Fantasy Baseball Pitching Sleepers for 2026
ALSO: TALL TALES OF SPRING
Pregame Pepper
After Michael Harris II swiped five bags through 11 exhibition games, Braves beat writer Mark Bowman felt more comfortable predicting he’d enjoy his first 30-30 season this year — after also predicting a 40/40 year for Ronald Acuña, Jr. . . .
Teammates with simultaneous 30/30 seasons are Juan Soto (43 homers, 38 steals) and Francisco Lindor (31, 31) in 2025; earlier Mets Howard Johnson (36, 32) and Darryl Strawberry (39, 36) in 1987; and Dante Bichette (31, 31) and Ellis Burks (40, 32) with the 1996 Rockies club that employed Braves manager Walt Weiss as its shortstop . . .
Teenaged shortstop-of-the-future Leo DeVries had such a strong spring (.409 with four homers) that the Athletics weighed talent vs. inexperience before sending him back to the minors . . .
Since the start of the 2022 season, his first as a pro, Washington catcher Harry Ford has 339 walks and a .405 on-base percentage, both second in minor-league baseball . . .
Former Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas, a two-time All-Star, is the best of a dozen players the Nationals landed during the off-season . . .
Hard to believe but Houston and Washington are in their 10th year of sharing Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach . . .
Darren Baker, son of Dusty, is now in the White Sox farm system . . .
TickPick reports that the get-in price for the WBC clash between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic was $219 — a whopping 852 per cent higher than the average price of a ticket to the Marlins home opener ($23) . . .
Dante Bichette Jr. wore pink cleats for Brazil in the WBC as a token of support for Liz Gonzalez, ailing wife of his best friend . . .
Yan Gomes was not only the first Brazilian to reach the big leagues but also the only one to make an All-Star team . . .
Japan’s WBC roster included eight major-leaguers, the most it has ever brought into the World Baseball Classic.
Leading Off
Undervalued Arms: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Sleepers
By Allen Settle
The 2026 fantasy baseball draft season is underway! As your draft approaches, a number of starting pitchers offer tremendous value relative to their average draft position (ADP). If you play in a deep (12+ team) league, consider targeting these fantasy sleepers:
[Note: All ADPs courtesy of FantasyPros]
Kodai Senga, SP, NYM (ADP: 253)
Senga’s 2025 season was derailed by a June hamstring injury that halted his momentum. He eventually found himself in Triple-A as the Mets’ rotation collapsed around him.
Before the injury, however, Senga was dominant, posting a 7–3 record with a 1.47 ERA and 70 strikeouts across his first 13 starts (73.2 innings). He still owns a strong 3.00 career ERA over 285 major-league innings.
While his value is closely tied to health, Senga’s disappointing finish in 2025 has pushed his draft cost to rock-bottom. Encouragingly, his Spring Training velocity remains strong, with his fastball sitting in the high 90s.
At this price, Senga offers clear SP2 upside. His ADP more than accounts for the injury risk. Buy the dip with confidence.
Ryan Weathers, SP, NYY (ADP: 266)
Weathers has flashed upside across his five-year career with San Diego and Miami. His 4.11 ERA during his time in Miami, paired with strong fastball and whiff metrics, suggests he can develop into an above-average, back-end starter.
Now with the Yankees, Weathers enters one of baseball’s premier pitching development systems. If he stays healthy, he has the potential to outperform projections with 140+ innings, 140+ strikeouts, 9+ wins, and a sub-4.00 ERA.
Mike Burrows, SP, HOU (ADP: 285)
Pittsburgh already saw flashes of Burrows’ potential, as the 26-year-old posted a 3.90 ERA across his first 99.1 MLB innings. Now in Houston, he’s positioned to take the next step in a strong pitching development environment.
The Astros are emphasizing his slider while scaling back an overused fastball. Combined with his already elite change-up, this adjustment could unlock another breakout starter. Burrows is a steal outside the top 250.
Cody Ponce, SP, TOR (ADP: 298)
Ponce looked like a fringe MLB arm during his initial stint from 2020–2021, posting a 5.86 ERA over 55.1 innings. That led to a journey overseas, where he reinvented himself in both Japan (NPB) and South Korea (KBO).
