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RotoBaller's 9 league-winning pitchers, fantasy baseball breakouts, values, studs to provide massive return on value in 2026 including Cade Horton, Eury Perez, Griffin Jax, and more.
With Opening Day just days away, it's time to identify some league-winning pitchers. Some of these pitchers are significantly underpriced in current ADP or are poised for a breakout campaign due to their underlying metrics
In this piece, we will spotlight nine of our RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Staff's league-winning pitchers, including Griffin Jax, Cade Horton, Eury Perez, and more.
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Ryan Pepiot, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
NFBC ADP: 130
Pepiot’s home run problems were exacerbated by playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field, with 17 of his 26 HRs allowed in 2025 coming there. He also made a career-high 31 starts, but clearly wore down while pushing to new limits.
The righty finished the first half of the season with three consecutive quality starts only to record none in the second half, eventually resting in September due to “general body fatigue.” He made two more starts after that, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 IP.
This writer believes that the HR problem will be helped by moving back to Tropicana Field, and then a full offseason to regain endurance might help him maintain form throughout the season. He won’t jump to “ace” levels without improving his slider usage against righties, but we’re still excited.
- Written by Nick Mariano
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles
NFBC ADP: 71.81
Kyle Bradish is going to be a legit ace this season.
2.63 SIERA, 14.6 SwStr% in 32 IP last year.
Once you realize this, you'll understand that the Orioles rotation is better than it looks.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) January 3, 2026
Kyle Bradish looked dominant in his return from Tommy John surgery last season, registering a 2.63 SIERA with a 37.3% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate in 32 innings. There's a good chance that the best is yet to come for the 29-year-old righty.
Even though there are whispers of an innings limit, I'm not too concerned. The Orioles desperately need Bradish to pitch like an ace this season if they're to get back to the top of the AL East. I'm betting on 160+ innings with elite ratios and a high strikeout rate from Bradish this year.
- Written by Frank Ammirante
Devin Williams, New York Mets
NFBC ADP: 73
While I strongly considered selecting Cade Smith, his upside is already being backed into his ADP as he is typically going as the RP3-RP4 in most drafts. However, Devin Williams is usually sliding to the bottom of the "early" relievers but possesses nearly just as much upside as many names in that group.
He is my favorite "RP1" to draft if I cannot acquire Smith a few rounds earlier.
Williams was one of the first relief pitchers off the board in the draft last spring, as he was set to join one of the top teams in the sport, the New York Yankees. Williams was a high-end reliever with the Brewers, and he had consensus 40+ save upside joining the reigning American League Champions. However, the 31-year-old would have a very disappointing season, posting a 4.79 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
He would tally just 18 saves, as he was pulled from the ninth-inning role at several times but did continue to showcase his high-end whiff upside, posting a 34.7% K%.
However, he did begin to look like his former self down the stretch, which opens the door for a massive bounce-back season. Over his last 18 innings, Williams posted a 2.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP while holding a 34:6 K:BB. Prior to this stretch, William posted a hefty 7.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP.
Over his final two months, Williams' four-seamer took a major step forward, posting a .135 xwOBA and a .223 xwOBA, both of which were season-best marks in relation to early in the season. From April through July, this pitch averaged a much higher .306 xwOBA.
Additionally, this pitch also posted a much lower ground-ball rate over the final two months, which bolstered his production as well.
This is a pitcher who posted an impressive 1.89 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with only 10 total blown saves from 2021 through 2024 (195 innings). Williams has RP1 upside in his outcome, but could be selected as one of the final true "RP1s" in current ADP.
Pitching for an Mets team that figures to be in the playoff conversation all summer should provide him with ample save opportunities. Last summer, Edwin Diaz tallied 28 saves while blowing three. Williams should see 30+ save opportunities with the potential to post a sub-2.00 ERA and elite strikeout totals.
Williams has a near-identical ADP to Aroldis Chapman and David Bednar, who have been far more inconsistent over the past few seasons than Williams has.
- Written by Andy Smith
Cade Cavalli, SP, Washington Nationals
NFBC ADP: 295
Cavalli has endured quite the odyssey to reach being Washington’s Opening Day starter in 2026, but the 2020 first-round pick is here nevertheless. Tommy John and a dead arm period didn’t stop him from reaching back for over 100 mph in his first start of 2025!
There were great moments, but the overall 4.25 ERA/1.48 WHIP and 18.3% K rate over 10 abbreviated outings (48 2/3 IP) didn’t move fantasy needles. Righties crushed him with a .990 OPS, though that includes things like a .448 AVG against the knuckle curve (.290 xBA…still bad, but not THAT).
A healthy offseason has given him a chance to finally beef up his pitch mix with big-league technology and attention, rather than simply working on “health.” This has led to a turbo slurve and one-seam sinker entering the arsenal. The 9:2 K:BB over nine scoreless spring frames may only be a glimpse of success to come!
- Written by Nick Mariano
Eury Perez, Miami Marlins
NFBC ADP: 81.37
Reach on Eury Perez this year.
He gave us a preview of what's to come in his final four starts:
20.0 IP
1.97 SIERA
42.3 K%
5.1 BB%
16.0 SwStr%126 Stuff+ during that stretch.
For context, Garrett Crochet led MLB with 116 Stuff+ for the year.
Eury will be an ace in 2026.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) February 2, 2026
Eury Perez was outstanding to finish off the 2025 season after returning from Tommy John surgery. In his last four starts, Perez allowed a combined six earned runs with four walks and 33 strikeouts in 20 innings.
