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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.
1 week 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.
1 week ago
Hunter Brown Note
Hunter Brown photo 56. Hunter Brown SP
Justin Verlander Note
Justin Verlander photo 57. 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.
1 week ago
Cristian Javier Note
Cristian Javier photo 63. Cristian Javier SP
Ryan Pressly Note
Ryan Pressly photo 118. 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.
1 week ago
Bryan Abreu Note
Bryan Abreu photo 161. Bryan Abreu RP
J.P. France Note
J.P. France photo 191. J.P. France SP
Jose Urquidy Note
Jose Urquidy photo 223. Jose Urquidy SP,RP
Ronel Blanco Note
Ronel Blanco photo 265. Ronel Blanco SP,RP
Lance McCullers Jr. Note
Lance McCullers Jr. photo 277. Lance McCullers Jr. SP
Luis Garcia Note
Luis Garcia photo 301. Luis Garcia SP
Rafael Montero Note
Rafael Montero photo 393. Rafael Montero RP
Jayden Murray Note
Jayden Murray photo 460. Jayden Murray SP
Spencer Arrighetti Note
Spencer Arrighetti photo 476. Spencer Arrighetti SP
Parker Mushinski Note
Parker Mushinski photo 478. Parker Mushinski RP
Bennett Sousa Note
Bennett Sousa photo 487. Bennett Sousa RP
Seth Martinez Note
Seth Martinez photo 497. Seth Martinez RP
Brandon Bielak Note
Brandon Bielak photo 553. Brandon Bielak SP
Shawn Dubin Note
Shawn Dubin photo 578. Shawn Dubin SP,RP
Misael Tamarez Note
Misael Tamarez photo 595. Misael Tamarez SP
Penn Murfee Note
Penn Murfee photo 670. Penn Murfee RP
Colton Gordon Note
Colton Gordon photo 672. Colton Gordon SP
Oliver Ortega Note
Oliver Ortega photo 693. Oliver Ortega RP
Wander Suero Note
Wander Suero photo 744. Wander Suero RP
Dylan Coleman Note
Dylan Coleman photo 753. Dylan Coleman RP
Tayler Scott Note
Tayler Scott photo 788. Tayler Scott RP
Forrest Whitley Note
Forrest Whitley photo 836. Forrest Whitley SP
Joel Kuhnel Note
Joel Kuhnel photo 848. Joel Kuhnel RP