Jung Hoo Lee Among Biggest Fantasy Baseball Surprises Early in 2025

After taking a look at some fantasy baseball draft busts, let's now highlight some surprisingly good fantasy performers so far.

I'll use the fantasy baseball leaders from ESPN to help identify some standouts, then use the FantasySP ADP list to see where they were drafted. We'll break things down by position.

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Catchers

Carson Kelly and Shea Langeliers are top-five fantasy catchers right now and weren't big draft assets coming into the season.

Kelly wasn't even on the draft radar of most people, so to see him leading the position is pretty wild. He's due for some regression as the season moves along, but until he cools off at the plate, he's at least a deep-league fantasy asset. 

Given the lack of fantasy assets at catcher, Kelly is also an option in standard leagues for a bit.

Langeliers went around pick 168 on average, so he's another early-season standout while sitting third at the position right now.

He's improved most of his numbers early on this season, but also is a player nearing his prime years, so big regression isn't necessarily coming.

First Basemen

Tyler Soderstrom, Spencer Torkelson, Wilmer Flores, Michael Busch, Ben Rice and Jonathan Aranda are among a big group of fantasy first basemen who are surprising early on this season.

Soderstrom wasn't on the ADP list, and was off most people's radar, but he's been one of the best hitters in the game so far. He is enjoying a breakout season, and while regression is coming, it's also possible the young player is going to remain a good fantasy asset all season.

Torkelson is in a similar boat to Soderstrom, just a bit older. He looks like a daily fantasy asset, and can be utilized in all leagues until further notice.

Flores is a veteran hitter who is enjoying a big bounceback season after a down 2024 campaign. He too wasn't a draft asset to begin the season, but is at least someone you can play in deeper leagues for the time being.

Busch was a breakout candidate of mine until the Cubs signed Justin Turner this spring. Busch has hit well to retain a near everyday role, and the struggles of rookie Matt Shaw means Busch is here to stay. Busch was a deep-league option by the time the regular season rolled around, but is getting utilized in some standard leagues now, which tells you how good he's been.

Rice has really upped his numbers in his second MLB season, and he's now working into some standard leagues as a result. Regression could come over time, but he should remain at least a deep-league asset for the rest of the season.

Like Rice, Aranda was another draft option only in really deep leagues. He too is bound for some regression over time, but he should remain a good deep-league option most of the season, and can be utilized in standard leagues for the time being too.

Second Basemen

Tommy Edman and Brice Turang have been the biggest surprises amongst the second basemen.

Edman was good in his short time with the Dodgers in 2024, and has been even better with the team to start 2025. He went near the end of standard league drafts on average, but leads fantasy second basemen in scoring so far. That isn't super likely to continue, but he could remain a season-long daily asset in all leagues anyways.

Turang was another pick late in standard league drafts - he is just one fantasy point behind Turang as of the time of publication. He started last season hot too before fizzling out a bit as the season rolled along. That could happen again, but until then, I'd want Turang starting in all fantasy leagues everyday.

Shortstops

Geraldo Perdomo and Jacob Wilson are the two fantasy shortstops who I want to single out.

Perdomo is second among fantasy shortstops in fantasy points, trailing the versatile Edman by a point. He wasn't on anyone's draft radar and was a waiver wire pickup by almost everyone he's rostered by now. He's still available in about 20% of fantasy leagues, and can be utilized in all leagues until further notice.

Wilson was only a draft target in really deep leagues coming into the season. He's now owned in deeper leagues, and getting some standard league attention too. Wilson is a young and emerging player, so while a bit of regression could come, he very well could remain a daily fantasy starter for the course of the fantasy season.

Outfielders

Jung Hoo Lee, Cedric Mullins and Pete Crow-Armstrong are three outfielders worth mentioning.

Lee was drafted around pick 135, so him being fifth among fantasy outfielders in total points is definitely worthy of calling him a surprise. His rookie season was cut short by an injury, so we didn't have a ton to go on with Lee. He should remain a good daily fantasy option all season.

Mullins was usually not taken in standard redraft leagues, but he's owned and started in nearly all leagues now. He's had standout seasons in the past, but has picked up the slack after three pretty solid seasons in a row. He should at least be a good deep-league option all season, and is a standard leaguer for the time being.

Crow-Armstrong has turned things up at the plate, and is one of the better fantasy outfielders so far because of it. He can stuff the box score, and his only real downside right now is strikeouts. I think he'll remain a good fantasy option most of the season, and at least be rostered in all deeper leagues all year.

Starting Pitchers

Hunter Brown, Nick Pivetta and Andrew Heaney are three early-season standouts among starting pitchers.

Brown was drafted around pick 105, and he ranks fourth overall among starting pitchers in fantasy points. Regression has to come a bit, but he's also a young player inching toward his prime, so he very well might be a season-long top-end fantasy pitcher you can rely on.

Pivetta was someone I highlighted as a possible breakout player with his new team (San Diego). He's a top-10 fantasy pitcher right now, but wasn't taken until late in redraft leagues on average. Pivetta might fall off a bit as the season rolls along, but I see him at worst being a standard league streamer all season.

Heaney was only a draft asset in deeper leagues, so to see him as a top-10 fantasy starting pitcher right now is pretty wild. That isn't likely to continue, but he's worth a roster spot in deeper leagues, and can be a standard league streamer until he cools off.

Relief Pitchers

Robert Suarez, Andres Munoz, Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman and Kyle Finnegan have been early-season standouts among fantasy relievers.

Suarez went around pick 110, but leads the way amongst fantasy relievers. The Padres are a good enough team to keep Suarez as an elite fantasy option all season too, so this could continue.

Munoz is behind just Suarez among fantasy relievers - he went around pick 105 on average. Seattle isn't as good as San Diego, so Munoz will have to keep pitching at an elite level to remain among the top-end fantasy options.

Scott went around pick 135 because nobody knew who the Dodgers were going to turn to regularly for saves. Scott has emerged as that guy early on. If he keeps the lead role all season, he's got a great chance to be the top fantasy reliever by the end of the season.

Hoffman also went around pick 135. He's been great out of the pen for the Blue Jays. Like Munoz though, Hoffman will need to limit runs and rack up strikeouts to hang with the closers from the top-end teams.

Finnegan was signed later in spring training, so his ADP of 234 is a bit wonky. He was a good fantasy option in 2024, and is looking like a top-10 option again in 2025. He pitches well enough to hang with the top-end guys, but unless he piles up a bunch of saves, he'll probably fall a few points behind the top guys by the end of the year.