2025 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Later-Round Values for Drafts

February 26, 2025

Jarod's starting pitcher fantasy baseball prospects sleepers for the later rounds of drafts in 2025. These top MLB pitching prospects are late-round sleepers.

With another fantasy baseball season upon us, it is time to prepare in order to deftly maneuver your way through the draft so you have a better shot at outperforming your league mates. You've probably already read the first part of this article, Top Fantasy Baseball Prospect Pitchers for 2025, but you're looking for more players who can help.

If 2025 is anything like last year, then the fantasy baseball prospects below could quickly be called upon to help in the pitching department, perhaps just in time, too. Last season, we saw promising youngster Eury Perez go down with an injury before pitching in a regular season game, Spencer Strider succumbed just two games in, same with Shane Bieber and Jesus Luzardo halfway through, just to name a few.

So, whether it is injury or underperformance, every fantasy manager could always use more pitching. Below are three prospect pitchers who are worthy of roster spots in deeper leagues, with all of them currently getting drafted beyond the 300th pick, but they have the talent to have success at the major league level.

Bubba Chandler, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Current ADP: 343
MLB Prospect Rank: No. 15 overall
2024 AAA stats: 7 GS, 39 1/3 IP, 1.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 34.0% K%, 9.4% BB%

As it was in 2024 with the highly anticipated debut of Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates begin the 2025 season with another exciting young arm knocking on the door of the major leagues.

This time, it is Pittsburgh's top-ranked prospect, Bubba Chandler. The 2021 third-round draft pick was originally drafted as a two-way player but began working solely as a pitcher in 2023.

With his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and upper-80s slider, he's always had great strikeout stuff, posting a 28.6% K% between 2022 and 2023, but it came with a 12.0% BB%, 4.02 ERA, and a 1.39 WHIP over those 152 1/3 innings.

However, he took a step forward in 2024 despite facing stiffer competition, recording a 3.08 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with the help of an improved 30.9% K% and 8.6% BB% over 119 2/3 IP. His seven Triple-A starts alone were particularly impressive, with a 1.83 ERA and 34.0% K%.

🔥 Let's talk prospects! 🔥
Bubba Chandler (#LetsGoBucs) crushed it with a 1.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, & 54 Ks in his first 39.1 Triple-A IP

Just 2 HRs allowed! 👀

High-upside steal at his 361.8 ADP on @TheReal_NFC #MLB #FantasyBaseball pic.twitter.com/KLVNwb8Vzp

— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) January 10, 2025

Right now, the righty is not expected to start the season in the majors, but were he to surprise and make the team out of camp, he would be a steal at his current ADP, so managers should keep an eye on any developments in the spring.

Barring some unforeseen struggles, however, the 22-year-old is expected to see time in the big leagues this season and is the highest-ranked pitching prospect outside of the top 300 in 2025 drafts.

Managers in deep leagues or who have deep benches should consider stashing MLB's 15th-ranked prospect or take the chance of losing out on him whenever he does inevitably get the call to the Show.

Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Current ADP: 454
MLB Prospect Rank: No. 32 overall
2024 AAA stats: N/A

With the 13th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies had high expectations for Andrew Painter.

The 6-foot-7 pitcher showed well in four starts in the Florida Complex League in 2021, then earned a pair of promotions in 2022, going from Single-A to Double-A by season's end, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 5.6% HR/FB%, and an astounding 32.4% K-BB% over 22 starts (103 2/3 IP).

But in March of 2023, he experienced elbow pain, which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery in July of that season, causing him to miss all of 2023 and 2024.

The righty hasn't pitched since 2022 at Double-A, so why are we even considering him? Because of the potential, that is why. Being compared to the likes of young Justin Verlander will resonate well with fantasy managers.

While he did not pitch in the minors during the 2024 regular season, the former first-rounder made it back from his rehab in time to knock some rust off in the Arizona Fall League (AFL).

It would have been understandable if Andrew Painter had shown some rust in the Fall League, where he was making his first competitive appearances since 2022.

Instead, he looked as dominant as ever.https://t.co/Nhcyt03GaL pic.twitter.com/SjumlyKvP5

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 26, 2024

Not only did he knock the rust off, but he pitched like he hadn't missed a beat, starting six games, allowing four earned runs over 15 2/3 IP (2.30 ERA), posting a 0.89 WHIP, and recording a 4:18 BB:K on the way to earning the AFL Pitcher of the Year honors.

Still, at only 21 years old, the Phillies don't need to rush Painter to the pros, and it doesn't sound like they will, according to the Phils' president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, who recently expressed that the hurler will not pitch in the spring and won't be expected in the majors until July sometime.

With Painter on a clear innings limit this season, it's hard to justify using a high pick on him, however, at a current ADP of 454 a lot of that has been baked into his price.

In 2024, we saw pitchers continuously go down with an injury, leaving managers scrambling to fill out rotations. Although Painter may not be your Opening Day fantasy starter, he could certainly be a capable reinforcement with high upside come midseason.

Rhett Lowder, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Current ADP: 545
MLB Prospect Rank: No. 33 overall
2024 AA stats: 16 GS, 77 1/3 IP, 4.31 ERA (2.93 xFIP), 1.27 WHIP, 23.8% K%, 5.6% BB%

If you aren't convinced by the first two guys, then perhaps Rhett Lowder is your man, as he's the only one here with major-league experience. The 22-year-old made quick work of the minors and earned six starts for the Reds down the stretch last season.

Cincinnati took the pitcher with the seventh-overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft but did not make his professional debut until 2024, starting out in High-A but spending the bulk of the season at Double-A before making one start at Triple-A on his way to the big leagues.

Over those 22 minor league starts, the righty posted a 3.64 ERA (3.18 FIP), 1.15 WHIP, and a 19.9% K-BB%. As one might expect, strikeouts did not come as easy in the Show (17.2% K%), and the command wasn't so sterling (10.9% BB%).

The product out of Wake Forest minimized damage, though, allowing just four earned runs (zero HR) in 30 2/3 IP, good for a 1.17 ERA to go along with a 1.27 WHIP.

Rhett Lowder, Wicked 86mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/hilz1kwEfh

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 11, 2024

Unfortunately, even though Lowder showed well in the majors, there currently isn't a rotation spot for him, with Hunter Greene and Brady Singer locking down the front end, along with lefties Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott holding down the back end.

Nick Martinez is the fifth starter and is a righty like Lowder, but the Reds brought him back on a one-year deal after a career year in 2024, so he'll surely get a shot to have a successful repeat, even at age 34.

At some point, however, another opportunity will present itself for Lowder to reinsert himself back into the rotation, and fantasy managers should be ready to pounce, even if it means taking him very late in a deep league draft.

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