"Four players hit 50 or more home runs this past season. Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge were the top picks in most every fantasy draft, while Philadelphia Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber and Seattle Mariners C Cal Raleigh were eighth-round selections in ESPN ADP. These fellows were terrific in 2025 and we surely appreciate their efforts, but they all were on fantasy rosters to start the season."
"On the other hand, Arizona Diamondbacks SS Geraldo Perdomo and Boston Red Sox SS Trevor Story both went undrafted in almost every ESPN standard league. It is hard to quantify the value for a player when a fantasy manager adds him to their roster during the season and the player performs alongside the most productive options in the sport. Hurray for Schwarber and Raleigh, but Perdomo and Story were nearly as important -- and at a mere fraction of the investment cost."
Four high-profile sluggers dominated preseason attention, but lesser-known players produced major fantasy returns. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were common top picks, while Kyle Schwarber and Cal Raleigh were mid-to-late round selections. Geraldo Perdomo began the year rostered in about 1% of leagues, recorded 24 RBI and seven steals in the first month, and finished with a .290 average, 20 homers, 100 RBI and 27 steals in 161 games, ranking No. 13 on ESPN's Player Rater. Trevor Story, long out of favor, also provided significant in-season value for managers who added him cheaply.
Read at ESPN.com
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