Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Nick Pivetta's 2025 breakout in San Diego was supported by real skill growth, highlighted by elite run prevention, a sub-1.00 WHIP, and career-best contact suppression (.195 BAA, .583 OPS against). His strikeout rate dipped slightly from peak Boston levels, but improved command and a sharp reduction in hard contact and BABIP drove a massive jump in value. Pivetta's projections appropriately pull him back from ace-level ratios, yet still view him as a strong mid-rotation fantasy starter with above-average strikeouts and solid run support. Fantasy managers should treat Pivetta as a high-floor SP3/4 rather than fully buying the Cy Young-adjacent ceiling he flashed in 2025.

Michael King's transition to a full-time starter in San Diego paid off in 2024, but 2025 brought some mild regression and missed time. After logging 173 2/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 27.7% strikeout rate in 2024, he threw just 73.1 innings in 2025 with his strikeout rate dipping to 24.7% and his HR/9 jumping from 0.9 to 1.5. Projections expect a rebound in workload and a return to mid-3.00s ratios, which aligns more closely with his 2024 form than last year's abbreviated campaign. King still misses bats at an above-average clip and limits batting average against (.225 career), but his margin for error narrows when the home run rate spikes. He profiles as a high-end SP3 with SP2 upside if the strikeouts tick back toward the 27-28% range and he pushes past 160 innings again.

Robbie Ray rebounded in 2025 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 182.1 innings for San Francisco, earning an All-Star nod after an injury-marred 2023 and abbreviated 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, projections point to stable mid-rotation production rather than a return to ace-level dominance. Ray's declining strikeout trend (from 32% in 2021 to sub-25% in 2025) caps his fantasy ceiling, but his ability to take the ball for 30+ starts and limit damage keeps his floor relatively intact.