7 Valuable Fantasy Baseball Targets for Category Leagues

By Anthony Winters | February 16, 2024

7 Valuable Fantasy Baseball Targets 2024 for Category Leagues

Football season has officially ended which means baseball season is upon us. Aside from the Padres and Dodgers, most teams have their pitchers and catchers reporting on the 14^th of February and the rest will be reporting on the 15^th. This is the first step in the MLB season and consequently the fantasy baseball season.

Category leagues have become increasingly popular with fantasy baseball players around the globe. You pick your categories and draft in the hopes that each week you will win the majority of the categories to secure a win for your team (for example, if you have 12 categories you would need to win 7 of them to win the week and move to 1-0, 2-0, etc.). We all know players that will win categories by themselves, but I want to focus on some deeper guys that may prove fruitful for your team. All rankings are taken from the fantasy baseball player rankings and all stats are taken from player statistics on mlb.com.

Slugging Percentage (SLG)

Royce Lewis (OVR62, 3B6) – Lewis was drafted #1 overall in 2017 by the Twins and finally had his breakout season in 2023. While he did not have a full season’s worth of playing time, he played in 58 games with a total of 239 plate appearances. In those games, he hit an astronomically high .548 SLG which would’ve been 8^th in the entire sport had he qualified. This is higher than any other third basemen last year. Lewis is currently ranked as a 5^th round pick and the 6^th third baseman, but he has all the tools and capabilities to finish as a top-3 player at the position.

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

JP Crawford (OVR219, SS19) – Crawford enjoyed a bit of a breakout season in 2023 as well. He had previously had an OBP of .335 or higher the previous 3 years, but we saw that spike to .380 which was good for 11^th in the league. Part of this was due to his career-high 94 walks (6^th in the league) but also his 142 hits. While he did strikeout a career-high 125 times, it’s hard to not draft a guy that gets on base this often in the 18^th round of fantasy drafts.

Stolen Bases (SB)

Ha-Seong Kim (OVR83, 2B7 extra 3B and SS) – FINALLY! We saw a resurgence of stolen bases in baseball last year as 6 players stole 40 bases or more which was the same number of players from 2019-2022. Kim is a coveted utility man for the Padres as he boasts eligibility at second base, shortstop, and third base. While that’s desirable in and of itself, the guy also stole 38 bases last year which put him 7^th in the league. As we know, you must get on base to steal so having a .351 OBP is encouraging to see. Kim is currently going at the 6/7 turn in fantasy drafts as the 7^th second baseman off the board. He trailed only one other player as a second baseman and two other players as a shortstop last year in steals making him a diamond in the rough at that value.

Home Runs and Runs Batted In (HR and RBI)

Spencer Torkelson (OVR113, 1B11) – Another former #1 overall pick makes the list as Torkelson enters the chat. Torkelson hasn’t necessarily lived up to the expectations of a #1 overall pick these last two years, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t valuable in fantasy. This guy belted 31 homeruns (22^nd in the league) and drove in 94 runs (34^th in the league) for a Detroit team that – how do I say this nicely – left more to be desired at the conclusion of the season. Torkelson is not going to be a sexy pick, but he is currently going in the 9^th round and as the 11^th first baseman off the board. If you miss out on a top option or even on your second choice, he’s a viable starter that could win you some weeks.

Strikeouts (K)

Dylan Cease (OVR108, SP30) – I find Cease to be fascinating this year. A Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022, he took a step back last year in a big way. Of course, being on the White Sox roster doesn’t necessarily help, but we’d expect to see a bit more from him. The fact that this guy has eclipsed 210 strikeouts every year for the past three seasons is a testament to how good his stuff is. His 214 strikeouts last year were good for 8^th in the league. Yes, you read that correctly. Cease is ranked as a 9^th round pick and the 30^th starter off the board. If he is available there in any of my drafts, he is going to be on my team. The upside is way too high for a player of this caliber for him to be going this late.

Quality Starts and Walk and Hits Per Inning Pitched (QS and WHIP)

Merrill Kelly (OVR157, SP40) – While Cease is a name that everyone is going to notice, an under the radar starter that has been quite solid for the last two years is Merrill Kelly. Kelly is more than likely the #3 starter for a Diamondbacks team featuring Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez. However, he finished the 2023 season 14^th in the league with 18 QS which was more than Rodriguez had and only two behind Gallen. His 1.19 WHIP was good for 24^th in the league, which was again, higher than Rodriguez, and only 0.07 behind Gallen. I’m not saying Kelly is going to anchor your pitching staff, but having this guy ranked in the 13^th round and going off the board as the 40^th starter is stealing.

Saves (SV)

Paul Sewald (OVR102, RP12) – Sewald was traded from the Mariners to the Diamondbacks during the 2023 season to help set Arizona up for a World Series run. While they ultimately did not win it all, Sewald played an integral role for both teams. He had 34 saves total last year which was 7^th in the league. That’s higher than guys named Josh Hader and Raisel Iglesias. Why do I bring up those names? Hader is currently listed as the 54^th overall player, while Iglesias slots in at #78 overall. Sewald is going almost five rounds AFTER Hader and two rounds AFTER Iglesias. When it comes to finding production late in the draft, getting a closer of this caliber in mid-round 8 is exceptional.