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Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Framber Valdez Note
Framber Valdez photo 16. Framber Valdez SP
Framber Valdez took a step back in 2023 but still pitched 198 innings of stellar ball for the Astros. He ended with a 3.46 ERA, though his 4.33 xERA suggests he was lucky. On the other hand, his xFIP was 3.39, and he was one of 17 pitchers who struck out 200 or more. Valdez remains a cheat code in leagues with Quality Starts as a category. Even in traditional 5x5 leagues, he is an excellent SP2 with SP1 upside that you can probably get in the fifth round.
5 weeks ago
Josh Hader Note
Josh Hader photo 17. Josh Hader RP
Josh Hader experienced the bounceback foretold last offseason. He dropped his ERA from 5.22 to 1.28, which was much more in line with his career numbers. He struck out 85 batters in 56 1/3 innings and collected 33 saves. His elite xBA of .157 is in the 100th percentile, and batters have yet to figure out how to get any barrel on the Southpaw's pitches. Hader's downfall will always be his BB% (13.0), but fantasy managers inclined to take a closer early in drafts should feel confident they're getting one of the top two here.
5 weeks ago
Hunter Brown Note
Hunter Brown photo 55. Hunter Brown SP
Justin Verlander Note
Justin Verlander photo 56. Justin Verlander SP
Justin Verlander finally began to show his age in 2023. While his ERA was 3.22, his xERA was 3.69, and his xFIP was 4.56 across 162 1/3 innings. His K% fell to 21.5, and his BB% jumped up 6.7. His SIERA was the highest it has been since 2008, and it's also noteworthy to realize that 2008 was 16 years ago. Verlander is a name-brand pitcher, but his ADP of 120.4 is more nostalgia than skill at this point.
5 weeks ago
Cristian Javier Note
Cristian Javier photo 62. Cristian Javier SP
Ryan Pressly Note
Ryan Pressly photo 117. Ryan Pressly RP
Ryan Pressly saved 31 games for the Astros in 2023, striking out 74 batters in 65 1/3 innings. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, his ERA took a big leap to 3.58 after being under 3.00 in 2021 and 2022. He also allowed harder contact than in previous years. Pressly is a closer with a strong positive (pitches for the Astros) and some downside (K/9 barely over 10, high ERA). When closers start flying off the board in the 7th-9th rounds, Pressly is a decent option. Just don't reach for him in the upper tier of RP.
5 weeks ago
Bryan Abreu Note
Bryan Abreu photo 160. Bryan Abreu RP
J.P. France Note
J.P. France photo 190. J.P. France SP
Jose Urquidy Note
Jose Urquidy photo 222. Jose Urquidy SP,RP
Ronel Blanco Note
Ronel Blanco photo 264. Ronel Blanco SP,RP
Lance McCullers Jr. Note
Lance McCullers Jr. photo 276. Lance McCullers Jr. SP
Luis Garcia Note
Luis Garcia photo 300. Luis Garcia SP
Rafael Montero Note
Rafael Montero photo 392. Rafael Montero RP
Jayden Murray Note
Jayden Murray photo 459. Jayden Murray SP
Spencer Arrighetti Note
Spencer Arrighetti photo 475. Spencer Arrighetti SP
Parker Mushinski Note
Parker Mushinski photo 477. Parker Mushinski RP
Bennett Sousa Note
Bennett Sousa photo 486. Bennett Sousa RP
Seth Martinez Note
Seth Martinez photo 496. Seth Martinez RP
Miguel Diaz Note
Miguel Diaz photo 526. Miguel Diaz RP
Brandon Bielak Note
Brandon Bielak photo 552. Brandon Bielak RP,SP
Shawn Dubin Note
Shawn Dubin photo 577. Shawn Dubin RP,SP
Misael Tamarez Note
Misael Tamarez photo 594. Misael Tamarez SP,RP
Penn Murfee Note
Penn Murfee photo 669. Penn Murfee RP
Colton Gordon Note
Colton Gordon photo 671. Colton Gordon SP
Oliver Ortega Note
Oliver Ortega photo 692. Oliver Ortega RP
Wander Suero Note
Wander Suero photo 743. Wander Suero RP
Dylan Coleman Note
Dylan Coleman photo 752. Dylan Coleman RP
Tayler Scott Note
Tayler Scott photo 787. Tayler Scott RP
Forrest Whitley Note
Forrest Whitley photo 835. Forrest Whitley SP
Joel Kuhnel Note
Joel Kuhnel photo 847. Joel Kuhnel RP