Fantasy Baseball’s Most Underrated Players

Putting together a winning roster of fantasy baseball players is difficult. Not only are you analyzing talent and potential, but you’re also doing that against other managers in the league and their personal preferences. Figuring out when to draft a player, with the hope and belief that others will or won’t pick someone that you want to roster in between your next selection, can be a difficult task. After all, why draft someone now that other teams may not see as valuable or at value.

Underrated Players for 2026 Fantasy Baseball

The word underrated aligns with this challenge, because with that term comes the belief that other fantasy baseball managers do not think a player’s value is as good as it is. As such, knowing the potential tendencies of others, based on a player’s market value (aka ADP – average draft position), can give you an edge in getting the most bang for your buck. Here are some of fantasy’s most underrated players this offseason, based on their ADP for January 2026 in the Draft Champions format.

ADP 1 – 100

Vinnie Pasquantino – ADP 92

Drafted within the top 100 picks comes a first-baseman with pull-side power who doesn’t strike out a lot and shows patience at the plate. In 2025, Vinnie Pasquantino finished with a career-high 32 home runs, a delicious-looking 15.7% strikeout rate, and a modest 7.2% walk-rate. He did all of this with a career-high 160 games played, finally able to stay on the field with perfect health. Recently, the Royals revealed that they are moving the fences in by 10 feet at Kauffman Stadium, and they will be lowering the fence height as well. This could make Vinnie P’s power a plus tool in fantasy.

The four Royals hitters with pulled air rates over 20 percent that project to benefit the most from these dimension changes 🔮

Vinnie Pasquantino 📈
Carter Jensen 💤
Salvador Perez ↗️
Isaac Collins ⚡️ https://t.co/J904fPcCUw

— George Bissell (@GeorgeBissell) January 13, 2026

There’s no question that he will benefit from this stadium change. He hits the ball hard, he pulls the ball consistently, and he makes good, solid contact. Of his 32 home runs last season, 14 of them were hit at home. Kauffman Stadium was ranked 25th in Park Factors for home runs hit, and yet he managed to do almost half of his damage there. He is currently ranked as the 10th first-baseman off the board in drafts, but with this change, his value should skyrocket. There’s a good chance that he sets new career-highs in 2026 and provides tremendous value, even within the top 100 picks.

ADP 101 – 200

Ivan Herrera – ADP 171

This one was tough to narrow down, but the most ideal pick here has to do with not just what he’s done so far in his career, but what he’s capable of doing. In his short time with the Cardinals, Herrera has proven to be someone who hits the ball with a purpose. Able to spread the ball all over the field, he does so with good bat speed, an above-average chase rate, and an ability to be a batting average stabilizer. It’s a profile that most fantasy baseball managers would love to see on their team.

He started off the season incredibly strong, finishing with a first-half .320/.394/.529/924 stat-line. He scuffled through knee inflammation and a hamstring issue that sidelined him throughout the season. Upon his return from that hamstring injury, he struggled initially to regain his first-half momentum. However, in case you missed it, his final month of the season was eye-opening. Over 24 games played since September 1, he hit eight home runs, stole two bases, making it his highest power-produced month of the year. He had regained his swagger and looked ready for more.

It was announced that he had offseason surgery to fix an elbow issue that he’s been scuffling with for years. He is expected to be ready for Opening Day, making him someone to target. When healthy, he has been a tremendous asset on the field. The Cardinals want him to catch, but there have been some suggestions that he could also get reps at first base, third base, and in the outfield.

By season’s end, he could be a four-category stud with double-digit speed numbers and multiple positions all over the field. That is the very definition of being underrated.

ADP 201 – 300

Isaac Paredes – ADP 209

Isaac Paredes was a popular target for fantasy teams heading into 2025, and while his overall numbers did disappoint a bit, it’s important to remember why they wound up the way that they did. Last year at this time, the fantasy world was clamoring for a Paredes breakout. His hitting profile was one that showed a lot of promise in Houston, given the ballpark parameters. The short porch and Crawford Boxes in left field played perfectly to this pull-happy power hitter, and he wound up increasing that pull rate up to 56.9% in 2025. The problem was that he ended up seriously straining his right hamstring, costing him significant time. He did return before the end of the season, and there were some offseason reports that he should be ready for Opening Day. It’s clear, though, that he’s been undervalued for quite a while.

The only third basemen since 2023 with 230+ RBI and an OPS+ above 120 (min. 65% of games at 3B):

José Ramírez
Alex Bregman
Isaac Paredes 🔥

The 26-year-old has quickly become one of the most productive players at the hot corner! pic.twitter.com/NnHm9SEdNs

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) January 14, 2026

He’s been playing winter ball and has already demonstrated his power. His 162-game pace last season would have seen him hit 32 home runs, drive in and score 84 runs, all while providing a 9.4 WAR. His injury history doesn’t show any red flags for a future ailment, and he’s likely set to have everyday at-bats for the Astros. At a position with some question marks outside of the top nine players per ADP, Paredes is worth waiting for just outside the top 200 overall picks.

ADP 300+

Bailey Ober (ADP 300) struggled in 2025, as he scuffled through a hip injury that plagued him throughout the entire season. Even with his outlandish numbers last year, his overall numbers from the past two seasons are still impressive: His 3.73 ERA ranks 14th, and his 1.14 WHIP puts him 9th of all qualified starters in all of baseball over the past two seasons. If he can start the year and stay healthy, we could see more of his 2024-self… Over his brief three-year career, Reese Olson (ADP 308) has posted a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 22.8% strikeout rate. This stretch includes being a rookie pitching his first games as a major league pitcher, working through two shoulder injuries, and finger inflammation. If he can stay healthy, he may have himself a career year… Jake Mangum (ADP 343) stole 27 bases last season, tying him for 22nd in baseball with at least 400 plate appearances. Of the players ranked ahead of him there, only Luis Robert Jr. has fewer games played. He hits for contact, plays great defense, and could be an everyday player… Reynaldo Lopez (ADP 388) was outstanding in 2024, finishing the year with a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and an 11th-place finish in the NL Cy Young race. A devastating shoulder injury cost him most of 2025, and the result was surgery, but he should be ready by the start of the 2026 season. Keep him in mind at the end of your drafts, though there is some fear that he could be bumped into the bullpen. As long as he’s starting, he’s likely worth more than this draft cost represents… Since the start of the 2023 season, Camilo Doval (ADP 491) has more saves than teammate David Bednar. While he won’t be the team’s closer to start the year, he is someone to keep an eye on, especially if Bednar struggles to start the season. In fact, over the past two seasons, Bednar has failed to enter May with an ERA less than five. There could be a changing of the guard sooner than you think, making Doval one of the better handcuffs in baseball.