5 Starting Pitcher Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2026)

March 24, 2026

Jarod's top 5 starting pitcher prospects for 2026, and fantasy baseball prospect sleepers for drafts. He looks at the best SP fantasy prospects entering 2026.

With less than a few days before the regular season gets underway, fantasy managers might have a good idea which players they are targeting in the early rounds. But who should be targeted in the mid-to-late rounds? In some cases, prospects are a lesser-known commodity, but as such, they can return plenty of value.

In this article, we will look at five of the best pitcher prospects for fantasy baseball in 2026. None of them will cost managers a lot in terms of draft capital, but they have the potential to outproduce their ADPs, especially those that are further down the list.

Note that Chase Burns is a worthy pick, too, but is not included on this list as MLB.com no longer lists him as a prospect, while other sites might still give him prospect status. Also note that ADPs referenced here are taken from NFBC drafts that have taken place over the last two weeks, so we can get an up-to-date view of where these guys are going.

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Fantasy Baseball Prospects in Starting Roles

Nolan McLean, New York Mets

ADP: 91

After cruising through Double and Triple-A in 2025, Nolan McLean burst onto the MLB scene in August. The talented young pitcher went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA (2.97 FIP), a 1.04 WHIP, and a strong 21.8 percent K-BB% in eight starts (48 innings pitched).

His 30.3 percent K% would have put him in the top 12 in that statistic had he qualified, right behind strikeout artist Garrett Crochet (31.3 percent) and ahead of Paul Skenes (29.5 percent).

Nolan McLean turns in a solid start during the World Baseball Classic final 🇺🇸

4.2 IP | 4 H | 2 R | 1 BB | 4 K

MLB's top-ranked pitching prospect (@Mets) averaged 98.1 mph on his heater and 3186 RPMs on his sweeper: pic.twitter.com/9i5jrUxVSi

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 18, 2026

So far this spring, the right-hander has made one Grapefruit League start, striking out six and walking one in four innings of work. He also made two starts in the World Baseball Classic, notching eight strikeouts in seven and 2/3 innings pitched. That's 14 Ks in 11 2/3 IP, good for more than a strikeout per inning, which is certainly something we want to see from our fantasy rotation pieces.

At a price of 91 overall in drafts, the 24-year-old is reasonably priced, perhaps even at a slight discount, with RotoBaller ranking him at 81 overall, and he is a worthy low-end SP2 for fantasy.

Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates

ADP: 147

It took the Pirates long enough, but they finally called up top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler in August of last year. On the surface, the numbers didn't look all that impressive, but take a closer look. His first three appearances were good, but they came as a reliever. He got a chance as a starter in his fourth appearance, but got blown up for nine earned runs in two and 2/3 IP.

Over the right-hander's final three starts, he allowed just two earned runs in 16 2/3 IP (1.08 ERA) while striking out 19 batters and walking NONE. That's the kind of dominance we saw at times in the minors and what fantasy managers are hoping for in 2026.

Surely he won't be that dominant over the course of an entire season, but it shows what he is capable of. The former third-round draft pick hasn't looked quite as sharp this spring, but he looked to have rounded into form in his last Grapefruit League start on March 12, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out eight and walking only one over five innings.

Bubba Chandler's 8 Strikeouts.

Dude is electric. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/rLmncrjHe3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 12, 2026

The 23-year-old has a fastball that averaged 98.9 mph during his time in the majors last year, good for 98th-percentile velocity, and generated a superb 39.6 percent whiff rate on his changeup during his time with the Pirates.

At an ADP of 147, right where he's ranked at RotoBaller, the 6-foot-3 hurler's price tag is much cheaper than McLean's, which could provide an opportunity to provide more value than the Met. Draft with confidence!

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies

ADP: 286

This author wrote about Andrew Painter last year as a potential late-round selection in fantasy drafts, but he did not earn a spot in the rotation out of camp and did not get the call to the majors even after the season opened up. Philadelphia's president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, indicated that Painter could come up by July last season if he was ready and there was a spot for him.

The former first-round draft pick had been working his way back from Tommy John surgery after missing all of the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons. He was able to pitch in the 2024 Arizona Fall League (AFL), though, and even earned AFL Pitcher of the Year for his performance there.

Then, despite looking ready over his first four starts at Triple-A in 2025 (2.65 ERA, 20:7 K:BB in 17 IP), the wheels fell off in June, with the 6-foot-7 hurler posting a 5.92 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and a 12.9 percent K-BB% over his final 18 starts, resulting in not getting a call to The Show in 2025.

