5 Pitchers Experts Love to Draft (2025 Fantasy Baseball)

Spring Training is in full swing, marking the true start of fantasy baseball draft season. Each new season brings the hope of a title to every team, the fans, and fantasy baseball managers. However, a gigantic first step in achieving that fantasy championship is nailing the draft, and your chances of doing so increase when you take the players you genuinely believe are primed for a breakout season.

Taking “your guys” and honing in on upside as the draft progresses maximizes your chance at getting the high-value studs who push your squad into title contention. Our featured analysts are back today to share who their must-haves are as we enter the season. Read on to see which breakout candidates you shouldn’t pass on.

2025 Fantasy Baseball Must-Have Players

Who is the one starting pitcher outside the top 30 in starting pitcher ADP you are targeting as a must-have on all your teams and why?

Hunter Brown (SP – HOU)

“I get why people are afraid of Hunter Brown, but I’m targeting him everywhere. Yes, in his first eight starts of 2024, the 26-year-old had a 7.74 ERA and had allowed 21 walks in 37 1/3 innings. It was ugly. After that, though, he settled into the season and was great-to-spectacular the rest of the way. He struck out 179 batters in 170 innings and stopped walking everyone. Brown developed a powerful sinker last year, which seemed to be the turning point for his season, and his advanced metrics say he induces a whole lot of weak contact. I’ll roll the dice that he won’t be a total disaster for two months in 2025 and settle in as the Astros’ new ace.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)

“Hunter Brown was knocked around through his first six starts last year before introducing a sinker to his repertoire and dominating the opposition for the rest of the season. Per FanGraphs, in Brown’s final 25 appearances (24 starts) spanning 147 innings, he had a 2.51 ERA, 3.33 xFIP, 3.57 SIERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.7 BB% and 26.0 K%. Brown is a workhorse, and there was a tangible change that sparked his turnaround last season, enhancing the probability his final 25 appearances last year are an accurate representation of his skill level.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)

Clarke Schmidt (SP – NYY)

“I love going after Clarke Schmidt, who is fresh off a 3.77 SIERA, 26.3 K% season in only 85.1 innings. Injuries deprived Schmidt of a true breakout, giving us a chance to get him at a reasonable price. If Schmidt can stay healthy this year, he could wind up as a major steal.”
– Frank Ammirante (The Game Day)

Ranger Suarez (SP – PHI)

“Ranger Suarez is going awfully cheap for someone who just registered a 3.46 ERA and 3.37 FIP last season. His second half was so horrid that drafters may have forgotten that he was a legitimate fantasy ace to start the year. Suarez boasted a 2.87 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 119.1 innings before landing on the IL with back soreness in late July. Last year’s first half is probably as good as it’ll ever get, but the southpaw could bounce back enough in a contract year to provide value as a late depth piece.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)

Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)

“Shane McClanahan will be almost 20 months removed from his last major league start when he takes the ball on Opening Day for the Rays. He’s already hitting 98 MPH in the spring and should be back to the form that made him a potential ace. He holds a career 33.4% Whiff% (MLB avg is 25%) alongside a 3.02 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. Just entering his prime at 27 years old and finally back to full health, McClanahan is an ace to secure in the middle of the draft before the competition does.”
– Pierre Camus (Fantasy Endgame)

Nick Pivetta (SP – SD)

“Nick Pivetta is going as the 64th starting pitcher off the board. He was the sixth-ranked starter with at least 140 innings last year in K-BB%. Pivetta has pitched for two different teams in his career, and each of those home ballparks ranks in the top 6 in park factor. He signed with San Diego this offseason, moving him to a more pitcher-friendly park for the first time in his career, hopefully cutting down the damage of his flyball tendencies.”
– Chase Davis (FantasyPros)