When you start getting into the late stages of your draft, you may find that you’re a bit deficient in power. Perhaps you started out with two starters in the first two rounds, or maybe you went back-to-back-to-back with starters beginning in the fourth. It could also have happened that some of the lighter power guys who contribute in other categories were the best players on the board early.
It can be a scary feeling at times, as most teams will have solidified the category with their early picks, meaning players with power still on the board will likely have warts that need to be managed.
There’s no need to panic, though. There are some strong options to boost your team’s power potential in the final rounds of a draft. This article will focus specifically on players available well after pick 200 (according to NFBC ADP in drafts ending on or after February 1) who could get you back on track, so if you find yourself in a position where home runs feel light, take a look at this list and see who stands out for you.
These players are listed in order of ADP and the write-ups are from my larger rankings article, so if you want to see how I rank them in their full context, check out my Top 300 Hitters for 2024.
Jack Suwinski (OF, PIT), ADP 240 – Suwinski has issues with zone contact (which you may have noticed is a red flag for me), but a combination of power, speed, and playing time still led to 26 home runs and 13 steals for the 25-year-old southpaw. Suwinski is much better suited to OBP leagues where his high walk rate can make his ratios more than acceptable, but in standard leagues, you shouldn’t expect more than a .220 average with subpar counting stats as part of a dismal Pirates lineup.
Byron Buxton (UT, MIN) ADP 247 – 2017 stands alone as the sole season where Buxton played at least 100 major league games as he found his way into just 85 of them in 2023 before hitting the IL. The Twins still expect him to be their starting centerfielder, and we saw enough to still project Buxton for 30 home runs if he somehow plays in 140 games and could also steal 15 bases. We also saw enough to know that Buxton’s ratios are probably going to stay low due to his extreme flyball tendencies, but if you want to pick up a lottery ticket, Buxton still fits the bill.
Shea Langeliers (C, OAK), ADP 265 – A classic second catcher who can hit 20 home runs and also .210. There are plenty of builds that can benefit from the power boost at catcher, and maybe he finds just a bit better luck (and a less extreme fly ball approach) to get that average closer to .225 or .230.
Brandon Lowe (2B, TBR), ADP 266 – Lowe has the pop to hit 30 home runs, but injuries, inconsistency, and platoon splits continue to hold him back. If you’re desperate for power late in the draft, Lowe is a gamble worth considering, but at this point, it’s just a gamble.
Matt Chapman (3B, FA), ADP 270 – Chapman’s hard-hit rate in 2023 was the best of his career (by a pretty wide margin) despite putting up 10 fewer home runs than he had in each of the last two seasons. Part of the issue may have been luck, as Chapman’s 39 doubles were 12 more than he hit in 2022 and 24 more than he had in 2021, and he also didn’t pull the ball as much as he did in 2022. 25-30 home runs are possible for Chapman no matter where his free agency takes him, but his strikeouts, streakiness, and low batting average will frustrate even the most patient fantasy managers.
Eugenio Suárez (3B, ARI), ADP 286 – Suárez is no longer the lock for 30 home runs he was from 2018-2022, but assuming the D-Backs intend to deploy Suárez in the middle of their lineup, then he should still drive in 80-90 runners even if the home run total is closer to 20 than it is to 30 despite the ugly batting average.
Nelson Velázquez (OF, KCR), ADP 304 – Velázquez made waves once he was traded to the Royals, hitting 14 home runs in 40 games, though it came with a 29.3% strikeout rate and a .233 batting average. That more or less tracks with what we expected of him as a prospect, making him a lower batting average guy with a 25-30 home run upside. Some power hitters can get by with a low-walk approach (like his teammate Salvador Perez), but he’ll likely need to cut the strikeout rates to find any real consistency.
Giancarlo Stanton (OF, NYY), ADP 310 – Stanton hits the ball unbelievably hard and misses a lot of games. It was true before, and it’s true now. The only real change in his game is that between the strikeouts, the fly-ball-heavy approach, and the loss of speed, Stanton is an extreme drag on your batting average and OBP. He only needs about 110 games to hit 30 home runs, but even getting that many will take some luck.