Really excited to see what Andrew Painter can do this season. He had a tough 2025 season (5.26 ERA), but he's looked solid in ST.

4IP, 1H, 1BB, 3Ks today vs. Braves
9 whiffs
31 CSW%@fangraphs roster resource has him as the 5th starter for the Phils. pic.twitter.com/02qLrKejCL

— Nicho Roessler (@NichoRoessler) March 18, 2026

This spring, it looks like the right-hander has put those struggles behind him for now, registering a 2.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and an 8:2 K:BB over four Grapefruit League starts. We would like to see one K per 9 for fantasy, but if he can keep the walks to a minimum while providing a solid ERA and WHIP, we'll take it.

The 22-year-old, who used to get comps to Justin Verlander, got nine whiffs in his last start of the spring, and his fastball topped out at 96.9 mph, so there is promise here. He's earned a spot on the Opening Day roster, working as the fifth starter, so there shouldn't be too much pressure on him out of the gate.

The Phils' top pitching prospect is a worthy late-round flier, and at an ADP of 286, there is little risk for a potentially high reward.

Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians

ADP: 306

I wrote about the case for Parker Messick in my Sleeper Prospects to Target article back in February, and at that time, the southpaw did not have a guaranteed spot in the Cleveland rotation. Fast forward to the present, and Messick has now earned a spot on the Opening Day roster, rounding out the back of the Guardians' rotation, making him even more worthy of fantasy consideration.

The team's fifth-ranked prospect debuted in the big leagues in 2025, going 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA (2.98 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP in seven starts. Although the WHIP was a tad high, it was not due to free passes, as he significantly improved his walk rate with the jump to the big leagues, posting a minuscule 3.6 percent BB% (19.4 percent K-BB%).

Parker Messick, Nasty 84mph Changeup. 👌

And K Strut. pic.twitter.com/fX0mFEWqFp

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 20, 2025

The left-hander had a solid spring, and earlier this year, MLB Pipeline regarded him as having the best changeup of all pitchers on the Top 100 Prospects list. The FSU product could easily return value on his ADP of 306 overall, although he may start going earlier in drafts over the final week before the regular season begins now that he's confirmed to be in the rotation.

Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds

ADP: 502

Rhett Lowder has fallen somewhat off the fantasy radar after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign limited him to only three starts at Triple-A in 2025, but fantasy managers should not forget about his 2024 season. The former seventh-overall draft pick began the year at High-A, spent a majority of it at Double-A, then made one start at Triple-A before finally making all the way to the big leagues for six starts to finish the year.

The right-hander yielded just four earned runs in 30 2/3 IP, good for a stingy 1.17 ERA. Some may point to a 4.73 xFIP or a 5.16 SIERA as reasons to avoid, since he also induced just a 17.2 percent K% (6.3 percent K-BB%) during his time in the majors, but the former first-rounder has the stuff to produce strikeouts at a higher rate than that.

Rhett Lowder's 2Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/sqqCuNcwgh

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 15, 2024

We only have limited stats to go off of with Lowder, but in his final season at Wake Forest, he recorded a 30.4 percent K%, and in 16 games at Double-A, it was 23.8 percent. Through 12 Cactus League innings in 2026, the 6-foot-2 hurler has struck out 15 batters, good for a 27.3 percent rate, so we're seeing better results than we saw in 2024, which will hopefully carry over to the regular season.

With a spot in the Cincinnati rotation secured, the 24-year-old should easily blow past his ADP of 502 (RotoBaller ranks him at 350 overall, by comparison) -- so long as the Reds' fourth-ranked prospect can stay healthy. So far, so good.

Injured List Stash Candidates and Early-Season Call-Ups

Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays - will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, but showed last year that he's ready for the big leagues and brings strong strikeout potential with him (36.1 percent K% at Triple-A, 25.8 percent K% in MLB).

Connelly Early, Boston Red Sox - showed well last season and has looked good this spring. He is expected to be on the team's Opening Day roster, but his role remains uncertain.

Robby Snelling, Miami Marlins - didn't look great this spring and will begin the season at Triple-A, but posted a 1.27 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 26.0 percent K-BB% in 11 Triple-A starts in 2025, so should also be an early-season call-up when the Marlins need pitching help.

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