It’s key to any successful fantasy baseball season to correctly identify sleepers and breakouts. Below, we break down some of the top sleepers and breakouts at outfield.

Daylen Lile, Nationals (214.5 ADP)

The market is giving you a giveaway draft price here; please take advantage. Lile wasn’t overmatched in his first run through the majors, slashing .299/.437/.498 with nine homers and eight steals over 91 games. And the steal count is going to rise — he possesses a speed score in the 92nd percentile, and he had a silly 11 triples in 91 games last year. Some say the triple is a dying play in modern baseball — Lile is single-handedly bringing it back. His stolen-base success rate will rise as he gains experience.

The Nationals were patient with Lile at the front of his debut, but he was hitting cleanup at the end of last season. This year, he’s slotted in the No. 3 spot, after James Wood and CJ Abrams and ahead of Dylan Crews. I probably can’t sell you on the bottom of the Washington lineup, but the top needs little defense.

Lile was far from the fantasy radar at this time last year and arrived at the 2025 All-Star break having hit .234 with two homers in his initial 111 career at-bats. But things clicked over the summer, as he improved in each of the final three months and loudly broke out in September (.391 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R, 1.212 OPS). Lile has strong contact skills and a line-drive stroke, and his overall .299 batting average was well-supported by a .302 xBA. Although he lacks the ceiling of the more heralded Crews, Lile is a more polished hitter and is nearly a full year younger. He’s also faster, as Lile hasn’t yet put his 92nd percentile sprint speed to full use. As mentioned, the rebuilding Nats will likely make their outfield trio of Lile, Crews and James Wood the foundation of their lineup.

Ramon Laureano, Padres (213.9 ADP)

Laureano was probably the most underrated outfielder in fantasy baseball last year — he was the No. 29 outfielder in 5×5 value — and I initially had him as a double-digit value on my tiered rankings. I’m a little concerned the Nick Castellanos signing could create a logjam in the San Diego outfield, and ultimately, I decided to be prudent with Laureano’s ranking, mindful that he’s in his 30s and has never logged 500 at-bats in a season. Still, he’s an above-average hitter, and hopefully the Padres will give him some leash.

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Nobody picked outside the top 200 is a sure thing, but Laureano has already shown upside to be excited about.

Kerry Carpenter, Tigers (203.4 ADP)

Carpenter doesn’t take many walks and he’s never hit left-handed pitching much — the Tigers have generally platooned him — so at first glance, you’re thinking he’s a capped-ceiling player. But Carpenter showed some progress in limited work against lefties last year (three homers, .400 slugging) and Detroit is considering giving him more exposure to southpaws this season.

So you have two paths to make your money on Carpenter this year. If he approaches 500 at-bats, 30-plus homers and 85-plus RBI are reachable targets. And if the platoon sticks, at least he can focus on what he normally does: mashing right-handed pitching. Carpenter is also in the prime part of his career arc, stepping into his age-28 season. Carpenter is probably a better pick for leagues that allow for regular lineup tinkering, but no matter your format, consider his positives.

Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox (208.3 ADP)

I’m not going to cheat and call Abreu a breakout player, because we’ve seen growth the last two years (and he was great in limited action for the WBC champion Venezuelan team).

If he doesn’t get hurt in the second half of 2025, Abreu likely gets home with 30 homers and 100 RBI. His .256 career average isn’t a problem, and although Boston’s outfield is congested — this roster is still begging for one more trade — Abreu’s Gold Glove defense marks his spot in the lineup. If Abreu didn’t get hurt last year, his ADP would surely be 30-50 slots higher this spring.

Justin Crawford, Phillies (203.5 ADP)

The ADP is on the rise but it’s still going to be reasonable all spring, so consider the upside case with this intriguing rookie. Crawford hasn’t developed power yet, but he was a .334/.411/.452 player at Triple-A last year, with 46 steals in 112 games. And that came while navigating his age-21 season; time is on his side.

