2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: Pitchers

It can be helpful to get an early sense of where the experts stand in terms of initial fantasy baseball draft rankings. We’ll have you covered as we approach the spring and new season, but for now let’s take a look at 2025 fantasy baseball rankings.

2025 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV
1	Shohei Ohtani	LAD	DH1	1	1	1.0	0.0
2	Tarik Skubal	DET	SP1	1	3	2.3	0.8
3	Paul Skenes	PIT	SP2	2	4	2.5	0.7
4	Zack Wheeler	PHI	SP3	2	5.0	3.8	0.6
5	Logan Gilbert	SEA	SP4	4	9.0	5.7	1.2
6	Chris Sale	ATL	SP5	5	19.0	7.1	2.0
7	Corbin Burnes	ARI	SP6	4	31.0	8.2	1.9
8	Garrett Crochet	BOS	SP7	4	25.0	9.4	5.1
9	Dylan Cease	SD	SP8	5	15.0	9.6	2.1
10	Cole Ragans	KC	SP9	7	26.0	11.1	1.3
11	George Kirby	SEA	SP10	7	28.0	11.6	2.4
12	Emmanuel Clase	CLE	RP1	7	16.0	11.9	2.4
13	Blake Snell	LAD	SP11	6	20.0	12.3	3.7
14	Gerrit Cole	NYY	SP12	6	34.0	14.3	3.2
15	Jacob deGrom	TEX	SP13	3	60.0	16.4	7.5
16	Michael King	SD	SP14	8	38.0	17.6	5.0
17	Josh Hader	HOU	RP2	11	31.0	18.7	3.4
18	Edwin Diaz	NYM	RP3	12	41.0	19.2	2.3
19	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD	SP15	10	23.0	19.3	1.5
20	Devin Williams	NYY	RP4	14	33.0	19.3	4.5
21	Pablo Lopez	MIN	SP16	12	29.0	19.9	3.9
22	Mason Miller	ATH	RP5	17	29.0	21.0	2.7
23	Framber Valdez	HOU	SP17	10	41.0	22.6	2.6
24	Shota Imanaga	CHC	SP18	16	30.0	24.7	3.3
25	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP19	10	44.0	25.1	4.3
26	Ryan Helsley	STL	RP6	15	39.0	26.7	5.9
27	Raisel Iglesias	ATL	RP7	19	45.0	28.4	6.4
28	Logan Webb	SF	SP20	15	44.0	29.3	6.6
29	Luis Castillo	SEA	SP21	13	47.0	30.1	6.7
30	Bryce Miller	SEA	SP22	11	49.0	33.0	6.4
31	Tyler Glasnow	LAD	SP23	18	48.0	33.3	7.7

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.