2025 Fantasy Baseball ADP: Best Draft Steals (Part 2)

We have reached the best time of year when it comes to fantasy baseball. It’s draft season!

To get you ready for a new year in your league, we have organized a comprehensive breakdown of the top ADP values you should be looking at among the top 300 players who are being drafted this year.

Before we break down some players to target, let’s talk about what ADP is, and how we use 2025 ADP draft trends to help you properly rank players on your draft boards.

ADP stands for Average Draft Position, with the top 300 fantasy baseball players being the main focus as those are the players most frequently selected in fantasy drafts.

With that, you might be wondering, “how do I use ADP Values to win?”

The goal is to focus on players who possess upside at their ADP, for example, Brandon Woodruff being undervalued right now because he is coming off a lost year due to shoulder surgery. If he returns to his ace-form, Woodruff can become a fantasy draft steal for you.

This isn’t a sleepers list, nor a busts list. This is about identifying which guys are lower than they should be according to the National Fantasy Baseball Championship rankings.

For this second set of players, I will be selecting five players from spots 250-200. This is part two of a six-part series, so if you want to start from the beginning, check out part 1 where we looked at players ranked from 300-250.

Byron Buxton – #241

You might be tired of this old song and dance, but the fact remains: Buxton’s got the talent to be a difference-maker in your lineup.

I’m not saying to go out of your way to take the injury-prone outfielder. We know what Buxton is and how this story usually ends. However, that’s not to say he can’t help your squad. 

Because of the injury question, Buxton has fallen lower and lower in fantasy baseball rankings for outfielders in 2025.

When he is active and on the field, the ratios are strong. His 162-game averages include 28 home runs and 20 steals, numbers most outfielders can’t touch. In just 92 games during the 2022 season, Buxton smacked 28 long balls. The year before he put up a 1.005 OPS through 61 contests.

It’s shocking to see a player of Buxton’s caliber land at #241. What this tells me is that the fantasy community has mostly given up on his availability and doesn’t want anything to do with him. That’s exactly when you know it’s time to strike.

Yes, he’ll be absent from the lineup probably once a week, but if it keeps him healthy, let him rest. And remember: Since he’s going in round 20 or later, will it really damage your team all that much if he doesn’t pan out? I’d take that chance since there’s nowhere to go but up.

Jeffrey Springs – #230

Remember that shiny new toy the Rays put on display back in April 2023?

Well, one Tommy John surgery later, he flashed a lot of the same skill at the end of 2024. Through 33 innings, he racked up 37 Ks with a 3.27 ERA and 3.98 FIP, hinting that the performance was believable. 

Once a total fix-it project, Springs has the ability to be the A’s number-one starter this coming season, after being traded from the Rays this offseason. Ever since Texas and Boston gave up on him, he has not owned an ERA north of 3.43 in four seasons.

If he stays healthy, we could be talking about him as a top-10 SP at this time next season. I’m projecting him for much the same season he had in 2022, throwing 135.1 innings to the tune of a 2.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. 

With his TJ surgery behind him, Springs going off the board at #230 is more than affordable – it’s a steal. You can understand why when a guy like Clarke Schmidt is getting taken two rounds earlier. I’ll wait and take the southpaw. 

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – #225

Let’s get something straight. Gurriel is not going to overwhelm in the power nor speed departments. What he is going to excel in, however, is consistency. Being able to bank on someone in your lineup every night who has the ability to produce strong counting stats is crucial. 

Gurriel has already been blessed with a situation that most guys can’t do anything about: strong team context. He often hits cleanup for a team that scored the most runs in all of MLB last season.

He repeatedly lands around the .280 average mark, while the contact rate is strong year after year. He has also worked on pulling the ball more, which increased his long ball total in 2023.

Often what you’ll hear me talk about is the “boring tax.” Although the hairstyle and color are anything but boring, Gurriel’s style of play doesn’t get talked about enough.

If you want steals, Victor Robles sitting at #213 would be the play. But if you want a little bit of everything in a balanced package, Gurriel is your man. 

Brandon Woodruff – #207

Guess who has the lowest ERA among all MLB pitchers (min. 400 IP) over the past five years? Mr. Woodruff, you sly dog.

He will indeed be returning after a year of absence and will look to gain back some fantasy managers’ attention. It’s no surprise to me that Milwaukee paid him on a team option deal while simply eating one year for his rehab. They value him highly and so should you.

Like the aforementioned Springs, Woodruff is a guy we could be talking about as a top-10 SP for 2026. He’s that good. Just look at his track record. He has not owned an ERA above 3.62 in any qualified season while finishing fifth in Cy Young voting back in 2021. 

Tell me, would you rather have Bowden Francis or MacKenzie Gore over Woodruff? I certainly would not, but early draft trends show both are going before the Milwaukee ace.

He is one who will be moving up the board quickly as spring training begins. Cash in while you still can early in draft season.

Nathan Eovaldi – #201

One of the more quiet aces in fantasy baseball over the past few seasons has been Nathan Eovaldi. After all, would Texas have won a ring in 2023 if he was not around? Hard to say, but no matter the rotation or team, he has been consistently reliable. 

I think it’s a bit disrespectful to put him outside the Top 200, granted he’s at #201. Still, the righty can sling it. And as of late, he’s been a workhorse.

In his past five seasons alone, Eovaldi has not risen above a 3.87 ERA while also not landing over a 1.24 WHIP. As surprising as that may be, it’s also hard to remember him finishing in fourth place for the 2021 Cy Young.

His chase percentage was elite in 2024, sitting in the 87th percentile of all pitchers. He also limited his free passes as much as possible. In 170.2 innings, he issued only 42 walks while striking out 166.

And the one thing that makes Eovaldi so special and effective is the high ground ball rate. A big part of this is preventing batters from raising the ball in the air. So far, this recipe has worked well.

I don’t see many reasons not to believe in Eovaldi come 2025.

Continue to Part 3 for players ranked 200-150.