Fantasy Baseball All-Value Team: Favorite Value Picks at Every Position

The fantasy baseball draft is the most anticipated event on the fantasy baseball calendar. At this time of year, an offseason of speculation, research, and rankings come to a head as managers finally get to assemble a team and see how their best-laid plans play out.

Experienced fantasy managers come to drafts with a plan. Since getting the best player at each position is impossible, managers need to be aware of the options down the board and what they bring to the table. Planning from the bottom up to the early rounds allows managers to make the most of those all-important first picks as they will be aware of who is available later that can bolster the roster under construction.

When making my own plan, I often ask myself, “Why take Player A in Round X when I can have Player B in Round Y?” Player Y will carry a lighter projection, but knowing he is available later will allow me to pivot to filling another position with the earlier pick. In this column, I will do just that and share with you my “All-Value Team,” featuring the players I think will give you the most bang for your buck in fantasy baseball drafts in 2025. Note that the ADPs I reference come from NFBC drafts conducted over the first two weeks of February.

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Catcher Value Pick

Willson Contreras, STL (ADP: 69.45)

Why draft William Contreras at ADP 23.60 when his brother Willson is available over 40 picks later? William had a monster year in 2024 and has been pushed up the board to the turn of the second and third rounds. Picking him there means missing out on one of the remaining top-tier third basemen going after him in Austin Riley, Rafael Devers, or Manny Machado.

Willson, on the other hand, is catcher-eligible but will be playing first base for the Cardinals in 2025. The move is designed to prevent injury to the elder Contreras healthy and keep his bat in the lineup. Cutter projections by RotoBaller’s rankings guru Nick Mariano have Willson just behind his little brother in production but still pegged for 80 runs and RBI.

Willson Contreras (ADP 80.2 @TheReal_NFC )
Moving to 1B full-time = fewer injuries, more PA's
Slashed .262/.380/.468 in 84G last year (15 HR, 4 SB)
162-game pace: 29 HR 💣
Elite plate discipline -BB rate 97th percentile
Hard contact is still elite
🚀 Primed for a career year! pic.twitter.com/j5qyzfFo7t

— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) February 9, 2025

An additional note on NFBC’s ADP data: since their leagues run with two catchers, the positions ADPs tend to run a bit high. One-catcher leagues featured on more mainstream sites will feature an even lower cost.

First Base Value Pick

Christian Walker, HOU (ADP: 89.98)

In a 12-team draft, why take a first baseman in the first three rounds when Christian Walker is available in the eighth? Between 2022 and 2024, Walker has the third-most home runs (95) and sixth-most RBI (281) among all first basemen while maintaining a .250 batting average.

In 2025, Walker will aim at the Crawford Boxes in Minute Maid Park as the Astros’ new first baseman. If you are looking for 30 HR, 100 RBI potential in your first baseman, Walker is your man.

Second Base Value Pick

Nico Hoerner, CHC (ADP: 195.90)

Nico Hoerner had surgery in October on the flexor tendon in his throwing arm. He is reportedly rehabbing well, but it is not certain that he will be available for the Cubs’ opening series in Tokyo (March 18-19). Maybe that is why the second baseman’s draft stock is suppressed in 2025.

Hoerner provides 30 SB potential and has a contact profile reminiscent of Luis Arraez. There is almost no power in his bat, but in 2024, he ranked in the 99th percentile in both whiff rate (11.9 percent) and strikeout rate (10.3 percent) and had a 94.2 percent zone contact rate.

Going in the 16th round of 12-teamers, he is a great example of why you don’t need to sell out for speed early, and his batting average can offset the power-first sluggers you might pick up in earlier rounds.

Shortstop Value Pick

Bo Bichette, TOR (ADP: 125.23)

An injury-plagued 2024 spoiled Bo Bichette for fantasy baseball managers. The former All-Star’s efforts were hampered by a leg injury and ultimately ended by a fracture in his finger in September. Bichette had the finger surgically repaired during the offseason and is a “full go” for spring training, according to team manager John Schneider.

