Fantasy Baseball OBP Leagues - Infield Draft Targets

On-base percentage (OBP) can be a fun way to spice up fantasy baseball scoring in category-based leagues. While AVG slightly benefits from plate discipline and higher rates of walks, OBP more directly benefits players with great plate discipline. More and more leagues are making this switch or simply adding OBP as an additional category. 

In general, players with higher AVG will skew toward having higher OBP as well. However, there are some important nuances. Walks, and thereby BB%, are important factors in players who may benefit disproportionately from having OBP as a scoring category. Savvy managers can key in on these subtle differences to potentially take an OBP star earlier than his ADP.

Ben Ueberroth (@UeberMD) evaluates the OBP landscape to identify diamonds in the rough. In particular, BB% and BABIP are heavily considered in this list as they may best predict a player whose OBP outperforms his AVG more than others.

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Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks

2024 Stats: 583 PA, .372 OBP
Current ADP: 45

Although Marte is a known commodity, his inclusion in this list is to provide managers with an option in their first two or three picks that they can target for OBP. The only other name that might "disproportionately" perform well on OBP this high in the draft is Freddie Freeman, and he is going early in all leagues, OBP or not.

Other than swiping bags, Marte will fill up the stat sheet for fantasy managers. In 2024, Marte produced 36 HRs, 93 R, and 95 RBI. It is hard to ask for much more well-rounded consistency from the plate than that. He will continue to bat at the top of a lethal D-backs lineup competing for a pennant, if not the World Series.

Ketel Marte put together a fantastic season in the desert 🌵

He set new career highs in HR and RBI while earning his first Silver Slugger award! pic.twitter.com/pOVbponL6X

— MLB (@MLB) November 20, 2024

More relevant to this article, Marte's advanced statistics embody what it is to be an OBP-forward hitter. Most impressive is his BABIP. BABIP can be fickle, as speedy players can outrun infield duds and other fluke hits, potentially holding relatively high BABIPs their entire career without ill effect. Hit placement can also be a factor, as lazy fly balls and bloops that land in the shallow outfield can inflate BABIP.

But Marte is not relying on speed to beat out infield dribblers. His .299 BABIP sits right at the league average (.300), indicating a few things. First, this OBP and overall success are sustainable. There is not an appreciable element of "bad luck" based on that BABIP. If anything, his BABIP may creep up 10-20 points and improve his OBP.

His top 50 BB% is also a great indicator of OBP success. Marte held a 11.1% BB% in 2024. This is a respectable, above-average walk rate. It also is not "too high," meaning that Marte's OBP does not rely exclusively on walks. As a counterexample, Aaron Judge led MLB with a .458 OBP, but this relied heavily on an 18.9% BB%. Now, any manager would welcome Judge on their team, but this article is about trying to find OBP value.

In summary, Marte displays a beautiful combination of plate discipline and effective hitting when he puts the ball in play. His 2024 numbers portend even more OBP success in 2025. Managers looking to target OBP with their early picks should consider Marte as early as the second round and take him in the third.

Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

2024 Stats: 293 PA, .358 OBP
Current ADP: 182

Muncy's 2024 was dampened by an oblique injury he suffered in May. Once it was all said and done, he played 73 games, logging 293 PA. Luckily, that is still enough of a sample size from which to conclude. Perhaps even more importantly, he has a career's worth of data to support him as an "OBP guy."

Max Muncy has now reached base in 12 straight plate appearances 😤

He's tied with Reggie Jackson for the most consecutive #Postseason plate appearances reaching safely. pic.twitter.com/6zdDXRWuSz

— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024

Muncy's career OBP sits at .352, an incredible feat for a career that has spanned nearly a decade between Oakland and Los Angeles. He has had some relative down years, but he will consistently produce in the OBP department. He has perhaps the highest OBP floor of anyone on this list, and arguably in MLB, save for the couple of guys who are intentionally walked regularly.

The primary mechanism through which he achieves this is plate discipline. He holds a career 15.0% BB% with a 15.4% mark in 2024 and a 14.7% mark in 2023. Year in and year out, he maintains his "good eye" at the plate, turning walks into OBP points.

Muncy projects to be the everyday 3B for the Dodgers, who will inevitably contend for a pennant and may very well have the strongest lineup in MLB. With health and opportunity, he will return to the OBP machine he has been his entire career.

Isaac Paredes, 3B, Houston Astros

2024 Stats: 641 AB, .346 OBP
Current ADP: 208

With Alex Bregman almost assuredly off to (financially) greener pastures, 3B is wide open on the Astros roster. Paredes came over in the Kyle Tucker deal and is the favorite to be an everyday starter at the hot corner in Houston. With that role comes the opportunity to establish his niche in fantasy baseball after being a bit of an early career journeyman.

Between the Cubs and the Rays, Paredes put up a respectable 2024. If availability is in fact the best kind of ability, it was nice to see him have an everyday role with both clubs, playing in 153 games in 2024.

His counting stats were above average, amassing 19 HRs, 64 R, and 80 RBI. He is not much of a runner, with just two SBs to his name in MLB, but he did demonstrate solid plate discipline with an 11.9% BB% in 2024 and a career mark of 11.0%.

