Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

It is rare for a rookie to live up to the superstar spotlight, but Paul Skenes arrived in 2024 and jumped right into the superstar role. The 22-year-old went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He struck out 170 batters in only 133 innings, and hitters looked lost against him in almost every start. Skenes had a sterling 5.31 K/BB rate and featured a full five-pitch arsenal to decimate opposing batters. The only demerit to his resume was that his xERA was 2.53, but that is just splitting hairs at this point. Skenes carries some slight risk because of his hard-throwing nature, but he has not had arm trouble up to this point in his career. It's a coin flip between him and Tarik Skubal for fantasy SP1 in 2025, and no one will begrudge a fantasy manager who wants the young fireballer.

Jared Jones made a notable impact in his 2024 rookie season with the Pirates, posting a 6-8 record over 22 starts. He maintained a 4.14 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP across 121.2 innings, striking out 132 batters. His 26.2% strikeout percentage was also impressive. Jones' arsenal is highlighted by a four-seam fastball averaging 96 mph, complemented by a slider that held opponents to a .157 batting average. While his 2.88 BB/9 rate indicates solid control, his 1.33 HR/9 rate suggests susceptibility to home runs. Notably, he excelled at home with a 2.87 ERA over 12 games, compared to a 5.86 ERA in 10 road games. Jones' impressive strikeout ability and developing pitch repertoire position him as a valuable mid/late-round pitching option in fantasy leagues, especially if he can mitigate his home run vulnerability and improve consistency on the road.​