Fantasy Baseball 2024 Sleepers: Top Pitchers and Sluggers to Target
Brandon Pfaadt was one of the unlikely stars of the 2023 Major League Baseball playoffs.
Despite a strong postseason, the right-handed pitcher is the No. 4 arm in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation and owns a low average draft position in most fantasy baseball drafts.
Pfaadt could be one of a few young players who can be selected in the mid to late rounds who help your fantasy teams perform at a high level in 2024.
Some of the other top sleepers are either buried deeper on contending rosters, like Cristopher Sanchez in Philadelphia, or on teams that are not expected to contend, like Ezequiel Tovar in Colorado and Logan O'Hoppe with the Los Angeles Angels.
Brandon Pfaadt
1 of 4
Pfaadt should be one of the more popular middle-round draft selections.
The Arizona righty did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his five postseason starts. He held the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies scoreless in two of those appearances.
Pfaadt allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine of his 13 starts in the second half of the 2023 regular season.
His production may be forgotten a bit because of his current role within the Arizona rotation.
Pfaadt will start the season as the No. 4 starter behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and free-agent signing Eduardo Rodriguez.
That position should not deter you from adding Pfaadt to your starting pitching depth.
His postseason performances were not flukes, and he has the potential to be a high-strikeout hurler. He had six regular-season starts with at least six strikeouts and 26 punchouts in 22 postseason innings.
Cristopher Sanchez
2 of 4
Cristopher Sanchez is one of the under-the-radar starting pitchers you should draft now before his performances generate more fantasy baseball steam.
The Philadelphia left-hander could be the No. 4 guy in the rotation on Opening Day depending on Taijuan Walker's injury status.
An argument could be made that Sanchez is already the Phillies' fourth-best arm behind Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez.
Sanchez produced 96 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA in 99.2 regular-season innings in 2023. He finished the campaign with a pair of 10-strikeout showings in September against Atlanta and the New York Mets.
Sanchez's strikeout rate should at least carry some intrigue to fantasy baseball players looking for back-end help in their rotations.
Ezequiel Tovar
3 of 4
Ezequiel Tovar quietly recorded 147 hits, 15 home runs and 73 RBI in his first full season with the Colorado Rockies.
Tovar also recorded 37 doubles, four triples and stole 11 bases.
That type of production is rare to find in the middle of most fantasy drafts at any position.
The Rockies shortstop could be a valuable piece to fantasy rosters, either as a starter on a loaded roster with stars at other positions, or as a backup infielder.
Tovar has the potential to drive in more runs in 2024 if the entire Rockies order is healthy. Kris Bryant and Brendan Rodgers each missed a good chunk of the 2023 campaign.
If Bryant, Rodgers and Ryan McMahon reach base more, Tovar should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs with his extra-base power.
.png?w=256)
Logan O'Hoppe
4 of 4
Someone has to step up in the Los Angeles Angels' order alongside Mike Trout.
Logan O'Hoppe is not Shohei Ohtani, but he could provide the Angels with a middle-of-the-lineup bat that drives in a good amount of runs.
The Angels catcher produced 14 home runs and a .796 OPS across 51 games last season. His campaign was derailed by injuries.
The home run hitting prowess in the stretches he was healthy is a promising sign for the Angels and fantasy players looking to buy low at catcher.
It is difficult to find catchers outside of the top tier of players who can provide power to a fantasy lineup.
O'Hoppe could be worth the risk as a fantasy starter, if you punt on catcher in the draft, or as a solid backup option to the likes of J.T. Realmuto, Adley Rutschman and Will Smith.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