That, coupled with a respectable 16.4% K%, is a great setup for success in the OBP department. The change in scenery to a short porch in LF may help even more with counting stats.

Isaac Paredes hit 19 HR last season

if all his games had been at the Astros’ home park, he would have had 26, per Statcast

Crawford Boxes, hello

his career HR spray chart, overlaid there pic.twitter.com/EC4smW7qrA

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) December 13, 2024

Furthermore, Paredes' BABIP of .259 certainly does not fit with a hitter getting "lucky," so his OBP is a true product of his approach at the plate. That is further exemplified by great back-to-back years in OBP, hitting .352 in 2023 in addition to the .346 OBP in 2024.

With a fresh opportunity amid a solid lineup, even with the departures of Bregman and Tucker, Paredes is a potential breakout candidate overall. Managers targeting OBP in particular would be smart to scoop him up a round or two before his current ADP.

Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks

2024 Stats: 351 PA, .353 OBP
Current ADP: 224

Overall, Moreno is an average to above-average catcher who is generally going in the middle to later rounds for teams that missed catchers they wanted. In OBP leagues, Moreno is a major diamond in the rough.

Smart managers should watch others in their league overpay for William Contreras, who admittedly is the strongest catcher by OBP. But he also is generally felt to be the strongest catcher overall, going around an ADP of 44. That is far too much to pay for a catcher in any league, let alone where this oft-detrimental position could be sneakily used to supplement OBP.

Now, Moreno is not generally going to "wow" managers in counting stats. He posted five HRs, 39 R, and 45 RBI in 2024; rather pedestrian stats that would mostly be ignored.

But, as a catcher, those numbers can be meaningful. More importantly, picking Moreno around his ADP will allow for a nice OBP boost compared to other catchers without overspending on the top-tier guys, many of whom can drop off year to year.

Gabriel Moreno unleashes a perfect throw! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/XgPlybod12

— MLB (@MLB) October 23, 2023

His fielding will help keep him in the lineup, but managers need to be ready for some time on the bench for rest and specific pitcher matchups. The potential upside, however, is sky-high, given he is just 24 years old and may yet see more upticks in playing time. This is a sneaky value play at catcher that can be a major difference-maker at that position for OBP managers.

Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Washington Nationals

2024 Stats: 565 PA, .361 OBP
Current ADP: 230

Managers need to keep their eye on the Nationals' day-to-day lineup if they are thinking of drafting Lowe, but if he can get himself everyday playing time, or at least the better half of a platoon, he can be an absolute steal at the end of drafts in OBP leagues.

As a lefty at the plate, Lowe should at least see the 1B at-bats against RHP, but with the addition of Josh Bell, it is unclear how this Nats lineup will fully shake out.

His change of scenery, middling 2024, and the platoon concerns have dropped Lowe off some draft boards entirely, but he has always had the upside to be a major contributor and not just in OBP.

Nationals reportedly acquire 1B Nathaniel Lowe from the Rangers in exchange for LHP Robert Garcia, per multiple reports including https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39's Mark Feinsand. pic.twitter.com/VneF7euTAk

— MLB (@MLB) December 22, 2024

After a strong 2023 with 89 R and 82 RBI, Lowe disappointed a bit in 2024 with just 62 R and 69 RBI. He played in 140 games compared to 161 in 2023 but saw 565 PA compared to 724 in 2023. Some of this is platoon and some is his place in a strong Rangers lineup. He should consistently sit around the cleanup spot in the Washington lineup.

As it stands now, most outlets project Lowe as the everyday 1B for Washington, perhaps seeing some time on the bench against LHP. But if Lowe can boost his PA numbers a bit and return to 2023 form, he will strongly outrank his current ADP once it is all said and done.

His 12.6% BB% in 2024 and 12.8% BB% in 2023 support solid plate discipline, an important backing for OBP success. His career BABIP sits at .339, supporting that he can get on base by putting the ball in play as well.

Lowe has the hitting tools and plate discipline to provide a strong, valuable performance at his current ADP. Managers in OBP leagues should be paying extra close attention as drafts advance into the middle and later rounds, as taking Lowe a couple of rounds before his current ADP may very well be worth it by the end of the year.

Later-Round OBP Draft Fliers

These guys did not quite make the list for one reason or another but can be targeted at the end of drafts for additional OBP support.

Richie Palacios, 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays, ADP 469

The only question here is playing time. With a .346 OBP across 316 PA in 2024, backed by a burgeoning 14.2% BB%, Palacios could be a huge value play for OBP leagues. However, most outlets have him projected as a utility guy, filling the lineup during other guys' days off rather than an everyday starting gig. If the latter comes to fruition, he will not be on the waiver wire long in OBP leagues.

LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B/OF, San Francisco Giants, ADP 485

Wade posted a monster .380 OBP in 2024, backed by a strong 15.5% BB%. He has generally demonstrated solid plate discipline in his time in MLB so that OBP seems real. He is an easy late-round flier for those looking for OBP help.

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