🖥 CYBER WEEK - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE CYBER
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ADP Values for Fantasy Baseball: AL Starting Pitchers

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to another article in our series of early ADP value analysis for fantasy baseball.

Keep reading for my thoughts on undervalued and overvalued AL starting pitchers, to identify draft targets and avoids based on ADP.

Opening Day is still over two months away, but it's never too soon for draft prep. ADP data from early NFBC rankings can give us a glimpse into what other owners are thinking heading into a new campaign.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Undervalued AL Starting Pitchers

Sean Manaea, Oakland Athletics (ADP: 179)

After some initial struggles in his rookie season, Manaea really found a groove. He posted sparkling ratios (2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) after the All-Star break, with the underlying metrics to back them up. Manaea's K-BB% increased by over five points in the second half, thanks largely to the progression of his changeup. It's true that he also benefited from a bit of good fortune with a .254 BABIP and 83% strand rate during that time, but there was legitimate improvement here. Given his obvious talent and favorable home park, it's surprising to see him lasting into the middle-late rounds of drafts so far. Perhaps lingering health concerns are playing a role.

Lance McCullers, Houston Astros (ADP: 191)

On the other hand, there's no question that health is what's keeping McCullers' price tag depressed. It's understandable, given that he experienced both elbow and shoulder issues last year. There's also the question of how much of his wildness in 2016 was attributable to those health problems, and how much of it was just lack of polish. The upside is immense, though - peep that 30% strikeout rate in an injury-marred season! I'd rather gamble on this kid and his sexy spike curve than many of the other arms being drafted around his ADP.

Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels (ADP: 252)

Over the last three seasons, Richards is 13th in ERA, 22nd in WHIP, and 30th in K/9 among pitchers with at least 400 innings logged. The right-hander opted against Tommy John surgery in favor of stem cell treatment for his injured elbow last season. There haven't been many reports on his status recently, but the Angels' ace is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Richards is certainly worth a flier at his current price.

 

Overvalued AL Starting Pitchers

Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox (ADP: 107)

Porcello's unlikely Cy Young season in 2016 has him back in the good graces of fantasy owners after his awful Boston debut the prior year.  His price tag isn't egregious, but there are too many other arms in the 20-30 range that are more appealing. Porcello's elite walk rate notwithstanding, he's not a great source of strikeouts and we saw in 2015 what can happen when he has trouble keeping the ball in the yard. He did fine on that front last year, but actually has seen his GB/FB decline in five straight years now. Beyond that, we can probably expect some regression in his .269 BABIP from last season, given that there wasn't much of a change in his contact quality. It's also tough to bank on him winning 22 games again, even with the Red Sox looking like the team to beat in the American League.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (ADP: 136)

Heading into last season, I was RotoBaller's resident Debbie Downer on King Felix. Where others saw a reliable ace coming off another excellent season, I saw a guy with a ton of mileage on his arm whose rates and velocity were all trending in the wrong direction. 2016 turned out to be Hernandez's worst season in almost a decade, as he battled injury and ineffectiveness. His strikeout rate tumbled, his ratios were middling, and he failed to reach 190 innings for the first time ever. Incredibly, he's only entering his age-31 season, but he's already thrown 2,400 innings. It's fair to wonder if we'll ever see the King on his throne again.

Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles (ADP: 150)

Gausman finally got a chance to pitch a full season in the majors, and the results were pretty solid. He posted a 3.61 ERA and 1.28 WHIP while striking out nearly a batter per inning, mostly on the strength of his 95 mph fastball and devastating splitter. However, he continued to have serious problems with the long ball, allowing 28 homers in 180 innings. Gausman pitches the majority of his starts in hitters' parks, so this is something he really needs to get under control if he's ever going to be the ace the Orioles expected when they took him fourth overall in the 2012 draft. In order to do that, he'll have to develop a legitimate third pitch. His slider and changeup continued to be among the worst in the majors in 2016, and until that changes, he'll remain a frustrating fantasy asset.

 

More Undervalued & Overvalued Picks


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Chris Olave

Officially Active in Week 14
Dalton Kincaid

Suiting Up Against Bengals
CFB

Kendal Briles a Candidate for South Carolina Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

James Madison Playoff-Bound After Duke Wins ACC Title?
CFB

Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama on College Football Playoff Bubble
Garrett Wilson

Still Expected to Return and Contribute in 2025
CFB

Brent Pry Could Return to Virginia Tech as Defensive Coordinator
Mike Evans

Could Return in Week 15
Trey Benson

Might Not Return This Season
Darcy Kuemper

Ends Losing Streak With Shutout Performance
Nikolaj Ehlers

Collects Three Points in Saturday's Win
Ilya Sorokin

Ties Franchise Record With 25th Shutout
Sam Bennett

Bags Season-High Four Points Saturday
Jordan Kyrou

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Saturday
Dominic James

Hurt on Saturday
Maxx Crosby

Trending Toward Playing Against Broncos
Chris Olave

Set to Play Vs. Bucs
LaMelo Ball

Won't Suit Up Against Denver
Immanuel Quickley

Questionable for Sunday Afternoon
Deshaun Watson

Expected to Stay With Browns Next Year
Klay Thompson

Downgraded Versus Houston
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Out Again on Saturday Evening
Tyler Herro

