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Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Josh Hader Note
Josh Hader photo 20. Josh Hader RP
Josh Hader signed his deal with Houston in the offseason and then went out and showed why he'd earned it. The 30-year-old appeared in 71 games, pitching exactly 71 innings and securing 34 saves while blowing only four. He struck out 105 batters and ended with a 3.80 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He still had a walk rate of 9%, but this was a vast improvement compared to his 13% rate in 2023. He maintains a superb K% (37.8), and batters still only hit .173 against him. The Astros are perhaps not the juggernaut they once were, but they have a top 5 closer with the ability to save 35+ games. When the initial run of closers begins, Hader will be among them and worth a pick if you want to target relievers early.
4 weeks ago
Framber Valdez Note
Framber Valdez photo 23. Framber Valdez SP
Framber Valdez continued his steady ways in 2024, starting 28 games and pitching 176 1/3 innings. He finished the year with a 2.91 ERA and 1.11 WHIP and struck out 169 batters. Valdez lives and dies by the ground ball, sitting in the 99th percentile in the ground ball rate at 61.7%. There is nothing particularly wrong with Valdez, though when he gets hit, he gets hit hard, and his xERA was a half-run higher at 3.41. The trick with him in fantasy is simply that he doesn't strike out as many batters as other pitchers drafted in the same vicinity. He does offer the safest floor, so depending on where else you want to take your risks, Valdez may be a worthwhile SP2 anchor to your staff.
4 weeks ago
Hunter Brown Note
Hunter Brown photo 39. Hunter Brown SP
While the exact number of fantasy managers who dropped Hunter Brown early in 2024 isn't known, it would have been completely justified, given how he started the season. In his first eight starts, the 26-year-old had a 7.74 ERA and had allowed 21 walks in 37 1/3 innings. It was ugly. After that, though, he settled into the season and was great to spectacular the rest of the way. He struck out 179 batters in 170 innings and stopped walking everyone. Brown is the exact type of pitcher to target now that he seems to have a repertoire of pitches that works for him, including a powerful sinker that he developed last season. He has some sleeper and league-winning potential in 2025.
4 days ago
Spencer Arrighetti Note
Spencer Arrighetti photo 97. Spencer Arrighetti SP
Ronel Blanco Note
Ronel Blanco photo 103. Ronel Blanco SP
Bryan Abreu Note
Bryan Abreu photo 174. Bryan Abreu RP
Cristian Javier Note
Cristian Javier photo 207. Cristian Javier SP
Luis Garcia Note
Luis Garcia photo 214. Luis Garcia SP
Hayden Wesneski Note
Hayden Wesneski photo 272. Hayden Wesneski SP,RP
Tayler Scott Note
Tayler Scott photo 350. Tayler Scott RP
Forrest Whitley Note
Forrest Whitley photo 371. Forrest Whitley RP
Bryan King Note
Bryan King photo 380. Bryan King RP
Lance McCullers Jr. Note
Lance McCullers Jr. photo 413. Lance McCullers Jr. SP
Kaleb Ort Note
Kaleb Ort photo 447. Kaleb Ort RP
Bennett Sousa Note
Bennett Sousa photo 478. Bennett Sousa RP
Steven Okert Note
Steven Okert photo 492. Steven Okert RP
Colton Gordon Note
Colton Gordon photo 507. Colton Gordon SP
AJ Blubaugh Note
AJ Blubaugh photo 554. AJ Blubaugh SP
Miguel Castro Note
Miguel Castro photo 573. Miguel Castro RP
Nick Hernandez Note
Nick Hernandez photo 584. Nick Hernandez RP
Rafael Montero Note
Rafael Montero photo 617. Rafael Montero RP
Shawn Dubin Note
Shawn Dubin photo 621. Shawn Dubin RP
J.P. France Note
J.P. France photo 652. J.P. France SP
Ryan Gusto Note
Ryan Gusto photo 658. Ryan Gusto SP,RP
Luis Contreras Note
Luis Contreras photo 675. Luis Contreras RP