X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

5 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers Who Broke Out in 2022

sandy alcantara fantasy baseball rankings starting pitchers draft sleepers

Sometimes you can smell it coming and other times it's out of nowhere. Breakouts can happen at any time at any age, and when they do happen, they become a fantasy manager's best friend.

With young, developing players who display continued improvement over a few seasons, breakouts can be seen with relative ease. However, it's never a guarantee as baseball is a humbling sport, one that kicks you while you're down. Not all paths to stardom are linear as patience, hard work, and perseverance are required to put it all together in a breakout campaign.

Of course, there were more than five pitchers who broke out in the 2022 season. A breakout is relative to a previous standard, after all, so this list could certainly go longer than five pitchers. Nonetheless, let's focus on five starting pitchers that broke out and finished among the game's best in 2022.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association including Baseball Writer of the Year, Football Writers of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year and many more! Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!

 

Dylan Cease, White Sox

File this one under the "saw it coming from a mile away" category.

Dylan Cease's stuff has never been in doubt, but his career didn't exactly get off to a scorching-hot start. The young right-hander worked to an even 5.00 ERA but struggled with control in the form of an 11.9% BB% across the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. However, the 2021 season officially put him on the radar as a serious breakout candidate in 2022.

Cease improved across the board in 2021, posting a 3.91 ERA while lowering his walk rate to 9.6%. What stood out most was the massive surge in strikeout rate from just 17.3% in 2020 to a whopping 31.9% mark in 2021. His resulting 22.3% K-BB% in 2021 was an astronomical improvement from a minuscule 3.9% mark in the 2020 campaign.

And then came 2022. Cease dominated to the tune of a 2.20 ERA -- third-best among qualified MLB starters -- along with a 19.9% K-BB% that checked in at 12th. Walks remain a working point as he still posted a 10.4% BB% in 2022, but he was among the most dominant pitchers in baseball.

It also appears it was for real.

Cease was the American League Cy Young runner-up and even finished with down-ballet MVP votes in 2022. All part of a breakout season for the new White Sox ace.

 

Sandy Alcantara, Marlins

From a Cy Young runner-up to a Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcantara's 2022 season was a major breakout even if he too was trending in the right direction.

In fact, the 2022 season marked the third time that he's made at least 32 starts in a season. He's spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, but made just 14 appearances between his first two seasons and made only seven starts in the shortened 2020 campaign. In other words, he's now made at least 32 starts and pitched a minimum of 197 1/3 innings in all three seasons he possibly could have.

Clearly, something was brewing here. After all, he's worked to a 3.88 ERA or better in each of his last four seasons (including 2020) and posted a 3.19 mark in 2021. However, Alcantara exploded for a 2.28 ERA in 2022, ranking fifth in baseball and second in the National League in that department.

Never a huge strikeout pitcher, the 27-year-old possesses elite control these days. In 2019, his first full season in the bigs, he posted a 9.7% walk rate, a figure that sank all the way to 5.6% in 2022. The K-B% has improved dramatically over the last two seasons.

The right-hander also lowered his home-run rate to just 0.63 HR/9 and kept his ground-ball ways intact with a 53.4% mark in that department, also a career-high.

Perhaps most telling about his career year is the fact he went 14-9 on a 69-93 Marlins club that ranked 28th in runs scored. All part of a breakout 2022 season for the Marlins ace.

 

Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks

The third consecutive 27-year-old to hit this list, Zac Gallen's 2022 season actually came off a down 2021 season by his lofty standard.

It was easy to see something brewing after the right-hander turned in a 2.78 ERA across 27 starts from 2019-2020, but the 2021 season wasn't nearly as smooth. Gallen slipped to a 4.30 ERA while winning just four of his 23 starts. His home run rate rose to a career-worst 1.41 HR/9 clip.

The 2022 season put any of the lingering concerns from 2021 to bed. Gallen worked to a 2.54 ERA in 2022 alongside a career-best 6.6% BB%, 20.3 K-BB%, and 0.73 HR/9. After going 4-10 in 2021, Gallen went 12-4 on a D-backs club that finished the season 14 games under .500.

