This is the top 100 starters for 2026 fantasy baseball? This is the top 100 starters for 2026 fantasy baseball! Which means. Dot dot dot. This is the end of the 2026 fantasy baseball rankings. I can reclaim my fingers! Wait, I still have to do the top 100 overall and top 500 overall. Hmm, that was short-lived.
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Here’s Steamer’s 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. As always, my projections are included, and where I see tiers starting and stopping. If you want an explanation of tiers, go back to the top 10 for 2026 fantasy baseball and start this shizz all over again. Anyway, here’s the top 100 starters for 2026 fantasy baseball:
NOTE I: All my rankings are currently available on Patreon for the price of a Starbucks coffee, if you get one of those extra grande frappuccino jobbers. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out over the next month, and get them all now.
NOTE II: Free agents are listed as just that and not yet projected. Once a guy signs, I will write out their blurb and add in projections, or remove them, if they sign in an unfavorable place. They are ranked currently where I think they might be if they sign on for a full-time job.
RETURN TO THE TOP 80 STARTERS FOR 2026 FANTASY BASEBALL
81. Hurston Waldrep – This tier started in the top 80 starters for 2026 fantasy baseball. This tier ends at Weathers. I called this tier, “I’m using the milkrowave.”
As for Waldrep, trying to convince myself Hurston Waldrep sounds like anything but a race car driver and I’ve seen every episode of Gilligan’s Island 17 times. Why not Hurston Howell? Hmm…Any hoo! Waldrep had a great 56 1/3 IP with the Braves (2.88 ERA, 8.8 K/9), but the Braves let rookies try on the Shroud of Touki, then they take the technicolor Touki jacket off them, spray cologne on them and expect them to stay sexy without it. Doesn’t always work. Drakkar Noir can only do so much. His 3.5 BB/9 scares me and it was even worse in the minors. This could be an unmitigated disaster but — again with stank — BUT! he’s young with a great splitter and this is late. 2026 Projections: 8-10/4.03/1.34/144 in 148 IP
82. Shane McClanahan – It’s never a good sign when, before looking at a guy’s stats, you have to do a Google to see what the heck is going on with a guy’s arm. Last report was McClanahanananananananan would be a go to start Spring Training. Okay, sure, if the price is this cheap. Take a flyer and maybe you’ll get yourself a top 20 starter for 120 IP. Prayer hands emoji that pauses praying to scratch its butt, then when someone sees it, it stops scratching its butt. 2026 Projections: 8-3/3.08/1.07/109 in 102 IP
83. Will Warren – Kinda interesting that Warren has a lights-out change, just nasty-filth. It had a .197 BAA. Good luck vs. that! How much did he throw it? 20% of the time? 30%? More? No, 9.8%. I don’t get that. His four-seamer produced a .216 BAA and he threw it 41.6% of the time. He should just be a two-pitch pitcher. Stop with this sweeper, sinker and curve that aren’t working at all. Maybe a pitch mix changes (emphasis on change) things for him and he becomes a breakout. Sometimes that’s all it takes. 2026 Projections: 9-9/4.10/1.33/166 in 158 IP
84. Casey Mize – There’s a ton of “8-something K/9 with upside” starters. They should just be their own tier. Put ’em all together and let them skirmish. Winner comes out and gets to lead the tier and choose five guys to go in the tier with him. There’s just too many starters, man and five woman’s. I don’t know how you look around in the early rounds and think, “There’s no starters.” You’re either purposely being daft or you have other issues up in your melon. Mize went 149 IP with a 8.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 3.87 ERA and I couldn’t figure out how he could be better. I mean, he could, but it would take luck or a massive difference in some pitches. He has four incredibly “just okay” pitches. I strongly considered lowering him further in my rankings, but figured there was some upside. 2026 Projections: 11-9/3.76/1.22/147 in 161 IP
85. Mike Burrows – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Traded to the Astros. From one of the least diligent teams to one of the most. Trying to not lose my mind here but Burrows is about to get on my shortlist for guys drafted after 250, who have the best chance of being a top 20 starter. His command might be ugly enough where Burrows could really dig himself a hole. See what I did there? High five me then! No? Okay. For full disclosure, he was buried in my top 100 starters, and I moved him up 40 spots overall with this trade. The biggest movement of anyone.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 9-7/3.94/1.31/151 in 148 IP
