Top 50 Starting Pitcher Draft Expert Rankings (2024 Fantasy Baseball)

It can be helpful to get an early sense of where the experts stand in terms of initial fantasy baseball draft rankings. We’ll have you covered as we approach the spring and new season, but for now let’s take a look at 2024 fantasy baseball rankings.

2024 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Rank	Player	Team	Overall	Best	Worst	Avg	Std Dev	ADP	vs. ADP
1	Spencer Strider	ATL	10	1	2	1.1	0.3	9	-1
2	Corbin Burnes	BAL	20	2	8	3.1	1.2	20	–
3	Zack Wheeler	PHI	24	2	7	3.8	0.9	26	2
4	Luis Castillo	SEA	30	3	10	5.7	1.7	32	2
5	Pablo Lopez	MIN	34	5	12	7.4	1.5	39	5
6	George Kirby	SEA	38	4	20	7.8	2.8	41	3
7	Kevin Gausman	TOR	37	3	17	8.1	3.2	31	-6
8	Zac Gallen	ARI	40	5	22	9	2.9	38	-2
9	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD	41	3	18	10.8	3.6	34	-7
10	Logan Webb	SF	45	7	16	12	2	47	2
11	Tarik Skubal	DET	43	5	19	12.1	2.6	46	3
12	Tyler Glasnow	LAD	44	2	29	12.3	3.5	43	-1
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	47	4	28	13.8	3.4	48	1
14	Framber Valdez	HOU	57	7	25	14.8	4	55	-2
15	Freddy Peralta	MIL	50	8	22	14.8	2.4	58	8
16	Max Fried	ATL	55	6	24	15.4	2.9	49	-6
17	Logan Gilbert	SEA	66	8	23	18.4	2.1	67	1
18	Grayson Rodriguez	BAL	67	11	34	19.6	3.4	68	1
19	Zach Eflin	TB	69	11	30	20	3.5	78	9
20	Blake Snell		75	11	30	21.7	4.3	66	-9
21	Bobby Miller	LAD	77	13	34	22.1	4	76	-1
22	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	78	11	27	22.6	2.7	80	2
23	Joe Ryan	MIN	86	17	34	25.3	3.7	87	1
24	Justin Steele	CHC	88	16	33	25.4	3.3	90	2
25	Cole Ragans	KC	93	13	47	26.9	7.8	96	3
26	Joe Musgrove	SD	92	17	43	26.9	4.1	95	3
27	Dylan Cease	SD	101	22	53	28.7	4.4	94	-7
28	Tanner Bibee	CLE	105	19	38	29.6	3.5	105	–
29	Eury Perez	MIA	115	13	82	31.9	16.8	84	-31
30	Sonny Gray	STL	118	25	45	32.9	4.2	118	–
31	Chris Bassitt	TOR	122	25	48	34.2	4.6	119	-3
32	Chris Sale	ATL	128	23	61	36.3	7.9	130	2
33	Gerrit Cole	NYY	139	2	87	36.6	20.3	37	-102
34	Bailey Ober	MIN	133	28	50	36.9	5.8	149	16
35	Shane Bieber	CLE	137	25	58	38.1	5.8	127	-10
36	Hunter Greene	CIN	140	28	50	38.3	5.4	122	-18
37	Michael King	SD	142	27	83	39	10.8	142	–
38	Merrill Kelly	ARI	143	26	56	39.3	5.7	129	-14
39	Jordan Montgomery		152	22	74	40.7	6.5	158	6
40	Justin Verlander	HOU	151	24	66	40.8	8.5	131	-20
41	Jose Berrios	TOR	162	31	59	42.4	6.6	156	-6
42	Carlos Rodon	NYY	165	23	72	42.7	7.7	166	1
43	Mitch Keller	PIT	160	27	70	43.1	8.1	147	-13
44	Hunter Brown	HOU	171	31	62	44.7	5.9	173	2
45	Yu Darvish	SD	175	33	64	46.2	6.2	174	-1
46	Cristian Javier	HOU	174	33	60	46.8	6.8	163	-11
47	Walker Buehler	LAD	173	28	79	47.2	9.3	151	-22
48	Eduardo Rodriguez	ARI	180	32	67	48.4	5.6	180	–
49	Bryce Miller	SEA	183	32	69	51	7.8	184	1
50	Bryan Woo	SEA	190	33	71	51.9	7.2	186	-4

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.