Crawford is in camp as a non-roster invitee, given a chance to win the bigger half of Philly’s center field platoon. But with Johan Rojas facing a PED suspension, Crawford has a shot to take this job all for himself. Crawford’s defense is MLB-ready — the Phillies will appreciate having a good defender join their outfield, for once — and he’s not going to have the bat knocked out of his hands.

Crawford also checks the pedigree box, as he’s the son of former All-Star Carl Crawford. You’ll see similarities in their games.

Alec Burleson, Cardinals (173.9 ADP)

I’m putting Burleson towards the bottom of today’s list because he might be more of a value pick than a true sleeper. Again, amigos, I’m not hung up on definitions. I’m just trying to give you some appealing players to target in your drafts, guys you can make a profit on. Burleson applies.

Burleson figured out lefties in 2025 and no longer has any worry about being platooned. His contact skills are excellent and he still might grow into a 25-30 homer guy. He also qualifies at first base, which has quietly become a difficult fill in recent seasons. The Cardinals will probably have Burleson in the No. 3 slot all year, ideal for volume and run production.

Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals (ADP 200)

Editor’s Note: The Nationals optioned Crews to Triple-A, but you can expect that to be short-lived as we head into the season.

Once one of baseball’s best prospects, Crews has thus far sputtered in the majors, logging a .634 OPS in 412 at-bats over two seasons. But this youngster has such a fantasy-friendly skill set that even with little success at the dish, he has still managed to produce 13 homers and 29 steals. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft has been hamstrung by a .248 BABIP, and the combination of better luck and improved skills will lead to a breakout campaign. For the cost of a late-round pick, managers could find themselves with a 24-year-old who hits .260 with 20 homers and 35 steals.

Dominic Canzone, Mariners (Undrafted)

Despite doing some excellent things at the plate last season, Canzone is a complete afterthought in most drafts. The slugger hit .300 with 11 homers in 269 at-bats, thanks to elite marks in average exit velocity (92.4 mph) and barrel rate (14.5%). His success at the dish was well-supported by his expected marks, and his .533 xSLG was even higher than his .481 SLG.

The left-handed hitter also put himself in position to be considered for a full-time role by posting a respectable .712 OPS against southpaws. The Mariners have a top-heavy lineup and could really use someone to emerge as the No. 6 hitter. Canzone currently looks like their best bet.

Evan Carter, Rangers (Undrafted)

After breaking out by posting a .917 OPS during the Rangers’ World Series run in 2023, Carter has dealt with significant injuries over each of the past two seasons. But he is healthy right now, and with 15 homers and 19 steals over 400 career at-bats, the 23-year-old has already proven to have the diverse skill set that is coveted in category formats. Despite going undrafted in practically all Yahoo leagues, Carter has 20-20 potential if he can stay off the injured list. Additionally, he should immediately improve on his career .235 average, since he made massive improvements on his strikeout rate last year.

Matt Wallner, Twins (Undrafted)

Wallner is the definition of an all-or-nothing masher, as is evidenced by his career 32.3% strikeout rate and 15.7% barrel rate. He dealt with terrible luck last season, as his .228 BABIP seemed nearly impossible for someone who hits the ball so hard.

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Even in a down year, he still managed to produce 22 homers in 336 at-bats, thanks to his penchant for producing pulled fly balls. Wallner also logged some time on the IL last year, and this time around he will use better durability and improved luck to hit .250 with 30 home runs.

Jesús Sánchez, Blue Jays (Undrafted)

A Sánchez breakout may not be as spectacular as that of the others on this list, but it still could happen for someone who has become an afterthought in fantasy drafts. By being traded twice since last summer and ultimately moving from Miami to Toronto, Sánchez received an upgrade in both supporting cast and home ballpark. A poor finish to the 2025 season with the Astros hid the fact that he improved his walk rate last year, while maintaining strong marks in average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (11.1%). The Blue Jays made a point of acquiring Sánchez on the eve of spring training, and he should occupy a premium lineup spot against righties. He has averaged 14.5 steals over the past two years and should finally produce a 20-homer season.