86. Gerrit Cole – Do you have an IL slot on your team? Then why not? Do I have any faith in Cole for his year? Meh, not really. Yankees are saying he should return late-May, but teams just say shizz. It could be May, June, July, August or September. May would put him at around 14 months out from surgery. That’s pretty tight of a schedule. Realistically, I’d say late-June, but late-June then becomes, “Well, it’s the All Star break in two weeks, we can give him a month more of rehab by waiting only two more weeks.” So, more realistically, I’d say Cole pitches first game back from the break. 2026 Projections: 5-2/2.88/1.03/94 in 87 IP
87. Ryan Weathers – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Traded to the Yankees for four prospects, Dillon Lewis, OF Brendan Jones, IF Dillon Jason and IF Juan Matheus, and maybe you, if you were in the Yankees’ system. So, prior to this trade, Weathers was being drafted on average at 455. Does he move up after this? Okay, why? Does he move up a little because of better chance for wins? Meh, okay, but isn’t the park switch much worse? On average, Weathers was being drafted after Ronny Henriquez, who is out for the year. Granted, some of that is prior to the injury news on Ronny. If you sort ADP by the last two weeks, Kyle Finnegan was going in front of Weathers. You know Finnegan, the guy behind Kenley Jansen in the closer pecking order in Detroit. In the last two weeks, Weathers was being drafted at 396 overall. I keep talking about his ADP, because I do think now the hype will be sick. When Rodon and Cole return, where does Weathers go? Pen? Is he already injured because he never stays healthy? Prolly a little bit of both. Saw someone projected Weathers for 133 IP and I have to say, they shouldn’t let the players project their own innings. Weathers has 125 IP across the last two years. He does have great stuff, but can he stay on the field? I wanna say no, but I don’t know, maybe he does for the first time ever. Stranger things have happened. Like Stranger Things finally ending after 10 years. That’s a stranger thing.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 9-4/3.87/1.23/87 in 94 IP
88. Brayan Bello – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Ober. I call this tier, “Six-sevenths of almost interesting.” You see 8.1 K/9, and you’re like, “Ya know what, that’s almost interesting!” Then you see a guy’s K-BB% and you’re like, “That’s gonna lose about 1/7th of an almost interesting.” Or a guy is almost interesting due to his last year and then you see he has a bad home park or a bad fastball or a bad something and he loses 1/7th of an almost interesting. That’s this tier, six-sevenths of an almost interesting starter.
In deep leagues (NL-Only or AL-Only, for unstints), this tier is a strong option because in those leagues waivers are scant and/or skank, and you need innings. If I do my top 500 correctly, this tier and every starter after here won’t appear draftable for 12-team mixed leagues or shallower. We are roughly around 300 overall or later. This is your basic, old/boring starter tier.
As for Bello, wasn’t that long ago that I thought Bello could be a breakout and kept waiting for it to happen, then he had a 3.35 ERA last year in 166 2/3 IP and I’m being negative? Yeah, he also had a 6.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and you can’t have those numbers and make good on promise, even if his ERA last year says otherwise. What’s good, he pitched 160+ IP back-to-back years and he’s had better peripherals in the past. There could be something better here, but, even if not, he is a solid bet for decent innings and shouldn’t kill you. 2026 Projections: 12-9/3.88/1.28/131 in 166 IP
89. Seth Lugo – Being incredibly boring and worthwhile is a delicate balancing act. One too many walks per nine and the incredibly boring and worthwhile becomes incredibly boring and unusable. Last year, Lugo went a little too far into the boring and unusable category and not enough in the worthwhile. Could regain it, but, at 36, it’s not a great bet, especially if playing 21. What’d you do, hit on 27? 2026 Projections: 9-9/4.02/1.26/131 in 152 IP
90. Brady Singer – This tier could’ve also been called the, “What A Joy, Luck Into A 4.00 ERA Club,” after the tier in the top 80 starters was The 3.88 ERA Club. Singer could be a solid 180 IP of 3.80, but more than likely, no, he won’t. Is there a big difference between a 3.80 ERA and 4.00? No, not really but the 3.80 ERA guy might luck into 3.60 and the 4.00 ERA guy might be unfortunate to have a 4.25 ERA, so, yeah, kinda same, but also not really. 2026 Projections: 9-11/4.04/1.25/168 in 174 IP
