Rise from the Ashes! Fantasy Powerhouses to Thrive in 2023

Post-hype sleepers sometimes end up being the best value picks in the middle and final rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. In fact, the 2025 version of this article mentioned Gavin Williams and Jonathan Aranda, who both went from being late-round gambles or April waiver-wire fodder to productive lineup members. Trent Grisham would have been an excellent choice as well, as he turned around a floundering career by homering 34 times.

[ Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season ] This year’s crop of post-hype sleepers includes options that are spaced throughout the draft, but most members are clustered as late-round options who will open 2026 on waivers in many leagues. Francisco Alvarez, C, New York Mets (ADP: 196. 2) Once considered a budding superstar at the scarcest position when he hit 25 homers in 2023, Alvarez is now an afterthought in the deepest group of catchers we have seen.

The 24-year-old dealt with multiple injuries across 2024-25 but may have finally put those issues behind him when he hit . 276 with eight homers and a . 921 OPS in 41 second-half games last season.

The problem is that no one noticed, as catchers such as Hunter Goodman and Shea Langeliers were stealing the show, and rookies like Agustín Ramírez and Kyle Teel were also grabbing headlines. Nonetheless, Alvarez is part of a loaded Mets lineup and could establish himself as a top-12 catcher early in the season. Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 197.