Fantasy Baseball: Top Five Late-Round Sleepers for Stolen Bases

Finding late round sleepers in your fantasy baseball draft is a crucial part of building a winning lineup, especially when players can dominate in certain categories. For this article, we focus on overlooked or sleeper players that can help fantasy baseball players in the stolen base category.

The stolen base landscape has shifted dramatically over the last two seasons since MLB adjusted the rules to encourage more action on the basepaths.

Gone are the days of overspending for the stolen base category in your roto league )we'll leave that honor for saves.) You no longer have to decide whether to aggressively target Billy Hamilton, Juan Pierre, or Michael Bourn (clearly, I started playing fantasy baseball very young). In other words, You don't have to target a specialist. You can instead be a compiler.

How the Stolen Bases Numbers Have Changed

In 2022, the last season before the new rules took effect, there were 2,486 bases stolen league-wide.

In 2023, that number jumped by more than 40%, to a grand total of 3.503 bases across MLB. In 2024, that number inched even higher, to 3,617.

Perhaps even more interesting is how many players were more aggressive.

In 2022, only 25 players had 20+ stolen bases, making them a coveted asset in roto drafts. In 2023, that number more than doubled. Fifty-one players tallied 20+ stolen bases in the next season, which remained steady in 2024, with 50 players having 20+.

Hopefully, you were able to start your draft with some strong five-category contributors, but if you get past the twelfth round and find you are still a little light on speed, here are some players to keep in mind.

Let's build a winning team.

5 Sleepers for Stolen Bases

Bryson Stott (2B/SS), PHI ADP 152

The Phillies had the fifth-most stolen bases in 2024, and Stott- who plays at a very thin 2B position- had 32 of them with a 91.4% success rate. He'll be batting at the bottom of the Phillies lineup, but he makes this list because he could fill a need in MI without hurting your BA too much and with the potential for double-digit home runs.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF), CHC ADP 164

Cubs’ top prospect Crow-Armstrong snagged 27 bases across 127 games last season while also not being a total zero in power (10 home runs). He still has room for improvement in batting average, as he hit just .237 in 2024, and his xBA was even lower at .222, so make sure you have plenty of insurance in that category; however, there is optimism he could take a step forward in his age-23 season in an improved Cubs lineup. Crow-Armstrong's 30 ft/sec sprint speed was tied with Elly De La Cruz for the third-fastest in 2024. Pencil him in for 30+ steals in 2025.

Sep 14, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Josh Lowe (15) steals second as Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) waits for the throw during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Josh Lowe (OF), TBR ADP 194

Lowe was caught only once in 26 stolen base attempts in 2024, and his sprint speed is in the 79th percentile. He played 106 games last season due to oblique and hamstring injuries, but once he was able to stay on the field, the results were encouraging. Lowe hit .262 and swiped 17 bases after the All-Star Break.

Lowe's underlying metrics also suggest he could contribute to your home run and RBI numbers, and that gets me excited about him at this point in the draft. Despite injuries, Lowe had a 77th-percentile hard-hit rate, an average exit velocity in the 76th percentile, and a strong 10.3% barrel rate, which is in the 70th percentile of MLB. He’s expected to hit cleanup for the Rays this season.

If Lowe can stay healthy, he could repeat his 20 HR 2023 season- and even exceed it -given the more favorable park factors expected with the Rays now playing their home games at George Steinbrenner Field.

That’s right. Lowe, a lefty, will play his home games in a stadium with the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, including that short porch in right.

He'll also play his home games outdoors this season rather than in a dome, and the humidity could encourage more balls to leave the yard.

It's hard not to bet on a Brandon Lowe bounceback in 2025 at this value.

Cedric Mullins (OF), BAL ADP 207

Mullins is one of my favorite values in drafts this season. Yes, the Orioles have many options, and he may platoon some, but after signing Mullins to a one-year 8.7 million dollar deal, Mullins is still an essential part of this Orioles team.

Mullins played 147 games last season while also stealing 32 bases with a better than 84% success rate. Those 32 bases ranked 6th in MLB, and his sprint speed ranked in the top 25% of the league. He still has some power, too. Mullins had 18 round-trippers in 2024, and he's only 30 years old. He's currently slated to bat third and be their everyday center-fielder. At pick 207, I'm making a bet on Mullins every time.

Victor Robles (OF), SEA ADP 226

Robles nabbed a career-high 34 stolen bases in 2024- and he did that in just 92 games, averaging an incredible .37 stolen bases per game and with an impressive 94.4% success rate. Thirty of those stolen bases came in 77 games after signing midseason with the Mariners where he also maintained a .328 batting average. Robles may not have big power, but he is expected to bat leadoff for the M's, and he could meaningfully contribute to SB, AVG, and R, making him an excellent value at pick 226.

Others Deep Sleepers to Draft

SS/MI Nico Hoerner (CHC), SS/MI Xavier Edwards (MIA), OF Lane Thomas (WSH), SS/OF Tommy Edman (LAD)

More Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

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Fantasy Baseball: Deep Sleepers to Target for the 2025 MLB Season

Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top Starting Pitchers With 100+ ADP

Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Corner Infielder Sleepers