25 Deep Pitchers Experts 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 Pitchers experts are targeting in drafts.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets Experts Love: Pitchers

Here are players fantasy baseball experts rank well above their current consensus ADP.

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
165	Edward Cabrera	CHC	SP52	129	240	175.1	23	27
171	Carlos Rodon	NYY	SP53	125	455	178.9	27.3	19
173	Jack Flaherty	DET	SP54	125	269	181.5	24.4	35
175	Cade Horton	CHC	SP55	108	263	183.9	26.4	10
176	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP56	97	456	187.8	27.2	42
180	Zac Gallen	ARI	SP57	124	271	190.3	35.7	32
181	Shane Baz	BAL	SP58	134	268	192.2	31.4	24
182	Matthew Boyd	CHC	SP59	121	275	192.8	29.8	27
190	Shane McClanahan	TB	SP62	140	457	198.8	29.3	31
209	Joe Musgrove	SD	SP64	149	263	213.9	27.5	17
211	Merrill Kelly	ARI	SP65	141	459	215.7	31.4	19
230	Jack Leiter	TEX	SP67	142	307	243.2	35.4	20
240	Connelly Early	BOS	SP69	153	461	247.6	59.1	19
242	Bryce Miller	SEA	SP70	152	341	246.2	36.9	18
243	Jose Soriano	LAA	SP71	145	469	248.2	61.3	90
244	Grayson Rodriguez	LAA	SP72	159	453	259.4	56.8	48
247	Casey Mize	DET	SP73	156	320	250.9	31.2	35
255	Ryan Weathers	NYY	SP77	169	307	249.1	30.1	39
262	Sean Manaea	NYM	SP,RP3	228	318	267.9	21	52
273	David Peterson	NYM	SP80	105	348	253.5	60.6	26
274	Mitch Keller	PIT	SP81	155	363	266.7	47.6	48
281	Zebby Matthews	MIN	SP82	179	339	279.3	26.5	69
285	Parker Messick	CLE	SP84	216	370	282.6	33.3	30
288	Yusei Kikuchi	LAA	SP86	148	362	265.4	50.2	24
296	Will Warren	NYY	SP88	186	433	295.5	42.8	45

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.