The 22-year-old is an emerging ace poised for a career year in 2026. Even though there are innings concerns, especially with the Marlins rebuilding, you should get elite ratios here. I'm betting that we'll see 150+ innings from Perez this year.
- Written by Frank Ammirante
Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays
NFBC ADP: 182
The Rays have a messy bullpen to begin the season, which should allow right-hander Griffin Jax to face little competition, with Edwin Uceta (shoulder) working his way back from injury. While it is still unknown how much time Uceta may miss, he is unlikely to be cleared for Opening Day.
This will make Jax the near de facto ninth-inning option with lefty Garrett Cleavinger moving in as the top setup option. The Rays acquired Jax from the Twins at the trade deadline, and he continued to showcase his elite strikeout upside, typically taking the eighth inning.
Over 66 innings (shared between Minnesota and Tampa Bay), Jax held a 4.23 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP. He struck out hitters at an incredible 35.0% rate (99th percentile) while generating a 37.3% whiff rate (97th percentile). While his face-value ratios may not look overly pretty, under the hood, he generated a 3.26 xERA, suggesting that he should be primed to return to his 2024 level of production.
During that season, Jax logged 71 innings to the tune of a 2.03 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, while posting a 34.4% K% and a low 5.4% BB%.
His pitches remained elite, with his two most-used pitches being his sweeper and changeup. generated a + 46.0% whiff rate each while holding a .241 and a .199 xwOBA respecteivly.
While he spent most of his career as the setup man behind Jhoan Duran in Minnesota, Tampa does not have the surefire ninth-inning option, and Uceta has already been delayed. Jax can claim the ninth-inning role in the first month and run away with it. Even if he were to take only 60%-65% of the save opportunities, Jax has 15+ save upside with the potential to rack up 100+ punchouts. This upside cannot be found in this range of the draft.
He is a must-draft as a SP2 in deeper leagues or a high-end SP3 in shallower leagues.
Jax is being selected after other relievers who, albeit, may have a high floor in terms of "saves" but have far greater risk in terms of strikeout upside and ratios, such as Carlos Estevez and Emilio Pagan.
Griffin Jax is going to have some absurd strikeout numbers at the Trop pic.twitter.com/0WQdCh4Bla
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) February 16, 2026
- Written by Andy Smith
Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs
NFBC ADP: 198
Try to tamp down spring excitement as you may, Horton sitting around 96 mph, hitting 98.6, and getting whiffs on 21-of-41 swings over 72 pitches against a lefty-stacked Astros lineup will tip the scales. Drill down on the changeup, and you get an 11-of-15 whiff rate!
One can see how his 47.8% whiff rate on the pitch sat as third-best last year, which helped keep lefty bats in check. Will he bump last year’s 13% usage rate up in Year 2? On top of that, he must learn to be more consistent with the four-seamer and avoid leaving his sweeper over the zone.
Cade Horton’s changeup was a huge weapon against left-handed hitters last season.
.120/.185/.160 Opp Slash
81.7 EV | 18.2 Hard-Hit%
47.2 Whiff% | .163 wOBAHe actually posted a lower FIP vs LHH than vs RHH. pic.twitter.com/1cqs4C9MbC
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) February 2, 2026
- Written by Nick Mariano
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
NFBC ADP: 46
Chris Sale was the "league-winner" back in 2024 when he logged 177 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.38 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He racked up 225 punchouts en route to taking home the NL Cy Young crown. However, in 2025, the veteran left-hander was a major disappointment, logging only 125 2/3 innings after missing several months due to a rib injury.
Even though his workload was limited, which lowered his overall ceiling, when on the bump, Sale was just as dominant. He held a 2.58 ERA with a strong 1.09 WHIP. He struck out hitters at a 32.4% rate, a slight 0.3% jump from his elite 2024 mark. However, his walk rate slightly increased to 6.3% from 5.6% the previous summer.
Given his ADP, it appears managers have begun to write off this injury-prone Cy Young candidate, as he is valued as a low-end SP1. However, this presents a great buying opportunity to potentially acquire a high-end pitcher at a major discount. Even though Sale missed time in 2025, it was not due to an arm/elbow injury, which is why I am willing to select him at his ADP.
Sale suffered a rib fracture when tackling to dive for a baseball, which is a very unpredictable injury and has not faced any restrictions this spring.
Under the hood, Sale generated an elite 92nd percentile xERA with an 86th percentile xBA. His .265 xwOBA was nearly identical to his .263 xwOBA from his Cy Young campaign. His No. 1 pitch, his slider, was even more dominant than in 2024, as its xwOBA continued to decline while its whiff rate remained above 39.0%.
Sale is currently going after pitchers like Bryan Woo and Hunter Brown in the current NFBC, as it's going off the board as a low-end SP1. When healthy, Sale has just as much upside as the top-3 group of Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, and Paul Skenes.
- Written by Andy Smith
MacKenzie Gore, Texas Rangers
NFBC ADP: 169.21
MacKenzie Gore is an obvious breakout with the trade to the Rangers.
27.2 K%, 3.80 SIERA last year.
Rangers had the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in MLB in 2025.
Reach on Gore.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) January 29, 2026
This one is an easy pick, as we're riding with the inconsistent MacKenzie Gore, who showed a high ceiling at times last year, including a dominant outing against the Phillies when he struck out 13 hitters over six frames of one-hit ball. While Gore fizzled out down the stretch, he still put up a career-high 27.2% strikeout rate.
Now, Gore leaves the rebuilding Nationals to join the Rangers, who play in one of the most pitcher-friendly environments in baseball. The change in park factor should be enough for Gore to have a career year with upside for more.
- Written by Frank Ammirante
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