Steals are likely to be up across the league this season, so spending an early draft pick on speed alone is not a great idea. There’s plenty of value to be had later, where a handful of guys could still reach 20 bags while not hurting your other numbers.

Ideally, you’ll be able to pair speed with power, adding as many players as you can who do both. I’m not a fan of the one-trick ponies unless it’s a guy who is going to finish in the top three or four in the category or can be had well into the draft. It’s all about finding value in fantasy sports, and the steals category is no different. Go ahead and wait on steals and draft these valuable speedsters instead. Here are your best values for stolen bases in 2023.

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Best Value Players for Stolen Bases 

Daulton Varsho (C, OF – TOR)

Even in the fifth or sixth round, Varsho is extremely valuable. The new Jays’ addition may not get you as many swipes as the other guys on this list, but by qualifying at catcher while mashing in Toronto, there’s a good chance he finishes the season as the top backstop.

Varsho led all of MLB in pulled balls last year at 54.5%. Of those pulled balls, even though he faced the shift nearly every time, Varsho still managed a fantastic .379 average with a .768 SLG. Now without an extra defender roaming his pull side, those numbers should increase even further.

He also hit much better on the road than he did in Arizona last year (.221/.293/.406 hm, .248/.311/.475 rd). So moving to Toronto, where the power alley for left-handed hitters just decreased from 375 down to 359 feet (the wall height also increased a bit), should also work heavily in his favor.

So to be clear, a player who qualifies at catcher, who’s going to play nearly every day, who also pulls the most balls in the league, now gets to play on a smaller field with a fantastic surrounding cast and no shift. Sign me up!

I’m all in on Varsho, whose .269 BABIP should increase easily this season. He may feel a bit more pressure to perform replacing clubhouse favorite Lourdes Gurriel. But if he’s up to the challenge, Varsho could easily produce 30 bombs with 15-20 steals with a solid amount of RBIs and runs scored. Select him in the fifth round and watch him win you a championship.

Thairo Estrada (2B, SS, OF – SF)

Estrada is a poor man’s Amed Rosario. He’s going nearly 65 picks later but could easily end up with similar stats by the season’s end. Rosario may be the steadier option, but don’t sleep on Estrada, who could lead off this year for the Giants. Projection models like Steamer and Zips DC are bullish on the young middle infielder, predicting a decent average with 15+ home runs and 20+ steals. He also qualifies at multiple positions. At 180th, he is very valuable.

Adalberto Mondesi (SS – BOS)

Mondesi is projected to steal over 30 bases again this year and is currently being drafted around 221st overall. By now, everyone knows the fool’s gold that Mondesi brings, but at 221st, he’s absolutely worth the risk. Never in the history of fantasy sports has a 20th-round pick caused a losing season, so if Mondi lasts just a few weeks of the season, it’s not a major loss. However, if he somehow manages to accumulate 450 plate appearances, the former Royal could get you 10-15 homers with 30 stolen bases.

Those numbers are likely his ceiling, but there aren’t a lot of players past 220th who can match that output. Mondesi is always a roll of the dice, and he’s still not running at 100%, but for the first time, he can be had extremely late. He is a solid value pick who should eventually become the Red Sox’s starting shortstop.

Esteury Ruiz (OF – OAK)

Ruiz is a solid find at the end of drafts. No player was more aggressive on the bases paths in the minors last year (85 stolen bases), and the A’s have nothing to lose by letting him run wild. Especially now, with the new rules in place that benefit base runners, Ruiz could rack up 35 bags if he can get on base. While he did struggle to hit in his cup of coffee for San Diego and Milwaukee, he crushed it in the Minor Leagues. Ruiz generated a .344/.474/.611 line in Double-A, and .323/.428/.467 last year in Triple-A.

Garrett Mitchell (OF – MIL)

Mitchell doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but he’ll likely start from day one against right-handed pitching. He’ll steal a good amount of bases while adding in a few homers. His average will likely hover around .260, but he did well in his cup of coffee last year, so he could be a surprise.

The Brewers’ first-round pick in 2020 may not be as fast as the other top outfield prospects in the Milwaukee system (Jackson Chourio and Joey Wiemer), but he did steal eight bases over just 28 games last year in the major leagues. He also successfully swiped nine bags in just 20 games in Triple-A.

Mitchell is a decent player without a lot of buzz, but if he continues to develop and cuts down on the K’s, he’ll end up with better numbers than Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz isn’t projected to platoon, however, so he is the better choice right now.

TJ Friedl (OF – CIN)

Friedl is likely going to lead off for the Reds this year against right-handed pitching. He may start at times against southpaws, too, considering how well he performed against them over a small sample size. He’s one of those players that won’t dazzle you in any way but does possess a nice combination of power and speed. He’s not meant for shallow leagues, but in deeper ones, it’s never a bad idea to add a potential 15/15 guy at the end of drafts.

Jose Siri (OF – TB)

If you play in standard leagues, Siri isn’t for you. But for those of you in much deeper ones, the speedy outfielder has some nice appeal. Last season in just over 300 at-bats, Siri hit 7 home runs, stole 14 bases, and scored 53 runs. Not too shabby for a player going after 500th overall.

The Rays don’t have much in the way of competition to supplant Siri in center field, so he could find himself finishing with 500 plate appearances. His sprint speed is tops in the league, and he’s an excellent defender which should help keep his bat in the lineup. This is especially true for a team like the Rays, which puts an emphasis on pitching and defense first.

He’s not a great hitter, but entering what is likely his first full season of regular playing time, there’s room for improvement. Siri is a fine deep sleeper who can get you 20+ steals late in extensive drafts.

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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.