Only Justin Verlander held hitters to a lower batting average than the .185 mark Gallen yielded while his 0.91 WHIP also ranked second to the American League Cy Young-winning Verlander. A .237 BABIP helped and it's well below his .263 mark, but MLB pitching leaderboards are littered with favorable BABIP figures. Gallen ranked in the league's 78th percentile in expected batting average against.

He also went on a crazy late-season run, going six straight starts spanning 41 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run. He pitched a minimum of six innings in all of them and at least seven frames in five of the six outings.

All told, Gallen's 4.3 fWAR in 2022 was good enough for sixth among NL pitchers and 12th overall. He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in what was a remarkable 2022 breakout campaign.

 

Shane McClanahan, Rays

It sure didn't take Shane McClanahan long to put his name into the best pitcher in baseball conversation following a dynamite 2022 season.

In just his second season in the league at age 25, McLanahan posted a stout 2.54 ERA and 24.3% K-BB% across 28 starts and 166 1/3 innings pitched. Looking across all of baseball, McClanahan was a staple on the pitching leaderboards a season ago.

  • 2.54 ERA (T-eighth)
  • SIERA: 2.82 (fourth)
  • 30.3% K% (sixth)
  • 24.3 K-BB% (sixth)
  • .193 AVG (fourth)
  • 0.93 WHIP (third)

Not too shabby for the sophomore southpaw. He was another solid breakout threat in 2022 on the heels of a strong 2021 rookie campaign, but the improvements across the board are rather impressive.

Not only did he dominate the league in just about every area but took a serious leap forward from his impressive rookie season. McClanahan ranked in the league's 80th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, xERA, xBA, xSLG, K%, BB%, whiff%, chase rate, and fastball velocity with an average of 97 mph on his heater, a few ticks above his 96.7% mark from 2021.

There's a reason why McLanahan is going to be one of the first pitchers off the draft board in 2023. He's a top-tier dynasty and redraft option after a breakout season for the ages in 2022.

 

Tyler Anderson, Dodgers

See, I told you not all breakouts are alike! Anderson's monster 2022 season was hardly visible prior to the season given his track record entering his age-32 season.

Indeed, the southpaw posted an ERA figure of 4.37 or worse in each of his previous five seasons. He was serviceable with a 4.37 ERA for the 2020 Giants and a 4.53 mark in 31 starts between the Pirates and Mariners in 2021, but no one could have predicted what 2022 would bring.

Anderson shocked his way to a 2.57 ERA in the 2022 campaign, good for 10th in all of baseball among qualified starters. He's never been much of a strikeout artist with a career 20.3% K%, but he lowered his walk rate to a career-best 4.8%, tying him for eighth in the bigs alongside Yu Darvish and Miles Mikolas.

The Oregon product also managed to avoid hard contact and barrels with the best of them.

Anderson has long posted excellent hard-hit numbers, but he finished in the 38th percentile in barrel rate in 2021, leading to a 1.46 HR/9. Anderson's ability to avoid barrels helped him cut that mark in half to 0.71 one year later.

The veteran lefty was able to parlay his late breakout season into a three-year, $40 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. If he is able to give them anything close to his breakout 2022 effort, it will go down as money well spent.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

Marc-Andre Fleury3 hours ago

Takes Loss Against Flyers
Matthew Boldy3 hours ago

Scores Twice Against Flyers
Bryce Young3 hours ago

Impresses At Pro Day
Eddy Piñeiro4 hours ago

Panthers Re-Sign Eddy Pineiro To Two-Year Deal
Tony Jones Jr.4 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Broncos
Alex Cobb4 hours ago

Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day
Franz Wagner5 hours ago

Won't Return On Thursday
Bradley Beal5 hours ago

Won't Suit Up On Friday
Tyrese Haliburton5 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Friday
Eric Gordon5 hours ago

Gets Starting Nod On Thursday
Kelly Oubre5 hours ago

Jr. Won't Return On Thursday
Deandre Ayton5 hours ago

To Miss Next Two Games
Terry Rozier6 hours ago

Doubtful To Return On Thursday
Mychal Givens6 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Josh Winckowski6 hours ago