91. Sean Manaea – Fun fact! He’s the skinniest Samoan in the world. Came very close to moving Manaea up into the previous starters rankings post, but he only threw 60 2/3 IP last year, and had an elbow issue. He said the issue is a thing of the past. Did his Ghost of Elbows Past visit him at night to tell him that? He could be solid, or bumped from rotation for one of the many young arms the Mets have that are more interesting. 2026 Projections: 8-5/3.94/1.21/129 in 125 IP
92. Yusei Kikuchi – Didn’t plan this, but, out of curiosity, I looked up how valuable Yusei was last year on the Player Rater, and it was almost exactly this valuable. Been doing this long enough to know how much a 8+ K/9, 4-ish ERA guy is worth. “Been doing this long enough” sounds like a flex, but is it? [coughs] Nerd! [coughs] Sounds like someone is allergic to cool stuff! 2026 Projections: 8-11/4.04/1.34/166 in 168 IP
93. Jameson Taillon – He has a career ERA of 3.87 in 1237 IP and two great seasons out of ten. How’d he managed those two? A deal with the devil. Dur. Don’t you know anything? 2026 Projections: 10-10/3.91/1.10/118 in 155 IP
94. Michael Wacha – Know a starter who could give you good ratios without any Ks? Fozzie Bear, “Wacha, Wacha, Wacha.” Okay, but I only asked once. 2026 Projections: 10-10/3.73/1.24/131 in 171 IP
95. Chad Patrick – [Brewers tapping you on the shoulder, waking you up] “Hey, random guy who hasn’t thrown a baseball in 35 years, you’re gonna be our number five starter. No, that’s okay, you don’t have to know how to throw. We’ll show you.” Brewers did this with Chad Patrick last year. They really pushed it by inventing a guy. Also, where it says “[fill in first and last name] will become a great pitcher,” the Brewers screwed up, forgetting to give him a last name. 2026 Projections: 8-8/3.90/1.32/134 in 129 IP
96. Lucas Giolito – FREE AGENT 2026 Projections:
97. Bailey Ober – I saw Ober’s 32.9% Chase rate and I almost moved Ober all the way up, completely memory holing how he was one of the worst pitchers last year. It would be kinda interesting if someone did a deep dive on Chase rate for guys who suck. We all know Skubal leads the majors in Chase rate with 34.8% but what about the 2nd, 3rd and 5th best guys, Merrill Kelly, Ober, and Chris Paddack? You might be thinking Chase rate doesn’t work at all if those are the top five, but, after Paddack, it’s Crochet, Logan Webb, Cris Sanchez and Cease, so how do those crappy guys end up there? Are they all just too hittable when in the zone? Yes, likely. There’s a case to be made some guys shouldn’t throw strikes. 2026 Projections: 8-10/4.12/1.22/143 in 157 IP
98. Aaron Nola – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Bryce Miller. I call this tier, “One love.” The tier name refers to me saying, “One love,” before saying, “But I ain’t going near him.”
As for Nola, people still drafting Nola in the year 2026 have lost their minds in a way that makes them dangerous. Ooh, I just got mad about Nola and why I’m mad hasn’t even happened yet. Wanna get mad too? Think about how Wheeler’s gonna return and the Phils are going to bump Andrew Painter from the rotation rather than Nola’s 4.50 ERA. I’m furious at a made-up scenario! 2026 Projections: 11-9/4.21/1.31/173 in 170 IP
99. Kodai Senga – This guy is similar to Musgrove in that they don’t scream the tier they’re in (Musgrove in the top 80 starters). They were hard to rank, Senga perhaps one of the hardest to project. Steamer has him down for 3.92 ERA with a 9.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, which might be dead on, or way off. His command keeps getting worse, but his ERA keeps staying around 3.00. The Ks even fell off last year and he was still around what you wanted, just in less innings because he absolutely sucked so bad he was sent down, where he showed diminished velocity in September. I could see 75 IP of great, ace-like numbers, then diminished velocity since he can’t seem to last for longer than three months at a time, so maybe there’s some upside here, but you are taking a complete flyer. 2026 Projections: 6-3/3.41/1.32/84 in 79 IP
100. Zebby Matthews – You might be thinking, “Grey’s handsome as all get-out, but why is homeboy ranking starters who he doesn’t want rather than ones he does?” Because, my over-the-internet friend, there’s not that many starters I want anymore. Kinda wonder if the new Twins’ manager, Derek Shelton, can fix the Twins’ starters by just telling them, “Stop throwing strikes.” Might be as easy as that. Though, it’s not terribly reassuring that the Twins hired a guy who lost for five years in Pittsburgh. Imagine if for you to be hired as a MLB manager, you actually had to win. Crazy stuff. 2026 Projections: 7-10/4.11/1.31/138 in 135 IP