Matt Wallner (OF, MIN), ADP 344 – Wallner has a difficult path to a full-time role due to the nature of the Twins roster and his weakness to left-handed pitching, but there’s no doubting his raw power after he hit 14 home runs in 76 games. Keep Wallner in the back of your mind, especially in OBP formats, when you need power at the end of a deep draft or during the season when perusing the wire, but even if Wallner is healthy for all of 2024, it’s unlikely he gets to 120 games played while in a strict platoon.
Adam Duvall (OF, FA) ADP 561 – Assuming Duvall lands somewhere that can give him 110-120 starts, he should hit 22-25 home runs with a low batting average. I’m not sure what the market is for right-handed corner outfielders who strike out a lot, but I’d guess that it’s not all that big. If I knew he’d get the 120 games, he’d probably be up 10-20 spots.
Hunter Goodman (1B/OF, COL), ADP 574 – Goodman has a boatload of power and what appears to be an everyday role in the Colorado outfield, which means that he’ll be interesting whenever the Rockies are at home (which, of course, is 81 times). The ratios on the road will be too much to bear for most managers, but Goodman could very well finish with a .250 batting average and 25 home runs.
Joc Pederson (1B/OF, ARI), ADP 582 – Joc is a classic platoon hitter who, with the right schedule, is streamable in 12-teamers and is serviceable as a back-end outfielder in 15-teamers. It’s better for his fantasy value for Pederson to remain in a platoon as he’s almost certainly a negative whenever he faces a southpaw, and he can still get to 20 or more home runs despite sitting against same-side pitching.
Jesús Sánchez (OF, MIA), ADP 586 – Sanchez has a lot more power than his 14 home runs in 2023 would suggest, as evidenced by his 46.3% hard-hit rate. The issue for Sanchez comes from his decision-making, particularly on pitches outside of the zone. Those bad decisions often lead to bad contact, leaving Sanchez with a ground-ball rate near 50%. Until he can consistently pick the right pitches to swing at (and therefore drive more balls in the air), we won’t get to see the raw 25 home run upside that currently lies dormant in his bat.
Rowdy Tellez (1B, PIT), ADP 614 – In the single season where Rowdy played a full season, he hit 35 home runs. Now there’s a reason Toronto and Milwaukee didn’t want to play him every day (he’s awful against lefties), but the Pirates don’t have a lot of other options (Connor Joe is not what I generally consider an option), so if you want to roll the dice on a 25 home run season with bad ratios, I won’t stop you. Heck, if he starts pulling his fly balls a bit more, he could even hit more than that.
Ryan Noda (1B/OF, OAK), ADP 625 – OBP leaguers will love the 15% walk rate and 20 home run power, but playing for Oakland means counting stats are mostly unavailable, and Noda’s high strikeout rate will keep him out of most conversations in batting average leagues.
Seth Brown (1B/OF, OAK), ADP 633 – Brown should hit 25 home runs if he plays a full season, but he’ll do so with minimal counting stats for a full-time player and also will hurt your ratios. That’s useful in deeper formats and his volume will keep him relevant there, but shallow leaguers should look for more upside.
Joey Gallo (1B/OF, WSH), ADP 646 – Gallo has yet another new home, this time with a fairly clear path to 120 starts as the strong side of a platoon in the outfield with whoever happens to be on the Nats bench at any given moment. That should create a path to 20-25 home runs for Gallo, albeit with his infamous sub-.200 batting average and not-quite-as-awful .310 OBP.
Patrick Wisdom (1B/3B/OF, CHC), ADP 677 – There’s nothing complicated about what Wisdom brings to the table—he hits the ball really far or strikes out trying. None of the ratios (besides slugging) will be good at all, but his versatility (despite the fact he’s not really a good defender at any position) should help him reach 100 games and 25 home runs. Just don’t look too closely at any of the other stats that come with it.
Jo Adell (OF, LAA), ADP 685 – Adell really has nothing left to prove in the minors, and he continues to show upside in the power department (27 home runs in 91 games across Triple-A and MLB), but that 35.4% strikeout rate over 619 MLB plate appearances tells the story, and it’s not a pretty one. If you want to shoot for the moon and see if you can catch 25 home run lightning in a bottle, I won’t stop you.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram