Creating a plan is the first step to the draft process. However, what happens when things do not go according to plan? If you missed out on power early in your draft, do not worry. My article last week identified options going after pick 300 in fantasy baseball drafts that could provide a boost to home run totals. Now, we shift our attention to stolen bases. This article looks at seven hitters who have significant upside in the stolen base department and can be acquired cheap at the back end of drafts.
Cheap Steals to Target in Fantasy Baseball
Jose Caballero, 2B/SS – TBR
Jose Caballero played a bigger role than many expected in his first season with the Rays. Caballero set a career-high in games played with 139. He essentially served in a super-utility role for the Rays but wound up playing nearly every day. Now, he has three-position eligibility for 2024 and will likely serve in a large role again in 2025. He is the highest-priced player on this list and just barely reaches the threshold going at exactly pick 300. This price still represents an extremely cheap option for the kind of speed Caballero possesses.
Caballero has the kind of speed that does not even require everyday playing time. Most of the players on this list are affordable in drafts because there is no telling if they will maintain an everyday role throughout the regular season. If you are drafting Caballero, you are drafting him for stolen bases. Fantasy baseball managers can count on those whether Caballero is in the lineup every day or not. Look back to 2023. Caballero played 104 games with Seattle but still managed to steal 26 bases. With regular playing time last year, he stole 44. ZiPS projects Caballero for 125 games played again in 2025 which would make him a strong bet to steal 30+ bases.
Caballero is not going to provide much else offensively for fantasy managers. His career high in home runs is nine. His batting average through two Major League seasons is .227 and he owns a career 88 wRC+. However, once he is on, Caballero is going to run. If you whiffed on stolen bases early in your draft, grabbing Caballero to compliment the rest of your team could prove useful. He is going at pick 300 making him an attractive option to increase a team’s stolen base totals.
Hyeseong Kim, 2B – LAD
Players coming over from Korea always present a challenge for fantasy baseball players. Looking at their KBO stat lines, it is difficult to not fall in love. Kim slashed .326/.383/.458 with 11 homers and 30 steals last year in the KBO. However, the competition level in the KBO is significantly below that of the MLB. Per an ESPN study, the KBO is comparable to a mix of Double-A and Triple-A competition. Offensive production can be difficult to project, but speed is speed. Kim is a plus runner and represents a cheap option for stolen bases late in fantasy drafts.
Since entering professional baseball, Kim has not been shy to run. He has stolen at least 20 bases in every season he has played and has reached the 30-steal mark five different times. He has stolen 133 bases in the past four seasons. Kim is aggressive on the bases and has the speed to back it up. While playing time is obviously a concern, Kim is going to run when he gets on. All of the major projection systems have Kim playing 89-104 games and all except for ZiPS DC have him stealing at least 13 bases. With regular playing time, Kim could easily steal 20+ bags in 2025.
The playing time concern is already built into Kim’s draft price. If he was locked into an everyday role on the Dodgers, he would not be going as the 2B37 in drafts at pick 394. This is behind players like Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Michael Massey. At a cheap price, Kim offers stolen base upside not many other players have. Kim is likely to get a significant run at second base this year and has the path to earn even more playing time dependent on his production. Grabbing Kim is a smart play with upside if you skipped out on stolen bases early in your draft.
Caleb Durbin, 2B/3B – MIL
The Caleb Durbin hype train officially left the station this winter. Following an impressive showing at the Arizona Fall League, Durbin was traded from the Yankees to the Brewers as the headline of the Devin Williams trade. Fantasy managers, especially dynasty managers, have been quick to sing the praises of Durbin and are expecting big things entering 2025. Despite the excitement, Durbin is only being drafted as the 2B40 in drafts at pick 413.
While many industry folk are high on Durbin, there are some reasons to be skeptical of his 2025 value. For starters, Durbin has to actually win the third base job. There is not much in terms of competition ahead of him, but he has struggled so far in Spring Training. The team could turn to Oliver Dunn or work the two players into a platoon to start the season.
The other issue is underwhelming batted ball data. Durbin is undersized at 5’7” and he does not hit the ball very hard. His average exit velocity in Triple-A last season was 83.8 mph. His ability to tap into his pull power helps this tool to play up more than the batted ball data suggest, but this is still a major red flag. There was only one qualified hitter who posted an average exit velocity below 84 mph last season and that is his new teammate Sal Frelick. Simply put, hitters who make extremely weak contact do not often stick at the Major League level.
However, if Durbin can overcome both of these issues, there is appeal for fantasy managers. In 90 Minor League games last season, Durbin stole 31 bases. His 600 PA pace was 46 steals. Speed is certainly a plus and with regular playing time, Durbin could turn into a 35+ steal threat at the Major League level. While I am not advocating paying up for Durbin, drafting him late in drafts could prove useful if you skipped out on stolen bases early.
Jacob Young, OF – WAS
The early reports out of Nationals’ Spring Training were all clamoring about how Jacob Young is in the best shape of his life. Pictures circulating social media made it seem as though Young put on significant muscle as he prepared for his second season as the team’s center fielder. Any additional power would be a welcome sight for fantasy managers and would drastically alter the value of Young. Even if Young does not hit for more power, he still has elite speed that is always valuable to fantasy managers.
Young came out of nowhere last season to play 150 games for Washington. He had previously played just 33 games at the Major League level before stepping in as Washington’s everyday center fielder. His glove certainly plays a large role in that. Young posted 19 outs above average last season which ranked first in all of baseball. With his elite glove keeping him in the lineup, Young is able to rack up stolen bases for fantasy managers. Last year, Young stole 33 bags. His sprint speed ranks in the 97th percentile. There is no reason to believe Young will experience any regression to his stolen base totals in 2025. Young is going to play and he is going to steal bases. That fantasy managers can count on.
Anything else that Young provides is just icing on the cake at his current draft price. Right now, Young is being drafted as a speed-only guy. He is gong as the OF75 at pick 310 in drafts. For a guy with above-average contact skills and elite speed, this could be way too low. He is the perfect player to target late if you avoided stolen bases early in drafts. The speed is guaranteed, and there is more upside here than meets the eye.
Ernie Clement, 3B – TOR
Each position has a different bar to hit for stolen bases. In the outfield, 10-15 stolen bases is nothing. However, at a corner infield spot, getting 10-15 stolen bases could help take your team to the next level. If you are desperate for stolen bases late in drafts, getting Ernie Clement to be your third baseman could be an effective strategy.
Of course, Clement has to win the starting job this spring first. He is battling a plethora of young players on the Blue Jays depth chart but is doing everything in his power to win the job. Right now, he is batting over .400 with two homers this spring. Clement also is an excellent defender which could give him the edge over the other options the Jays have. The rest of his profile is a bit inconsistent as he chases too much and has not shown much of any power at the Major League level.
Clement offers the Jays versatility. He has started at every position in the infield at some point in his career and has even made appearances in the outfield. He played in 139 games last season and could serve in a utility role even if the Jays do not leave him at third base all year. Last season, Clement stole 12 bags after only having one steal in his Major League career. The lack of stolen bases prior to last year is surprising given Clement’s 78th percentile sprint speed. Clement is not going to steal 30 bases in a season. That being said, he is slotted in as a starting third baseman and has the speed to steal 15 bases. He is also going as the 3B37 in drafts and has SS eligibility as well. He is a sneaky pick with stolen base upside at a cheap cost.
Jonny DeLuca, OF – TBR
The stereotype over the past few seasons has been, “If the Rays are trying to acquire player x, then player x must have significant value. Jonny DeLuca seemed primed to be the next example of that after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers. DeLuca put together a solid track record throughout the Minor Leagues, showing the kind of power and speed that excite fantasy managers. He was blocked in a crowded Dodgers’ depth chart, but his landing spot in Tampa Bay seemed like the perfect outcome. Unfortunately, DeLuca struggled in his first season with the Rays. He hit just .217 with a 77 wRC+. DeLuca is not garnering much attention in fantasy drafts going as the OF84 around pick 366. He could provide great value for fantasy teams looking for cheap speed late in drafts.
Any player going late in drafts is going to have issues. There is a reason these players are not being drafted higher. For DeLuca, the issue lies with his hit tool. DeLuca is incredibly aggressive at the plate. He chased 37.8% of the time last year. While DeLuca’s aggression does not translate to unbearable strikeout rates, it does result in high rates of weak contact. Making contact on pitcher’s pitches is not a good trait to have. DeLuca’s average exit velocity through his first two seasons is just 84.5 mph. Pitchers attack DeLuca with breaking balls and are showing no signs of changing their attack plan. DeLuca needs to alter his approach at the plate if he ever wants to reach his potential.
That being said, sometimes finding value in fantasy drafts is as simple as looking for opportunity. Opportunity is certainly something DeLuca appears to have. DeLuca’s glove is excellent. In just 107 games, he posted eight outs above average. In Spring Training, the starting center field role appears to be his to lose. If DeLuca can hang onto everyday playing time, he could put up strong numbers for fantasy managers. DeLuca stole 16 bases in 362 plate appearances last season with a 98th percentile sprint speed. His 600 PA pace was 27 steals. Considering his draft price and everyday role, DeLuca could be a great value for fantasy baseball managers in 2025. He is a player to target if you need to add to your stolen base totals late in drafts.
Victor Scott II, OF – STL
The fantasy baseball community was quick to buy into Victor Scott II last season. After a strong 2023 Minor League season and an injury to Tommy Edman Scott seemed primed to step into fantasy stardom. His speed is what got fantasy baseball managers so excited. Between High-A and Double-A, Scott stole 94 bases in just 132 games. This kind of speed proved to be difference-making for fantasy managers. However, just as quickly as fantasy managers bought in, they were also burned.
Scott struggled to get anything going at the plate. Even with elite defense, he could not maintain an everyday role. He was batting just .085 when he was reassigned to Triple-A in favor of Michael Siani. Now, it seems as though nobody in the fantasy community wants to touch Scott with a 10-foot pole. The question is why? Yes, Scott’s value during draft season of last season exceeded his realistic production. Now though, Scott is being drafted as the OF97 in drafts at pick 417. This is phenomenal value for a player who has 70-steal potential.
Too often, fantasy baseball managers write off prospects before they have a chance to acclimate to Major League pitching. We are seeing this to a lesser degree with Jackson Holliday right now and Scott is an even better example. Progression is not always linear. Scott went back to Triple-A and worked to make some adjustments to his approach and swing. In his second stint to end the season, Scott posted a barrel rate north of 10% and saw his slash line improve to .244/.278/.344. Not great, but things are looking even better this spring. In a small sample, Scott is hitting well over .300 with a homer, four stolen bases, and more walks than strikeouts. Scott looks like a different hitter at the plate.
The depth chart ahead of Scott has not changed. The only person who he has to beat out is Michael Siani who offers a very similar production to Scott with less offensive upside. Thanks to his defense, Scott’s bat just has to be good enough to stick in an everyday role. If he can hit .250 with a respectable walk rate, fantasy managers could see anywhere from 50 to 80 stolen bases over the course of a full season. If you passed on taking speed early in your drafts, take a shot on Scott. The draft price is low and the stolen bases totals could be game-changing.
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.
