Sandy Alcantara

Sandy Alcantara's 2025 season was a clear step back from his Cy Young peak, as his ERA ballooned to 5.36 with a diminished 19.1% strikeout rate and a career-worst 45.1% hard-hit rate allowed. His average exit velocity spiked to 90.6 mph, and his ground-ball rate dipped under 47%, a troubling shift for a pitcher who has historically relied on weak contact and heavy sink. While his walk rate (7.7%) remained manageable, the combination of louder contact and fewer whiffs led to a 4.28 FIP and negative run value metrics across the board. The 2026 projections expect some normalization — particularly in ERA and WHIP — but not a full return to his 2022 dominance. Without a rebound in strikeout rate or ground-ball lean, Alcantara profiles more as a volume-based SP3/SP4 than a frontline fantasy anchor. The innings floor still carries value in deeper formats, but managers drafting him as a bounce-back ace are assuming skills growth that hasn't yet reappeared in the underlying data.

Sandy Alcantara named Marlins Opening Day starter

The Marlins named Sandy Alcantara their Opening Day starter.

Fantasy Impact

It will be the sixth Opening Day start for Alcantara in his career. After missing the entire 2024 season, he struggled last year to the tune of a 5.36 ERA across 31 starts. He'll be looking to bounce back this year and remains a potential trade candidate at the deadline.