It’s key to any successful fantasy baseball season to correctly identify sleepers and breakouts. For more of each, check out our infield breakouts story here and our infield sleepers story here.
Brendan Donovan, 2B/SS/OF, Mariners (187 ADP)
Donovan’s two biggest calling cards are things we tend to underrate in the fantasy community — batting average (a career .282 mark, never lower than .278) and versatility (he qualifies at three different positions). He’ll push past double-digit homers but probably can’t hit 20, and he’s never stolen more than five bases in a year, though a shift to Seattle could perk up that approach.
Injuries cost Donovan about a third of the year last season and muted his final counting numbers, and I like that he’s slotted as the leadoff man on a decent Seattle offense. I want a few Legos on my fantasy rosters, versatile building blocks that allow me to think positionless at the bottom of my lineup. Donovan makes for a perfect target.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS Marlins (207 ADP)
Lopez already showed us category juice last year (15 homers, 15 steals), and his .246 average is somewhat misleading. Lopez gets plus marks for his contact rate and zone discipline, and his expected average based on contact data was a solid .269. The typical Miami discount applies, too; it’s a fairly pedestrian roster, which often makes players like Lopez a few rounds cheaper in drafts than is justified. I’m not thrilled to see Lopez initially slotted sixth in a lesser lineup, but that certainly isn’t carved in stone.
Think that we saw the Lopez breakout season last year? Think again. Through a consolidation of skills he has already shown, Lopez could take another step forward this year. Thanks to more playing time and an improved fly-ball rate, the infielder produced a career-high 15 homers, which is a repeatable total. As mentioned, this year’s improvements will come in the batting average category, as last year he was hampered by a .264 BABIP, which negated an improved 13.8% strikeout rate.
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With better batted-ball luck, Lopez could hit .280 while using the increase in base knocks and his 81st percentile sprint speed to post career-high marks in steals and runs scored.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies (196 ADP)
Bohm has never hit like a traditional third baseman, generally producing solid batting averages but low home-run counts. Last year, his slugging percentage dropped to .409, and you can understand why the Phillies often slotted him in the bottom half of the lineup.
But rib and shoulder injuries dogged Bohm for most of the year, and he’s still young enough — entering his age-29 season — for us to dream about some upside. The Phillies haven’t given up on Bohm, giving him the cleanup spot to open the year. That’s a lovely spot for run production, working after Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins (ADP 119)
Managers in categories leagues should be excited to draft Keaschall at his ADP (123.0), as he will be among the steals leaders this year. The 23-year-old has an exceptional ability to get his bat on the ball and maintains a strong line drive rate, which will ensure a high batting average. He also knows how to use his plate patience to reach base, as he posted elite walk rates in the minors and logged an impressive 9.2% mark as a rookie.
Keaschall doesn’t hit the ball hard, but that is the case with several speedsters, and his 86.2 mph average exit velocity is similar to the mark Brice Turang posted when he stole 50 bases in 2024. The rebuilding Twins will let Keaschall run aggressively from a premium lineup spot, which will result in 40 steals and 85 runs.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox (ADP 156)
In some cases, breakout seasons are merely a repeat of skills shown in smaller sample sizes, but this time stretched over a full campaign. That will be the case with Montgomery this season, after he homered 21 times in 71 games as a rookie. Although he won’t stay on that 45-homer pace, the 24-year-old will use his penchant for pulled fly balls to go deep 35 times, and even in a weak White Sox lineup, he can drive in 85 runs. It’s also worth noting that although Montgomery could stand to lower his strikeout rate, he achieved his .239 average with a .263 BABIP, which means that his batted-ball luck could improve in Year 2.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies (ADP 192)
Several small changes could lead to a breakout season for Tovar, who has already had some solid campaigns and is still just 24 years old. The youngster will never be confused with Juan Soto or Bryce Harper when it comes to plate discipline, but he made minor improvements to his strikeout and walk rates last year. He also posted a career-best 89.4 mph average exit velocity, and his xBA, xSLG and xwOBA were career-high marks. Finally, his line drive improved to a lofty 27.8% last year, and he dealt with an unfortunate 9.0% HR/FB rate that held his home run total down.
Beyond his skill gains, Tovar should be helped by the fact that the Rockies offense is bound to improve. The team scored just 587 runs, which was the lowest total in a 162-game season in franchise history. Even in a down year, Colorado’s lineup uses the benefits of Coors Field to score roughly 700 runs. I’m not predicting the Rockies to make major strides as a team, but their offense should be significantly more productive this year.
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