Check out our latest fantasy baseball draft primer. This article dives into starting pitchers. Here’s a rundown of the top starting pitchers in fantasy baseball, including fantasy baseball rankings, tiers and player notes to help guide your fantasy baseball drafts.
Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers Primer: Rankings & Tiers
Starting pitching is extremely deep this season, but there are several drop-offs between tiers. The depth has been tested a bit recently thanks to injuries, but it hasn’t felt as bad as it has in other seasons.
The strategy with starters this year is to take an early anchor and then wait on pitchers who can deliver you volume. Take your high-upside shots later in the draft because if they don’t pan out you can drop them to the waiver wire for other lottery tickets.
Here are my starting pitcher tiers for 2025.
Tier 1 & Notes
Tarik Skubal has now put together back-to-back elite seasons. Last year he was able to volume as well. There is very little to worry about with Skubal unless you are concerned with his health, but there is no real reason to be concerned there.
Paul Skenes is an elite talent. The only real question is how many innings will the Pirates allow him to throw? He did throw 150 between AAA and the Majors last year, so he could easily be pushed to 170-180 innings.
Tier 2 & Notes
Logan Gilbert is about as safe as they come. He has thrown at least 185 innings in three straight seasons. He has amazing control and good command. His strikeout rate has improved each season. The Mariners are still a good team that will give him chances to win, but they aren’t as strong offensively as they should be.
Zack Wheeler is somehow underrated. He has thrown at least 153 innings in every season since 2018 and had a sub-3.00 ERA in four of the last five seasons. He also has had a K-BB% over 21% in each of the last four seasons. He is about as stable as you get from an elite pitcher.
Tier 3 & Notes
After a few injury-plagued seasons, Chris Sale was back to being his elite self in 2024. He threw 177.2 innings with a 2.38 ERA and a 32% strikeout rate. There is risk with him with his recent injury history and the fact he is 36.
Speaking of recent injuries, Jacob deGrom has not thrown more than 92 innings in a season since 2019. That being said, he has been an elite pitcher when he has been on the mound. There is little doubt he can continue to be that on a per-inning basis, but there is no way of knowing how many innings he can throw. It is a massive risk, but one worth taking, especially in shallower formats.
Garrett Crochet is another elite pitcher on a per-inning basis. Now that he is away from the White Sox, he can win a lot more games, but it is unknown how many innings he will throw. The Red Sox do not need to baby him, but he struggled with a lot of injuries before becoming a starter. He saw a massive innings jump last year, which adds some risk.
Tier 4 & Notes
Amazing control, amazing command and a growing strikeout rate. What more could you ask for from Spencer Schwellenbach? The only concern with him is the massive jump in innings last season, but there isn’t much reason to worry about injury from him, so you should take the skills.
Cole Ragans has been amazing since moving into the rotation in Kansas City. He has shown great command and an elite strikeout rate. The park is great for protecting him from home runs and the team around him is getting better and better. He is a great option at the top of your rotation.
Corbin Burnes has had some skills decline, but despite that, he is still an elite pitcher. He has three straight seasons of at least 193 innings pitched and he still has elite command and control. He is moving to the team that led Major League Baseball in runs scored, so he will be in line for a ton of wins in 2025, making him a stable SP1.
Pablo Lopez struggled in the first half but was an elite pitcher in the second half, throwing 81.1 innings with a 2.77 ERA and 77 strikeouts. There is some risk we see the ups and downs we saw last season, but he is a workload horse pitching for a good team.
Bailey Ober got blasted in the first game of the season last year, but after that, he was great until a few stumbles in his last few starts. The problem with Ober is home runs. He doesn’t walk guys, which means the majority of his home runs are solo shots, but there is a risk here as we saw last season. If he can limit the home runs he could turn into a top-tier ace.
Shota Imanaga was fantastic in his first MLB season, throwing 173.1 innings with a 2.91 ERA and a 25% strikeout rate. He can struggle with home runs at times, but like Ober, he doesn’t walk guys, which limits that damage. There is risk, but he also has the stuff to be an ace.
Tier 5 & Notes
Michael King transitioned from a reliever to a starter in 2024 with amazing results. He threw 173.2 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 27.7% strikeout rate. There is some concern with his innings jump last season, but his skills are immaculate and he is a worthy pitcher to bet on.
Bryce Miller took a massive step forward in 2024 with the addition of another pitch. He may not have the massive strikeout upside others have, but he has innings upside with great control and the safety to be a top-tier SP2.
Tanner Bibee is a control artist who is an innings workhorse. He also improved his strikeout rate last season while showing he can throw a lot of innings. The floor is high for him, but I think the upside is there as well.
Dylan Cease has as much upside as any pitcher in baseball, but we have seen the downside from him as well. You know you will get innings and strikeouts, but the ratios are the question. If he can keep the control in check, he can be elite, but it is hard to know if he will be able to.
Framber Valdez is the opposite of Cease. The upside isn’t top tier, but he is a steady inning eater who will volume his way to being a very good SP2.
Zac Gallen is another pitcher who doesn’t have the massive upside we once thought, but he is a very good pitcher who has shown the ability to volume and he has some strikeout upside. He missed some time last season, so there is a little risk there, but if healthy, he can be a top-tier SP2.
Logan Webb is another volume monster like Valdez. The strikeouts won’t be amazing, but he is going to throw a lot of innings with good ratios. The Giants aren’t a super strong team, so the wins could be an issue, but he has a pretty high floor.
Luis Castillo had a down season last year, but he was still pretty good and you know he will give you good volume in a great pitcher’s park. I think he is a bit underrated this season.
