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Jarod's top multi-position eligible hitters, 6 fantasy baseball sleepers and draft targets for 2025. His favorite later round values who play multiple positions.
As Opening Day draws near and managers figure out who they are targeting in the earlier draft rounds, perhaps the later rounds remain a little unsettled. What type of hitter should you take there? Maybe someone who can help with batting average or steals? High-upside lottery tickets?
The best choice could be a player who can help with those things but also provide another useful fantasy attribute: multi-positional eligibility. These players taken later might bolster a lineup weakness like batting average while also providing roster flexibility.
In this article, we're focused on players with an ADP of 175 or lower, so they may not be "starters" on your fantasy team but can fill in proficiently when your regulars have an off day or get injured. We'll discuss some targets as well as some sleepers that should be able to help your fantasy team in some fashion during the upcoming campaign.
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Multi-Position Bench Bats: Targets
Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
Position eligibility: 2B, 3B, OF
How he can help: AVG, HR, RBI, R
ADP: 246
Analysis: If you want to have a "plug-and-play" hitter on your bench, why not make it one that has a better chance than most at putting the bat on the ball? That's what you get with Brendan Donovan and his 86.6 percent contact rate.
Because of that ability, he carries a low strikeout rate, registering at 12.4 percent last season which puts the left-handed hitter in the 97th percentile in all of baseball.
But it's not just soft contact; the former seventh-round draft pick belted 14 home runs in 2024 over 587 at-bats. Drop him into the heart of the Cardinals' lineup and you have a four-category contributor. Last season, he finished with a .278 AVG, 73 RBI, and 65 runs scored, on top of those 14 HR.
Brendan Donovan's profile isn't sexy, but he provides a high floor at a reasonable cost thanks to elite contact skills and a solid approach.
Could put up a .280/70/15/75/5 type of season from ADP 250 range.#FantasyBaseball pic.twitter.com/QlCMNPlN7M
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) December 2, 2024
Last season was not the first of its kind for Donovan either. The Cards' utility player posted a .281 average as a rookie in 2022, hit double-digit home runs in just 95 games in 2023, and recorded no less than an 85.6 percent contact rate in the three years he's been in the league.
He's eligible for three different positions on Yahoo and available at the end of most drafts. If you're looking for flexibility and a safe floor in the late rounds instead of a lottery ticket, the 28-year-old fits the bill.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
Position eligibility: 2B, SS, OF
How he can help: HR, RBI, R, SB
ADP: 198
Analysis: Ceddanne Rafaela is the opposite of Brendan Donovan in many regards, which is why I have him listed after Donovan. They're both four-category producers, but where Donovan has the edge in batting average, Rafaela has the edge in steals.
However, Rafaela seems like a riskier bet because if things go south regarding the batting average (further south, I should say), it will bring the other production down with it.
To his credit, the Curacao native tallied 15 HR, 75 RBI, 70 R, and 19 SB in 2024, all while hitting .246. The problem is the ultra-high chase rate of 46.4 percent (worst in baseball), low contact rate of 69.6 percent, and low walk rate of 2.6 percent (worst in baseball) which led to a poor .274 OBP.
However, the right-handed hitter is expected to use an altered batting stance in 2025 and has reportedly added some muscle in the offseason to improve some of those areas of deficiency.
Ceddanne Rafaela with his second homer of the spring as well!
He’s put together a strong camp. Batting .286 with a .926 OPS. Just feels like he’s controlling these ABs so much more than he did last season.pic.twitter.com/TSVKW8J8C7
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) March 16, 2025
Heck, there's nowhere to go but up in some respects, and with the Red Sox planning to use him in center field as much as possible, it should allow him to direct more focus on hitting.
I wouldn't expect big improvements over 2024 stats, but if he can just repeat those numbers, then he would be a value based on where he is going in drafts, what he can provide statistically, and given the positional eligibility.
Other Draft Targets
Multi-Position Bench Bats: Sleepers
Christopher Morel, Tampa Bay Rays
Position eligibility: 2B, 3B, OF
How he can help: HR, RBI, R
ADP: 248
Analysis: Long known for a lot of power that comes with many strikeouts, it may have been overlooked that Christopher Morel notably reduced his K% last season, going from 31.0 percent in 2023 to 26.0 percent in 2024.
The right-handed hitter improved his league-average walk rate, going from 8.4 percent to 10.0 percent. Backing up some of those stats was about a 2.5 percent improvement on both contact rate and chase rate.
What scares fantasy managers off is the abhorrent batting average, posting a career-low .196 AVG in 535 AB between Chicago and Tampa Bay. For what it's worth, the 25-year-old's xBA was .225 as the .233 BABIP from '24 was well below his career BABIP of .312 that he came into the year with.
