The 2024 fantasy baseball season has arrived and that means draft season. Fantasy players can’t win a league simply through the draft — but a strong one can certainly help. For those looking for value deeper in fantasy baseball drafts for 2024, here’s a look at five buy-low hitters who aren’t rated high but can provide great value.
A Note on Buy-Low Hitters
For this list, we’re looking at players who are ranked below the top 150 but can provide serious value beyond their ranking.
We’re not going to call these players sleepers due to either their past pedigree or prospect status. However, these individuals could be considered as such.
Also, our buy-low candidates are influenced by both Yahoo! and ESPN head-to-head and roto rankings. If one player is rated below #150 in one or both, that individual will be included here.
Best Value Grabs
Here’s a look at our best value grabs:
- 1B Rhys Hoskins (#180 by ESPN, #151 by Yahoo!)
- 3B Isaac Paredes (#182 by ESPN, #181 by Yahoo!)
- OF Lars Nootbaar (#188 by ESPN, #200 by Yahoo!)
- C Sean Murphy (#190 by ESPN, #139 by Yahoo!)
- OF Jackson Chourio (#204 by ESPN, #148 by Yahoo!)
- SS Carlos Correa (#214 by ESPN, #190 by Yahoo!)
- 2B Jeff McNeil (#224 by ESPN, #263 by Yahoo!)
- 2B Jorge Polanco (#236 by ESPN, #232 by Yahoo!)
- OF Byron Buxton (#262 by ESPN, #201 by Yahoo!)
- DH Giancarlo Stanton (NR* by ESPN, #239 by Yahoo!)
*NR means not rated in the top 300.
Several of these players are rated this low for a reason. Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Jorge Polanco all had injury-riddled campaigns, while Rhys Hoskins missed all of 2023 thanks to an ACL tear. Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar only played 117 games last year thanks to back and abdomen troubles.
Having said that, those players can be an opportunity for fantasy players. Yes, minimizing risk is ideal, so perhaps taking just one or two of these names later on would be a smart strategy. However, it’s hard to ignore the tools and past production of the names listed above.
Hoskins hit 30 home runs in 2022 for the Phillies and should be an ample source of power and RBI for the Brewers.
Speaking of the Brewers, Jackson Chourio is tough to resist. Taking a rookie early can be risky, especially one who’s never played in the Majors, However, Chourio has 20-20 potential in 2024 thanks to plus pop and speed.
There’s also Jeff McNeil, who can play second or the outfield. McNeil only hit .270 last season but a .291 second half was a positive sign that the ban on the shift didn’t nerf the 31-year-old’s fantasy value.
The last person on this list is Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees.
Look, Stanton should not be under consideration until the final two rounds, when filling out the roster is the prime focus. However, a slimmed-down Stanton can be an appealing late option, thanks to his plus-plus power.
Stanton hit 24 home runs last season despite missing 61 games.
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