In the end, dominating your draft in any sport is all about getting the most value with each and every pick. The best way to do that is by drafting for upside once you’ve passed the early rounds. Much attention is given to the late-round guys who can provide plenty of value at no cost, but what about the mid-round players? This is the trickiest portion of the draft, as these athletes often have the greatest breakout potential, but come with a lot more risk because of the higher draft cost. The middle rounds are where studs like Rafael Devers and Shane Bieber were grabbed last year, so nailing this part of your draft is a crucial step in claiming that title at season’s end. Read on to see which mid-round talents our featured analysts believe in the most.

2020 Draft Kit: View printable cheat sheets, sleepers & mistakes to avoid

Q1. Which hitter in between the H70 – H120 range is your favorite high-ceiling target to help increase your team’s upside and why?

Cavan Biggio (2B/OF – TOR) 
“I’ve often targeted Biggio toward the later rounds in drafts after he started falling a bit, as he offers the perfect combination of a high floor with a high ceiling. Even with last year’s disappointing, or at least mediocre, showing in the majors, Biggio was still on a 26-homer, 22-steal pace and with solid run and RBI totals. Just 25 years old, if he can stop taking so many strikes and cut down a bit on his 28.6% strikeout rate, he could see a major jump in batting average and overall production. His minor-league numbers suggest he can and even with mere incremental growth otherwise, Biggio could easily turn in a 30-homer, 25-steal full season, with upside for more.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2B/SS/OF – TOR) 
“It is extremely difficult for me to decide between Danny Santana and Gurriel Jr. but since I’ve written so much about Santana of late, let’s focus on Gurriel. From the moment Toronto recalled him last season (May 24), the former Cuban uber-prospect was among the top hitters in all of baseball. Gurriel batted .292 in that time with 20 homers, 43 RBIs, and 50 runs in just 67 starts. Over a full season, that’s a 46 HR, 98 RBI, 114 R pace and while he likely won’t keep that up, he does have that type of upside.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Franmil Reyes (OF/DH – CLE) 
“There a lot of good targets in this range and one of my favorites is Reyes. He could lead the majors in home runs. His power is that elite. Reyes was near the top of the majors with a 93.3 mile-per-hour exit velocity and a 46.2 percent hard-hit rate. Reyes had 37 home runs and 81 RBIs in 494 at-bats last season and if he can increase his fly-ball rate just a little, he has a high-ceiling to boost your team’s power.”
– Adam Ronis (Fantasy Alarm)

Khris Davis (DH – OAK) 
“I was tempted to choose post-hype poster boy David Dahl here, but given the increasing likelihood of no games in Coors this season, I’ll transition to old standby, Khris Davis. It may seem like the bottom fell out on Davis in his age-31 season, but the truth is his peripherals didn’t crater all that much, even as he struggled through hip and oblique injuries. His strikeout and walk rates were right in line with his career averages and his hard contact rate was actually a career-high 46 percent (per Fangraphs). The big difference in his advanced stats is that his fly-ball percentage tailed off a bit and his HR/FB rate was far below normal — abnormalities that can reasonably be chalked up to injury or a plain fluke. Davis was the No. 11 overall hitter in standard 5×5 leagues as recently as 2018 and a top-45 hitter the prior two seasons as well, so his upside is obvious; you’ll just need to overcome ageism and recency bias to see it.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)

Amed Rosario (SS – NYM) 
“Rosario is a former No. 1 overall prospect who is just 24 years old. In just his second season, he almost cracked .290 while knocking on the door of the 20/20 club. Factor in that he improved in the second half last season, a positive sign for a young player, and we could be looking at a blossoming star. His ADP won’t break the bank and he may be allowed to run a bit more in a shortened season.”
– Jason Petropoulos (BRoto Fantasy)

David Dahl (OF – COL)
“I am always a sucker for drafting hitters who play in Colorado. Dahl has a chance to lead off for the Rockies with studs Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story, and Nolan Arenado driving him in. If he does get the table setting duty, expect him to try to swipe a few more bags and he could easily end up with double-digit steals. Dahl’s bat will always provide pop with the potential to slug 25 homers and hover around .300 for batting average. Health has been the main issue, but when he is on the field, he simply produces.”
– Todd D Clark (The Fantasy Fix)

Q2. Which starting pitcher in between the SP25 – SP60 range is your favorite high-ceiling target to help increase your team’s upside and why?