Will Miss Another Game on Saturday
Jimmy Butler III

Out Again on Saturday Night
Draymond Green

Ruled Out Versus Cleveland
Jose A. Ferrer

Mariners Acquire Jose A. Ferrer from the Nationals
Mason Marchment

Expected to Return Saturday
Danila Yurov

Returns From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Available Saturday
Harry Ford

Traded to the Nationals
Shane Pinto

to Miss Two Weeks
David Pastrnak

Misses Fifth Consecutive Game Saturday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Remains Out Saturday
Nikita Kucherov

Out on Saturday
Jayden Reed

Activated Off Injured Reserve, Will Play in Week 14
Omarion Hampton

Activated From IR, Faces Uncertain Workload Monday Night
Cody Bellinger

Drawing Interest From the Phillies
MacKenzie Gore

Will the Nationals Trade MacKenzie Gore?
Justin Herbert

Officially Listed as Questionable for Monday Night Football
Justin Herbert

Chargers "Expecting" Justin Herbert to Play in Week 14
Yves Missi

Trending Toward Game-Time Decision
Khris Middleton

Questionable With Knee Soreness Against Hawks
Noah Clowney

On Track To Suit Up Against Pelicans
De'Anthony Melton

Questionable With Knee Management
Draymond Green

Questionable With Mid-Foot Sprain
Jimmy Butler III

Day-To-Day As Warriors Prepare For Cleveland
Mikko Rantanen

Picks Up Three Points Against Sharks
Kyle Connor

Scores in Fourth Consecutive Game
Beckett Sennecke

Notches Two Points in Friday's Win
Ryan Leonard

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Friday
Carter Hart

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Brayden Point

Questionable for Saturday
Victor Hedman

Expected to Return Saturday
Byron Buxton

Twins Not Planning to Trade Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton
Patrick Williams

Dalen Terry Available Versus Pacers
Coby White

Returns With Minutes Restriction Friday
Ayo Dosunmu

Out Friday Against Pacers
Zach Collins

Available for Season Debut Friday
Robert Williams III

Donovan Clingan Out, Robert Williams III in for Portland Friday
Evan Mobley

Ready to Play Friday
Kristaps Porzingis

Coming Off the Bench Friday
Spencer Jones

Available Against Hawks
Ozzy Wiesblatt

to Miss 8-10 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
Rome Odunze

has Fractured Foot, Labeled Week-to-Week
Sauce Gardner

Ruled Out for Sunday
Petr Yan

Looks To Reclaim Bantamweight Belt
Merab Dvalishvili

Set For His Fourth Title Defense
Joshua Van

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Aaron Jones Sr.

Cleared to Play in Week 14
Chris Olave

Listed as Questionable for Week 14
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fifth Title Defense At UFC 323
Tatsuro Taira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Alvin Kamara

Ruled Out for Sunday
Brandon Moreno

Searches For His Third Win In A Row
Rome Odunze

Ruled Out for Week 14
Payton Talbott

A Favorite At UFC 323
Henry Cejudo

Set For His Retirement Fight
Drake London

Ruled Out vs Seattle
Jan Blachowicz

Set To Open Up UFC 323 Main Card
Lamar Jackson

Will Play on Sunday
Bogdan Guskov

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
CFB

Emmett Johnson Leaving Nebraska for 2026 NFL Draft
Dalton Kincaid

to be Questionable for Week 14
CFB

Jam Miller Unlikely to Play in SEC Title Game
CFB

Penn State Expected to Hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State
CFB

Arkansas Targeting Ron Roberts for Defensive Coordinator Job
Jhostynxon Garcia

Pirates Acquire Jhostynxon Garcia From Red Sox
Cody Bellinger

Yankees Pushing Hard to Re-Sign Cody Bellinger
CFB

Penn State Eyeing Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell For Coaching Vacancy
Alex Bregman

Cubs Have Renewed Interest in Alex Bregman
CFB

Billy Napier Finalizing Deal to Become James Madison's New Head Coach
CFB

Buster Faulkner Set to Become Florida's New Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Joe Sloan Expected to be Kentucky's New Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Lane Kiffin Working to Keep Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker at LSU
CFB

Brian Daboll a Candidate for Penn State Head-Coaching Job?
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal
Cedric Mullins

Rays Agree on One-Year Deal
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Considering Trading Freddy Peralta
Kyle Schwarber

Reds Serious About Adding Kyle Schwarber in Free Agency?
CFB

Brent Key Signing Five-Year Deal to Remain at Georgia Tech
CFB

Brian Hartline Expected to Land USF Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Collin Klein Expected to be Top Target for Kansas State if Head-Coach Job Opens
CFB

Chris Klieman Considering Stepping Down at Kansas State
CFB

D.J. Durkin Staying at Auburn Under Alex Golesh
CFB

Charlie Weis Jr. Permitted to Coach Ole Miss Offense in College Football Playoff
CFB

Five-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis Flips Commitment From Georgia to Vanderbilt
Kyle Schwarber

Giants Have Checked in on Kyle Schwarber
Willson Contreras

Willing to Waive his Full No-Trade Clause?
Edwin Díaz

Mets Still Interested in Re-Signing Edwin Diaz
Devin Williams

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Mets
Cole Ragans

Red Sox Targeting Cole Ragans in a Trade?

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP