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Casey's fantasy baseball hitter sleepers and draft targets for Underdog best ball leagues in 2026. His favorite hitter values to draft.
Welcome to our Underdog hitter fantasy baseball value picks and sleepers for 2026 best ball leagues. For those not familiar, best-ball formats in fantasy baseball are a fun and easy way to play, as the commitment is minimal. After drafting your teams, no other team maintenance is required -- no setting lineups, no waiver wire moves, and no trades.
There are many reasons I have gravitated toward best-ball over traditional fantasy formats. First, the massive prize pools are hard to pass up. I am a DFS player at heart, so having massive payouts is an awesome bonus. Secondly, best ball leagues require minimal effort. Once you draft your teams, all you have to do is root. Third, there is a massive advantage to using our best-ball rankings here at RotoBaller. I would advise you to drag the rankings straight into Underdog.
There are several strategies regarding best ball. You can follow me @CaseyW22 on X to get more advice. My favorite strategy for those familiar with NFL best ball is similar to the "Zero RB" strategy, where we will implement a "Zero SP" strategy. In many drafts, I am not drafting starting pitching until the later rounds. This article will help guide you on hitter targets to load up on early in drafts, while you target starting pitching later in drafts.
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Underdog Hitter Value Picks for 2026
For this article, we are going to focus on Underdog's best ball scoring, as it is one of the more popular platforms to play on. The table below shows how it and its positions are scored.
Underdog scoring is very similar to DFS, where strikeouts, double plays, low batting average, and other important factors in season-long fantasy formats do not matter. Targeting power and stolen-base upside is essential to success in best ball.
*ADP is reflective of Underdog
Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers
ADP: 25.0
I am targeting outfielders early in most of my underdog drafts. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is that there are only three starting outfielders per team in MLB, and five starting infielders. We do usually see more platoon bats in the outfield as well, so loading up on outfielders throughout the first four rounds is essential.
Wyatt Langford is my favorite target in round two of drafts and will likely end up as my highest-rostered player after Jo Adell. Langford has been an elite player since being drafted out of the University of Florida, and I expect him to take another jump forward this season.
In 2025, Langford played only 134 games, slashing .241/.344/.431 with 22 HRs, 22 SBs, 73 R, and 62 RBI. There is true 30/30 upside here if Langford can put together a healthy full season.
This spring, he has been one of the best hitters in MLB. He is currently slashing .455/.538/1.000 with five HRs, 10 R, and 15 RBIs. What intrigues me is his 10.3% K. One of Langford's biggest weaknesses last season was his 26.4% K. If he can make more contact this season, he will be a first-round value.
Wyatt Langford this spring...
24 PA, .455/.500/.955
2 2B, 3 HR
2 BB, 3 K2024: 16 HR, 19 SB
2025: 22 HR, 22 SB
2026: 25+ HR, 25+ SBpic.twitter.com/hQtdPDoozP— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) March 13, 2026
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
ADP: 48.3
I am buying into a bit of narrative on our next pick, as Jazz Chisholm is in a contract year with the Yankees. He has everything to prove and has even mentioned that his goal is to join the 50-50 club.
Forget about 40-40. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has his sights set on the 50-50 club. When told that only Shohei Ohtani has ever done that, Chisholm responded:
“You’re looking at the second one.”
More on an important season, trade rumors and contract talks ⬇️https://t.co/iKlQKisNjI
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 19, 2026
In 130 games last season, he had 31 HRs and 31 SBs. I expect Jazz to be inclined to run more this season, as it is a contract year. In 2025, he slashed .242/.332/.481 in his first full season in the Bronx.
Yankee Stadium is built for Jazz. In 2025, he had a 50.8% Pull with a a 47.6% FB. Yankee Stadium has the shortest porch in the big leagues to right field, and what Jazz does best is pulling the ball in the air for power. I am targeting Jazz in many drafts as my first infielder off the board.
Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels
ADP: 80.0
The former MLB top prospect finally broke out in 2025 in his second full season in the big leagues. Adell is the prototypical best-ball player because he hits for a ton of power but has a low average and strikes out a lot. In best ball, we frankly do not care because it does not hurt us.
In 2025, Adell slashed .236/.293/.485 with 37 HRs, 63 R, and 98 RBI. What stood out to me the most is that when Adell makes contact is usually hit hard and in the air. He had a 44.7% FB, 17.2% Barrel with a 49.6% Hard Hit. His maxEV was 115.7 mph.
Do not be alarmed by his ADP in best ball compared to season-long. As I mentioned above, this is because the scoring format fits Adell to perfection. If you can land Adell as your fourth or fifth outfielder in best ball, your teams should make a run.
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
ADP: 127.3
Wilyer Abreu has been a very popular pick for the fantasy community this season, but I am going to eat the chalk on this one. Abreu is an elite defender and hits lefties extremely well. He will be an everyday bat in this lineup and is getting drafted almost 100 picks later than his teammate Jarren Duran, who I expect to lose some at-bats against southpaws.
Abreu struggled in 2025 to stay healthy; he only played in 115 games. He slashed .247/.317/.469 with 22 HRs, 53 R, and 69 RBIs while missing over 50 games. If he can stay healthy in 2025, I would not be surprised to see him hit 25 home runs.
Abreu's biggest weakness is the high fastball, and this is not a hidden secret. He has worked extensively on this pitch this offseason, and it showed in the WBC, where he seemed to handle it much better. In no way, shape, or form am I weighing in on this small sample, but if Abreu can learn to hit that pitch more consistently, the ceiling at pick 127.3 is elite.
Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds
ADP: 155.6
Matt McLain is getting all the hype this season at the moment because of his incredible spring training, and rightfully so. It is hard to ignore the resurgence of a guy who was an elite player in 2024.
No one is having a better spring than Matt McLain:
🔴 5 HR (1st in MLB)
🔴 12 RBI (1st in MLB)
🔴 17 H (1st in MLB)
🔴 13 R (1st in MLB)
🔴 .607 AVG (1st in MLB)
🔴 1.179 SLG (1st in MLB)
🔴 1.846 OPS (1st in MLB) pic.twitter.com/7TgwJJ0qn1— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 12, 2026
Terry Francona has already announced that McLain will hit two for the Reds this season after what he has done this Spring. The Reds are my favorite stack in best ball at the moment, and I regularly have shares of their top five in the lineup in drafts.
This Spring McLain is slashing .545/.592/1.045 with six HRs, 16 R, and 13 RBIs. McLain will run as well as he still stole 18 bases in 2025. There is true potential of a 25/25 season from him, and at this current ADP in drafts, that is a steal.
Other Best Ball ADP Values
While those five starters are my primary targets, here's a list of other pitchers who stand out as values at their current ADPs.
- Eugenio Suarez (73.9)
- Maikel Garcia (93.2)
- Sal Stewart(152.8)
- Luke Keaschall (187.2)
- Carson Benge (229.3)
- Alec Burleson (235.1)
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