101. Mitch Keller – Wrote his name as Itch Keller and I thought for a second he was going to try to kill me for ranking him here. So, Keller has 878 career innings of a 4.51 ERA and was perfectly mediocre for the Pirates. Like he was built in a lab of meh for the Pirates. If you’re very good on the Pirates? You’re being held in the minors or getting traded because they won’t pay you. If you’re a 4.50 ERA guy? You’re getting a five-year deal. 2026 Projections: 8-12/4.24/1.27/154 in 174 IP
102. Reid Detmers – Remember the ancient proverb, “If you see an Angels starter, fantasy baseballers take warning. If you see an Angels reliever, forecast clearer.” 2026 Projections: 7-9/4.14/1.32/149 in 129 IP
103. Jose Soriano – Angels can’t develop anything. It truly is a wonder that Mike Trout came out of that organization. There’s a case to be made Trout is the best player of all-time if he was drafted by any other team. Well, except maybe the Rays. He’d still be in the minors if he was drafted there. As for Soriano, the stuff’s fine, the command is awful, so everything’s a bit sideways. Literally. 2026 Projections: 9-12/4.14/1.35/157 in 174 IP
104. Reese Olson – Think we should mention at this point that Reese Olson ranked here or thirty starters above in the top 80 starters is basically tomato-tomato-pronounced-with-a-different-emphasis. It’s kinda the whole point of starters rankings, there’s a lot more vibes than most people will tell you. Is Reese Olson that different than Clay Holmes? No, not really. Reese has upside and a 3.60 ERA in 284 career innings with a 8.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 and those are the most number five-ish fantasy starter numbers you’re gonna find. Problem with Olson is he’s had a shoulder strain each of the past two seasons, and he said in February he is still feeling pain. Might want to consider surgery one of these years. 2026 Projections: 3-3/3.37/1.18/72 in 79 IP
105. Bryce Miller – Bone spur in his elbow, and a 5.68 ERA last year in 90 1/3 IP. So, what you’re telling me, there’s a chance? 2026 Projections: 7-9/4.23/1.37/123 in 137 IP
106. Simeon Woods Richardson – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Tolle. I call this tier, “Saying romance into a glass bottle, then tossing it into the sea.” Putting a message in a bottle is rarely answered, it’s even more rare when someone just speaks words into a bottle and casts it off into the ocean. That’s this tier. The very rare chance for success. This is clearly the deep league, upside tier.
As for SWR, finally a Twins starter who doesn’t throw too many strikes! Be careful what you wish for, SWR can’t seem to find the plate. At least in the majors; his early development in the minors seemed to indicate that he would be a strike-thrower. I’m so turned around now, do we want strike-throwers or not? We want them, but not on the Twins, right? Hmm, well, SWR gained some velocity and increased his Ks. There’s been zero control here, but having command was a part of his game at one point, so maybe he rediscovers it. 2026 Projections: 8-8/3.96/1.24/135 in 141 IP
107. Jonah Tong – Already gave you my Jonah Tong fantasy. It had the makings of a varsity athlete. 2026 Projections: 6-5/3.94/1.31/123 in 107 IP
108. Braxton Garrett – Some great starters will come out of this post. They always do. Last year Andrew Abbott, Edward Cabrera, Eury Perez, Jacob Misiorowski, Trevor Rogers, and Drew Rasmussen were all in this post. Braxton’s last full year: 8.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 3.66 ERA in 159 2/3 IP is incredibly encouraging, but he had 37 IP last year, after returning from elbow surgery, and he wasn’t quite where he was before he left (velocity a bit down), but he never really relied on velocity. 2026 Projections: 7-6/3.71/1.12/124 in 133 IP
