Fantasy Baseball 2025: Starting Pitcher Sleepers
There is ample value to be found later in drafts, including these five underrated arms.
When it comes to fantasy baseball, and fantasy sports in general, everyone is always trying to find the next potential star player who nobody else is aware of. It’s a fair goal. Fantasy managers will try to find value wherever they can.
I will be providing as many draft tips as possible now that we’ve hit February, and getting started with sleepers is a phenomenal way to do so. My definition of ‘sleeper’ refers to players being taken outside the top 180 NFBC rankings. This means guys to focus on after the 15th round of a 12-team format.
Not many people know all of these names. That could soon change.
Let’s take a look at these silent advantages on the bump!
Nick Martinez Was Quietly Excellent in 2024 – #328
When it comes to strategy itself, I will always be the type of fantasy manager to wait when it comes to arms.
I believe every team should have a couple of aces. As for the rest of the rotation, that’s up to your judgment and confidence in certain hurlers. One of those guys who will be rounding out my rotations in 2025 is Mr. Nick Martinez.
Once a swingman with San Diego, Martinez had one of the quietest performances across MLB last season. He ate up 142.1 innings while putting up a 1.03 WHIP and 3.10 ERA (In GABP?!). And sure, the numbers are great. But are they real and will he be able to repeat the performance? Well, a 3.21 FIP along with strong metrics under the hood support his 2024 showing.
Martinez simply didn’t issue free passes while giving up very little hard contact. And anytime a pitcher can spot the corners without putting men on base, it typically equals a recipe for success.
He may not have the greatest velocity, and I’d like to see some more balls on the ground, yet I’m confident in Martinez repeating his success. More importantly, I’ll take that chance on him day in and day out at an ADP of 328th off the board.
Draft and Stash Bubba Chandler – #309
The next Paul Skenes? Maybe. Probably not, but anything is possible, right? Bubba Chandler does have numbers compared to Skenes in their time at Triple-A Indianapolis!
Chandler struck out 148 batters in 119.2 innings this past season in the minor leagues, while pitching to a 3.48 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. If the Pittsburgh front office does not call up Chandler at the beginning of the season, they won’t be able to hold off for long.
A back-end made up of Bailey Falter and Johan Oviedo is questionable at best. And let’s be real: We all want to see the three-headed monster of Skenes, Jones, and Chandler for the Pirates rotation.
Chandler’s natural ability to overwhelm guys with the heater is clear. Whether or not the secondaries develop in order to complement said four-seamer is what I want to keep my eye on. If so, Chandler is just as good as any pitching prospect currently out there. The shape on his pitches is solid with good extension as well.
Prospects as a whole – especially pitchers – require patience once they do get to the MLB level. So once Chandler gets the call, don’t expect all sunshine and roses at first.
However, as the season develops and Chandler gains experience, do not be surprised if he’s looking like an ace in the second half of the season. Draft and stash this young buccaneer.
Don’t Forget Drew Rasmussen – #256
There were some questions as to whether or not Tampa Bay would put Rasmussen back in the bullpen. He soon put those rumors to rest earlier this offseason, and I couldn’t be more excited to see him back in the rotation.
Out of every big league pitcher – yes every single one – Rasmussen has been forgotten the most in my opinion.
After pitching just 73.1 combined innings the past two seasons as a result of an internal brace procedure, Rasmussen is back. This doesn’t bode well for his quantity of innings in 2025, however, the quality of those outings is almost sure to be excellent.
His last full season was 2022, in which he hurled 146 innings to the tune of a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Better yet, it was supported by a wonderful 3.26 FIP.
So, how will he fare this season you ask? Well, in what little we did see from him at the end of 2024, the results were encouraging: 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings with a 2.83 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. A much smaller sample size, though very close to his fantastic 2022.
The only negative coming with Rasmussen is the fact that he plays for the Rays. Sure, almost all teams would be careful with a delicate pitcher like this coming off a serious injury. But the Rays already limit innings for their normal starters. So, I wouldn’t depend on him to go five innings at the start of the season.
Regardless, if he shows positive signs and good health throughout those starts, Rasmussen could build up to around that point. He could be the ace up your sleeve later on in drafts, so treat him as such.
Invest In Spencer Arrighetti’s Strikeout Stuff – #212
Will he be able to learn some restraint and command those wicked offerings? It’s a huge question for Arrighetti heading into 2025. Fantasy managers will be keeping their eye on him in spring training, where his stock could rise even higher.
Most fantasy managers added Arrighetti at the end of last season for their playoff run, and for many, including myself, he was excellent.
Arrighetti mixes in a curve, cutter, sweeper, and change on top of his heat, a solid arsenal with good horizontal differences to throw opposing batters off balance. Punching out 171 dudes in 145 innings is nothing to scoff at.
Don’t get me wrong. Arrighetti will undoubtedly have a few blow-up outings due to his penchant for leaving meatballs high in the zone. Hitters took advantage of this last season, which is a big reason why his ERA sat at 4.53.
The 21 long balls allowed were too much, but if he can improve such a mark and limit his high walk rate, I think Arrighetti has the ability to be Houston’s #2 starter. Invest for high strikeout-upside and win potential here.
MacKenzie Gore Has Taken a Step Forward – #203
I know, I know. Shame on me, right?
Take it easy. While the outcomes have never been anything eye-popping for Gore, he’s still so young with potential for more. When it comes to analyzing pitching for fantasy purposes, I always preach to chase K’s. Gore will provide such a thing.
In his 372.2 career innings of work, Gore has 404 K’s. Most pitchers would dream of such ability to sit down hitters without the ball being put in play. He’s got adequate extension and velocity, averaging around 96 on his heater.
The reason I included Gore on this list of starting pitcher sleepers is that he tremendously improved his home run rate from 2023 to 2024. This led to his ERA to drop from 4.89 to 3.53 in just one year.
The walks are still too high, but if he can limit the free passes and instead go right after hitters with aggressiveness, he could have a big season.
Gore will most likely be Washington’s Opening Day starter, and even though the Nationals play in a tough NL East, their team could be much improved in 2025. They are a young and hungry squad with good graduating prospects, potentially leading to more victories in Gore’s case.
Strikeouts are hard to come by later on in drafts, so shine a light on Gore and invest for the upside of those whiffs.
Written by
Joe Rowan is a Fantasy Analyst for Just Baseball. A graduate of Butler University, Joe is an avid Chicago White Sox fan and enjoys writing all…