It’s key to any successful fantasy baseball season to correctly identify sleepers and breakouts. For more of each, check out our infield breakouts story here and our infield sleepers story here.

Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Brewers (216 ADP)

Expectations were high when the White Sox tabbed Vaughn with the third overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, but his progress was stalled in Chicago — and he hit a .189/.219/.314 wall on the South Side last summer. But Vaughn’s bat magically healed after a trade to Milwaukee — he gave the Brewers a .308/.375/.493 slash, with nine homers and 46 RBI in 64 games. He was a top-65 fantasy hitter over the final three months of the year.

Sometimes players need a change of scenery or a new set of guideposts, and the Brewers have been so shrewd with their under-the-radar player evaluations in recent years, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. A decade ago, we’d regularly talk about backlining Tampa Bay — the Rays didn’t have a ton of resources but they seemed to use them smarter than anyone else. That’s how I feel about the Brewers now.

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Even if you fall short of my Milwaukee optimism, you can at least rally behind a post-hype sleeper who’s settling into his age-28 year. The timing appears right for Vaughn to take a step forward, and the cost is absurdly low.

Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds (205 ADP)

The Reds always seem to have too many options for too few offensive slots, so it’s generally a nervous exercise to promote one of their less-established players. But Stewart got our attention during an 118-game romp through the minors last year (.309/.383/.524, with 20 homers at two levels). The Reds used him off-and-on during a September call-up, and although Stewart had 15 whiffs against just three walks, at least his connections were loud (five homers, .545 slugging).

I’d like to hear some Terry Francona confirmation on Stewart’s role and batting slot before I jump into this recco with both feet, but Stewart at least carries plenty of plausible upside entering his age-22 season.

Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics (66 ADP)

Coming off a pair of productive seasons, Langeliers is a step away from a Cal Raleigh-esque campaign. The slugger was dominant in the second half of 2025, when he used improvements in fly ball rate and pull rate to hit .328 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 57 games.

He boosted his year-over-year batting average by more than 50 points, thanks to a vastly improved 19.7% strikeout rate. Langeliers barrels up the ball often, is part of a rapidly improving lineup and calls home to a hitter-friendly venue.  He could produce 35-40 homers and 100 RBI.

Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox (206 ADP)

For the deep-league crowd, I offer Vargas as a late-round breakout candidate. The 26-year-old who debuted way back in 2022 finally played a full season in 2025. The results were respectable but not impressive. Still, we saw some improvements, most notably major strides with a strikeout rate that was cut to 17.6%. Vargas has always produced many fly balls (career 50.3% rate) and respectable exit velocities but has been saddled by a lowly lifetime 7.3% HR/FB rate. That mark will finally push past 10% this year, which will give Vargas 25-homer potential.

Here’s a one-man mock draft for the first round, as we look to get those drafting muscles back in shape.

More Mock Drafts

• Mock Draft 1.0

• Mock Draft 2.0 (first three rounds)

• Mock Draft 3.0 (full draft from Fred Zinkie’s favorite picks!)

• Mocking from every pick in a 12-team league: No. 1| No. 2| No. 3| No. 4| No. 5| No. 6| No. 7| No. 8| No. 9| No. 10| No. 11| No. 12

1. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees

2. Shohei Ohtani, UT, Dodgers

There are no wrong answers at the top of the draft, and these two guys will go one-two in most leagues. Judge is three years older, but Ohtani also carries the strain of his side pitching assignments. Both men are supported by deep lineups behind them. Ohtani’s 59 steals from two years ago proved to be an outlier; he did it for fun once, but probably now recognizes it doesn’t make sense to run that aggressively in the regular season. More than any other club in baseball, the Dodgers start each year with October health in mind.

3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

In what can fairly be termed an off year, Witt still led the majors in hits and doubles and was the seventh-most valuable hitter for 5×5 leagues. The Kansas City lineup has an upgraded feel to it, with eight of its primary starters expected to be league average or better. Witt likely hasn’t peaked yet, about to enter his age-26 season.