Bichette is the 12th shortstop off the board in 2025, sandwiched between Ezequiel Tovar and Anthony Volpe. Before last year, Bichette had finished with a batting average of .290 or better in every season since joining the majors. Even during last season’s meltdown, he finished with a 91.1 percent zone contact rate nullified by a career-low (by 70 points!) .269 BABIP. I am enthusiastically buying the dip.

Third Base Value Pick

Alec Bohm, PHI (ADP: 171.10)

What can I say? I’m a sucker for players with dependable batting averages. The deeper in the draft you get, the harder it is to find players who can help not just in that category but in others as well. The Phillies’ Alec Bohm fits the bill.

Over the last three seasons, Bohm sandwiched a .274 season between two where he hit .280. While he is not known to pack much power, he has been a steady source of RBI, racking up the sixth-most among third basemen since 2022.

Minor injuries in 2023 and 2024 robbed him of hitting the century mark in the category, coming three short in both seasons. Hitting in the core of the Phillies lineup, he should do damage there again and provide 70-plus runs with around 15 HR.

Every Alec Bohm Home Run from the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/IxOQuwnwLB

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) January 26, 2025

Outfield Value Pick

Taylor Ward, LAA (ADP: 180.25)

Going back to my rhetorical question from earlier: Why spend an eighth-round pick on Bryan Reynolds when Taylor Ward is available in the 15th? Both are projected for 20-25 HR and 80 or so runs.

Reynolds has a slight edge in RBI and batting average, but Ward is going at a significant discount. Like Reynolds, Ward’s ceiling is lowered by a lackluster supporting cast, but he is locked into an everyday spot in the top third of the Angels’ lineup.

After a breakout season in Year 5 (2022), #Angels Taylor Ward suffered a face fracture, causing a dip in production in 2023. He bounced back in 2024 with career bests across the board, including home runs (25), RBI (75), and plate appearances (663).

👀Though his contact rates… pic.twitter.com/Bx0CplpL6i

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) February 6, 2025

Starting Pitcher Value Pick

Justin Steele, CHC - ADP: 132.60

In 2024, Justin Steele built off of his breakout in the year before, delivering a 3.07 ERA and 1.10 WHIP and averaging a strikeout per inning.

As a groundball pitcher, Steele’s GB rate dipped in 2024, and his flyball rate jumped up to a career-high, but he continued to demonstrate an ability to limit hard contact. In 2024, the lefty ranked in the 94th percentile in barrel rate and 88th in hard-hit rate and had a new career low in average exit velocity.

A hamstring injury early in the season and a fight with elbow tendinitis towards the end limited Justin Steele to 134.2 IP last year, which might scare potential drafters off. His strikeout numbers won’t carry a team, but I’m looking forward to picking up Steele for the help he will give my team ratios.

Relief Pitcher Value Pick

Jeff Hoffman, TOR - ADP: 150.00

I have Jeff Hoffman’s name in my head as my second closer, and if I happen to whiff on the others going ahead of him, I will reach well above ADP to get him. Hoffman was dominant in 2024, striking out 89 in 66.1 IP and recording career-bests in ERA (2.17) and WHIP (0.96). In January, he signed a three-year, $33 million deal with Toronto and is their presumptive closer heading into 2025.

Perhaps would-be drafters are skeptical without confirmation of Hoffman’s role. Perhaps they are worried about Hoffman having failed physicals for two other teams before inking his contract. If the Blue Jays saw fit to sign him, I’m in on drafting him in fantasy and will take as much of him as I can get at his price. If and when a ninth-inning role is confirmed, his ADP will skyrocket.

Jeff Hoffman saw his K% rise significantly in the last two seasons.

- Increased FB velo (From Sub-94.5 to 96.5+)
- Increased slider usage by a lot

Also had a career-best 6% walk rate in 2024.#FantasyBaseball pic.twitter.com/1pVz2dLwRV

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) January 12, 2025

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