2025 fantasy baseball sleepers: 10 players to target in drafts
"Sleeper" is an enormous buzzword in the realm of fantasy baseball, and for good reason. Sleepers are players that no one has on their radar, but could end up being league-winners. They're the golden geese, diamonds in the rough, buried pirates' treasures that we've always dreamed of discovering but very rarely ever do.
We can look at stats, dig up research, and draw comparisons all we like, but when push comes to shove, no one has the tools to perfectly predict the future. That said, there are a few players with a better chance of being that huge sleeper steal that wins you your league.
Here is one player from every position capable of dominating your fantasy league this summer. Be sure to check out our top bust picks, all breakout team, and riskiest selections for 2025.
Top 2025 fantasy baseball sleepers
The Athletics as a whole are filled with potentially league-winning talent, and their move to a much more hitter-friendly ballpark in Sacramento compared to the Coliseum could unlock said potential, especially for someone like Langeliers who posted a triple-slash of .250/.306/.492 on the road last year versus his .197/.270/.406 slash at home.
Furthermore, throughout Langeliers' three seasons in the majors, we've seen his walk rate increase and his strikeout rate decrease yearly. For someone going as the eighth catcher off the board at pick 143, Langeliers could easily hit 30 home runs and provide top-5 catcher value for a pick in the 10th or 11th round.
1B: Nick Kurtz, Athletics
This is a very deep sleeper, and probably not someone you want to draft at the start of your season. That said, you should absolutely keep an eye on this prospect who could get called up around the middle of the year.
Kurtz has dominated every level of the minor leagues, wrapping up 2024 with a .353 batting average and 1.058 OPS across 13 games in the Arizona Fall League. There is a bit of competition at first base with Tyler Soderstrom, but Kurtz definitely has the potential to be a top-10 first baseman in baseball, and you wouldn't even need to use a draft pick on him.
The biggest issue with Lowe is availability. He has not played in 110 games since 2021, and given that his career OPS drops by nearly 100 points (.833 to .737) when facing a left-handed pitcher, he often gets platooned by the Rays. That said, Lowe still boasts generational power at a position that lacks in that department.
With the Rays moving to George M. Steinbrenner Field for 2025, Lowe's power should come into play more this season. After all, Tropicana Field ranked second-worst in HR factor for left-handed hitters. If Lowe plays even 130 games, there is a very real chance we see a 35 home run season out of a second baseman, which is practically unheard of.
Paredes' biggest drawback is his lack of power, but he did have a knack for knocking home runs down the left field line in Tampa. Sadly though, Tropicana's left field foul pole was only 315 feet from home plate. Very few ballparks have a similarly short porch in left, which was a large reason why Paredes' power numbers dropped off significantly once he headed to Wrigley Field.
Fortunately for Paredes, Houston's left field wall sits precisely 315 feet from home plate. It's like he never left Florida. In just five games played at Minute Maid Park in his career, Paredes has already hit two dingers in Houston. Essentially, there's a good chance we see Paredes return to his 25-30 home run threat form that we experienced in 2023 and the start of 2024. At his current ADP of 168 (although it is much earlier on ESPN - 108), Paredes is an absolute steal.
It's no secret that Dansby Swanson dealt with a core injury throughout a large portion of the 2024 season. Those clearly dampened his power numbers as his home runs, ISO, slugging, and more all took significant, unexpected dips. Now, with Swanson presumably healthy and Kyle Tucker in the fold, Swanson should not only return to form, but could get more opportunities for RBIs hitting behind Tucker or runs if he's hitting in front of him.
Currently competing for the fourth outfield spot and/or an everyday role as the Nationals' designated hitter, Stone Garrett has been awesome when healthy for Washington. The only problem is that since 2023, he's only played in 91 games.
Garrett suffered a fractured left fibula in 2023, and it took a very long time for him to return to the field, only participating in two games for Washington in 2024. Still, despite the lack of time played, Garrett's numbers speak for themselves, boasting an .827 OPS in those 91 games he played with a nearly 50% hard-hit rate.
That said, Garrett is still a massively risky pick. Coming off a massive injury, with very limited experience prior and heading into his age-29 season, Garrett could very well be over the hump in terms of production. However, the production he has experienced at the major league level cannot be overlooked. If he finds consistent play time in Washington and maintains a semblance of what he has shown in the past, he could be an incredibly valuable asset that you wouldn't even have to waste a draft pick on.
OF: Evan Carter, TEX
This is a bit of a post-hype pick. After a tremendous but small sample size in 2023, Carter struggled with injuries and production in 2024 and now it feels like everyone has forgotten about him. Currently going after the first 250 picks or even 300 picks on some platforms, Carter could provide tremendous value as someone who is currently atop the Rangers' depth chart in left field and is just a year removed from a .306/.413/.645 slash across 23 games in 2023.
After a stellar 2023, Friedl regressed heavily in 2024, but there's plenty of reason to assume he'll bounce back this season. After all, in 2024, Friedl posted an abysmal .229 BABIP. That's unsustainable, and given his hard-hit rate in 2024 (31.5%) was actually greater than his hard-hit rate in 2023 (27.6%), it's very likely Friedl just faced atrocious luck a year ago.
The fact of the matter is that Friedl actually saw more than a few of his power numbers increase last season. His launch angle, fly ball rate, and home run per fly ball rate all actually improved between 2023 and 2025. He also saw his strikeout rate decrease from 16.2% to 15.2%. Given all of that information, it's not hard to imagine a world where Friedl provides value similar to what we witnessed in 2023. It might not be that strong, but it should at least trend back toward the norm. For someone with top-30 OF potential, his OF68 ADP is a bargain.
SP: Jeffrey Springs, Athletics
Over the last three seasons, Jeffrey Springs has put together a 2.44 ERA, a 3.10 FIP, and has struck out ten batters per nine innings pitched. Now, what if I told you that you could draft this man outside the top-250? On some platforms, he's going outside the top-300. On ESPN, he's going outside the top-400. Sounds pretty good, right?
It is. Springs is a very good pitcher, who was primed for a breakout season in 2023 before suffering a devastating injury that required Tommy John surgery. It took over a year for Springs to recover and he only pitched in seven games for Tampa Bay in 2024, but still looked solid, striking out more than ten batters per nine while getting hitters to chase 31.3% of his pitches outside the zone. While injury concerns are still a major factor and the Athletics are now playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark in Sacramento, Springs is worth a look as someone who could wind up being an ace after drafting him with the very last pick.
The Orioles are a good team. Whoever their closer is, they are going to get a lot of save opportunities. Unfortunately for Cano, Felix Bautista enters 2025 as the Orioles' primary closer. That might not last that long though.
Bautista is recovering from Tommy John surgery and even had another surgery in early February to aid his recovery. It would not be shocking to see Bautista fail to recapture his pre-injury form, and who would be next in line? Probably Cano. After all, Andrew Kittredge has never been a full-time closer. Seranthony Dominguez hasn't posted a sub-3 ERA since 2018, although he did rack up ten saves with Baltimore last year. Keegan Akin could be a good fit given his high strikeout rate, but given that he's the only consistent southpaw in the Orioles' bullpen right now, he'd be much better served as a matchup play rather than as a closer.
Cano has 13 saves with the Orioles over the last two years and was an All-Star in 2023. He has the talent to make it work as a closer and could very well start getting the opportunities toward the middle of the year.