109. Connelly Early – Here’s what Itch said, “A 5th-round pick in 2023, Early recorded a 2.60 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 100.1 innings pitched across two levels of minor league play this year to earn his big league debut, which was a thing of beauty: five shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. His 31.9 percent strikeout rate and 22.2 strikeout-minus-walk rates this year were right in line with career norms for the 2023 fifth round pick out of Virginia. In four starts with Boston, he pitched 19.1 innings and recorded a whopping 29 strikeouts with a 2.33 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Despite what the numbers suggest, he’s not overpowering, relying on sequencing and command of his six-pitch arsenal to keep hitters off balance. Lefties with off-speed control tend to come out of the gates hot. It’ll be interesting to see if Early can hold onto a spot for the long run. Would like to take a truck on a long run over Grey.” C’mon! So, I’m a bit lower on Early than other rookie starters, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take the Early flyer, uh, late. 2026 Projections: 7-5/3.71/1.30/82 in 73 IP
110. Luis Gil – He has a career 3.50 ERA in 242 IP and a 4.9 BB/9. Shows how good the stuff is that he can work around all those walks. There’s a question to what Gil’s gonna be once Rodon and Cole are back, and. Dot dot dot. I don’t know. Maybe Gil’s moved to the pen. Maybe Warren. Maybe Cole and Rodon don’t come back anywhere close to their expected ETAs so it doesn’t matter. 2026 Projections: 6-7/3.66/1.33/109 in 102 IP
111. Ian Seymour – Only the Rays would see Ian Seymour and Joe Boyle and think, “We’ll sign Steven Matz and Nick Martinez to start for us.” Maybe once Seymour or Boyle are in their 30’s they’ll get a chance. Unlike the Brewers, it doesn’t seem to be a moot point and the Rays still win the division. They just flounder for a few months and come out around .500. Sorry, that’s not flounder, those are Rays. Not sure why the Rays signed Steven Matz, but I guess since Seymour was in the minors for the last five years, why not one more? He threw 145 1/3 IP in the minors in 2024 with a 2.35 ERA, 10 K/9, 2.5 BB/9. This is egregious. This pisses me off so much. He was ready two years ago. He just turned 27! Rays are already gonna be in control of him until he’s, like, 33. He literally has no chance for a full career. What can he do, maybe 500 career innings? That’s nuts. He was in Triple-A in 2021! Granted, he needed Tommy John in 2022, but what year is it? 2026? Okay. Any hoo! He might be solid for 70-ish innings, depending on when the Rays let him pitch. 2026 Projections: 4-3/3.34/1.14/84 in 74 IP
112. Troy Melton – A reoccurring “problem” with guys in this tier is a bunch of them have upside, but they also had very subpar years their rookie years when it comes to their peripherals. Guessing at least a few of these are going to be great and, at the end of 2026, we’re gonna be like, “We should’ve ignored their rookie years.” That’s also why I put problem in scare quotes. This might not be a problem at all. I would’ve been a lot happier to see a bunch of rookie starters come up and throw, like, a 10+ K/9 and 4+ ERA, then what these guys did do: 7 K/9, suppressed ERA. Melton, as with the others, has big upside. He also has a great park, and has to fight for the 5th starter job. 2026 Projections: 4-4/3.92/1.10/91 in 108 IP
113. Braxton Ashcraft – Pirates’ pitching could be so good this year their hitting truly is a crime. Arrest the owner for crimes against humanity. Send him to The Hague for low-balling Kyle Schwarber. Cane Nutting for giving them nothing, but a trade for Lowe and the ancient Ozuna! Geez, Pirates’ motto being Lowe Ball is too on the nose. Here’s what Itch said about Ashcraft, “A 2nd round pick in 2018, Ashcraft closed the season by kicking some serious ash in Triple-A, recording a 0.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 19.1 innings. He was pretty good in 53.2 Double-A innings before that as well, winding up with a 3.69 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 53.2 innings on the strength of a fastball that touches 98 and a slider he can consistently spot. He pairs those with a curveball and changeup. At 6’ 5” 195 lbs, Ashcraft has endured a journey full of stops and starts and retains some upside that’s obscured a bit by his age. I’d like to obscure Grey’s face.” What? 2026 Projections: 7-9/3.86/1.29/134 in 131 IP
114. Luis Morales – If you’re gonna lean into Bing Bong for hitters as much as I have, it tracks that I have to be a little bit hesitant on their pitchers. Not to mention, Morales had a fly ball problem last year (46% FB rate, 1.5 HR/9), and a 3.3 BB/9. The 97 MPH fastball is explosive and I wanted to like Morales about a tier or two higher, but Mor-alas. 2026 Projections: 8-10/4.09/1.28/141 in 138 IP
