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The top waiver wire pickups from the 2025 fantasy baseball season. Jeremy's top breakout players include Nick Kurtz, Cade Horton, Geraldo Perdomo, more.
There were many big fantasy baseball breakouts in 2025, including Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo, Cristopher Sanchez, and Junior Caminero. However, they were all established players with breakout aspirations before the season, and you may have missed out on them in the middle rounds of drafts.
There were plenty of other players who turned into true fantasy difference-makers from the most unlikely of circumstances, so much so that they weren't even drafted in most leagues. These players deserve some extra celebration, going from the waiver wire to helping your team win a fantasy championship.
Every league is different, so it's important to distinguish what classifies as an undrafted player. Some of these guys may have been taken in your personal league, but for this exercise, we'll look at anyone with an NFBC ADP outside of the top 360. That covers a hypothetical 12-team draft of 30 rounds. Different sites also calculate value differently, so the "final rank" will be referencing the ranking of the FanGraphs' Player Rater for 12-team leagues with 5x5 roto scoring.
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Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
ADP: 428
Final rank: 15
Geraldo Perdomo truly came out of nowhere, going from being undrafted in most leagues to being a fantasy superstar straight out of the gate. Many were surprised when the Diamondbacks committed to him with a four-year, $45 million extension after he batted .273 with three home runs and nine stolen bases in 98 games in 2024. They clearly knew something the rest of us didn’t, as the 25-year-old went on to slash .290/.389/.462 with 20 home runs, 100 RBI, 98 runs, and 27 steals in 2025.
That production was good enough to land him as the third-best shortstop and 15th-best overall player in fantasy this year, but is this really who he is now? On one hand, the switch-hitter posted a .285 expected batting average and a .432 expected slugging percentage, which implies that what he did was pretty legitimate. However, his 68.3 mph bat speed ranks in only the seventh percentile, and it led to poor metrics such as a 31.9% hard-hit rate (11th percentile) and 87.6 mph average exit velocity (16th percentile).
He does enough things right that it’s safe to bet on him being a productive fantasy option once again in 2026, although another top-20 overall finish seems unlikely. There are plenty of elite shortstops with long track records of success who deserve early round selections before Perdomo, which should push him out of at least the top five at the position and out of the top 50 overall.
It also wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see his ADP settle closer to 100, as people may not want to take the chance on such an out-of-nowhere breakout repeating for a second year in a row.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
ADP: 534
Final rank: 43
While Perdomo was the best overall finisher of those drafted outside of the top 360, Nick Kurtz was the most valuable on a per-game basis. The fourth pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, he flew through the minor league systems to make his major league debut on April 23. Despite some struggles early on, he went on to slash .290/.383/.619 with 36 home runs, 86 RBI, and 90 runs in 117 games.
His dominance was especially on display in the second half, where he launched 19 homers with a .322 batting average, which was good enough to rank him as the third-best player in fantasy in that span. The 22-year-old posted an 18.4% barrel rate, 92.7 mph average exit velocity, and .550 xSLG that place him among the league’s elite, and it’s clear that we’re looking at one of the sport’s newest top sluggers.
One last Nick Kurtz post...
His full-season pace (650 PA)...
120 Runs
35 Doubles
48 Home Runs
114 RBI
346 Total Bases pic.twitter.com/wLRCJoQIqX— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 30, 2025
He had a full-season pace of 48 home runs in his first taste of the big leagues, and Kurtz will now join a select group of players who have the potential to top 50 home runs in a season. The lack of steals and a subpar batting average will likely keep him out of the first round in 2026 fantasy drafts, but he should be considered an early-to-mid second-rounder around the likes of fellow sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Junior Caminero.
Trevor Rogers, SP, Baltimore Orioles
ADP: 710
Final rank: 57
Trevor Rogers was dealt to the Orioles in 2024 for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby, and the Marlins were looking like the winners of the trade, with Stowers having a 2025 breakout of his own. However, Rogers got his chance to join the rotation in late May and never looked back, posting a 1.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 103 strikeouts and 29 walks in 109 ⅔ innings.
He was consistent as they come, only giving up more than two runs in a start two times, with one of them coming in his very last start of the season. The lefty’s late start to the season suppressed his final fantasy ranking to a still great 57th overall and 15th-best starting pitcher, but he was actually the 17th-best player and second-best starting pitcher in the second half. This didn’t come completely out of nowhere, as the 27-year-old was a common name on sleeper and breakout lists throughout his time as a young up-and-comer in Miami.
