5 Impressive Fantasy Baseball Breakout Pitchers - Walbert Urena, Gage Jump, Troy Melton, Brandon Young, Hunter Dobbins

June 9, 2026

Joey looks at five starting pitcher fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers off to hot starts in 2026. Are Walbert Urena, Gage Jump, Troy Melton ,Brandon Young and Hunter Dobbins for real?

There are plenty of starting pitchers who continue to break out right in front of our eyes. Ben Brown is throwing the ball better than he ever has, Peter Lambert is finally showing his full potential after a few rough seasons to start his career, and Michael Soroka is back to his rookie-year form following a few injury-riddled seasons.

For this week, we'll look at five pitchers who are showing signs of breaking out. These five pitchers are all trending up and have posted solid numbers on the mound recently. All five pitchers are also rostered in under 30% of Yahoo! leagues at the time of this writing, which means most of them are widely available in most leagues.

So, should fantasy managers look to add these five starting pitchers before they continue their breakout season? Let's dive in and find out.

Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels

27% Rostered

Rookie right-hander Walbert Urena started the season in the Los Angeles Angels bullpen before being optioned down to Triple-A in early April to build up as a starter. Since coming back up on April 18, Urena has emerged as a reliable pitcher in Los Angeles' rotation. He has a 2.77 ERA and 46 strikeouts in nine starts.

The 22-year-old has been really good on the mound this season. He has a mean fastball that sits close to 98 mph, and his swing-and-miss stuff continues to be on display. Urena has struck out at least five batters in three straight outings and just generated 13 whiffs in his most recent start against the Rockies. Both his chase rate (32.3%) and whiff rate (28.6%) this season are encouraging signs for the future.

Fantasy managers are always hesitant to pick up pitchers on poor teams, but he's a solid add in most formats. His expected batting average against (.204), expected ERA (3.30), and hard-hit rate (33.6%) all rank in the top half of the league, and his changeup continues to be a dangerous pitch for him. Opposing hitters are batting just .145 with a 36.7% whiff rate and 23 strikeouts against that pitch this season.

Walbert Ureña, Filthy Changeups. 😷 pic.twitter.com/6n4kamYQ9Q

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 19, 2026

While his walks can be a problem at times (12.8%), Urena has done a great job of working around them by inducing a ton of ground balls. With an above-average 12% swinging strike and a 99th percentile Offspeed Run Value, Urena is worth adding in 12+ team leagues. He has a 2.08 ERA since May 1.

Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers

25% Rostered

Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton has made a strong impression in his first few starts. After beginning the year on the 60-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, Melton has been lights out on the mound since making his season debut. The 25-year-old has allowed just four earned runs in his first 20 2/3 innings pitched (1.74 ERA).

Melton threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Orioles on May 24, delivered seven innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on May 29, and recently threw eight innings of two-run ball against the Rays on June 3. His 1.74 ERA during this stretch definitely puts the Tigers right-hander on fantasy radars in Week 11.

However, Melton is not necessarily a must-add at this point in the year. His whiff rate (15.7%) and strikeout rate (11.4%) both rank extremely poorly, and his 7.8% swinging strike rate is a major concern moving forward. Melton's inability to miss bats will eventually affect his overall numbers. That's why fantasy managers shouldn't fully buy into the youngster's breakout.

Melton also currently owns a .175 batting average on balls in play that he won't be able to keep this low, and his 4.47 expected ERA suggests that he got a bit lucky on the mound in those three outings. He's someone to keep a close eye on for now.

Gage Jump, Athletics

24% Rostered

Athletics starting pitcher Gage Jump is just scratching the surface. The Athletics called up their No. 3 prospect back in late May to take Aaron Civale's spot in the rotation. Since being promoted to the Major Leagues on May 26, Jump has shown a ton of promise on the mound. He has a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in his first three starts.

His best outing to begin his career actually came in his most recent start against the Astros on Sunday. The southpaw threw 6 1/3 shutout innings with three hits allowed, three walks allowed, and three strikeouts. He was simply dealing against Houston's offense and generated 12 whiffs in that game. Those 12 whiffs marked the second time in three starts that he has induced double-digit swings and misses.

Gage Jump is finding his big league groove 🔥

MLB's No. 7 LHP prospect has allowed just one run across his past 13 1/3 IP for the @Athletics: pic.twitter.com/nYzq9cVnhH

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2026

It might be a small sample size, but Jump has the potential to be an above-average fantasy pitcher in Year 1. He has a 37.3% chase rate, a 4.1% walk rate, and a 28.6% hard-hit rate in his first three starts, and the strikeout numbers should slowly start to tick up. This is the same pitcher who had a 33.3% strikeout rate in 38 innings pitched at Triple-A before his promotion.

There are going to be some ups and downs for Jump in his first year in the big leagues. That's just the reality. However, the way he has pitched over his last two starts should give fantasy managers confidence that his breakout could be real. The Athletics left-hander should be added in all 12+ team leagues.

Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles

10% Rostered

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Brandon Young has thrown the ball well this season. Outside of a 10-run clunker against the Astros back on April 30, Young has really been a consistent fantasy pitcher. He has a current 3.47 ERA across 49 1/3 innings pitched and has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.

The key for Young lately has been the ability to throw strikes, which has allowed him to go deeper into games. The Orioles right-hander didn't allow an earned run across 6 2/3 innings against the Tigers on May 24, threw 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball with a season-high seven strikeouts against the Blue Jays on May 30, and threw 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball against the Blue Jays in his most recent start.

Although Young has looked good on the mound recently, some regression is likely headed his way within the next few weeks. His expected ERA (4.50) is 103 points higher than his actual ERA (3.47), and his expected batting average against (.259), whiff rate (21.5%), strikeout rate (17.3%), and hard-hit rate (42.4%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. His 10% swinging strike rate is also not anything special.

As a result, Young's breakout doesn't appear to be for real. While fantasy managers could still pick him up in some deeper leagues, be ready to jump ship once the inevitable struggle does occur.

Hunter Dobbins, St. Louis Cardinals

1% Rostered

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins is the most interesting pitcher on this list. He struggled in his first start of the season back on April 30, allowing three runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Pirates. The command was an issue for him in that outing, as he walked five of the 19 batters he faced.

The Cardinals eventually optioned Dobbins to Triple-A following that start, and the right-hander spent the next few weeks in the Memphis Redbirds' rotation. He then allowed just six runs in 22 innings pitched (2.45 ERA) across four Triple-A starts from May 7 to May 26 before St. Louis called him back up on May 31 as a bullpen arm.

In that long-reliever role for the Cardinals, Dobbins has thrown the ball well. He allowed just one earned run with four hits, zero walks, and four strikeouts across 3 2/3 innings on May 31 and threw five scoreless innings with four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts on June 5. Those strong recent numbers have led St. Louis to give Dobbins another start in the big leagues.

Hunter Dobbins' Splinker grip. pic.twitter.com/CDlcTPmfrM

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2025

The 6-foot-2 right-hander is the Cardinals' probable starter for Thursday's game against the Mets. While Dobbins did struggle in his one prior start this season, fantasy managers should be intrigued by his potential. He induced eight whiffs in his most relief appearance on Friday and has a solid 26.4% strikeout rate in his 13 innings pitched in the big leagues this year.

Dobbins isn't a must-add by any means, but he's a speculative add in 15+ team leagues as the Cardinals get another look at him in the rotation.

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