25 Late-Round Picks Experts Love: Pitchers (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
136	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	SP39	95	277	138.1	31.3	20
142	Ranger Suarez	BOS	SP41	106	217	145.1	16.1	24
144	Bubba Chandler	PIT	SP42	103	324	147.9	29.2	15
145	Robbie Ray	SF	SP43	92	280	148.4	30.1	18
146	Drew Rasmussen	TB	SP44	106	187	150.2	17.1	14
156	Shota Imanaga	CHC	SP48	100	219	159.1	21.9	14
158	Tanner Bibee	CLE	SP49	105	264	160.4	17.7	15
169	Edward Cabrera	CHC	SP51	138	240	176.8	22	23
172	Jack Flaherty	DET	SP52	125	269	181.4	25.1	36
173	Carlos Rodon	NYY	SP53	126	455	181.6	25.2	17
177	Shane Baz	BAL	SP55	134	268	188.3	27.1	28
179	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP56	135	456	190.3	25.1	39
183	Zac Gallen	ARI	SP57	138	271	192.9	34.6	29
188	Matthew Boyd	CHC	SP58	129	275	196	26.8	21
192	Shane McClanahan	TB	SP61	140	457	196.8	28.9	29
205	Joe Musgrove	SD	SP63	149	263	211.4	25.9	21
213	Merrill Kelly	ARI	SP64	141	459	218	30.4	17
234	Jack Leiter	TEX	SP66	142	307	246.7	32.1	16
237	Bryce Miller	SEA	SP68	152	341	246.2	36.9	23
240	Connelly Early	BOS	SP69	184	461	250.7	58.8	19
242	Ryne Nelson	ARI	SP,RP2	203	338	252.1	31.9	16
244	Seranthony Dominguez	CWS	RP23	180	301	244	28.3	19
247	Ryan Weathers	NYY	SP71	169	306	249.1	30	47
249	Jose Soriano	LAA	SP72	145	469	251.6	61.2	84
250	Casey Mize	DET	SP73	156	320	251.7	31.9	32

The Pirates faced criticism for keeping Bubba Chandler in Triple-A in 2025, but he was promoted in late August. The 23-year-old righty looked like a potential frontline starter He demonstrated his readiness with a 99-mph fastball, 89-mph slider and a 92-mph changeup that generated a 39.6% whiff rate in the majors. Chandler is going to cost you on draft day, as he is one of the darlings of the fantasy baseball world. But if he delivers what is expected, it will be worth paying up in drafts.

Sandy Alcantara’s 2025 season was a clear step back, as his ERA ballooned to 5.36 with a diminished 19.1% strikeout rate and a career-worst 45.1% hard-hit rate allowed. Projections expect some normalization, particularly in ERA and WHIP, but not a full return to his 2022 dominance. Without a rebound in strikeout rate or ground-ball lean, Alcantara profiles more as a volume-based SP3/SP4. The innings floor still carries value in deeper formats, but managers drafting him as a bounce-back ace are assuming skills growth that hasn’t yet reappeared in the underlying data.

Shota Imanaga followed up a brilliant 2024 debut (2.91 ERA, 25.1% K rate, 4.0% BB rate) with a more volatile 2025 campaign, as his ERA climbed to 3.73 and his strikeout rate dipped to 20.6%. While he continued to limit walks at an elite clip (4.6% BB%) and suppress batting average (.218 BAA), a spike in home run rate (5.5% HR%) and hard-hit contact (43.9%) led to a sharp jump in FIP (4.86). Fantasy managers should view Imanaga as a mild faller entering 2026 drafts, though his strong command and projected workload stability keep him firmly in SP3 territory if the homer regression stabilizes.

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.