115. Joe Boyle – With the trade of Shane Baz, the Rays opened up a spot for Joe Boyle, who only kinda sounds like a character from West Side Story. That would be Joe Boy-o. Then with the Rays signing of Matz and Nick Martinez, well, you know the story. Boyle’s command is beyond wonky. Sits at 5.7 BB/9 in 115 2/3 IP in his MLB career. Joe Hoo-boy-o, that’s a mess. Imagine what happens when guys see him more than once. Yeah, it’s not gonna get better. Ks are nice though, and, say it with me now, this is late! 2026 Projections: 4-4/4.26/1.39/92 in 82 IP
116. Andrew Painter – I didn’t give you a Painter rookie outlook post because I’ve given you so many of them in the past. I’m past Painter. Call me Greycent Van Go-to-the-majors-already! Effin’ nailed it! Out of the guys in this post, Painter seems most likely to have upside, and a rotation spot, until he has a 5+ ERA and gets bumped for Wheeler. Clearly, I’m sick of being burned on Painter, but he could be great, and he’s only 22. Here’s Itch, “At 6’7” 215 pounds with upper nineties heat and superb balance throughout his delivery, Painter is the platonic ideal of a power pitcher, featuring plus command of a plus slider and changeup along with the big fastball and developing curve. Or at least that’s how you’d have described him before Tommy John surgery sent him to the Medbed for a year. He’s still that guy, I think. Might just need the off-season to focus on thriving rather than rehabbing. He’s certainly better than the 5.40 ERA he logged in 106.2 Triple-A innings this year. Here’s to him being better or me catching Grey in a dark alley.” Now I really want Painter to be better. 2026 Projections: 4-6/4.11/1.37/101 in 108 IP
117. Brandon Sproat – Traded to the Brewers, which seems to be the best finishing school in baseball for pitchers. Though, the FreddyKBB-Sproat-Jett trade seemed more about Jett. Here’s what Itch said on Sproat, “All the cool kids loved Sproat heading into the season, but the skeptical among us wound up more accurate than the enthusiastic, as is so often the case in life. He’s still a solid prospect of course. At 6’3” 215 lbs, he’s strong and balanced throughout his delivery, which has helped him to develop command of his impressive arsenal, highlighted by a mid-90’s fastball that plays well up in the zone and pairs well with his cutter, slider and changeup, all solid pitches in their own right. He pitched 20.2 MLB innings this season and recorded a 4.79 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, so his season turned out alright even if it took him a while to bounce back from a tough start. Grey won’t bounce back from what I have in store.” C’mon! 2026 Projections: 4-5/4.22/1.31/76 in 83 IP
118. Max Meyer – After I rank 500 players, I go back through and doublecheck with Rudy’s ranks to make sure I didn’t miss anyone. Most guys are like, “Joc Pederson? Meh, do I really want to project him?” [twist my own arm for an hour] “I guess so.” Meyer was one player who I legit don’t know how I missed. Around 2021 everyone assumed Meyer would be an ace, and he has a rotation spot. That’s worth a flyer. Don’t get me wrong, he can’t even put up good numbers in the minors anymore, so this is a gamble that he suddenly remembers how to pitch. It would be as unlikely as, say, Trevor Rogers becoming a top 20 starter last year. Hey, wait a minute! 2026 Projections: 7-13/4.21/1.37/133 in 128 IP
119. Payton Tolle – There’s more rookie pitchers who are interesting for fantasy than I can remember. I think it’s because I’ve been drinking a lot of raw milk. It helps with the brain to remember things. Though, now I have nipples on my feet. Meh, small price to pay! Speaking of a price to pay Tolle! Here’s Itch, “The 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Tolle didn’t pitch for Boston that year but made a smooth transition from TCU to pro ball in 2025, opening the year in High-A and pitching his way through three levels and debuting on August 29 with eight strikeouts in 5.1 solid innings. He wasn’t so good in his next two starts and wound up in the bullpen, but he should be back among the starters in spring training. At 6’6” 250 pounds with high-nineties velocity from a three-quarter release, Tolle makes for an intimidating at bat. He’ll be even tougher to hit if he can deepen his arsenal a bit, but for now the fastball is enough to make him a big leaguer. Wonder if I could pay him to throw one of those fastballs at Grey’s head.” Feel like I should pay someone protection money. 2026 Projections: 5-3/4.23/1.38/77 in 69 IP
120. Tyler Mahle – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the end of the ranks. I call this tier, “HalleBerrylujah!” The tier name is what I exclaim when I finish the ranks! These guys are not safe. A few are injured. They’re not worth the flyer, outside of the deepest of leagues.
