Good pitching is vital to fantasy baseball. It is rare to see a championship team with bad pitchers, even if they have elite hitters. Ace pitchers are immensely valuable and bolster a roster. The strategy below will show how a fantasy manager can draft the best pitching staff in their league.

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Fantasy Baseball Strategy: Drafting Pitchers Early

When Should You Draft Pitchers Early?

There is a reason most fantasy baseball writers suggest drafting hitters early. In general, securing good hitters is a better strategy. Drafting good hitters is especially better in points leagues because hitters accumulate points all week, while pitchers start once or twice. A starter having a bad game is a lot more punishing than a hitter going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

That brings us to why drafting starting pitchers early can get a bad reputation — inconsistency and uncertainty. Last year, the top pitcher in terms of average draft position (ADP) was Spencer Strider. Strider followed a dominant 2023 season with just nine innings in 2024 before needing UCL surgery. Year after year, the highest-ranked pitchers often get hurt or have disappointing stats.

Although there is risk in drafting pitchers early, it can be beneficial in category leagues. While points leagues convert player stats to points, category leagues count pure stats. As a result, pitching stats usually make up half a league’s scoring.

It is extremely beneficial to lead a league in half of its categories. It is feasible for a fantasy team to lead a league in stats such as strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and saves by focusing on drafting pitchers. In addition, as more fantasy managers realize it can be beneficial to draft hitters early, pitchers will fall in drafts. Fantasy managers in more competitive leagues should “zig when others zag” and take advantage of a pitcher surplus while avoiding hitter scarcity.

The First Rounds

I still do not recommend drafting a pitcher in the first round. Try to secure a good hitter in the first round. Besides, there are barely any first-round pitchers this year — Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are the earliest pitchers drafted with fantasy baseball ADPs of 12 and 13.

I suggest focusing on starting pitchers in the second round and beyond. There is a chance Skenes or Skubal falls to fantasy managers in the second round. One of those aces would be a great starting point. If unavailable, do not be afraid to slightly reach for an anchor like Zack Wheeler or Logan Gilbert. If you want to dedicate your team to a pitcher-first strategy, jump all the way in.

The next few rounds should continue to go pitcher-by-pitcher. Know pitchers are inconsistent. Just because a pitcher has a high ADP does not mean they will be a star. You should research pitchers and note the ones who stand out. Draft the ones who look the best and have ADPs close to the current round.

By the time the first section of the fantasy baseball draft has come to a close, a team’s rotation should already have at least three or four elite starters and a great closer.

Remember: Hitters are important, too. Try to draft a reliable bat in between aces.

Relief Pitchers

A closer is paramount to any team. Because this strategy is dedicated to dominating the pitching categories of fantasy baseball, a good closer is almost as important as a good starter. As a result, fantasy managers should target at least one elite closer. Some examples are Emmanuel Clase (ADP: 43), Devin Williams (ADP: 58) and Felix Bautista (ADP: 99).

The Middle Rounds

The mid-point of the draft should focus on solidifying hitters and boosting your rotation. Remember how I mentioned fantasy managers are focusing on hitters lately? The middle rounds are the time to swoop in and snatch the pitchers that fall below their ADP. However, the middle rounds are not the time to focus on pitchers.

Fantasy baseball drafts often have a late-round no-man’s land for hitters. Searching for hitters in the late rounds can feel more like scavenging than drafting. Meanwhile, plenty of good (or at least high-potential) pitchers are in those later regions.

Be sure to fill your batting lineup during the middle rounds. Do this before all the good hitters are off the board. Every team needs some balance — even a team focused on pitchers.

The Later Rounds

The late part of a draft is where fantasy managers can take shots on pitchers. The best pitching rotation has aces with high-upside pitchers who emerge as stars. Use this draft section to acquire young talent or your favorite sleepers. I also advise drafting a closer or two to solidify your bullpen in the early-late rounds.

Every season, pitchers start a season undrafted and finish at the top of the fantasy baseball rankings. Pitchers emerge from the waiver wire every year. Look no further than Skenes and Reynaldo Lopez in 2024. It is important to have some leeway on your roster to claim promising pitchers off waivers. This leeway is built by targeting less valuable pitchers at the end of the draft. We do this with pitchers instead of hitters because it is much less common to claim a star hitter off waivers and, again, team balance remains significant in a pitcher-first strategy.

Conclusion

There you have it. You do not have to implement this strategy by any means. It is not the best idea in all formats. Regardless, focusing on pitchers early in fantasy baseball drafts makes sense for some category leagues where a fantasy manager can use a dominant pitching staff to win all of the pitching categories.

Good luck drafting.

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