Projected to be the Rays' Opening Day left fielder, ATC projections foresee the Dominican with a .227-22-64-61-9 stat line in 2025. What is key for Morel is that he's eligible at 2B and 3B as well as OF on Yahoo. Based on how last season ended, 22 home runs would have been the third-most for a second baseman.
If you gather high-batting average guys early and can stomach the poor batting average Morel will undoubtedly burden you with, he's available at the end of drafts. Otherwise, keep him on your bench and plug him into one of the three positions he's eligible for, then hope he smacks a home run on those days.
Luke Raley, Seattle Mariners
Position eligibility: 1B, OF
How he can help: HR, RBI, R, SB
ADP: 263
Analysis: Last season, Luke Raley logged a career-high 455 plate appearances, leading to career-bests for HR (22), RBI (58), and R (58). The lefty slugger was limited to just 82 PA against LHP, though, compared to 373 PA versus RHP.
Although he doesn't hit lefties well, based on career numbers (.197 vs .245), manager Dan Wilson has stated that the 30-year-old could face them more this season. If that comes to fruition, that could mean more than the 22 home runs he hit last season.
Owning an ADP of 300, managers in need of power will be hard-pressed to find other 25-30 HR that late in drafts. With a career barrel rate of 12.0 percent, don't view last season as a fluke either.
LUKE RALEY TIES IT FOR THE MARINERS pic.twitter.com/NMLkpE8nHZ
— Seattle Mariners ON Tap (@MarinersONTap) September 15, 2024
Now, the big power comes with some swing-and-miss, so he won't help your batting average at all, but his .243 AVG from last season was at least on par with the league average.
Want to know the real "sleeper" part of all of this? He stole 14 bases in 2023 and another 11 last season, registering a 90th-percentile sprint speed. Double-digit steals are within reach again in 2025, especially if given more playing time. The 11 he stole last season were the fourth-most for a first baseman!
Speaking of position, he does not have the versatility as some of the others listed here, but the former seventh-round draft pick comes with both 1B and OF eligibility on Yahoo.
David Fry, Cleveland Guardians (INJURED LIST)
Position eligibility: C, 1B, OF
How he can help: HR, RBI
ADP: 259
Analysis: It took a while for David Fry to get a shot, finally debuting in the majors at the age of 27 in 2023. Then, in his first full big league season, the former seventh-round draft pick drew an All-Star nod, even collecting a hit and an RBI for the AL squad during 2024's Midsummer Classic.
The right-handed hitter put together a .263-14-51-44-4 stat line with a .347 wOBA and 129 wRC+ over just 392 plate appearances last season.
Unfortunately, Cleveland's multi-positional player required UCL surgery and isn't expected to come off of the IL until May. However, even though he will only be a designated hitter in 2025 as a result of the surgery, the 29-year-old comes with C, 1B, and OF eligibility on Yahoo.
If you devalued the catcher and are not sold on your primary backstop, or would like to complement his days off with a solid fill-in, draft Fry with your final bench spot, then move him to an IL spot until he returns in May.
Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee Brewers
Update: Caleb Durbin was optioned to Triple-A, so target him as a waiver wire pickup upon his call-up later this year for his MLB debut.
Position eligibility: 2B, 3B, SS
How he can help: SB, OBP
ADP: 250
Analysis: Caleb Durbin came over to the Brewers as one of the players included in the Devin Williams swap with the Yankees (Nestor Cortes was the other).
Durbin was a 14th-round draft pick in 2022 but has outperformed expectations to this point in his career. The .269 career batting average in the minors doesn't jump off the page, but don't let that fool you; he excels at getting on base.
With 134 walks in the minors, the diminutive infielder has drawn more free passes than he's struck out (111). Add in 43 HBP, and the result is a superb .374 on-base percentage. But that's not all.
The 25-year-old has some serious wheels. His yearly SB output from 2021 to 24 was 12-31-36-31. In addition, the speedster led the Arizona Fall League for two consecutive campaigns in 2023 and 2024, pilfering 21 (23 games) and 29 bags (24 games) those years.
Caleb Durbin's first home run with the @Brewers ✔️
The 2024 AFL Breakout Prospect of the Year takes 2024 All-Star Logan Webb deep: pic.twitter.com/dgQAVs06GK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 1, 2025
The right-handed hitter is projected for a platoon role according to Roster Resource and hasn't made the case this spring for an everyday job while slashing .171/.275/.343, but has hit two home runs and stolen four bases in 40 plate appearances.
Over the last several games for the Brew Crew, Durbin has manned the hot corner, but he comes with eligibility at 2B, 3B, and SS on Yahoo. Given his versatility, he may find at least semi-regular at-bats; if so, the University of Washington product should sail past his ATC projection of 13 SB in 2025.
Other Draft Sleepers
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