Kansas City Royals first baseman Carlos Santana is a 2021 fantasy baseball draft value. His ADP is undervalued, making him a potential draft bargain and late-round sleeper to target.
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 260
CURRENT ADP: ~292 overall
ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana gets overlooked every single season. The reason is because of rotisserie bias (Roto is the more popular format), but Santana is always such a value in points leagues, where hitters lose points for strikeouts but are awarded points for walks. Santana has posted a walk rate equal to or higher than his strikeout rate in three straight seasons. Even when his strikeout rate is higher than the walk rate, it's not by much. His strikeout rate has also been below 17 percent in five straight seasons, meaning that he will not lose you a lot of points in those formats.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
- Daily MLB starting lineups
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard
- Fantasy baseball injury reports
He also provides a consistently high on-base percentage, which is huge in those formats. But it's not like he should be totally ignored in Roto leagues, either. The ISO did dip in the shortened 2020 season, but it was at .234 in 2019, which was the second-highest mark of his career, and he swatted 34 homers with 110 runs, 93 RBI, and four stolen bases that season. Due to his disappointing shortened season and worries about the Royals' lineup, Santana now has an ADP of 281 overall, which seems insanely low since he was going around 136 overall last season. The Royals may not be world-beaters, but this lineup is more impactful than people give it credit for, so there is a good opportunity for RBI production hitting in the middle of it. Take the discount, especially in points leagues.
More Fantasy Baseball Values and Sleepers
Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 27)
Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 27, the final one of the 2025 MLB regular season. The focus of this article is to highlight players who could be on the verge of a breakout, citing current active hitting streaks along with recent leaders in batting average, stolen bases, and isolated […]
10 Non-Debuted Prospects Who Will Make A Fantasy Baseball Impact In 2026
We're wrapping up the fantasy baseball season, which means it's the perfect time to start looking forward to next season. One of the best ways to get an advantage in your league is by hitting on a big-time prospect. I wouldn't advise anyone to invest in too many prospects, but if you hit on one […]
Are You For Real? Surprising Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Starts From Bubba Chandler, Luis Morales, Kyle Hendricks
Welcome back to the "Are You For Real?" series as we dive into Week 26 of the 2025 fantasy baseball season. For those unfamiliar, this is a weekly column where we examine starting pitchers who had surprisingly strong starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legitimate or […]
4 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Caleb Durbin, Parker Messick, James Wood, Nick Lodolo
Welcome, everyone, to the final edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 26 of the 2025 season! Today, I'll look at Caleb Durbin, Parker Messick, James Wood, and Nick Lodolo. Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component for a successful season, and RotoBaller is […]
8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Otto Lopez, Justin Verlander, Ketel Marte, Aaron Nola, more
Welcome, everyone, to another edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 25 of the 2025 season! Today, I'll look at players like Otto Lopez, Justin Verlander, Ketel Marte, and Aaron Nola. Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component for a successful season, and RotoBaller […]
Download Our Free Draft App
Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy baseball mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more draft sleepers at very position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts and daily articles... all free!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
RADIO




