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: NL Starting Pitchers

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

Today, we'll cover some undervalued and overvalued NL starting pitchers, to try and help 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 NL Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 98)

Look, there's no getting around this: Greinke's ERA went up by nearly three runs last year compared to his transcendent 2015. Some of that increase was fait accompli, of course. Greinke had enjoyed a friendly home park, excellent defense, and crazy good fortune in Los Angeles, and none of that was likely to be waiting for him in Arizona. But you'd have won a lot of money if you'd wagered that Greinke's ERA would begin with a four. All the aforementioned factors swung in the other direction for him, and he also got hurt. Before the injury, though, Greinke was having a year that was more or less standard issue:

ERA

WHIP

HR/9

K%

BB%

2016 Pre-Injury

3.62 1.16 0.99 20.3

4.7

Career

3.42 1.19 0.87 21.8

5.9

 
Have reservations about a 33 year old coming off shoulder issues? Fair enough. But Greinke's been a reliable fantasy arm for most of the last decade, and 2016 was a perfect storm of bad breaks. There's profit potential at the current price.

Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates (ADP: 117)

As a sequel to his breakout in 2015, Cole's performance last year was less The Empires Strikes Back and more The Matrix Reloaded. His ratios rose sharply and his strikeout percentage took a dive. How much of that was due to the elbow problems he experienced is tough to say definitively, It seems like a logical assumption that it played a significant role. Then again, Cole's velocity and most of his peripherals stayed constant from the prior year, so maybe the 40-point jump in BABIP and some rotten sequencing were culprits as well. Regardless, he's on his normal offseason routine with no issues so far, which is excellent news. Cole is just 26, has a favorable team and park context, and we've seen him reach his potential already. This is a overly generous injury discount.

Rich Hill, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 135)

Speaking of injury discounts, the market is naturally pricing in Hill's high risk. Thanks to multiple blisters (the price you pay for those beautiful and multitudinous curveballs, because life is nothing if not cruel and unyielding), Hill logged just 110 innings last season. Now, those innings were of superior quality, but they also represented his high water mark for the last decade. You simply can't reasonably expect 180 innings from the man. 150 might be a stretch. But a repeat of last year plus some smart streaming could easily add up to a full-season ace at a bargain price.

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 220)

In his first full big-league season, Nola maintained his solid walk rate while adding several percentage points to his K% and cutting down on home runs. Under normal circumstances, he'd be somebody for whom we were all paying an expectant price. Unfortunately, an elbow injury and a co(s)mically horrible strand rate conspired to wreck his ERA and ultimately, ended his season. Recent reports indicate that he'll enter spring training with no restrictions. Nola was in the midst of a breakout before the injury. The risk at this price is minimal, and the profit potential immense.

 

Overvalued NL Starting Pitchers

Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs (ADP: 67)

Here's what I wrote about Hendricks back in November. The current price tag certainly isn't surprising, but it is one I'm not likely to pay in any of my drafts this year. Tough not to feel like he could be this year's Dallas Keuchel.

Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals (ADP: 73)

Martinez turned in his second consecutive season with an ERA just above 3.00 and shaved a few points off his WHIP, but he really didn't show much improvement over the previous season. His walk rate remained middling, his batted ball data didn't budge much, and his K% actually fell by three points. Most importantly, he continued to have problems with left-handed hitters. Make no mistake - the current model is a good pitcher. This just feels a couple rounds early for him. You're paying for a breakout that may not be coming.

Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh Pirates (ADP: 150)

Taillon returned from the dead  the hinterlands of Siberia two injury-wiped seasons to post impressive results, first at Triple-A and then the majors. Thanks largely to an exceptional walk rate, the former top prospect gave owners who rolled the dice some solid ratios (3.38 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) in just over 100 MLB innings. It's always nice to see someone persevere against injury, especially early in their career. There are some lingering concerns with Taillon from a fantasy perspective, however. He's never thrown more than 165 innings he did last season, and after a two-year layoff, it's fair to wonder how many frames he can be counted on for in 2017. Taillon also didn't pile up many strikeouts despite his success, which limits his ceiling. There are several pitchers going a few rounds later whose upside is more worthy of a gamble.

 

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

Deshaun Watson

Browns Not Opening Deshaun Watson's 21-Day Practice Window
Paul George

Remains Out Tuesday vs. Celtics
Luguentz Dort

Ruled Out With Right Upper-Trap Strain
Aaron Wiggins

Sidelined for Third Straight Game
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Questionable With Neck Stiffness
T.J. McConnell

Questionable Tuesday vs. Jazz
Jake Walman

Plays Key Role in Comeback Victory
Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafreniere Bags Three Points in Monday's Win
Matthew Wood

Scores First Career Hat Trick at MSG
Brad Marchand

Stays Hot in Vegas
William Eklund

Could Be an Option Tuesday
Nick Leddy

Available on Tuesday
Mitchell Robinson

Considered Questionable for Tuesday
Aaron Gordon

Listed as Probable for Tuesday
Jamal Murray

Likely to Return Tuesday
Domantas Sabonis

Uncertain for Tuesday's Action
Stephen Curry

Officially Available Tuesday Night
Joel Embiid

Available Tuesday Against Celtics
Romeo Doubs

Questionable to Return in Week 10 Due to Chest Injury
Sandy Alcantara

Marlins Ready to Trade Sandy Alcantara
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks Motivated to Move Ketel Marte
Hunter Greene

Reds to Listen to Offers on Hunter Greene
Darius Garland

Won't Return on Monday Night
Paul Skenes

Pirates Won't Trade Paul Skenes
Joe Burrow

Could Return for Thanksgiving Game
Pete Alonso

Mets Expected to Let Pete Alonso Walk in Free Agency
Jared McCain

Available Tuesday Against Celtics
Kyle Tucker

to Sign With Yankees, Blue Jays, or Dodgers
Sam Hauser

Probable Tuesday Versus Philadelphia
Day'Ron Sharpe

Questionable Versus Raptors
Drake Baldwin

Named NL Rookie of the Year
Patrick Williams

Active Versus San Antonio
Kyle Hendricks

Hanging Up his Cleats After 12 Seasons
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Available Versus Dallas
Dereck Lively II

Still Sidelined on Monday
Freddy Peralta

Red Sox Linked to Freddy Peralta
Josh Giddey

Ruled Out Against Spurs
Nick Kurtz

Named AL Rookie of the Year
Daniel Gafford

Available Versus Milwaukee
Anthony Davis

Out Again on Monday
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Won't Open Brandon Aiyuk's Practice Window This Week
Matthew Golden

Officially Out Against Eagles
TreVeyon Henderson

on Week 11 Injury Report With Knee Injury
Matthew Golden

Not Expected to Play on Monday Night
Casey Mittelstadt

Out Week-to-Week
Garrett Wilson

Expected to Miss 3-4 Weeks With Knee Sprain
Jason Zucker

Dealing With Severe Viral Issue
Jiri Kulich

to "Miss Significant Time" Due to Blood Clot
Zack MacEwen

to Re-Enter Devils Lineup Monday
William Karlsson

Out on Monday
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

to Miss at Least One Week
Vincent Trocheck

Available Monday
Isiah Pacheco

May Not be Ready to Return in Week 11
Dalton Kincaid

Labeled Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Oronde Gadsden

Diagnosed With Bruised Quad, Considered "Day-to-Day"
Rashod Bateman

Dealing With a Sprained Ankle
Jayden Daniels

Won't Travel to Madrid in Week 11
Terry McLaurin

Won't Play in Week 11
Trey Hendrickson

Doubtful to Play in Week 11
Joe Burrow

Returning to Practice This Week
New York Giants

Giants Fire Head Coach Brian Daboll
Chris Godwin

No Timetable for Chris Godwin's Return
Bucky Irving

Could Miss Week 11
C.J. Stroud

Remains in the Concussion Protocol
CFB

Nic Anderson Could Return for LSU this Season
Daron Payne

Suspended One Game For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Lukas Dostal

Pushes Winning Streak to Career-Best Six Games
Matt Boldy

Has Two-Point Night Sunday
Jesper Wallstedt

Controls Flames
Nikolaj Ehlers

Registers Two Assists Sunday
Connor Bedard

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Nathan MacKinnon

Totals Five Points in Overtime Win
Charles-Alexis Legault

Suffers Hand Injury Sunday
Emmanuel Clase

Indicted on Gambling Charges, Facing 65 Years in Prison
Randy Brown

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Gabriel Bonfim

Extends His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Schnell

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Muslim Salikhov

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Uros Medic

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ismael Bonfim

Loses Back-to-Back Fights
Chris Padilla

Remains Unbeaten In The UFC
Kasperi Kapanen

Targeting December Return
Marco Tulio

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christian Leroy Duncan

Scores Second-Round Knockout Victory
Aaron Judge

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Award Winners
Shohei Ohtani

Headlines List of NL Silver Slugger Winners
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Officially Being Posted on Friday
Randy Brown

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Main Event
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 111
Matt Schnell

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Co-Main Event
Uros Medic

Aims To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Muslim Salikhov

Looks For His Fourth Consecutive Win
Chris Padilla

Looks To Remain Unbeaten In The UFC
Ismael Bonfim

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Marco Tulio

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Christian Leroy Duncan

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 111 Main Card
Kyle Tucker

Headlines List of 13 Players to Receive Qualifying Offers
Pete Fairbanks

Becomes a Free Agent
CFB

Luke Fickell Will Return as Wisconsin's Head Coach in 2026
Bo Bichette

Blue Jays Extend Qualifying Offer to Bo Bichette
Craig Stammen

Named Padres New Manager
Jorge Polanco

Declines his 2026 Option to Become a Free Agent
Chris Sale

Braves Picking Up Chris Sale's 2026 Option

RANKINGS

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