RADIO
Justin Steele is a 2023 fantasy baseball draft sleeper at SP, and is an ADP draft value. Target Steele as an undervalued SP in fantasy baseball drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 270
CURRENT ADP: ~300 overall
ANALYSIS: Justin Steele began to solidify himself as a legitimate starter in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs, pitching to an impressive 3.18 ERA and 3.20 FIP across 119 innings pitched. His sophomore campaign was highlighted by a dominant second half, where he posted a 0.98 ERA in seven starts—including an 11.5 K/9.
The 27-year-old missed time while on the paternity list in July, the restricted list in August, and the injured list in September. When he did start, he was nearly untouchable. Steele was able to take a big step forward in 2022 by refining his pitch arsenal by throwing his slider more. The Missouri native went from throwing the pitch just 16.5% of the time in 2021 to 31% in 2022. Per Statcast, batters slugged just .216 against the pitch last season and had an xBA of .152.
Steele is definitely a starter to keep an eye on when it comes to your fantasy draft this year. While not as sexy of a name as Corbin Burnes, Aaron Nola, or Sandy Alcantara, Steele is a safe pick who will collect strikeouts and supply innings. ATC projects Steele to throw 144 innings to the tune of a 3.78 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Something to be cautious of is his injury history entering his third year in the majors, as he did miss a significant amount of time in 2022. Should he remain healthy, though, he’ll certainly be a solid addition to most fantasy rosters.
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