4. Juan Soto, OF, Mets

Announcer Keith Hernandez has said for years that any ballplayer could probably steal 15 bases or so if he merely put in the effort. Soto took it a step further, leading the National League with 38 swipes in 42 attempts, after seven full seasons of station-to-station baseball. Even if Soto’s steals take a reasonable step back, he’s a multi-category monster entering his age-27 season. The timing could be right for his first MVP year.

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5. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers

His last two seasons have been remarkably similar, although Skubal was less unlucky with wins last year. The voters didn’t seem to mind — he’s been the runaway Cy Young winner in the AL two straight seasons. Starting pitchers are the running backs of fantasy baseball — you always worry about health risks, but if you land on the right ones, you probably rule the world. The top of this position should be considered in any first round.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

• Top 250

• Catcher

• First Base

• Second Base

• Shortstop

• Third Base

• Outfield

• Starting Pitcher

• Relief Pitcher

6. José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians

He keeps cranking out near-identical seasons, and he’s also taken his base stealing up a notch in his 30s. I don’t love the lineup around Ramírez, but six straight years of durability and production earns him an obvious seat at this table. Third base is also not a deep fantasy position.

7. Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks

The batting average has bounced around for his three full seasons, but players with this type of power-speed potential will always demand early fantasy picks. Last season was partially muted by a wrist problem; imagine what Carroll might be able to accomplish if he’s healthy in his age-25 campaign.

8. Paul Skenes, SP, Pirates

Wins can be fluky for even the greatest pitchers, which is why it’s reasonable to consider something other than wins to fill out your league structure. However you play, Skenes belongs here, sitting on a 1.96 ERA and 0.948 WHIP through 55 MLB starts. Appointment viewing.

9. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds

For all the strikeouts, the average hasn’t really been a problem — his career .255 mark is more than good enough, given how he fills the other categories. And with Elly stepping into his age-24 season, we still have to view him as a player on the escalator.

10. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners

You know you’re a special ballplayer when you hit 32 homers and steal 30 bases and chart as the No. 11 overall hitter . . . and the world collectively shrugs. It would be nice if Rodríguez played in a more favorable offensive park, but you have to grab these five-category contributors while you can. Rodríguez cut his strikeout rate to a career low last year, a subtle sign of growth.

11. Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox

We’ve seen this movie before with Chris Sale, the last time the Red Sox plucked a Chicago lefty ace in his prime and reaped instant benefits. Crochet’s first Boston season was much more effective on the road (2.25 ERA, versus 3.02 at Fenway), but his power arsenal is capable of dominating anywhere. If Skubal gets tired of winning Cy Young Awards, Crochet is a logical next pick, readying for his age-27 season.

12. Kyle Tucker, OF, Dodgers

Fantasy baseball sages Glenn Colton and Rick Wolf will remind us that it’s somewhat risky to pay up for a fantasy baseball pick who’s starting a big contract and on a new team. It’s also been frustrating to see Tucker navigate injuries the last two years. On the plus side, Tucker is still just 29 and he’s now insulated by the Los Angeles lineup, one of the deepest in baseball. And given the star-power in L.A. and the reasonable expectation that the Dodgers are already in the playoffs, it’s not like Tucker arrives in camp with absurd pressure on his shoulders. He’ll be a first-round pick in some leagues and an early-second round pick in others.

Others Considered: Ronald Acuña Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Lindor, Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the eighth of 13 people to wear the No. 45 jersey, big man alum Michael Cage. After ending his college career at SDSU, Cage was picked up with the 14th overall selection of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

The West Memphis, Arkansas native played the first four seasons of his pro career with LA. He also played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers before he was dealt to the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets in 1997 for the final two seasons of his career.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Cage wore only jersey No. 45 and put up 1.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 45 – Michael Cage (1997-99)

South Korea’s Sungjae Im rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole on Friday to grab the 36-hole lead at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Im, who entered the day with a two-shot lead, drifted down the leaderboard by going out in 1-over 37 on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. However, he regained momentum with consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 11 and 12 before sticking his tee shot tight on the difficult 180-yard par-3 17th.