Profiling the top utility-only players, and rookies to watch for fantasy baseball 2025

New York Times

12-03-2025

The rankings for the utility-only players listed here are for standard 5×5 Roto leagues (mixed universe). This format may be obsolete for those who play Points leagues, Head-to-Head, Best Ball, DFS or sim games. I try to note where format makes a difference, but it's called 'standard' for a reason, and we have to start somewhere.
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These rankings are for 2025 only. I ranked the players at the position they played the most but tried to note when they qualify elsewhere — and often, it makes more sense to draft them elsewhere.
Access The Athletic's guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball.
By my conservative calculations, he had a $72 2024 season. How do you bid that? I don't know. I do know it's almost impossible to do what Ohtani did for another year, at least when judging by previously established norms. But base stealing has been made easier, which should be part of our calculations. Teams have not taken advantage nearly as much as they could, but individual players have. Ronald Acuña's 2023 (41 HRs/73 SBs) was just as outrageous (for him), and those two are not the only players capable of these numbers or close to them.
Obviously, Ohtani is a good No. 1 overall pick. The one argument against him that holds water with me is that he will get a lot of days off if he's pitching. Then again, that could be true, and Ohtani could still be the best Roto hitter.
Wow, I thought he was lucky to hit .246 with all the strikeouts and fly balls. So he cuts both a little and hits .293 … with 39 HRs and 11 SBs. Moving to a better hitter's park might completely defeat the expected regression. The public is impressed, as his ADP as a UT-only is 75. I think Rooker's AVG will fall and by a lot, but a lot means .265, and that's fine.
Last year, the clear call was regression, which was clearly very wrong. Nevertheless, I will stay far away this year. Ozuna is not the most extreme high-K/high-FB hitter, but he still is one, and it's almost impossible for those players to sustain a high AVG — too many easy outs. In the two years prior to 2023, he hit .222, and now he's 34. I'm tempted to throw his name out early in an auction and let the fur fly. Someone will fill their UT slot with an overpayment.
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Have a lefty bat, and I will travel. Pederson adds hits to his Three True Outcomes, making all the difference. There's no sign of decline.
His tremendous minor-league plate patience (14.6% walks) did not hold up. It's great to get ahead in the count but terrible to get behind. Year to year, the MLB OPS when ahead in the count is about .950, and when behind, it's about .520 — the difference between Juan Soto and Austin Hedges and by far the biggest edge in the game. Manzardo looked like he was getting the hang of it in September and the postseason. He showed he can crush in the majors. The remaining questions are: Can he sustain himself, and will they let him play against lefties? At age 24, there's room to grow, but before bidding him up, I'd like to see the Guardians commit to Manzardo full-time.
He stayed healthy in 2024 — a mere appendectomy to start the season. But it was a terrible year at the plate, one that got worse after the trade to Tampa — it's tough to believe Jiménez is that bad. Going into 2024, he was a career .275 hitter and .487 slugger, and he plays this year at age 27. He's going to go for a buck.
You get what you pay for if you don't pay for more than 110 games.
Bryant seems destined to post one of the lowest WAR-per-salary-dollar numbers ever, as he is signed through 2028. Another Scott Boras disaster, although certainly not for Boras. The injuries to a wide variety of body parts help explain his otherwise shocking collapse. I guess he could still rebound at age 33. I could also pick up a coin and flip five heads in a row.
Apparently, Boston doesn't want Yoshida in the outfield, which leaves platoon DH, a most insecure position for anyone with a smaller contract — and in some cases, teams will cut ties anyway. I'm sure they'd trade him in a minute, and getting him on the IL might be quite convenient.
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He's a decent hole-filler in mixed leagues if UT is where your hole is.
Black is still a prospect at age 24, although he's not without his doubters. The lefty hitter offers plenty of speed and decent pop and posted a 15.5% walk rate in the minors. Where he will play is unknown, but first base or the outfield seem most likely. The issue will be contact — hey, there's a new one. A spring watch for now, he could wind up being a serious factor in the 2025 SB department. Black's an excellent reserve pick in mixed leagues.
He turns 26 in May, but he's spent eight years in the minors and really turned it on in Triple-A at .328/.405/.572. He wasn't terrible in his 132 PAs for the Nats and wasn't overmatched (18.2% Ks). An option at either first base or third base, he's been swinging a hot bat this spring. He could get another chance with Washington before long and surprise.
Harris is an aspiring utility player who bats left and owns a minor-league 150-game pace of 18/38 in the power/speed department. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy allowed his minions to run a little more last year, but not a lot more.
Baker's stuck inside of Memphis with the lack of mobility blues again. But Baker has hit 65 home runs for the Triple-A Redbirds the past two years, at a 51 per 150 games pace. He hasn't been so hot in the majors, though. His 11.2% walk rate in the minors translated, but 28.4% Ks with 43% fly balls mean he can't hit for average. Baker may get a real shot this year and is capable of an early-season home run barrage, but is more likely to hit .180 and get sent downriver again.
(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani:)