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Mike's auction draft fantasy baseball sleepers, hitters under $5 to target in 2026 auction leagues. These are upside fantasy baseball auction draft values.
In every draft, no matter whether it is snake or auction, fantasy players have to make tough decisions. You will leave the draft table lacking something. In auction drafts, you have a firm budget and must look for so-called "bargains" in the less-than-$5 bin. But there are gems here, still.
Auctions give you the freedom to build your team without the constraints of being in a snake draft. If you decide you want both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, you can do that in an auction draft. Whether that is advisable or not is not the question; the point is that you can do that if you wish.
This week, I have selected a player from each segment of the $ 5-and-under pool that possesses solid sleeper upside. So, that means one at $5, one at $4, and so on, down to $1. Keep in mind, we could have several examples for each, but for the sake of brevity, we will keep it to one hitter from each pool.
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Gleyber Torres, 2B, Detroit Tigers
$5 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Boring can be beautiful in fantasy baseball. There is no next level here with Torres; just consistent goodness. Torres landed in Detroit last offseason and produced a .256 season with 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 79 runs, and four stolen bases. Not bad.
Torres has not become the superstar some envisioned him becoming, but he has been a rock-solid performer for years. You can count on 140+ games and 600+ at-bats. Look at his Statcast below. This is just solid, reliable performance.
I expect another full season of at-bats for Torres, where he hits .255-.260, hits 16-18 home runs, knocks in 75+, scores 80+, and chips in five to seven bags. If he stole more bases, his value would be higher. You are acquiring great high-floor production for a modest $5 bid.
Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
$4 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Muncy has been an OBP machine and home run hitter for most of his career. If you look at his Statcast below, you can see this is still a productive player at age 35. Muncy is a nice consolation if you miss on the top-tier players at third base early in your auction.
Muncy had an odd knee injury in July, when a helmet hit his knee while applying a tag at third base. 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).
He feels this was due to getting prescription glasses. Muncy continues to hit the ball hard, and he takes walks at an astounding 16.5%. My point is, don't fret if you miss out on Jose Ramirez or Manny Machado. You can pair Muncy with someone like Caleb Durbin and create a third baseman with a strong power and speed combination.
Muncy has four seasons in his career where he has hit more than 35 home runs. What do those seasons have in common? He played at least 135 games in each one. The key here is health, as the plate skills have not eroded. Give me Muncy for $4 all day, every day, and twice on Sunday.
Jake Burger, 1B, Texas Rangers
$3 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Burger has been known in baseball for having freakish injuries. In the minor leagues, he tore both of his Achilles tendons. In 2025, Burger had oblique, quad, and wrist injuries. He still managed to hit 16 home runs in only 376 plate appearances.
One thing is certain about Burger: he continues to hit the ball hard when he is available. See below; this is his hard-hit percentage over the last five years. Despite the injuries, this never changes. Burger could easily hit 25-30 home runs with health in 2026.
Burger had surgery on the wrist this winter and entered spring training healthy. Burger shared that he has been working on being more consistent in his approach off the field, where he added a pilates regimen three days a week to increase flexibility and motion.
Burger could end up being a steal at first base, corner infield, or utility roles this season. At an average auction value of $3, it will not cost you much to find out if he can return to the level of 30 home runs, which he did in 2023 when he hit 34.
Chase DeLauter, OF, Cleveland Guardians
$2 AAV (Average Auction Value)
DeLauter is starting to get some attention as draft season heats up, and he should be on your radar as well. We have not seen much of him at the MLB level, but that should change with health in 2026. He could be the Guardians' starting center fielder or operate in a full-time role in the corners. You may recall that DeLauter actually made his debut during the 2025 playoffs.
This spring, he is hitting a robust .538 with two homers and four RBI. Expect a contact-heavy approach with 15 home runs, a .255ish batting average, and a few steals. In his 583 plate appearances in the minor leagues, he has hit .302 with a .384 OBP, 20 home runs, 87 RBI, 88 runs, and eight steals. I am not saying he will do that for the Guardians this summer, but the natural talent is there for him to be a difference maker.
There is reason to believe that DeLauter could surpass those projections with better health. He has been plagued by foot issues in his minor league career. For an average auction value of $2, DeLauter is a great dart throw as your fifth outfielder with upside.
At this point in the drafts, you are usually looking for upside. Currently, Cleveland plans to start George Valera in right field and has bench options like Angel Martinez and Jonathan Rodriguez. A $2 DeLauter strikes me as an almost no-risk purchase late in drafts, as he should carve out a full-time role very early in the 2026 campaign.
Josh Smith, 3B/SS, Texas Rangers
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Smith often is forgotten about in drafts, but he can be a valuable player for your bench in deeper leagues. His positional eligibility gives him a bonus; he already qualifies at third base and shortstop, and will get second base eligibility early this season.
But before we suggest that the only reason you want him is the versatility.
Let's look at his statistics from 2025. Smith hit. 251 with 10 home runs, 35 RBI, 70 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases over 563 plate appearances.
As of this writing, Smith looks like he is going to win the starting second base job in Texas. I feel we can expect more of the same from Smith, with perhaps a few more RBI squeezed out as well. Smith provides a useful backup for $1 that you can plug in and play when injuries strike your stars.
Roster crunches happen for every manager in fantasy baseball. Having a guy like Smith, who will likely have eligibility at three infield positions, gives you added flexibility should you lose a starter at one of those key spots. He will do you no harm while you await reinforcements.
I hope you enjoyed this piece; it was fun to write and could have had so many more players. Follow all the great content at RotoBaller this year, where a stable of great writers churns out daily content to help you make key decisions on your way to this year's championship.
You can follow me at the worst Twitter handle of all time. @mdrc0508. Happy drafting!
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