January 5, 2026

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered an outstanding 2025 regular season, pitching to a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 20.8% K-BB% (with 201 strikeouts to 59 walks) across 173 2/3 innings in 30 starts. The 27-year-old ace then ascended to an even higher level in the postseason, where he went 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 0.78 WHIP over 37 1/3 innings, including multiple complete games and a dominant World Series performance that earned him MVP honors. He battled a rotator-cuff strain in his debut MLB season in 2024, which limited him to just 90 innings, but he nearly doubled his workload in his second big-league campaign. The former NPB star held opposing hitters to just a .165 batting average after the All-Star Break, relying on his deadly top three offerings in his fastball, splitter, and curveball. Yamamoto's ADP has risen all the way to a second-round price tag at 24.23 on NFBC as the fifth pitcher off the board. Yamamoto is one of only seven starting pitchers since his debut in 2024 to post an FIP below 3.00 (minimum 250 innings), and he holds the fifth-lowest ERA in that time. There are concerns about his ability to repeat his big workload, especially after an arduous postseason, but he projects very favorably again on one of the best teams in baseball for 2026.--Kyle McCarthy
Source: RotoBaller