Julio Urias (SP/RP – LAD) 
“There are a lot of great high-ceiling starting pitchers this year, but I’m favoring Urias overall. Armed with a 95 mile-per-hour fastball and an elite changeup, he need only maintain his slider from last season (.122 BA, .221 SLG, .160 wOBA against the pitch) to take the next level. With a shortened season, an innings limit should no longer be on the table after Urias threw 81 2/3 innings last year. Add in probably the best team in baseball behind him and Urias legitimately has the upside to finish as a top-10 pitcher if everything breaks right.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

Frankie Montas (SP – OAK) 
“Montas is one of my favorite targets in this range. He was on his way to a breakout season before being suspended for PEDs. In 16 starts, he had a 2.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 26.1 percent strikeout rate, and a 5.8 percent walk rate. In a year where almost every pitcher gave up a lot of home runs, Montas had a 0.79 HR/9 due to a 28.5 percent fly-ball rate. He added a splitter that was integral to his success. Montas has all the ingredients to finish as a top-20 starting pitcher.”
– Adam Ronis (Fantasy Alarm)

Lance Lynn (SP – TEX)
“Lynn finished fifth in Cy Young voting last season, but many are keeping away. Perhaps it’s because he seems like a boring pick since he’s entering his ninth season, but he’s just 32 years old (an age that is arguably within the prime of a baseball player’s career). He struck out 246 batters last season on the back of his increased velocity and the underlying metrics suggest that he is entirely capable of doing it again. If Lynn’s name was Berrios, we’d be looking at a top-12 SP ADP for him. Instead, Lynn isn’t even in the top 25.”
– Jason Petropoulos (BRoto Fantasy)

Carlos Carrasco (SP/RP – CLE) 
“There are a ton of young pitchers I am excited about drafting in this range (Brandon Woodruff, Frankie Montas, Zac Gallen, Matthew Boyd, and Julio Urias to name a few), but what the heck, let’s go with another geezer. Carrasco is an inspiring story after making a remarkably quick recovery from leukemia, but you don’t have to get sentimental to justify adding him to your fantasy rotation. Prior to last year’s unforeseen malady, the man they call “Cookie” finished as a top-15 fantasy starter in standard 5×5 leagues in three of the previous four seasons. His velocity was back upon his return to the Indians last September and there’s little reason to doubt that he can pick up where he left off prior to the illness. You may draft Carrasco as your third or fourth starter, but he still has ace potential.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)

Dinelson Lamet (SP – SD) 
“Lamet has been locked in as a huge target of mine in the middle rounds. The gas that he possesses with the mid-’90s four-seamer paired with his slide piece racked up a 12.95 K/9 in 2019. Lamet’s arm will only get stronger as the 27-year-old is barely two years removed from Tommy John surgery. If the curve or change-up gets dialed in to the point of being used more in his repertoire, the youngster should cement himself as one of the premier arms in the National League.”
– Todd D Clark (The Fantasy Fix)

Lance McCullers Jr. (SP – HOU) 
“McCullers Jr. could absolutely be a league-winner out of the 16th round of your drafts. There are some major question marks with him coming off a year-plus absence, but his stuff is as good as you’ll find outside the first five rounds. In fact, the last time we saw McCullers healthy, he was among the top Cy Young contenders in the American League. If the 26-year-old comes back just as strong, fantasy owners would have the best value in the entire fantasy draft.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for sharing their high-ceiling targets. For more great fantasy advice, please be sure to follow them on Twitter.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | SoundCloud | Stitcher | TuneIn