Every fantasy baseball season produces a handful of pitchers who leave managers frustrated. Some are former aces. Others were trendy breakout picks. All of them were drafted with expectations that haven’t been met.
The difficult part isn’t identifying the disappointment. It’s figuring out whether the struggles are temporary or signs of a larger problem.
In a recent FantasyPros discussion, Lance Brozowski and Joe Rico broke down several high-profile starting pitchers who have underperformed this season. The conversation wasn’t about panic-selling everyone. Instead, it focused on separating pitchers whose underlying indicators still offer hope from those whose problems look much more serious.
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Disappointing Fantasy Baseball Pitchers: Who to Buy, Sell, and Hold Right Now
Here are the biggest takeaways for fantasy baseball managers.
Freddy Peralta (NYM, SP)
Freddy Peralta hasn’t delivered the ace-level production fantasy managers hoped for, but the discussion remained surprisingly optimistic.
The biggest reason is a recent adjustment. According to Brozowski, Peralta reintroduced a true sweeper in early June, a pitch designed to improve his effectiveness against right-handed hitters.
The concern isn’t that Peralta has suddenly lost all of his skills. The concern is that an approach that worked previously stopped producing the same results. The sweeper could be the adjustment that gets him back on track.
Rather than viewing Peralta as a declining asset, the analysts treated him as a pitcher whose next few starts will provide important clues about whether the new pitch changes his trajectory.
Fantasy Verdict: Buy
George Kirby (SEA, SP)
George Kirby‘s season has been disappointing relative to expectations, but the concerns are different.
The discussion centered around his struggles against left-handed hitters and questions about whether his strikeout ceiling is as high as fantasy managers once believed.
Brozowski still views Kirby as a stable pitcher with relatively low volatility. The problem is that the path toward becoming an elite fantasy ace looks less obvious than it did entering the season.
That doesn’t make Kirby a sell. It simply lowers expectations.
Fantasy Verdict: Hold
Jesus Luzardo (PHI, SP)
Few pitchers generate as much frustration as Jesus Luzardo.
His underlying metrics continue to suggest a much better pitcher than the ERA indicates, but fantasy managers have been waiting for those numbers to translate into consistent results.
The conversation highlighted a concerning trend. While Luzardo’s peripherals remain strong, his fastball has not looked as dominant recently, particularly against right-handed hitters.
The result is a pitcher who remains difficult to bench but equally difficult to trust.
For now, the recommendation was simple: keep starting him and hope the talent eventually wins out.
Fantasy Verdict: Hold
Kyle Bradish (BAL, SP)
Kyle Bradish may be the most concerning name discussed.
Unlike some of the other pitchers on this list, the analysts struggled to identify an obvious solution.
Bradish’s walk rate has ballooned, his zone rate has collapsed, and his inability to consistently throw strikes has made every outing an adventure. The conversation even touched on how the ABS challenge system may be impacting certain pitchers who previously thrived on the edges of the strike zone.
Whatever the cause, confidence is fading.
Fantasy Verdict: Sell if possible, otherwise hold and hope for adjustments
Framber Valdez (DET, SP)
Framber Valdez was one of the more interesting buy-low cases discussed.
The analysis focused heavily on sinker location. According to Brozowski, Valdez’s sinker has crept higher in the strike zone than in previous seasons, which has reduced both his ground-ball production and the effectiveness of his curveball.
The encouraging part is that the issue appears fixable.
Unlike pitchers whose velocity has vanished or whose arsenals have deteriorated, Valdez still looks like a pitcher with a clear path back to relevance if he can regain his previous pitch locations.
Fantasy Verdict: Buy Low
Emmet Sheehan (LAD, SP)
Emmet Sheehan remains one of the most intriguing buy-low pitchers in fantasy baseball.
The primary concern has been fluctuating fastball velocity. Some starts have featured dramatically different velocity readings, leading to inconsistent results.
Despite that, the underlying indicators remain largely intact.
The Dodgers’ organizational track record also creates confidence that adjustments will eventually be made.
For fantasy managers willing to be patient, Sheehan still carries considerable upside.
Fantasy Verdict: Buy
Sandy Alcantara (MIA, SP)
Sandy Alcantara generated one of the most fascinating discussions of the episode.
Brozowski suggested Alcantara’s problems may be tied less to raw stuff and more to pitch usage and location strategy. Specifically, his fastball has become far too hittable because it continues to live in dangerous parts of the strike zone.
The analysts weren’t completely out on Alcantara. In fact, they viewed him as a potential change-of-scenery candidate who could benefit significantly from a new organization and a different developmental philosophy.
Fantasy Verdict: Speculative Buy
Trevor Rogers (BAL, SP)
Trevor Rogers remains difficult to pin down.
His career has been filled with dramatic highs and lows, making it difficult to determine which version of the pitcher is real.
The discussion leaned toward viewing him as a matchup-dependent option rather than someone fantasy managers should trust every week.
Without a reliable fastball and with declining strikeout production, the margin for error is small.
Fantasy Verdict: Deep-League Hold Only
Bubba Chandler (PIT, SP)
The long-term outlook remains much brighter than the short-term outlook.
The conversation emphasized that Chandler added multiple pitches this season, including a sinker and a sweeper. While those additions could eventually make him a more complete pitcher, the adjustment period has been messy.
The walk rate has soared and consistency has disappeared.
Rather than viewing the struggles as a red flag, the analysts framed them as part of the developmental process.
This may not be Chandler’s breakout season, but his long-term stock remains intact.
Fantasy Verdict: Hold in Dynasty, Temper Expectations in Redraft
Fantasy Baseball Takeaways
- Framber Valdez (DET, SP) emerged as one of the strongest buy-low candidates because his issues appear fixable.
- Emmet Sheehan (LAD, SP) still possesses significant upside despite inconsistent results.
- Freddy Peralta (NYM, SP) could benefit from recent pitch-mix adjustments and remains a worthwhile trade target.
- George Kirby (SEA, SP) looks more like a stable SP2 than a fantasy ace right now.
- Jesus Luzardo (PHI, SP) remains difficult to trust, but his underlying metrics make him impossible to quit.
- Kyle Bradish (BAL, SP) carries some of the most concerning indicators among this group.
- Sandy Alcantara (MIA, SP) is a speculative rebound candidate whose value could change quickly with the right adjustments.
- Trevor Rogers (BAL, SP) is best viewed as a matchup play rather than a set-and-forget starter.
- Bubba Chandler (PIT, SP) remains an appealing long-term investment despite short-term growing pains.
What are fantasy baseball streaming pitchers?
Streaming pitchers is a strategy where fantasy owners target short-term rentals on the waiver wire that will provide the a boost in production for a given week. By targeting matchups and pitchers who have more than one start in a week, fantasy owners can improve their weekly or daily output from the starting pitcher position.
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