Blake Snell can be elite when on the mound. His main issues have been health and walks. He only has one season since 2019 with more than 110 innings pitched in a season. He also has never had a walk rate under 9% outside of the 2020 season. However, he is on the best team in baseball and he has not had a sub-30 % strikeout rate since 2017. There is a lot of risk, but he could be a top-tier pitcher.
You know what you will get in terms of innings with Aaron Nola. He has been a workhorse, throwing at least 180 innings in every season since 2018. However, he has been a tough pitcher to project from an ERA standpoint. His 3.57 ERA last season was respectable, but he has had two seasons over the last four with a 4.46 ERA or worse. You will volume the strikeouts, but there is a fair amount of risk with the ratios.
Tier 6 & Notes
Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed he has elite stuff, but he struggled with injury last season. If you believe he can stay healthy, you should be taking him very high, but I am not ready to buy into that until we see his volume at the Major League level.
Justin Steele is another high-upside pitcher who has struggled with injury. He threw just 134 innings last season and 119 in 2022, but he was able to throw 173 in 2023. He appears to be healthy now, but the question remains whether he can stay healthy.
Tyler Glasnow is an elite pitcher on a per-inning basis, but he has not been able to show he can stay healthy. His 134 innings last season were the most of his career. He also dealt with elbow issues, which is always alarming. This is a high-risk/high-reward pick at his average draft position (ADP).
Joe Ryan is similar to teammate Bailey Ober in terms of having great stuff, but he struggles with home runs. However, he is lower on the list because of a shoulder issue last season. If you buy that he is healthy now and the injury is a thing of the past, you should move him up your ranks because the stuff can make him an SP2.
George Kirby would be a Tier 2 pitcher if not for suffering a shoulder issue in spring training. The reports are that there is not any structural damage, so I am willing to gamble on him at the reduced cost, but there is a fair amount of risk that wasn’t present a few weeks ago.
Brandon Pfaadt has struggled against left-handed hitters and with home runs. However, the addition of a change-up this spring and a change to his arm slot may be the thing he needs to solve that problem. You know he can volume and there are strikeouts. If he can solve the homer issue, then watch out.
Cristopher Sanchez has added velocity this spring and looks amazing. He has always been a reliable pitcher but the added velocity has led to more strikeouts, which could propel him to becoming an ace.
Robbie Ray returned from Tommy John surgery last season and showed flashes of who he was before the surgery. Ray is at his best when he is attacking the zone and not walking batters. He is doing that in spring. While he has struggled with home runs in the past, he is pitching in one of the best parks in baseball for protecting pitchers, which sets him up well for a massive season.
Hunter Brown had ups and downs early last season but was fantastic during the stretch run. In the second half, he threw 71.2 innings with a 2,26 ERA and 74 strikeouts. This looks like it could be the breakout we have been waiting for as Brown has a ton of upside on a good team.
Tier 7 & Notes
Zach Eflin always feels underrated in the market and this year is no different. He pitches in a great park and on a great team. While he hasn’t turned into a top-tier ace, he gives you good volume with good ratios.
Carlos Rodon is extremely risky. He has a ton of upside, but he struggles with command and control as well as health. He hasn’t thrown in a spring game in a couple of weeks, which is concerning. I think you should avoid him in drafts.
Hunter Greene is another high-upside/high-risk pitcher. He has a ton of arm talent but can struggle with home runs in the small park in Cincy. He was able to make it work well last season, but it feels like a ton of luck. Add in previous injury history and he is a pretty scary bet. His upside is immense, but it may not be worth the risk.
Tier 8 & Notes
Seth Lugo is a boring innings eater who can volume his way to value. In shallower leagues, he may be too boring, but it is hard to pencil in good ratios with 180+ innings later in a draft. That is what you can do with Lugo.
Nick Pivetta is a great pitcher when on the mound and not giving up home runs. However, he has struggled with health in recent seasons. While San Diego has a good reputation for being a pitcher’s park, it is worse than most people realize for home runs.
Yusei Kikuchi was elite in the second half of last season, but the problem is we have seen elite moments from him in the past and then he goes back to being unreliable. He is affordable but there is a lot of risk.
Tier 9 & Notes
I don’t draft guys coming off of Tommy John or internal brace surgery in their first seasons back. This is why I am out on Shane McClanahan, Sandy Alcantara and Spencer Strider. The talents are great, but pitchers coming back from these issues struggle with command, control and volume.
Nick Martinez was amazing once he moved into the rotation last season. He pitched better on the road but was still good in Cincinnati. He may be one of the most underrated starters on the market this season.
Roki Sasaki has elite stuff and a ton of upside, but he will be under a new workload regime in the U.S. and he struggled with volume in Japan. I need to see him do it before I buy in for this season.
Bryan Woo is amazing on a per-inning basis, but he has struggled with volume because of recurring elbow and forearm issues. I am fading him because those often turn into season-ending injuries.
Tier 10 & Notes
Grayson Rodriguez is out with an injury or he would be much higher on this list. He is a gamble if he goes late.
I love Spencer Arrighetti from an upside perspective, but until he can figure out the control problems, he will continue to be an unreliable pitcher.
If Jesus Luzardo, Reynaldo Lopez, Nick Lodolo and Gavin Williams can stay healthy, they could all be elite starting pitchers. However, they have each had issues doing so and present a larger risk at the draft table.
There are risks with all the Tampa Bay pitchers since they are playing their home games in a spring training park, but Drew Rasmussen is my favorite. He showed elite skills when he returned from Tommy John surgery last season and has looked great in spring.
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