Post-hype sleepers sometimes end up being the best value picks in the middle and late rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. In fact, the 2025 version of this article mentions Gavin Williams and Jonathan Aranda, both of whom went from late-round gambles or April waiver wire material to productive lineup members. Trent Grisham was also an excellent choice, as he turned around a troubled career with 34 home runs.
[Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season]
This year’s post-hype sleepers include options spaced throughout the draft, but most members are clustered around late-round selections who will be on waivers for many leagues’ 2026 openings.
advertise
Francisco Alvarez, center, New York Mets (ADP: 196.2)
Alvarez was once considered a budding superstar at the scarcest position when he hit 25 homers in 2023, but now he’s been left behind in the deepest catcher group we’ve ever seen. The 24-year-old dealt with multiple injuries in 2024-25, but he may have finally put those issues behind him when he hit .276 with eight home runs and a .921 OPS in 41 second-half games last season.
The problem is that no one noticed, as catchers like Hunter Goodman and Shai Langelers stole the show, while rookies like Augustin Ramirez and Kyle Till also made headlines. Nonetheless, Alvarez is a fixture in the Mets lineup and could establish himself as a top-12 catcher early in the season.
advertise
Gabriel Moreno, center, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 197.9)
Moreno joins Alvarez as a catcher whose post-hype sleeper status is amplified by the tremendous depth at the position. The 26-year-old understandably went undrafted in many leagues. Sure, his career hitting average of .281 is impressive, but he has yet to have a double-digit home run season. Moreno may be ready to explode, though, as he always generates quality exit velocity and has improved his fly ball rate by 5% in each of the past two seasons. Injuries have plagued the catcher throughout his career, but if his health improves, he could hit .285 with 15-20 homers and 70 RBIs in Arizona’s core lineup.
Michael Harris II, OF, Atlanta Braves (ADP: 96.0)
Many fantasy analysts project Harris to be a 30-30 player in 2023 after hitting .297 with 19 homers and 20 steals in 114 rookie games as a 21-year-old. Unfortunately, the outfielder has been trending in the wrong direction for three straight seasons. When he arrived at the 2025 All-Star break, he was hitting .210 with an OPS of .551, but just when everyone was giving up on him, Harris hit .299 with 14 homers in 67 second-half games, an OPS of .845.
advertise
Is he finally ready to hit that 30-30 ceiling? For now, it’s just a matter of drafting ahead of his 96 ADP to find out.
Mackenzie Gore, SP, Texas Rangers (ADP: 149.3)
Gore’s post-hype sleeper status took a hit when he was traded from the Nats to the Rangers. The deal is a clear win for his fantasy value, bringing many lefties who previously dismissed him back into the spotlight. Still, he perfectly fits the profile of a post-hype player, as he teased fantasy managers multiple times from 2023-25 ​​when he enjoyed a stellar run that was always followed by a maddening stretch.
He already has excellent strikeout skills, and now that he has a pitcher-friendly home and a solid defensive staff, he might finally be ready to post a respectable WHIP.
advertise
Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 206.3)
Can someone be a sleeper after the hype before showing up in a major league game? This may be the case with Painter. The 2021 first-round pick missed all of the 2023-24 season and was expected to debut last season but struggled (5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) in 118 minor league innings.
Along the way, young guys like Nolan McLean, Trey Yesavage and Jacob Misiorowski got away from Painter with exciting major league debuts. Painter was once ahead of those pitchers on the prospect list, and now he has a clear path to a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
Grayson Rodriguez, SP, Los Angeles Angels (ADP: 205.1)
Rodriguez had a respectable rookie season in 2023 and took a step forward in his sophomore season with a solid 13-4 ratio (3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). The right-hander missed all of 2025 with an elbow issue that ultimately required surgery, and the pitching-needy Orioles lacked confidence in his ability to bounce back and traded him for a season away from Taylor Ward.
advertise
The final rounds of the Yahoo draft are about chasing upside, and managers need look no further than Rodriguez’s career K:BB ratio of 259:78 to find reasons to keep him on the roster for a few weeks.
Zebi Matthews, SP, Minnesota Twins (ADP: 194.7)
Those analyzing minor league numbers are touting Matthews for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as his strong strikeout skills and negligible walk rate make the right-hander look destined for stardom. To say Matthews (career 5.92 ERA, 1.54 FIP) was disappointing would be an understatement. Bad luck (67.4% strand rate, .359 BABIP) is part of the problem, but Matthews also gives up too much hard contact at times.
The rebuilding Twins are brimming with opportunity, and this feels like a make-or-break season for the 25-year-old.
advertise
Joe Boyle, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (undrafted)
While Boyle’s skill set isn’t exactly the same as Matthews’, there are some similarities. Minor league statistical analysts have scouted the right-hander during 2024 spring training because he posted high strikeout numbers in the minors and looked sharp in his three debuts last September. Unfortunately, control issues (career 5.7 BB/9 rate) and bad luck (64.1% winch rate) have thus far denied Boyle any chance of success in the majors. There was renewed optimism for his breakout when he was traded to the Rays before last season, but that didn’t happen.
Maybe half of his starts at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field will help Boyle weather the storm. But most importantly, the 26-year-old needs to control his pace before breaking out. There should be a chance in a Rays rotation with few reliable members.
