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

Building The Perfect Starting Pitcher - Fantasy Baseball Value Picks and Studs (2025)

Hunter Brown - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Dan looks for starting pitcher fantasy baseball sleepers, values and draft targets for 2025. He analyzes studs to identify key metrics for finding upside SPs.

I am constantly hunting for fantasy baseball starting pitcher targets with upside that I can target outside the top 100 picks yearly.

This year I conducted another little research project of sorts in my never-ending quest for unearthing starting pitching talent in the middle and later rounds of 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. Below you'll find some of my favorite pitchers to target.

In this article, I'll examine which key statistics make up a quality starting pitcher for fantasy baseball -- and then I'll give you some of my favorite less-obvious targets for drafts.

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

 

Qualities We Look For In Starting Pitchers

For standard Roto and H2H 5x5 leagues, we care the most about wins, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and saves. Since we are talking about starting pitchers, we can forget about saves. Since wins are pretty random and have a lot more to do with factors that are outside a starting pitcher's control (run support, bullpens), let's not concern ourselves with those either.

So we are laser-focused here on ERA, WHIP, and Ks.

My favorite ERA indicator is SIERA and you'll see me reference it in just about every pitching article I write. I also pay attention to GB% as I am a firm believer that more ground balls than fly balls is usually a good thing for ERA when it comes to batted ball results.

For strikeout numbers, I think it's always important to look beyond just K% to CSW% and SwStr%. And lately, I've been looking at Stuff+ ratings when looking for strikeouts as K% and Stuff+ ratings are highly correlated.

We can't forget about walks, as walk rates can greatly impact WHIP. So you'll see BB% and K-BB% in the charts that follow.

In a perfect world, I want pitchers who can strikeout hitters at an above-average rate while also keeping their walks low, keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible, and limiting the amount of loud contact from opposing hitters. Is that too much to ask?

 

The Studs Who Do It All

Name SIERA WHIP K% BB% K-BB% GB% Barrel% SwStr% CSW% Stuff+
Garrett Crochet 2.53 1.07 35.10% 5.50% 29.60% 45.10% 9.20% 16.20% 30.70% 113
Paul Skenes 2.71 0.95 33.10% 6.20% 26.80% 51.30% 5.20% 13.10% 29.40% 110
Tarik Skubal 2.89 0.92 30.30% 4.60% 25.60% 45.70% 6.70% 14.60% 32.10% 111
Logan Gilbert 3.19 0.89 27.40% 4.60% 22.80% 45.10% 7.20% 14.90% 30.10% 101
Framber Valdez 3.41 1.11 24.00% 7.80% 16.20% 60.60% 5.30% 11.40% 29.80% 106

So when conducting the search for which pitchers match all of the criteria, I set the benchmarks around league-average or better in each of the following categories.

  • SIERA - 4.00 or lower
  • K% - 24% or higher
  • BB% - 8% or lower
  • GB% - 45% or higher
  • Barrel% - 9% or lower
  • Stuff+ - 100 or higher

It's no surprise that some of the names atop the list are elite pitchers who had huge years in 2024. Skenes and Skubal are the first two pitchers off the board in drafts, while Crochet and Gilbert are long gone by the second or third round.

Framber Valdez is a unique pitcher in that he's a Logan Webb-level groundball artist and a solid strikeout guy. But even Valdez is off the board by around pick 60. What we want to do in this article is find some pitchers who have similar statistical profiles that are available after pick 100.

 

More Affordable Starting Pitcher Values

Name SIERA WHIP K% BB% K-BB% GB% Barrel% SwStr% CSW% Stuff+
Justin Steele 3.74 1.1 24.30% 6.70% 17.70% 44.80% 4.20% 10.60% 27.70% 104
Nathan Eovaldi 3.64 1.11 23.90% 6.00% 17.80% 48.30% 7.70% 13.00% 28.60% 100
Nick Lodolo 3.78 1.2 24.70% 7.50% 17.20% 44.70% 8.20% 11.80% 29.20% 104
Hunter Brown 3.82 1.28 24.90% 8.70% 16.20% 48.20% 4.40% 10.30% 26.80% 102

 

Hunter Brown - Houston Astros

ADP: 105
Baller Move: 93

Hunter Brown improved in just about every possible statistical category from his 2023 rookie season to his 2024 sophomore campaign. He lowered his ERA a full run and a half from 5.09 to 3.49. That ERA was no fluke either, as it's backed by a 3.15 ERA, 3.56 xFIP, and a 3.82 SIERA.

