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Diamond in the Rough: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper at Every Position

SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

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Fantasy Baseball All-Sleeper Team

The 2026 Sleeper Cheat Sheet Recap

Position	Player	Team	ADP (NFBC)	The "Bottom Line"
C	Austin Wells	NYY	222	Primary NYY backstop with 20-HR upside.
1B	Triston Casas	BOS	482	Former Top-100 talent at a post-hype discount.
2B	Willi Castro	COL	321	Super-utility eligibility boosted by Coors Field.
3B	Colt Keith	DET	311	High-floor leadoff hitter with elite discipline.
SS	Kevin McGonigle	DET	316	Elite contact skills; best pure hitter in minors.
LF	Dylan Beavers	BAL	319	High-upside power/speed blend in a loaded system.
CF	Evan Carter	TEX	342	Post-injury bounce-back with 20/20 potential.
RF	Cam Smith	HOU	383	Pedigree play with significant sophomore growth.
Utility	Zach McKinstry	DET	404	Versatile bench piece with 2025 breakout flashes.
SP	Quinn Priester	MIL	290	Brewers "pitching lab" find with elite GB rates.
RP	S. Dominguez	CWS	230 P

How to Use This MLB Fantasy Sleepers Table

Draft Day Value: These players are all going past Pick 200, meaning you can fill your bench with high-upside lottery tickets without risking your early-round core.
Positional Scarcity: Pay special attention to Willi Castro and Colt Keith, whose multi-position eligibility helps navigate a long 162-game season.
The "Watch List": If you don't draft them, keep Kevin McGonigle and Triston Casas at the very top of your waiver wire alerts for the first month of the season.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: One Hidden Gem at Every Position

The Art of the Late-Round Flyer

In fantasy baseball, your early rounds provide the foundation, but your late-round "flyers" win the league. Finding value after pick 200 requires a mix of scouting elite prospects, identifying post-hype bounce-backs, and tracking off-season transactions.

As you’ll see in the snapshot below, the value range is wide—stretching from established relievers like Seranthony Dominguez to deep-league flyers like Triston Casas.

Position	Player	ADP (NFBC)	The "Hook"
C	Austin Wells	222	Primary NYY backstop; 20-HR power potential.
1B	Triston Casas	482	Elite 2023 pedigree; potential trade/DH candidate.
2B	Willi Castro	321	Coors Field home; 3-position eligibility.
SS	Kevin McGonigle	316	Elite contact; Top-5 MLB prospect.
SP	Quinn Priester	290	Brewers "pitching lab" breakout; 55% GB rate.
RP	S. Dominguez	230	Paid $20M to close; 30% strikeout rate.

With the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) rankings as our guiding light, we pick a sleeper at each position worth serious consideration.

Let's take a deep look at every pick, starting behind the plate.

Thanks to Just Baseball for the stats, analysis, and insights for this slideshow article.

C – Austin Wells (New York Yankees)
Austin Wells ADP: No. 222 (NFBC) / No. 309 (FantasyPros)

Austin Wells is the primary backstop in the Bronx, regardless of Ben Rice's catcher eligibility. While his plate discipline remains a work in progress, Wells offers legitimate power production in a dangerous Yankees lineup.
- The Power Profile: Wells posted an above-average hard-hit rate and barrel rate in 2025.
- 2026 Projections: Systems like OOPSY project 19 homers and a 104 wRC+ across 481 plate appearances.
- Verdict: He is a premier target for power-seeking managers in deeper leagues.
1B – Triston Casas (Boston Red Sox)
Triston Casas ADP: No. 482 (NFBC)

At pick 500, Triston Casas is a pure upside play. After an injury-plagued 2025, the former Top 100 prospect is flying under the radar despite a massive 2023 breakout where he slashed .263/.367/.462 with 24 home runs at just 23 years old.
- The Opportunity: Whether via a Red Sox trade or a shift to DH, Casas is too talented to stay in the minors.
- The Risk: His health is the primary question mark, but the talent floor is worth the late-round gamble.
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2B – Willi Castro (Colorado Rockies)
Willi Castro ADP: No. 321 (NFBC)

Willi Castro moves to Coors Field, which should provide a significant floor for his power-speed profile. A true super-utility asset, Castro carries eligibility at 2B, 3B, and OF, making him a roster-construction dream.
- Speed Potential: While he stole 10 bases last year, he has reached as many as 33 steals in a single season.
- The Coors Effect: OOPSY projects 16 stolen bases, but the thin air could help him repeat his double-digit homer totals.
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SS – Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers)
Kevin McGonigle ADP: No. 316 (NFBC)

Kevin McGonigle is a consensus top-five prospect and arguably the best pure hitter in minor league baseball. Last season, he decimated High-A and Double-A pitching with a .305/.408/.583 slash line.
- Elite Discipline: McGonigle paired 19 home runs with a 15% walk rate and a minuscule 11.6% strikeout rate.
- The Timeline: While he may not start Opening Day, his advanced bat should force a call-up to Detroit's middle infield early in the season.
3B – Colt Keith (Detroit Tigers)
Colt Keith ADP: No. 311 (NFBC)

Colt Keith has proven he belongs, batting nearly .260 with 13 home runs in each of his first two big-league campaigns. He enters 2026 as a projected leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching.
- Statcast Wins: Keith excels in plate discipline, featuring a 25% chase rate and a 10.3% walk rate.
- Versatility: With 2B and 3B eligibility, he is the ideal fill-in for 12-team leagues, likely returning value well above his 3B-27 draft slot.
LF – Dylan Beavers (Baltimore Orioles)
Dylan Beavers ADP: No. 319

Dylan Beavers flew under the radar in a crowded Baltimore system, but his Triple-A numbers were impossible to ignore. In 94 games, he slashed .304/.420/.515 with 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
- MLB Sample: In a brief 35-game stint with the O's, Beavers posted a 125 wRC+.
- The Profile: He offers a rare blend of power, speed, and a disciplined approach that draws plenty of walks.
CF – Evan Carter (Texas Rangers)
Evan Carter ADP: No. 342

Evan Carter is the definition of a post-hype sleeper. Injuries stalled his 2024 and 2025 progress, but at just 23 years old, the tools that made him a top prospect remain intact.
- The Tools: Carter has cut his whiff and strikeout rates, focusing on a better OBP.
- Ceiling: If his wrist injury is fully behind him, Carter has the potential to be a 15-20 HR / 25 SB threat.
RF – Cam Smith (Houston Astros)
Cam Smith ADP: No. 383

Acquired in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster, Cam Smith debuted with the Astros after just 32 minor league games. While his overall rookie numbers were bleak, his .765 first-half OPS showed he can produce at the highest level.
- Sophomore Bounce: Smith struggled with the rigors of a 162-game season, but a full offseason of adjustments makes him a prime value pick.
- Pedigree: The 14th overall pick in 2024 has too much raw talent to overlook at this stage of the draft.
Utility – Zach McKinstry (Detroit Tigers)
Zach McKinstry ADP: No. 404 (NFBC)

Zach McKinstry is the ultimate late-round "roll of the dice." He is coming off a career-best season where he slashed .259/.333/.438 with 12 home runs and 19 stolen bases.
- First Half Hero: McKinstry was elite in the first half of 2025 with an .836 OPS.
- Role: If Kevin McGonigle starts in the minors, McKinstry will see significant playing time across the diamond early in the year.
SP – Quinn Priester (Milwaukee Brewers)
Quinn Priester ADP: No. 290 (NFBC)

Trust the Milwaukee Brewers pitching lab. Quinn Priester broke out in 2025, posting a 3.32 ERA across 24 starts after being acquired from the Red Sox.
- Elite Ground-Ball Rate: Priester navigates hard contact with a 55.7% ground-ball rate, keeping the ball on the dirt.
- Stable Profile: While he won't lead the league in K/9, his four-pitch mix and command make him a high-floor arm for the back of any rotation.
RP – Seranthony Dominguez (Chicago White Sox)
Seranthony Dominguez ADP: No. 230 (NFBC)

The Chicago White Sox handed Seranthony Dominguez a two-year, $20 million deal in free agency specifically to close games. He remains an elite strikeout threat, coming off a 30.3% K-rate in 2025.
- Projected Saves: Systems project Dominguez to earn 20-21 saves in 2026.
- The Competition: While young arm Grant Taylor is ascending, the contract suggests the job is Dominguez's to lose early in the season.