With nearly half of all fantasy points coming from starting pitching, drafting them correctly is vital to a complete roster. Pitchers tend to get injured and fantasy managers need players in those slots who can handle a full workload, limit runs and strike their opponents out. See below for surefire starters along with a set of value pitchers going far too low in drafts.
Must-Have Starting Pitchers
Paul Skenes proved he was an ace last season at only 22 years old. In 23 starts, he topped the strikeout percentage of both Cy Young winners at 33.1% (Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale). Skenes has pitches that move to all four quadrants of the plate, including a four-seamer that breaks in on righties and averages 99 miles per hour (MPH).
With nearly half of all fantasy points coming from starting pitching, drafting them correctly is vital to a complete roster. Pitchers tend to get injured and fantasy managers need players in those slots who can handle a full workload, limit runs and strike their opponents out. See below for surefire starters along with a set of value pitchers going far too low in drafts.
Must-Have Starting Pitchers
Paul Skenes proved he was an ace last season at only 22 years old. In 23 starts, he topped the strikeout percentage of both Cy Young winners at 33.1% (Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale). Skenes has pitches that move to all four quadrants of the plate, including a four-seamer that breaks in on righties and averages 99 miles per hour (MPH).
With his pitch variance, strikeout ability and an early-career ERA of 1.96, he is primed to do serious fantasy damage to opponents. Don’t be shy about taking him late in the first round.
Tarik Skubal was the American League’s best pitcher for the entirety of the 2024 season. He won 18 of his 31 starts and was eighth overall in innings pitched (192). He finished first in strikeouts (228) and second in ERA (2.39) among qualified pitchers.
Skubal uses a fastball/change-up combination for half of his pitches. The two throws differ by over 10 MPH and can be mixed with a curveball that drops another 10 points to 78.5 MPH. Hitters being off-balanced is an understatement with this arsenal from a lefty.
Zack Wheeler is as safe as safe gets. In over 11 seasons of service time, Wheeler has started over 30 games five times, with three of them coming in recent years. He led the big leagues last season in quality starts (26) with a 2.57 ERA and finished tied for third overall (with Dylan Cease) in strikeouts (224).
Wheeler does not get hit hard thanks to a wicked fastball. His four-seamer and sinker have not escaped the 99th percentile in run value since 2020. He limited opponents to a career-low .191 batting average in 2024.
Logan Gilbert is a member of baseball’s best starting rotation and will take the ball on Opening Day. Gilbert has yet to miss a start in his MLB career and led all pitchers last season in innings pitched (208.2). He posted a 3.23 ERA with 220 strikeouts but only managed nine wins.
The Mariners’ offense cannot be much worse in 2025 than it was a year ago. If Gilbert approaches the 22 quality starts he recorded last year, his win total will come up and his ERA will drop. At 6-foot-6, Gilbert sets the curve for extension to the plate by starters. He throws three different pitches averaging over 92 MPH; his four-seamer brushes 97.
Corbin Burnes checks every box for a high-impact fantasy pitcher. He has averaged more than 189 innings over the last four seasons. His ERA was over 3.00 only once in that span (2022) and he was a top-five strikeout performer twice.
Burnes has a new home in Arizona for 2025, but the Diamondbacks led baseball in runs last season, opening the door for plenty of support. The veteran righty has devastating breaking balls to pair with his go-to cutter. Burnes’ slider and curveball have yielded a total of 25 home runs over his seven seasons.
Garrett Crochet has pitched only one full season, but his strikeout aptitude is startling. Crochet missed qualification by only 16 innings in 2024. Had he qualified, his average strikeouts per nine innings (12.88) would have decimated the field.
Crochet had an ERA of 3.58 with baseball’s worst team. This number should drop in Boston. His four-seamer and sinker both average over 97 MPH and his cutter comes in at 91.5. At age 26, the 6-foot-6 lefty has a Cy Young ceiling and can be reached by fantasy managers as early as the second round.
Cole Ragans was one of the best fantasy pitching breakouts of 2024. His innings pitched came up from 96 in 2023 to 186.1. Ragans was 12th overall among qualified starters in ERA (3.14) and finished with a superb strikeout total of 223.
Ragans is a lefty who uses off-speed pitches nearly half of the time, and his fastball and changeup vary by 10 MPH. Ragans lands both up in the zone for strikes, seemingly teasing hitters.
Framber Valdez has not failed fantasy managers for the past three seasons. He finished last year as a top-10 starter after being selected as 16th best at the position in most drafts, according to average draft position (ADP).
Valdez comes with fewer strikeouts but does not allow many runs. He made 17 quality starts in 2024, converting 15 of them to wins. Valdez is elite using his breaking ball to make outs and led all starters last year in ground ball percentage (60.6%).
George Kirby does not walk anyone. In 89 career starts, Kirby carries a walk rate of 3.1%. That is the lowest rate since the turn of the millennium. Kirby is a steady innings eater, throwing 191 of them in 2024 with a 3.53 ERA.
The risk with him is in the win column due to Seattle’s spotty offense, but he offers plenty of value in the sixth round or later. His sinker clocks in at 96 MPH and will tail to his throwing side by over 15 inches.
Value Starters
Tyler Glasnow’s 2024 season ended in August because of tendinitis in his elbow. He was on his way to a potentially elite finish among fantasy starters had he gone the full year.
Glasnow threw over 130 innings. Of pitchers who threw at least that many frames, he was third in strikeout rate (32.2%), trailing only Crochet and Skenes. If he stays healthy, Glasnow has league-winning upside in the eighth round.
Freddy Peralta has made 62 starts over the last two years, eclipsing 200 strikeouts in each season. He lives and dies with his four-seam fastball, which introduces some higher run totals. However, he cracked the top 30 in ERA (3.68) last season.
On a day when his command is right, Peralta is very challenging to hit. If he reduces his hard-hit rate this season, he can return to his 2021 form, which included a 2.81 ERA and 195 strikeouts.
Seth Lugo discovered the fountain of youth during spring training last offseason. In his ninth season, Lugo posted career highs in innings pitched (206.2) and strikeouts (181). He was a top-10 performer in ERA (3.00) with a stellar walk rate of 5.7%.
Lugo has a diverse arsenal, throwing nine different pitches last year. He is well worth a 15th-round or later fantasy baseball ADP. He can be taken earlier if needed.
Cristopher Sanchez was a phenomenal late-round pick or waiver wire add last year. His ADP ahead of 2024 was 234.2. He finished with 17 quality starts over 191 innings.
An ascending 28-year-old lefty is not a bad way to go in the 16th round. Sanchez sets the curve across the bigs in offspeed run value; his changeup makes hitters look silly.
Ronel Blanco is not being drafted until the 20th round. He finished last season 12th overall in WHIP (1.09) among qualified starters.
Throw in a 2.82 ERA and a top-20 strikeout rate (24.6%) and his ADP makes next to no sense. Blanco is 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds. He is built for a heavy workload.
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