With spring training games now underway, baseball is once again being played and we can start to fine-tune the top of our draft lists by seeing what players actually look like on the diamond.
However, many fantasy managers will tell you that fantasy championships are not won in the first few rounds, but rather by what bargains you can get in the middle of the roster-allocation proceedings.
With that in mind, we asked our quartet of fantasy experts -- Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Todd Zola and Derek Carty -- to highlight one player they were targeting as one of these middle-round must-haves. If these names are currently nowhere to be found on your own draft lists, you might want to make some adjustments.
Which player ranked outside the top 50 are you most excited about potentially drafting to as many of your fantasy baseball teams as possible?
Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
He's one of the few players you'll routinely draft outside the top 50 (other than in dynasty and keeper leagues) who has a legitimate chance at a top-25 overall season, thanks to his immense raw power potential.
That power is a true 80-grade skill and, to underscore how much punch he packs at the plate, note that he had the highest exit velocity of any player at the Triple-A level last season (minimum 150 batted balls). Then, after getting the call in mid-August, he had what would have been better-than-70th-percentile Barrel and hard-hit rates in his 177 plate appearances with the Rays.
The more hitter-friendly confines of the Rays' temporary home at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa should help his cause, as will hitting regularly in the heart of the order. Expect a big breakthrough from Caminero in 2025. -- Cockcroft
Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Yelich produced a stellar .909 OPS over 315 plate appearances during the 2024 season, offering up 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases before his balky back eventually shut him down just before August. Offseason surgery was expected to fix the problem, and Yelich should be ready for Opening Day.
Fantasy managers would be quite pleased if Yelich approaches numbers reflecting his 2023 pace. Remember, Yelich was a five-category provider and top-10 outfielder that season, and lest we forget, he was an All-Star just last season. He has proven upside, yet doesn't need to return to his 2018 NL MVP form to get back to top-50 fantasy status. -- Karabell
Christian Walker, 1B, Houston Astros
First base is loaded in 2025, with five players at the position currently with an ADP inside the top 50. Walker should make it six, but his ADP is borderline top 100.
Being able to wait for Walker allows fantasy managers to focus on other lineup spots early in drafts while still rostering one of the best at his position. He's averaged 32 homers, 94 RBI, 81 runs and five steals while hitting .250 over the past three seasons -- and that's with having missed 32 games last year due to an oblique strain. He had missed only seven total games in 2022-23.
Moving to a new team can be a challenge, but Walker's current home field is much more homer-friendly to right-handed batters than his old digs in Arizona. -- Zola
Taylor Ward, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Yeah, yeah. I know you wanted me to say Dylan Crews or Jackson Jobe or literally anything sexier than Taylor Ward. Tough. You get what you get, and you don't get upset. But trust me: You'll be upset if you don't get Ward.
A 31-year-old Angels outfielder without a single standout skill is hardly someone I'd expect you to already be excited about, but that's exactly why he's my pick. Old, boring veterans (especially on bad teams) are perpetually undervalued -- and they're also perpetually the key to winning leagues.
Ward won't carry a single category for you, but he'll contribute in all five and, most importantly? Ward is good at baseball. He can hit. My projection system (THE BAT X) sees Ward as the 52nd-most-valuable hitter in fantasy this year, but he's being drafted more than 100 spots below that. Take advantage of the market's biases and take the value where you can get it. -- Carty