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Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets: Chris Sale, Logan Webb, Tyler Glasnow

The expression “must-have player” has its limits. Gamers shouldn’t reach multiple rounds ahead of average draft position (ADP) for the following pitchers. Reaching too far for a player saps the excess value they provide as undervalued options.

Instead, the highlighted pitchers should be considered priority targets at or slightly ahead of their fantasy baseball ADP.

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Fantasy Baseball Must-Draft Pitchers

Chris Sale (SP – ATL) | Pitcher 7/36.2 ADP

Chris Sale’s first season with the Braves was a remarkable success. He won the National League Cy Young Award after thriving in 2024. According to FanGraphs, among qualified pitchers in 2024, Sale was first in ERA (2.38), tied for second in xERA (2.80), first in xFIP (2.64), first in SIERA (2.80), sixth in WHIP (1.01) and first in strikeout rate (32.1%).

There wasn’t anything flukey about Sale’s dominant performance. The southpaw piled up 177.2 innings in 29 starts. Furthermore, Sale’s MLB-best strikeout rate among qualified pitchers was supported by his MLB-high for qualified pitchers called strikes plus whiffs percentage (32.2 CSW%). I’m unsure why he’s not getting more love from drafters.

I’ve ranked him 26th overall (SP4), and the expert consensus ranking (ECR) has him 32nd overall (SP5). Sale is an ideal target in the third round of 12-team mixed-league drafts as an SP1 after picking hitters in the first two rounds.

Tyler Glasnow (SP – LAD) | Pitcher 31/89.2 ADP

In my 10 pitchers to avoid piece, I highlighted a pair of Los Angeles pitchers and teased that two would likely be featured in this article. One of the pitchers I teased is Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow’s 2024 season was cut short by a sprained elbow. His elbow has reportedly healed with rest and rehab, and he’s already resumed throwing.

With the injury concern mitigated by him already throwing, it’s easy to dream about Glasnow’s sparkling 2024 season. In 22 starts spanning 134 innings last year, Glasnow recorded the following stats:

  • 3.49 ERA
  • 2.65 xERA
  • 2.68 xFIP
  • 2.90 SIERA
  • 0.95 WHIP
  • 6.7% Walk Rate
  • 32.2% Strikeout Rate
  • 30.4 CSW%
  • 118 Stuff+
  • 101 Location+
  • 106 Pitching+

Glasnow had elite underlying data and ERA estimators last year. Climbing to approximately 150 innings could be within reach with good health. Frankly, while Glasnow hasn’t piled up innings in his career, neither has Blake Snell, but the former has consistently had superb advanced metrics, and the latter has had inconsistent advanced metrics. Glasnow is much more appealing at his fantasy baseball ADP than Snell. I’d rather have the righty than the lefty outright.

Logan Webb (SP – SF) | Pitcher 33/90.8 ADP

The fantasy baseball rankings and I are much higher on Logan Webb than the drafting community. He’s 72nd overall (P27) in ECR and 67th overall (P22) in my rankings. San Francisco’s ace is a legitimate workhorse. Webb has spun 192.1, 216 and 204.2 innings in the previous three years.

Webb’s 4.31 xERA in 2024 was higher than his 3.47 ERA. Yet, his 3.28 xFIP and 3.61 SIERA were rock-solid. Webb does an excellent job of avoiding walks (5.9% walk rate in 2024), strikes batters out at an adequate rate (20.5% strikeout rate in 2024), induces grounders at an elite rate (56.8% ground-ball rate in 2024) and boasts tasty pitch-modeling numbers.

Last season, Webb had 111 stuff+, 104 location+ and 106 pitching+. Webb is an underrated pitcher by the drafting community and is ideal for pairing with a starter or two with elite rates but with a lower projectable innings output this season.

FantasyPros Fantasy Baseball Draft Wizard


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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

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