It’s important to note that it’s very unrealistic to expect a repeat of his 1.81 ERA in 2026, as his FIP and xFIP sit at 2.82 and 3.64, respectively. Natural regression and his lack of elite strikeout upside firmly keep him out of ace territory for fantasy, but he should still be a solid top-30 option at the position for next year’s drafts.
Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs
ADP: 702
Final rank: 101
Cade Horton finished as the 101st-best player in fantasy, but that fact completely undersells how valuable he truly was. He made his major league debut on May 10 and looked promising over the first couple of months of his career, but especially ramped up his production in the second half.
In 12 starts after the All-Star break, the rookie didn’t allow more than two earned runs a single time, and 11 of the outings were one run or less. His 1.03 ERA and 0.78 WHIP were good enough to make him the No. 1 fantasy starting pitcher in the second half.
The sensational finish left his season stats as a 2.67 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 97 strikeouts and 33 walks in 118 innings. The 24-year-old did post a 3.59 FIP and 4.27 xFIP, which suggests regression is expected, and nothing about his underlying metrics necessarily jumps off the page.
Most noticeably, his .246 xBA, 20.4% strikeout rate, and 41.3% hard-hit rate all grade out as about league average or worse. It was still an impressive season for a first taste of the big leagues, but nothing points to him being a top-10 pitcher long term.
It’s a given that he will regress in the fantasy-relevant statistics in 2026, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take a step forward in the underlying metrics to bring him closer to being a true elite pitcher. It’s hard to imagine a high-end fantasy outcome if he doesn’t take a step forward in his strikeout stuff, but his strong finish is enough to justify Horton as a mid-tier fantasy pitcher for 2026. Expect him to go off the board somewhere in the 36-48 range of starting pitchers.
Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
ADP: 362
Final rank: 64
Andy Pages didn’t provide an extended stretch of league-winning production like many on this list, but he was consistently solid all year long. He ended with a .272/.313/.461 slash line to go along with 27 home runs, 86 RBI, 74 runs, and 14 stolen bases, which was good enough to finish as the 64th overall player in 5x5 roto.
He didn’t necessarily excel in one area but provided above-average contributions in all five categories, and was no doubt one of the better waiver wire finds at the beginning of the year.
While this was an impressive breakout season for the 24-year-old, his underlying metrics don’t necessarily paint him as a budding star. He posted only a 37.2% hard-hit rate, 33.2% chase rate, and 4.6% walk rate, which paints him as an impatient hitter who struggles to make consistent hard contact.
That doesn’t mean he will be a bust for 2026, as there is still plenty of value for a solid bat who will see high volume in one of the best offenses in the league. It’s best to view him as a third outfielder for fantasy as a safe option who doesn’t have the upside to win you the league.
Ben Rice, C/1B, New York Yankees
ADP: 439
Final rank: 69
Ben Rice broke out in 2025, slashing .255/.337/.499 with 26 home runs, 65 RBI, and 74 runs in 138 games for the Yankees. While on paper that doesn’t seem like a gigantic performance, he also grades out as one of the unluckiest players in the league. The slugger posted a .299 xBA, .581 xSLG, and 56.1% hard-hit rate that would have made him one of the most dominant hitters in all of baseball if his actual stats aligned with the expected.
If that doesn’t already sound good enough, the first baseman began seeing more time at catcher as the season went on, ultimately playing 36 games behind the dish and securing his catcher eligibility for 2026. The most frustrating part with Rice was his inconsistent playing time due to the Yankees’ crowded lineup, but the sky is the limit for him next season if he can play nearly every day.
Ben Rice was one of just five hitters to have an xBA of .290+ and an xSLG of .580+ (Soto, Judge, Springer, Seager)
I have him as a Top-5 catcher for 2026, and part of me wants to put him #2 behind Raleigh. I might just do it...pic.twitter.com/tQSdFcZTcp
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 30, 2025
The 26-year-old was already looking like one of the best waiver wire adds as a first baseman before gaining eligibility at an even weaker position, which could move him into the category of the fantasy elites for 2026.
There were an uncharacteristically large number of breakouts for young catchers in 2025, which makes the position less scarce, but it still gives way more value to Rice than if he were only a first baseman. He is a strong bet to finish as a top-5 catcher and top-10 first baseman in 2026, but the upside is much higher than that.
Other Top Waiver Wire Pickups (ADP):
- Drake Baldwin (369)
- Agustin Ramirez (466)
- Ramon Laureano (673)
- Sal Frelick (363)
- Andrew Abbott (485)
- Kyle Stowers (547)
- Noah Cameron (701)
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