To Begin Season In Bullpen
Drey Jameson6 hours ago

Roughed Up On Thursday
Michael Soroka6 hours ago

Optioned To Minors
Drew Rucinski6 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Daniel Lynch6 hours ago

Removed Early On Thursday
Rhys Hoskins7 hours ago

Tears ACL
Spencer Steer7 hours ago

Expected To Be Reds Opening Day 3B
Will Brennan7 hours ago

Standing Out This Spring
Brice Turang7 hours ago

Impressing This Spring
Jared Shuster7 hours ago

Having Torrid Spring
Logan O'Hoppe7 hours ago

Could Make Angels Opening Day Roster
Mitchell Robinson8 hours ago

To Play On Thursday
Jalen Brunson8 hours ago

Officially Out For Thursday
LeBron James8 hours ago

Begins On-Court Activity
Jalen Brunson8 hours ago

Uncertain For Thursday
Jalen Duren8 hours ago

Removed From Injury Report
Esteban Quiroz9 hours ago

Phillies Acquire Esteban Quiroz From Cubs
Kyle Tucker9 hours ago

Expects To Be Ready For Opening Day
Will Levis9 hours ago

Meeting With Panthers Thursday
Ryan Succop9 hours ago

Buccaneers Release Ryan Succop
Ezekiel Elliott9 hours ago

Narrows His List Down To Three Teams
Hunter Brown9 hours ago

Still Not Throwing
Brandon Nimmo9 hours ago

Triples In Minor-League Game
Jared Spurgeon9 hours ago

Returns From Illness Thursday
Anthony Duclair10 hours ago

Available Again Thursday
Jason Heyward10 hours ago

Officially On Opening Day Roster
Ville Husso10 hours ago

Out With A Lower-Body Injury
Jimmy Nelson10 hours ago

To Open Year On Injured List
Tom Murphy10 hours ago

Back In Lineup
Darcy Kuemper10 hours ago

Back In Capitals Crease Thursday
Jarred Kelenic10 hours ago

Back In Lineup
John Carlson10 hours ago

Set To Return Thursday
Josh Anderson10 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Oliver Ekman-Larsson10 hours ago

Not Expected To Return This Season
Lukas Dostal11 hours ago

In Goal Thursday For Anaheim
Logan Thompson11 hours ago

Starting Thursday Against Flames
Joel Hofer11 hours ago

Guards Cage Against Detroit
Scottie Barnes12 hours ago

Could Be Out Again Friday
Jeremy Swayman12 hours ago

Confirmed Starting Goalie Thursday
Precious Achiuwa12 hours ago

Regarded As Questionable For Friday
Jake Allen12 hours ago

Between The Pipes Against Boston
Gary Trent12 hours ago

Jr. Questionable For Friday
Tommy Sweeney12 hours ago

Giants Signing Tommy Sweeney
Marc-Andre Fleury12 hours ago

Protects Crease Thursday
Norman Powell12 hours ago

Misses A Ninth Consecutive Game
Zay Flowers12 hours ago

To Meet With Saints, Giants
Bryce Young12 hours ago

Meets With Raiders
Mark Williams12 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday
DeAndre Hopkins12 hours ago

Bills Headline Trade Market For DeAndre Hopkins
Ty Johnson12 hours ago

Jets Bring Back Ty Johnson
Mitchell Robinson12 hours ago

Questionable For Thursday
KJ Hamler12 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Months With Torn Pec
Jamison Crowder12 hours ago

Giants Agree To Terms With Jamison Crowder
Mecole Hardman14 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
San Francisco 49ers14 hours ago

49ers Sign Austin Bryant To One-Year Deal
Maycee Barber14 hours ago

Can Continue Her Flyweight Ascent
Andrea Lee14 hours ago

In Need Of Victory To Keep Momentum Going
Detroit Lions14 hours ago

Jalen Reeves-Maybin Returns To Lions
Damien Harris14 hours ago

James Cook, Damien Harris To Share Backfield
MMA14 hours ago

Manel Kape On The Hunt For Fourth Straight Victory Saturday
Tony Pollard14 hours ago

