RADIO
Joey Pollizze deep dives into four fantasy baseball starting pitchers to decide if their surprisingly good form merits a roster spot or staying on the waiver wire for Week 17 (2025).
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly unlikely aces piece looking at several underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball. Every week of the fantasy baseball season, we identify whether young emerging pitchers are for real or not. We will break down their recent starts and determine if they are worth a roster spot.
In this article, we will look at whether Noah Cameron, Quinn Priester, Jose Soriano, and Trevor Rogers are worth grabbing in Week 17 of the fantasy baseball season. All four pitchers have been throwing the ball well in recent weeks.
So, should fantasy managers pick up Cameron, Priester, Soriano, and Rogers in fantasy baseball leagues? Are these unlikely aces worth a roster spot in fantasy? Let's find out.
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Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cameron hasn't been talked about a whole lot in his rookie season. With Jacob Misiorowski and Chase Burns stealing headlines, Cameron has flown under the radar throughout 2025. However, Cameron should be talked about more because he's having a phenomenal rookie campaign.
The southpaw currently owns a 2.61 ERA and 65 strikeouts across 13 starts this year. Although Cameron allowed four runs across six innings in his most recent start against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, he had just one bad inning where he allowed all four runs in the second. Outside of that, he gave the Royals six strong innings.
Noah Cameron is the 2nd pitcher since 1893 with 6.1+ IP and 1 run or less in his first 4 MLB starts 🤯
(H/T @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/5x4tDTRlrd
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2025
Cameron's success on the mound this season has come from his unique pitch mix. He consistently throws five different pitches (four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter, slider, and curveball) and doesn't throw any one of those pitches more than 28% of the time. Most of his success, though, has come from his three off-speed pitches.
Opposing hitters are batting under .205 against his changeup, slider, and curveball this year, and 57 of his 65 strikeouts have come via those off-speed pitches. Those three pitches have certainly been key for Cameron to begin his career. All three off-speed pitches have at least a 30% whiff rate and a 22% putaway rate.
Verdict: At this point in the season, Cameron should be added in all 12-plus team leagues. He has really been a consistent fantasy option for most of the year, and his metrics suggest his numbers are sustainable moving forward. His expected ERA (3.15), expected batting average against (.227), average exit velocity (88.6 mph), and barrel rate (5.6%) all rank well.
Quinn Priester, Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers' pitching lab strikes again. After struggling in his first two major league seasons, the Brewers acquired Priester in early April in hopes of fixing the young pitcher. It's safe to say they did just that, as he currently owns a 3.33 ERA and 80 strikeouts across 18 games (13 starts) this year.
The right-hander has been phenomenal for Milwaukee's rotation in 2025, especially as of late. He threw seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts against the Colorado Rockies on June 28 and then tossed six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in his most recent outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 18.
Quinn Priester strikes out 10, combines with 3 relievers on a 3-hit shutout for the @Brewers. pic.twitter.com/7lLiZRts1C
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2025
Priester's sinker/cutter combination has worked well for him in his last few starts. He generated a combined 10 whiffs on those two pitches his last time out. But it's been both his slider and curveball that have carried him throughout the 2025 season. Opposing hitters are batting just .180 with 23 strikeouts against his slider and .103 with 12 strikeouts against his curveball.
The biggest thing for Priester moving forward is limiting contact against his cutter. The 24-year-old is throwing this pitch 16.6% more than he did last year, and the results have certainly been uneven. Although his cutter has become a better pitch for him recently, opposing hitters are still batting .319 against it this year.
If that cutter can turn into a reliable third pitch for him, we could see Priester take an even bigger step forward in 2025.
Verdict: Given the way Priester has pitched this season, he warrants an add in most 12-plus team leagues. He has a 2.41 ERA since May 20 and has logged seven quality starts during that span. Just be wary of some potential regression from the Brewers pitcher moving forward. His whiff rate (23.8%), average exit velocity (90.3 mph), and chase rate (25.9%) all rank poorly.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Soriano has thrown the ball well in his major league career so far. He finished with a 3.64 ERA across 38 relief appearances in 2023, had a 3.42 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) last season, and currently has a 3.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts across 120 innings pitched in 2025.
There have surely been some ups and downs for Soriano this season. He allowed eight runs across four innings against the Washington Nationals on June 27 and then gave up five runs across four innings against the Texas Rangers a few weeks later on July 8. Nonetheless, the right-hander has been an underrated fantasy option in 2025.
He has completed seven innings in four of his last eight starts, including a seven-inning shutout performance on July 3 against the Atlanta Braves. In his most recent start, Soriano threw seven innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts against a high-powered Phillies offense. The 26-year-old leaned on his sinker and knuckle curve in that outing.
Those two pitches have really carried Soriano on the mound for most of the year. He throws his sinker and knuckle curve a combined 78% of the time, and his knuckle curve has generated an impressive 42.3% whiff rate this season. His slider is also emerging as an underrated pitch for him. Despite throwing it just 7.4% of the time, that slider has a solid 26.7% putaway rate.
Verdict: Soriano has been hit or miss for fantasy managers in 2025. Although he has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 different starts, he has also given up at least five runs in six different outings. Therefore, the Angels pitcher should only be streamed in the right matchups for now. With a 91.2 mph average exit velocity, a 47.6% hard-hit rate, and an 11.1% walk rate, he isn't a must-add in most 12-team leagues.
Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles
When the Baltimore Orioles traded for Rogers at last year's trade deadline, they expected him to be a reliable starter in their rotation. However, that wasn't nearly the case, as Rogers had a 7.11 ERA in his first four starts with the Orioles and was eventually optioned down to Triple-A in August.
After starting the season down at Triple-A Norfolk in 2025, Rogers has looked like a completely different pitcher since being recalled by the team. He has a 1.74 ERA and 35 strikeouts across seven starts this season. The southpaw has thrown five quality starts in those seven starts, including an eight-shutout inning effort with four strikeouts against the Rangers back on June 23.
Trevor Rogers strikes out Kyle Stowers on three pitches
📹: MASN pic.twitter.com/7KpJrkDchh
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 12, 2025
It has certainly been fun to watch Rogers return to his All-Star form. The biggest difference for the left-hander this season has been the increase in his four-seam fastball usage. He only threw his fastball around 31.7% of the time last year, but that number has risen to 40.3% in 2025. That's not a complete surprise, considering the Orioles pitcher has seen a ton of success with that pitch so far.
Opposing hitters are batting just .167 against that four-seam fastball, and 18 of his 35 strikeouts have come on that pitch. Rogers has also added a sweeper to his arsenal, which has been a solid secondary pitch for him. Although he has only thrown it 44 times this year, nine of those pitches have resulted in a strikeout.
Verdict: Since being called up by the Orioles, Rogers has pitched well. He ranks in the 70th percentile or better in expected ERA (3.20), expected batting average against (.231), and barrel rate (5.4%), and continues to walk batters at a low clip (7.5%). So, fantasy managers should ride with him until the wheels fall off.
With a start upcoming against the Rockies in Week 17, Rogers is a strong add in most 12-plus team leagues. A pitcher with a 1.74 ERA should not be available on waivers.
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