As for Mahle, here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the Giants. There’s no better place for a T. Mahle than San Fran’s Mission District. Let the Giants lure that southpaw, Chip Otle, from the Mexican Leagues, and open the restrooms! Mahle always manages to suffer through a partial no-K season with excellent ratios, but it’s so hard to trust that that, well, I can’t. Fine for a deeper league, but can’t imagine drafting him in a 12-teamer.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 7-7/4.03/1.21/99 in 123 IP
121. Cristian Javier – This could be a steal of the draft. I don’t know what to expect. His numbers back from Tommy John were awful, but it was 37 innings. Why can’t we give him a pass? Well his velocity was down and it’s been four years since he was great. But he was injured for two maybe three of them, depending when he started fighting through it vs. having Tommy John. But again, I don’t know. No one knows. If someone tells you what to expect from Javier, they’re giving you wishes, not facts. 2026 Projections: 8-8/4.16/1.31/121 in 134 IP
122. Justin Steele – My favorite is when you open up a player’s stat page and the first thing you see is the manager saying the player won’t be ready. Steele had surgery in April of last year, which puts him on track to return (fill-in made-up date that you conjured out of thin air). Thereabouts, of course! 2026 Projections: 4-3/3.41/1.20/68 in 72 IP
123. Jacob Lopez – It’s just a Bing Bong thing. Nothing really else. Put Lopez in another stadium and I’m very interested, and, yes, I’ve seen his splits and how he was much better at home. It’s just a lack of faith in that holding. Hey, if it’s an AL-Only league? Sure, absolutely, I’ll get back in on J. Lo like I’m Affleck. 2026 Projections: 9-11/4.18/1.29/143 in 138 IP
124. Cade Cavalli – Gonna be fun to see the Nats’ starting rotation featuring (insert names). They’re supposed to be (adjective). They should provide a nice little (noun). They’re really gonna (verb) those other teams! If they’re (adjective), I could see them becoming trade bait in (number) years. As for Cade, he was promoted last year and had an ERA of 4.25 in the majors in 48 2/3 IP with a 7.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9. Seems primed for one of those 5-16 type win-loss records we see sometimes. A 5-16 record expressed in feet and inches is 6′ 4″ which is how tall Cavalli is. [mind explodes] 2026 Projections: 7-12/4.10/1.36/119 in 143 IP
125. Brandon Pfaadt – Guy is a good example of how riddly and fiddly pitchers are. Giant freakin’ enigmas. Anagram solver dot com tells me these “enigmas” be “seaming” good. Biggest riddle is how a guy with Pfaadt’s command (1.9 BB/9) keeps getting beat. You’d think he’d locate better. At least I’d think it! 2026 Projections: 7-7/4.33/1.24/147 in 162 IP
126. Taj Bradley – This guy, like quite a few in this tier, has one thing going for him and one thing going against him. One thing for him: Some of of his peripherals aren’t that bad. Thing going against him? Absolutely garbage outcomes. Taj last year: 8 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 142 2/3 IP. Okay, can make some of that work. Wait, he had a 5.05 ERA. Welp. 2026 Projections: 3-6/4.28/1.28/117 in 121 IP
127. Chris Bassitt – FREE AGENT 2026 Projections:
128. Zack Littell – FREE AGENT 2026 Projections:
129. Reynaldo Lopez – Braves said the recent recipient of shoulder surgery, Lopez, might work out of the pen, but will come to camp with intention on starting. Not sure what’s best for his shoulder, but Braves always seem to have a ton of options for their 4th and 5th starter slot: Grant Holmes, Elder, Bido, Wentz, Suarez and a crash test dummy in the Shroud of Touki. 2026 Projections: 5-5/3.77/1.23/104 in 102 IP
130. Corbin Burnes – Had Tommy John surgery on June 11th, so [doing rough math] he’ll be available on the 18th of [covers mouth so you can’t hear what month] of [covers mouth so you can’t hear what year]. 2026 Projections: 2-3/3.17/1.19/42 in 44 IP
