Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets: DJ LeMahieu, J.P. Crawford, Jung Hoo Lee, Brendan Donovan (2024)

Runs scored are one of the most underappreciated counting categories in fantasy. Maybe because the original fantasy leagues were 4×4 and didn’t include runs or maybe because traditionally because they were not listed on the back of baseball cards, but no matter the reason, you can often find yourself in need of runs in the middle or end of the draft.

So, what do you look for? I like to look for cheaper leadoff hitters. They may not hit many home runs or steal all the bases, but they can rack up a ton of runs without you having to break the bank.

Category Target: SBs | AVG/OBP | HRs | RBIs
2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
Fantasy Baseball Projections

2024 MLB Players to Target for Runs

DJ LeMahieu (1B,2B,3B – NYY)

LeMahieu is a shell of his former self, but he is projected to lead off for the Yankees in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. It may not stick for long, but LeMahieu is a short term option in most leagues.

J.P. Crawford (SS – SEA)

Crawford is coming off his best season but is not being given a lot of attention. I think he regresses in the power department, but he is still leading off for a very good team in Seattle.

Jung Hoo Lee (OF – SF)

I don’t know how good of a player Lee will be, but the Giants have already said that they want him to lead off in San Francisco. He showed a lot of contact ability and the ability to take walks in Korea. If that can translate to MLB, Lee could be a really good value.

Brendan Donovan (1B,2B,OF – STL)

If Donovan had not gotten hurt last year, he would be a much more talked about player this draft season. He scored 48 runs in just 371 plate appearances. If he can get the full-time leadoff job, Donovan could easily score 80 to 100 runs.