize these may change as we get closer to the season and more drafts take place. Consider these guys as pieces for your team later in drafts.

Hitters: Later-Round Draft Fliers

Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies

ADP: 200

In fantasy baseball circles, we quickly forget guys like Tovar due to recency bias. What if I told you there was a middle infielder who could hit .260 with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases, available around pick 200 in early March drafts?

That player is Tovar, who was a bit of a fantasy darling last winter. Yet he ran into hard times in 2025, netting only 390 plate appearances over 95 games, hitting .251 with nine home runs, 33 RBI, 44 runs, and five stolen bases.

With improved health this year, Tovar should have no competition for at-bats. Look for 140+ games, 600+ plate appearances, and a return to the 20-homer plateau with a .260 batting average and 8-10 steals. He should be hitting in one of the top two spots in the Rockies' order.

If he were able to cut his 25.1% K%, he could yield even better results. A hip contusion and an oblique strain cost him half of his 2025 season. Look at this chart below from 2024, when he hit 26 home runs while hitting .269. Getting back to pulling the ball in the air is his key.

A small investment here could yield some good results. Bo Bichette goes over 100 picks earlier with a similar profile (although with a better batting average). Sleep on Tovar at your own risk. I love where he is going in current drafts, as playing time seems assured.

Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers

ADP: 240

I will admit that I am a Max Muncy apologist and often seek to roster him in deeper leagues. But hear me out; there is testimony why he could be a draft-day steal. Muncy, even at age 35, still wallops the baseball and gets on base at a staggering clip. See below.

Look at what he did when he started wearing prescription glasses in early May. In the two months before his freakish knee injury, Muncy was extremely productive: a .291 average, 12 home runs, 50 RBI, four stolen bases, and 31 runs, with more walks (35) than strikeouts (33).

With so much discussion about how third base has a cliff, and you need to get one early, Muncy is proof that you can wait at the position if you are patient. Muncy could provide you with 20+ home runs, and he is also great to roster in OBP leagues.

Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks

ADP 301

Looking at his MLB career numbers, Lawlar has not yet experienced success; he's a career .165 hitter in 108 plate appearances. Still only 23, it appears that the Arizona Diamondbacks are actually going to let him get regular at-bats for the first time in his career.

A shortstop by trade, the Diamondbacks have Geraldo Perdomo entrenched there, so they are going to play Lawlar in center field. Lawlar brings a blend of power and speed to the mix. So far in Soring Training, Lawlar is hitting .316 with a couple of home runs.

His 98th-percentile sprint speed could keep him in the lineup even if he struggles initially. Certainly, he will need to improve his preposterous 34% K% in his small major league sample size. But at this point in drafts, I am willing to bet on upside.

I would rather gamble on Lawlar as a bench bat after I have established my middle infield and outfield positions than take a boring veteran to sit on my bench. If he hits, he could be a draft-day steal.

Pitchers: Later-Round Draft Fliers

Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays

ADP: 214

McClanahan is likely going to shoot up draft boards if he proves that he is healthy in spring training. So far, so good as he threw two scoreless innings last week in his debut. McClanahan is two years removed from pitching in the major leagues.

The last time we saw him, in 2023, McClanahan was 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts in 115 innings. What I love is his ability to miss bats. The chart below shows his swing-and-miss percentage; this is elite stuff when he's out there.

It is difficult to know what to expect from him this year. If he could get back to 130-140 innings, he could get to 150 strikeouts with an ERA in the 3.50 range. Before you tell me he won't throw that much, I will remind you he's 28, and there is no reason to baby him.

At his current price, he's likely being selected as your fourth starter in deeper leagues. I am willing to take that gamble and hope he makes it all the way back from injury as his upside is still quite high.

Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers

ADP: 242

Now 25, the training wheels are off for Leiter. Leiter features a live fastball with an average velocity of 97 MPH.  His strikeout rate climbed five percentage points from 17.9% in 2024 to 22.9% in 2025. He mixed in a sinker and changeup last year, and reduced his fastball usage significantly.

Leiter had an excellent second half in 2025, as you can see below. He reduced his ERA to 3.28, nabbed 79 strikeouts in 71 innings, and lowered his walk and hit rates to provide a serviceable 1.19 WHIP. While it is foolish to extrapolate full-season results from that, this shows what Leiter can do.

Leiter slots in as the fourth starter in a good Texas rotation, behind Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore. Leiter should be able to give you 150 innings with 150 strikeouts, an ERA around 4.00, and a WHIP of maybe 1.20-1.25. I am in on Leiter at this price as he should greatly exceed his current price tag.

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels

ADP: 324

It feels like Soriano is overlooked in many leagues. My best guess is that he toils in relative obscurity and that people are wary of his strikeout rate. Yet, he has the highest ground-ball rate in MLB; literally in the 100th percentile (66% GB%).

Below, note the growth in Soriano's swing and miss percentage. He added a splitter in the second half of the year, which helped reduce his 97 MPH sinker usage while largely abandoning his slider. Soriano looks like he will use the sinker, knuckle curve, and his splitter as his primary pitches.

At age 27, the kid gloves are off, and Soriano could easily get to 175 innings this season. He could easily get 160 strikeouts while providing your team with an ERA between 3.75 and 4.00. That is a pitcher worth rostering in many leagues.

Happy drafting! It is the best time of the year. Make sure to check out all of the great information at RotoBaller, where a community of writers creates daily content to help you win your leagues.

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