His WHIP was still a bit high at 1.28, and if we are being super picky, then I'd love to see fewer walks. But the league average WHIP is still right around 1.3, so it's always good to keep that in perspective. He bounced back from a terrible start to last season and finished the final four months of the season incredibly strong.

Last year, Brown dropped his fastball usage from 45% to 35% while also adding a sinker and reshaping his slider. He now throws six pitches! He can run his sinker in on righties while also being able to go away from them with three different speeds of breaking pitches (cutter, slider, curveball).

I think the floor is incredibly high here with Brown as he's proven to be a solid strikeout pitcher who can also provide run prevention with his ground-ball tendency and growing repertoire of pitches. He's also been durable in his first two full seasons, tossing 155 and 170 innings in the last two seasons.

He's probably not going to approach the type of numbers we see from the elite tier of starters in the league, but I think he's firmly in the mix for the second tier and a very safe pick at this stage of the draft.

 

Justin Steele - Chicago Cubs

ADP: 126
Baller Move: 118

Let's play a little game here. Which of these lefties would you rather have on your fantasy team this season? Here are their career numbers - both are roughly the same age and have similar MLB experience. Let's hold that all other factors (defense, ballpark, health) are equal in this scenario.

  • Justin Steele - 3.24 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 24.4% K%, 50.9% GB%, 28.1% CSW%
  • Pitcher "X" - 4.33 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24.6% K%, 43% GB%, 28.0% CSW%

It's close, but I'll take Steele for his superior ERA and ground ball rate. If you were wondering, "Player X" is Nestor Cortes, who is being drafted on average 25 spots ahead of Steele in drafts right now.

The only explanation for his depressed ADP is that he made just 24 starts last year due to missing a month and a half at the beginning of the season. He's healthy coming into this year and has looked great so far this Spring. He's one of the more dominant lefties in baseball, and he does it without throwing harder than 92 MPH (if you're worried about drafting too many flamethrowers who may be bigger injury risks).

 

Nathan Eovaldi - Texas Rangers

ADP: 198
Baller Move: 187

I'm not sure there is a more well-rounded and proven starting pitcher this late in the draft. Eovaldi was quite boringly good last year in Texas, finishing with the best WHIP of his career (1.11) while tossing 170 innings across 29 starts.

His days of throwing in the high 90s are long behind him, but he still brings it 95 MPH with his heater while continuing to increase his splitter usage in each of the last three seasons (31% last year) to Kevin Gausman-like levels.

The splitter was a very effective pitch for him last season and helped transform him into a groundball-heavy pitcher when he was once someone who struggled with allowing home runs in his first few seasons as a starter in Boston.

Eovaldi had a solid 6% walk rate and his best SwStr% in five seasons as he finished at 13%. He's entering his age 35 season but has plenty of tread left on his tires as he's only thrown more than 150 innings four times in his career.

 

Nick Lodolo - Cincinnati Reds

ADP: 234
Baller Move: 215

We jump into the late rounds for our final qualifier - former blue-chip prospect Nick Lodolo of the Cincinnati Reds.

Lodolo has struggled through some arm issues early in his career, topping out at just 115 innings last season in 21 starts. But the six-foot-six lefty is still just 27 years old and possesses some impressive tools in his arsenal.

He throws his fastball around 94 MPH on average, but it plays up a bit because of his length and because he has such an effective breaking ball to keep hitters off balance. His curveball is one of the filthier pitches, with a Stuff+ rating of 125, 35.2% CSW%, and .171 xAVG last season.

His K% dropped to 24.7% last season - which is still solid - but he flashed 28% and 29% rates in his first two seasons and has a career SwStr% of 13.5%. He has major swing-and-miss stuff but his Location+ of 99 suggests that he still needs to improve his location to truly harness his upside.

If he can stay healthy this year, we could see him emerge as a legit ace alongside Hunter Greene in the Cincy rotation. His stuff is that good; he needs to continue to focus on locating his pitches and developing more consistency. He's oozing upside and is an easy pick this late in drafts, as there's very little risk attached to taking him here.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




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

Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF