2025 Fantasy Baseball: Top Players to Target in OBP Leagues

You can tell you’re a baseball purist if you find a full-count walk as exciting as a base hit. While both require equally important skills, traditional fantasy baseball leagues only reward the base hit with batting average as the sole category. Yet, the growing popularity of on-base percentage (OBP) leagues over the last decade has provided a means for rewarding walks as equal to hits.

As fantasy players transition to OBP leagues they quickly realize a discrepancy exists between standard fantasy baseball rankings and true player values in this format. This presents an opportunity to uncover a competitive advantage in OBP leagues for savvy fantasy managers. That’s why I’ve provided our Top 500 OBP Player Rankings and, now, a zoom-in on the top players to target, and avoid, across different stages of the draft.

Top Fantasy Baseball OBP League Players to Target

OBP Anchors to Prioritize

OBP leagues further widen the gap between star and superstar hitters. With a league-average OBP of .312 last year, drafting an early-round pick far above that parity line creates a huge advantage in roster construction. In fact, it’s essential for fantasy managers to secure one of these anchors listed below to contend in the category.

OBP Washouts to Deprioritize

While anchors provide category security, the level of risk for negative contributions increases with players who have inconsistent plate approaches or low walk rates. Chasing home runs and steals in OBP leagues can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Especially if an early-round drafted player falls below league average OBP. Thus, I encourage taking caution when drafting the players listed below at their typical average draft position in non-OBP leagues.

Mid-Round OBP Risers

The middle rounds of a draft present an opportunity to solidify OBP category strength. There are several high-end players available in the category, even some that fall in the exclusive 100 club! This is a special set of players that have an OBP over 100 points higher than their batting average. Be prepared, however, as these players will often jump several rounds up in draft position in OBP leagues compared to their regular ADP.

Late Round OBP Saviors

Fortunately, there are several OBP saviors in the rough in the late rounds. A true saving grace for fantasy managers who may have neglected the category early on. These players are often overlooked in traditional league formats due to platoon roles or age, but they are valuable in OBP leagues. Even if an OBP anchor was secured early, these players are worth targeting for insurance purposes as well as providing category leadership.

OBP Leagues Change the Approach to Player Valuation

Playing in OBP leagues requires more than just a shift in strategy to account for walks. It requires a whole new perspective on player valuations. Not only are players with low on-base percentage floors far more risky to draft, but the value of pitchers can be diminished in early rounds as well. Also, top pitchers are often targeted less aggressively in the early rounds as a result of the emphasis on OBP. I hope these player targets provided will help you craft your own winning OBP league draft strategy this year. Let me know what you think by reaching me on BlueSky or X at @TheToddMpls.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.