The Major League Baseball season (and the fantasy baseball season by proxy) is a marathon, not a sprint. That is part of the beauty of the game, but it can also turn managing a team into a chore. That is especially true in leagues with daily transactions. Many fantasy managers simply do not have the time or patience to deal with the constant upkeep.
The good news is that there is a way to enjoy fantasy baseball without the grind of constant lineup decisions, waiver wire claims and awful trade proposals from leaguemates. Enter Best Ball leagues.
Best Ball leagues are quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of the hobby. You can draft until your heart’s content and then sit back and watch your handiwork unfold. In Best Ball leagues, there are no lineup changes for the entire season. The team you draft is the team you have from the first pitch on Opening Day until the 27th out of the 162nd game is recorded.
This format presents its own unique set of challenges. Here’s the complete Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Draft Strategy & Players to Target. Below we dive into a few picks to zero in on when it comes to you fantasy baseball best ball drafts.
Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Targets (2024)
Now that I have explained my Best Ball strategy and theory, let’s identify some of my favorite Best Ball targets for 2024.
Ryan McMahon checks off a couple of Best Ball boxes for me. First, he is eligible at both second base and third base. Not only does that give him dual eligibility, but he offers even more flexibility in leagues with a corner infield and/or middle infield slot. He also plays half of his games in Coors Field. In 149 home games over the past two seasons, McMahon has hit .262 with 28 home runs, 90 runs and 90 RBIs. Imagine getting a player of that caliber in the 20th round of a standard draft. Sure, the road games are a drain, but that’s why we draft for depth at each position. McMahon can be drafted three or four rounds earlier in Best Ball leagues and still provide value based on his home upside and infield eligibility.
Seth Lugo transitioned from reliever to starter in 2023 with very positive results. He posted 17 quality starts last season in just 26 total starts. That is extreme efficiency that is not always easy to come by. Lugo does not strike out a ton of hitters, and the move to Kansas City from San Diego is probably a net negative. However, his 3.76 xFIP ranked 23rd among 76 starters with at least 140 innings pitched last year. That suggests that he may have some staying power. Lugo is widely available late in drafts. I haven’t seen anyone rank him inside the top 250 overall, which means you can grab him well after round 20 in 12-team leagues. He will not make or break your squad but is a solid depth arm.
Kyle Gibson is going even later in drafts, usually well outside the top 300 overall. Gibson was 12th in the Majors in innings pitched and tied for sixth in wins. He is another pitcher whose offseason move (in this case from Baltimore to St. Louis) will probably lessen his value somewhat, so a repeat of those numbers in 2024 is unrealistic. However, he should grab the ball every fifth or sixth day for the Cardinals, which has plenty of value in Best Ball leagues. Gibson also has the occasional spike game, seemingly more often than other pitchers in this range. The veteran struck out eight or more five times last season, including two games with 11 punchouts. I would much rather draft Gibson than take a flier on speculating on a Minor League player or a would-be closer.
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