Sleepers. Dart throws. Buy-lows. Hidden gems. Whatever you call these late-round picks, they are a great place to take chances on low-cost players you believe in to help fill out your roster. While it can be fun to load up on soon-to-be-promoted prospects and injury stashes in the endgame, having too many of those guys can put you at a disadvantage in the season’s early months. As a result, I like to focus on players with a clear path to playing time and the capability to produce when given that opportunity. Here are 10 hitters going after pick 300 who fit that description. Average draft position (ADP) data is from the 25 RotoWire Online Championship drafts on the NFBC platform in the last two weeks. Bear in mind that these managers must start two catchers and five outfielders. Because the roster size for the league is 30 and there are 12 teams, any player that goes undrafted will be assigned an ADP value of 361 for that draft. Let’s get into it!
1. Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B, ADP 306.7)
McMahon is a paragon of consistency at one of the weakest positions in fantasy. His homer totals in the last five seasons (excluding 2020) are as follows: 24, 23, 20, 23, and 20. He has played at least 140 games in all five campaigns and maintained a batting average between .240 and .255, so you know exactly what to expect when rostering him. McMahon has finished in the top 20 at his position every single year since 2019, his first full season in the big leagues, but he’s going as 3B26 in drafts.
Unfortunately, McMahon will no longer carry eligibility at 2B, as he played all his games at the hot corner last season. Nevertheless, he offers an excellent floor at a position that has dried up in recent years from a fantasy perspective. Managers will want to take McMahon out of their lineups if possible on the road because of his poor career production away from Coors (.673 OPS vs .814 at home) and the Rockies’ putrid lineup.
2. Pavin Smith (ARI, OF, ADP 354.4)
Smith was fantastic in a small sample last year, slashing .270/.348/.547 with 9 HR in 158 PA. His breakout was fully supported by the underlying metrics; Smith’s .377 wOBA lagged behind his .407 PL xwOBA. Smith tapped into far more power than we had ever seen from him in the big leagues. The 14.7% barrel rate he posted was almost double his career average and his average exit velocity on flyballs of 90.9 MPH was well above his career (85.9) and the major league (87.4) average.
This season, Smith has the inside track to the strong-side platoon DH role due to the departures of Josh Bell and Joc Pederson. He will slot in nicely towards the tail end of the Diamondbacks’ lineup and should have plenty of RBI opportunities, as Arizona scored more runs than any team down the stretch last year. If the added power sticks at least a little bit, Smith could be a decent four-category contributor. Check out this recent article from our resident hitter guru Scott Chu for a deeper dive on Smith, who will also be listed at 1B in leagues that only require 10 starts at a position to maintain eligibility.
3. Trevor Larnach (MIN, OF, 338.2)
Larnach is a player who seemingly goes between picks 300 and 450 every season, which means he always has some intrigue but has failed to take a big leap forward. We saw some modest improvements last year, as Larnach hit 15 HR with a .259 AVG over 400 PA. Larnach was surprisingly able to become a batting average asset (or at least not a detriment) thanks to a huge drop in his strikeout rate. After posting a K% above 30% in each of his first three big league stints, Larnach slashed it to 22.3% last year while making more contact than ever (72.1% contact rate vs. 65.4% career).
Larnach possesses above-average juice pretty much any way you slice it. Last year, he ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in each of the following categories: barrel rate (9.4%, 70th percentile), flyball EV (90.0, 78th), ICR (42.9%, 84th), and xwOBACon (.437, 90th). So, putting the ball in play more as he did last year will go a long way for Larnach. He’s likely going to platoon with Harrison Bader, but he’s poised to hit in the heart of the order against righties and should rack up counting stats. The better lineup spot makes him a slightly more appealing option than Smith.
4. Luke Raley (SEA, 1B/OF, 323.7)
Sticking to the theme here, Raley is another steady contributor who will be on the strong side of a platoon in Seattle. He’s posted a 129 wRC+ in the last two seasons and put up 22 HR and 11 SB over 455 PA in 2024. Raley’s power is legitimate, as he’s posted a double-digit barrel rate in every season he’s played, and his defensive versatility should keep him in the lineup vs. RHP. His primary competition will come from Austin Shenton and Tyler Locklear, who are both unproven and are more likely to take playing time from Mitch Haniger.