Signs Franchise Tag
Alex Perez14 hours ago

Seeking First Victory Since 2020
Cincinnati Bengals14 hours ago

Bengals Have Had Trade Talks Centered Around Jonah Williams
Albert Duraev14 hours ago

Can Rebound With A Victory
C.J. Ham14 hours ago

Vikings Give C.J. Ham A Two-Year Extension
Chidi Njokuani14 hours ago

Hopes To Get Back In Win Column
Odell Beckham Jr.14 hours ago

Jets Interest In Odell Beckham Jr. "Very Real"
Nikola Jokic16 hours ago

Leads Nuggets To 14-Point Win
Pascal Siakam16 hours ago

Leads All Scorers In Losing Effort
Jaren Jackson16 hours ago

Jr. Scores Season-High 37 Points In Win
J.T. Compher17 hours ago

Grabs Two Points Against Pittsburgh
Sidney Crosby17 hours ago

Makes History By Reaching 30 Goals
Jeff Carter17 hours ago

Pots Two Goals In Victory Over Colorado
Nick Schmaltz17 hours ago

Posts Two Assists Wednesday
Clayton Keller17 hours ago

Stays Hot With Two Goals
Leon Draisaitl18 hours ago

Hands Out Four Assists
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

A Hard Fade In Austin
Sam Burns2 days ago

Hard To Trust At WGC Dell Match Play
Max Homa2 days ago

A Strong Contender In Austin
Tom Hoge3 days ago

A Bracket-Buster In Match Play
Hideki Matsuyama3 days ago

Doesn't Perform In Match Play
Kamaru Usman3 days ago

Unsuccessful In Bid To Recapture Title
Leon Edwards3 days ago

Defends Crown At UFC 286
Viktor Hovland3 days ago

Has Struggled In Match Play
Rafael Fiziev3 days ago

Has Strong Showing But Takes Loss
Justin Gaethje3 days ago

Puts On Another Highlight-Reel Performance
Tyrrell Hatton3 days ago

The Favorite In His Group
Bryan Barberena3 days ago

Suffers Second Straight Submission Loss
Gunnar Nelson3 days ago

Scores Impressive Finish At UFC 286
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Needs Birdies At WGC Match Play
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Can Advance At WGC Match Play
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

May Struggle At WGC Match Play
Chris Kirk3 days ago

Draws A Bit Unlucky At WGC Match Play
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

Has Good Chance At WGC Match Play
Brian Harman3 days ago

Has Putter's Chance To Contend At WGC
Tommy Fleetwood3 days ago

Has Challenge At WGC Match Play
Casey O'Neill4 days ago

Takes First Defeat Against Former Champion
Jennifer Maia4 days ago

Earns Decision Win Over Undefeated Opponent
Roman Dolidze4 days ago

Suffers Setback With Decision Loss
Marvin Vettori4 days ago

Picks Up Decision Win
Kyle Busch4 days ago

Finishes In Top 10 At Atlanta
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Finishes Strong In Atlanta
Erik Jones4 days ago

Gets His First Top-10 Finish Of The Season
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Bounces Back From Speeding Penalty
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Has A Strong Showing
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Hangs in For Fifth Place At Atlanta
Corey Lajoie4 days ago

Corey LaJoie Uses Course To Advantage On Sunday
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Ends Up With Another Top Five Result
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Brad Keselowski Noses Christopher Bell Out For Second
Joey Logano4 days ago

Goes From Pole To Win Sunday
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Starts 23rd
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Starts 24th At The AmBetter Health 400
AJ Allmendinger5 days ago

Eyes Another Strong Finish
NASCAR5 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Eyes Back-To-Back Superspeedway Wins
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

May Be Overlooked
Erik Jones5 days ago

Is A Value Play At Atlanta
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Seeks Better Results
Noah Gragson5 days ago

Might Surprise At Atlanta Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon5 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Atlanta
Ty Dillon5 days ago

Hoping To Keep Car Running At Atlanta
NASCAR5 days ago

J.J. Yeley Starts 34th Sunday At Ambetter Health 400
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF