You never want your fantasy baseball team to lag behind in a category, but inevitably, it’s going to happen at some point during your draft. If you’re struggling with power – home runs and RBI – there are plenty of hitters going off the board late to get your draft back on track.
In this article, we’ll cover the late-round options that feel like “safe” bets to be big-time HR and RBI producers. Of course, with most players going late in your draft, there are practically no safe options. They’re coming off the board this late for a reason, after all.
For this article’s purposes, I’m setting the definition of “late-round” as a player with an ADP of 200 or later in NFBC drafts that have happened in the two weeks leading up to publishing. That comes out to players being taken in the 20th round or later in 10-team leagues, and the 16th round or later in 12-team leagues.
Adolis García, Philadelphia Phillies | ADP 213
García could use a fresh start with his new team in Philadelphia after back-to-back down years to end his tenure in Texas. After his electric 2023 season that ended in a World Series win, García’s production at the plate has slipped. His wRC+ has fallen in each of the last two years, falling from 128 in 2023 to 94 in 2024 and 83 last year.
At 33 years old and with noted plate discipline issues, there’s cause for concern that García’s production over the last two years is what we should expect from him moving forward. On the other hand, we’re still dealing with a player who has very recently posted strong seasons at the dish and has maintained strong batted-ball metrics despite a lessened output. Both his Barrel% and Hard-Hit% were 70th percentile or better. His average exit velocity landed in the 89th percentile.
Even if you’re not buying into a bounce back from García, his loud contact coming in the middle of an uber-talented Phillies lineup should at least make you consider drafting him after pick 200. García should put up solid numbers even if we see more of the same from him. If he can move back towards a 30 HR output, getting him this late could be the steal of the draft.
Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers | ADP 228
Despite being platooned against left-handed starters, Carpenter has been able to make a name for himself among the game’s power best hitters. He went deep 26 times last year while racking up just 464 plate appearances.
Only 63 of those trips to the plate came against lefties, and since Detroit is essentially running back their same position player core, Carpenter is likely to continue to just be a strong-side platoon hitter. That limits his upside to an extent, but with each of his xSLG, Avg. EV, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, LA Sweet-Spot%, and Squared-Up% all ranking in at least the 70th percentile, there’s plenty of production to be had even without a full-time role.
Carpenter is one of the few power hitters going this late in drafts that doesn’t represent a huge batting average liability. He’s a career .268 hitter, and has never posted a batting average below .252. That’s not necessarily a reason to target Carpenter, but it’s the cherry on top of a solid HR and RBI contributor being taken in the late rounds of most drafts.
Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers | ADP 234
We’ve arrived at my favorite late-round HR and RBI producer. It seems like drafters are down on the Dodgers’ third baseman this year, and that may be understandable as he’s now 35 and has only played a combined total of 173 games in the last two years, but I’m still very much in.
One thing that gives me confidence in Muncy is that the Dodgers are still heavily committed to him. The baseball world knows that if the Dodgers aren’t confident in a position group, they will spend whatever it takes to fix it. Not only did they not add another third baseman this winter, but they even signed him to a one-year contract extension that’ll keep him in LA through the 2027 season.
You may recall that Muncy got off to an abysmal start to the 2025 season. After a month of struggle, Muncy started wearing prescription glasses on April 30th to address an astigmatism. After that point, he slashed .268/.406/.563 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI across 283 plate appearances. He even walked (17.7% BB%) more than he struck out (17.3% K%).
I love getting Muncy at his current ADP. He’s a great option to fill out your CI spot, and he could even serve as your starter at third base if you end up missing out on the higher-end options. His eyesight is corrected, he still hits the ball incredibly hard, and he’s locked into the middle of the best lineup in baseball.
Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians | ADP 237
In his first full season in the majors, Manzardo put on a great display of his natural power. Over 531 plate appearances, he went deep 27 times and drove in 70 runs. His 11.8% barrel rate is 74th percentile, and he does a great job of pulling the ball in the air — his 23.8% Pull AIR% is well above the 16.7% league average mark.
There’s a little bit of concern that Manzardo could be platooned more often this year with Rhys Hoskins now on the roster, but I think the Guardians are likely to have both of them in the lineup more often than not. Plus, they didn’t use Manzardo strictly as a platoon bat last year, and when he did face lefties, his results weren’t awful (119 wRC+ vs. R, 83 wRC+ vs. L).
Cleveland needs all the thump they can get, and Manzardo’s their biggest bat. I can’t imagine they let him linger on the bench too often, and when they inevitably do give him an off day, they’ll still use him as a pinch hitter. He pinch-hit in 21 of the 41 games he didn’t start in 2025.
Jake Burger, Texas Rangers | ADP 247
Burger is one of my favorite bounce-back candidates this year. In 2023 and 2024, we saw Burger post seasons of 34 HR and 80 RBI, and 29 HR and 76 RBI. Last year was a struggle for the Rangers’ first baseman, but I’m willing to write it off.
In 2025, Burger’s season got off to a miserable start. It was so bad, in fact, that he was demoted to the minors for a short stint in early May. When Burger returned to the big leagues, he looked much more like his old self, but he suffered three separate injuries that sent him to the IL three times.
That’s a recipe for a disaster, especially for a player who was looking to put a tough start to the season behind him. When a player doesn’t see the field consistently over a long period, it truly discounts poor performances for me. Late in drafts, I’m happy to bet on Burger returning to his power-happy form.
Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees | ADP 259
I don’t think I’m legally allowed to write an article on power hitters without mentioning Stanton. Even in his mid-30s and consistently battling through injuries, his power exploits remain legendary.
Although Stanton only amassed 281 plate appearances in 2025, he still managed to blast 24 home runs and collect 66 RBI. His 21.9% Barrel%, 118 mph maxEV, and 112.2 EV90 all ranked top six among hitters with at least 250 plate appearances.
Stanton’s nagging tennis elbow issues in both arms sidelined him for a significant portion of 2025, and, reportedly, they still haven’t healed. The Yankees will be managing his playing time once again, but as long as your league has an IL spot or two, Stanton can still be a difference maker for your fantasy team.
Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins | ADP 338
It’s been three straight years of Wallner putting up gaudy batted-ball metrics without delivering a huge power breakout season, but perhaps 2026 will finally be the time. Wallner still managed to hit 22 home runs last year, but injuries limited him to just 392 plate appearances.
Wallner boasts 96th percentile bat speed, a career 15.7% Barrel%, and excels at pulling the ball in the air. It’s a profile that any team would love to plug into their lineup, but only the hapless Twins are lucky enough to get to actually do it. Given their less-than-contender status in 2026, they should give Wallner full-time at-bats, and if they do, he could be a legitimate league-winning pick.
Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants | ADP 455
Eldridge has looked every bit the part of a serious middle-of-the-order bat throughout his minor league career, and 2026 should be his chance to prove himself on the game’s biggest stage. It’s unclear whether he’ll break camp with the big league club, but the Giants don’t have a lot of other enticing DH options.
Projection systems are giving Eldridge between 15-20 home runs this year, but that feels light given he went deep 25 times in 433 minor league plate appearances in 2025. If Eldridge gets enough run in San Francisco, he could threaten 30 home runs and amass a great number of RBI, hitting in the middle of a solid Giants’ lineup.
Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals | ADP 521
Gorman is still chasing the high of his 2023 season – .236/.328/.478 with 27 HR, 59 R, 76 RBI, and 7 SB. With Gorman putting up that line at 23 years old, it seemed like he was destined for stardom, but his production has cratered over the last two years.
The Cardinals’ roster teardown has opened the door for Gorman to finally get a chance to play every day at his natural position of third base, and perhaps that consistent role will be a boon to Gorman’s performance. Even in his down years, he still posted respectable barrel rates and bat speed.
Abimelec Ortiz, Washington Nationals | ADP 706
The last name on the list is a deep cut – Ortiz hasn’t played a single game in the big leagues yet. Washington acquired him in the MacKenzie Gore trade this winter, and with their roster still stuck in rebuild mode, they have no reason to hold Ortiz back if he looks ready for the show, and that’s exactly how he looked in the minors last year.
In 2025, Ortiz slashed a combined .257/.356/.479 with 25 HR and 89 RBI across Double- and Triple-A. He’s a big-bodied lefty swinger whose added thump would go a long way for an otherwise unexciting lineup. If he starts the year in Triple-A, add him to your watchlist because he could be a big-time power producer when he does inevitably get the call.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Bsky/Twitter)
