15 Pitchers Experts Love to Draft (2026 Fantasy Baseball)

When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable players below.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
43	Jacob deGrom	TEX	SP10	34	58	44.3	6.3	9
45	Cole Ragans	KC	SP12	30	55	45.9	6.9	9
53	George Kirby	SEA	SP15	41	81	58.8	7.2	17
54	Freddy Peralta	NYM	SP16	43	93	59.2	9.8	6
65	Dylan Cease	TOR	SP18	55	98	66	9.9	8
66	Jesus Luzardo	PHI	SP19	55	101	68.4	7.6	11
71	Framber Valdez	DET	SP20	59	94	74.6	9.3	7
89	Eury Perez	MIA	SP23	67	153	93	18.1	13
91	Nolan McLean	NYM	SP24	68	171	94.9	17.4	15
96	Kevin Gausman	TOR	SP26	63	129	101	14.2	11
99	Tyler Glasnow	LAD	SP28	73	166	106.8	22.5	15
112	Trey Yesavage	TOR	SP31	87	207	120.4	15.1	36
118	Nathan Eovaldi	TEX	SP33	73	171	125.9	21.6	22
122	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	SP34	94	277	127.9	27.2	40
124	Emmet Sheehan	LAD	SP35	89	238	128.8	18.2	23

After a brilliant 2024 season, Cole Ragans dealt with injuries in 2025, including a groin strain and a left rotator cuff strain. He started only 13 games, threw 61 2/3 innings, and finished with an ugly 4.67 ERA. However, his xERA was 2.68, FIP was 2.50, and xFIP was 2.45, so a lot of his struggles resulted from terrible luck (.354 BABIP). His 38.1% strikeout rate is unsustainable, but his career swinging strike rate is 14.2%, meaning he should remain a valuable source of Ks. No one likes hearing “left rotator cuff strain” on a left-handed pitcher, but upon his return late last year, he pitched his best innings of the season. There is some risk involved in the 28-year-old, but he will be a high-reward pick if he stays healthy.

Eury Perez’s 2025 surface stats (4.25 ERA) mask how dominant his underlying skills remained, as he held hitters to a .195 average with a 27.3% strikeout rate and elite bat-missing ability despite limited innings. The fastball velocity and swing-and-miss profile were fully intact, while improved contact suppression (lower BABIP and HR%) highlights just how difficult he is to square up when healthy. Entering 2026, projections point to a return toward his frontline-starter upside if his workload can safely ramp up, making him a high-impact fantasy arm on a per-inning basis. Durability and innings volume remain the only things separating Perez from ace-level production, but the skills clearly support a breakout if he’s allowed to go deeper into games.

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.