The Mariners will always struggle to score runs thanks to their difficult park, so Raley’s runs and RBI totals won’t be impressive. But, he offers a power-speed blend that is relatively rare this late in the draft, and the positional versatility means he can help plug multiple holes in your roster.
5. Jo Adell (LAA, OF, 305)
It probably wouldn’t be accurate to say Adell broke out last year, but he at least showed some growth and fantasy viability. Adell only hit .207 but notched 20 HR and 15 SB in 451 PA. Similarly to Santana, this is a bet on playing time rather than skills. Adell is still 25, so the Angels have every incentive to pencil him into the lineup every day in hopes he might live up to his prospect pedigree. With some better batted-ball luck (.244 BABIP, .296 wOBA vs. .314 PL xwOBA), Adell could go 25/20 with a slightly improved batting average, which would be a great return on investment at this cost.
6. Carlos Santana (CLE, 1B, n/a)
Santana hasn’t been drafted in any of the 25 Online Championship leagues in the last two weeks, but I think he’s being overlooked. The Guardians signed him for $12 million after a strong 2024 (.238/.328/.420 with 23 HR and 71 RBI), and a budget-conscious team isn’t shelling out that kind of money for a bench bat. Santana will start the season as the starting first baseman and will bat in the heart of Cleveland’s lineup. If he struggles, he might get pushed for playing time by Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel, but there should be enough reps to go around.
In signing with Cleveland, Santana will be back on the team where he spent much of his prime. Some ballpark changes, including the removal of upper deck seating, have made Progressive Field more hitter-friendly than the last time he was there. According to Statcast park factors, Cleveland’s park is now slightly above average in terms of home runs, doubles, and run scoring. Santana is an even stronger asset in OBP leagues.
7. Thairo Estrada (COL, 2B, 309.6)
Estrada heads to The Mile High City in search of a career revitalization. He had a putrid 2024 that saw him hit .217 with 9 HR and only 2 SB across 381 PA for the Giants before being non-tendered in the offseason. Just like Adell and Santana, Estrada will be on the field almost every day for Colorado, and Coors Field offers ample space for hits to fall in. I expect him to hit between .260 and .270 with 15 HR and 15 SB, with the upside for more steals if he wants to run wild. He has a career 78% success rate on the bases. Not a bad profile for the 26th 2B off the board!
8. Chas McCormick (HOU, OF, 359.8)
Like Estrada, McCormick is also hoping to bounce back in 2025. He was excellent in 2023 (133 wRC+ with 22 HR and 19 SB) before the wheels completely fell off in 2024. McCormick hit .211 (66 wRC+) with 5 HR and 8 SB last season and got demoted to the minor leagues because of his struggles. As is true for most players who have outlier seasons, McCormick’s true talent level falls somewhere between the two extremes.
Even with Jose Altuve likely moving to left field, the Astros are weak on the grass. The bench bats that McCormick faces competition from are Jon Singleton, Mauricio Dubon, and Ben Gamel. McCormick’s strong glove should help keep him on the field and allow him to compile some homers and steals.
9. Dylan Moore (SEA, 2B/3B/SS/OF, 349)
Moore is a true jack of all trades, as evidenced by his quadruple eligibility. That versatility alone probably explains why he is even getting drafted in 12-team leagues. Don’t get me wrong, Moore was cromulent last year; he slashed .201/.320/.367 (105 wRC+) with 10 HR and a career-high 32 SB in 441 PA. Moore was primarily an injury replacement last year in Seattle, but the Mariners’ failure to do anything in the offseason means he will likely be their Opening Day starter at second base. Unlike the Mariners, we should not rely on Moore as our starter at the keystone. But, he’s a useful guy to plug in assuming that the playing time is still there, especially for teams that find themselves light on speed.
10. Brayan Rocchio (CLE, SS, n/a)
Like his teammate Santana, Rocchio hasn’t been drafted in any of the 25 OCs. He’s probably the deepest cut on this list, as he’s going close to pick 500 in 15-teamers. Rocchio is your classic glove-first shortstop; he hit .206 with 8 HR and 10 SB in 442 PA last season. He was at least able to stay afloat in his first full season, and he could take a step forward in 2025 after a strong postseason (.333/.421/.485 in 39 PA). I like him primarily in AL-only leagues as a backup shortstop option.