131. Slade Cecconi – I’m rooting for Slade’s projected innings to go to Cantillo or Messick or give them to Slade and I don’t care. Are you happy? You’ve made me apathetic! 2026 Projections: 7-10/4.28/1.21/117 in 144 IP
132. Jared Jones – He had an internal brace inserted into his elbow in May, so possibly a return in July, but I don’t know his ETA. Maybe the Pirates will hold him back for their playoff run. They have Brandon Lowe and ancient Ozuna! 2026 Projections: 4-6/3.76/1.24/78 in 72 IP
133. Zach Eflin – Some of these guys have zero chance of being worthwhile, but there’s a narrative where Eflin fixes whatever it was that gave him a 5.93 ERA last year. Actually, it might be fixed already, as he had back surgery. Even as things fell apart last year, he still had a 1.6 BB/9. Don’t have to have a very high strikeout rate to make that work. 2026 Projections: 8-10/4.29/1.19/93 in 123 IP
134. Drew Anderson – No, Drew Anderson isn’t a guy you went to high school with, unless, I guess, you did. He was in the KBO last year and signed by the Tigers. He had a 2.25 ERA with a 12.8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 in 171 2/3 IP. I think I might be able to have a sub-4 ERA in the KBO, and I can’t win a SpongeBob at the carnival in the speed gun tent. 2026 Projections: 6-7/4.19/1.31/104 in 95 IP
135. Dustin May – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the Cardinals. They have their ace! Ya know, the guy who had a 4.96 ERA in 132 1/3 IP. I’m not being sarcastic. That’s the Cards’ best pitcher. Not sure what’s going in St. Lou, but it’s more like [holds nose] St. Pee-Ewe.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 6-12/4.36/1.36/147 in 153 IP
136. Jeffrey Springs – Bing Bong devastated Springs’ value (4.81 ERA at home in 82 1/3 IP, 3.45 ERA in 88 2/3 IP in away games). That sucks for Springs, but you can’t make me mad at Bing Bong. I’m watching hitters rip Bing Bong hits and getting high on their supply. 2026 Projections: 10-8/4.22/1.24/138 in 162 IP
137. Foster Griffin – Signed this offseason with the Nats. He went 1.62 ERA and a 77/18 K/BB in 78 innings as a starter in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants. From the Giants to the Gnats, the rise of the Griffin, a mythical creature with the legs of a lion and the head and arms of MLB pitcher, which sounds awesome, but try repeating a windup with lion legs. Be balking a lot, I’ll tell ya that! So, Griffin looks like a meh strikeout, solid command guy, which could be Merrill Kelly, if things go right. Or it could be a “4.50 ERA mess in the pants with no chance for wins.” Let’s call that Jake Irvin. 2026 Projections: 6-10/4.13/1.26/106 in 119 IP
138. Cade Povich – If Cade Povich is worthwhile for fantasy, it wouldn’t shock me at all. That’s amazing. Listen, most of the guys in this post will be hot garbage that is found in the glove compartment of a car that’s parked on the surface of the sun, but — and again with some stank — BUT! it’s incredibly promising that a guy at the end of the starter rankings could be valuable. Will he? Hahahahahahaha, NO! Prolly not! But he could. The glass is 1/138th full. 2026 Projections: 3-4/4.39/1.37/69 in 64 IP
Omitted but considered: Tyler Wells, Hunter Dobbins, Matthew Liberatore, Clarke Schmidt, Robby Snelling, Jose Berrios, Landen Roupp, Brad Keller, Dean Kremer, Michael Soroka, Thomas White, Mick Abel, Luis Severino, Luis Medina, Mitch Spence, Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Anthony Kay, Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, Logan Allen, Ryan Weiss, Alek Manoah, Allan Winans, Steven Matz, Jacob Latz, Kumar Rocker, Michael Soroka, Cristian Mena, Eduardo Rodriguez, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, All Rockies pitchers, Taijuan Walker, Kyle Hart, JP Sears, Randy Vasquez, Grey is a beefcake, Kai-Wei Teng, Trevor McDonald, Richard Fitts, Zack Greinke’s retired but likely better than some of these guys, Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin, Brad Lord, Spike TV, DJ Herz, Tink Hence, Quinn Matthews, Yu Darvish, Tylor Megill