During that stretch, the former second-round pick threw a no-hitter (2022), won the KBO’s Choi Dong-won Award (2025), earned an All-Star selection (2025), and took home KBO MVP honors (2025).
Ponce returns with a revamped arsenal, including a fastball that’s up 3 mph and a newly developed kick-change.
He’s also a near-lock to open the season in Toronto’s rotation, with Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and José Berríos all expected to miss time. As an added bonus, Ponce carries RP eligibility in many formats, increasing his appeal, especially in points leagues.
I’m buying Ponce as my favorite sleeper in every 12+ team league. You should too.
Didier Fuentes, SP, ATL (ADP: N/A)
Fuentes’ MLB debut couldn’t have been worse. Thrust into action due to a depleted Braves rotation, the 20-year-old posted a 13.85 ERA over 13 innings last year before being sent back to the minors.
That rough introduction has caused many to overlook his upside—but the talent is still evident. This spring, Fuentes retired 26 of the first 27 batters he faced, recording 17 strikeouts in the process without yielding a hit.
Managers in dynasty or NL-only leagues should check whether Fuentes is available. The upside is well worth the stash.
Honorable Mentions
Parker Messick, CLE (ADP: 312): Could break out if he secures a steady rotation role.
Chris Bassitt, BAL (ADP: 319): Unexciting but reliable—his floor makes this price a bargain.
Kirby Yates, LAA (ADP: 328): Coming off a solid 2024 and could emerge as the Angels’ primary closer despite his advanced athletic age (39).
Tyler Mahle, SFG (ADP: 355): Another year removed from Tommy John surgery and benefits from a pitcher-friendly home park.
Allen Settle has never given up on his passion for the beautiful game of baseball! He is an IBWAA member who has worked as a contributor for the Fansided network, covering both the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins. Currently, Allen covers baseball prospects at Prospects1500.com. You can connect with him on X at @AllenSettleMLB.
Cleaning Up
Spring Training is Best Time to Trade Tales
By Dan Schlossberg
One of the best things about spring training is trading tales with old friends — usually in a watering hole not far from the ballpark.
Bob Ibach, former publications and public relations director for the Chicago Cubs, nurtured several future executives, including Ned Colletti for seven years before he became general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ibach used to tease Colletti about his tendency to respond to the smallest slight, saying “there’s your Irish temper.” Colletti looked at him, smiled, and said, “What? You thought I’d go away and be quiet?”
Ibach, whose son Kevin is now an assistant GM for the Tampa Bay Rays, knows a good tale when he hears one — but is even better when he witnesses one.
“One time we had an a**hole executive who questioned Ned about not including a check receipt for a $3 McDonald’s burger,” Ibach said. “Ned marched over to the McDonald’s across the street from Wrigley Field, bought this greasy cheeseburger, and enclosed the receipt stapled to the bag and dumped it off on this snotty executive’s desk, saying ‘There’s your receipt! Anything else you need?’
“That hot Italian temper was on display again.”
Debi Dorne, who worked for the Braves when the team trained at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, remembers playing tennis with Hank Aaron.
Although Aaron was much older, he won handily by placing his shots with those quick wrists that made him such a formidable hitter.
I had the exact same problem in my one and only encounter with another Hall of Famer, Ralph Kiner.
He couldn’t run but he could and did run me ragged, placing the ball with a flick of the wrist while I tried to keep it in play.
That proved to me why Kiner said he never stepped on a white line — he wasn’t superstitious but didn’t want to take any chances.
When he was still alive, broadcaster Milo Hamilton was a bastion of baseball stories, though some may have been exaggerated. He was also a food maven who loved to fill in as maitre ‘d at his favorite restaurants, both in Houston and other cities.
He knew food, he knew good service, and he knew how to reserve choice tables for local celebrities.
Milo’s favorite player was Stan Musial, a Hall of Fame hitter who loved playing The Wabash Cannonball on his harmonica. On one of several baseball cruises I hosted, Stan not only thrilled the crowd with table-side napkin tricks but also with his after-dinner harmonica.
And, oh yes, did I mention that he and I had the upper deck all to ourselves to perfect our kite-flying skills?
Another broadcaster with a golden voice, Wayne Hagin, once spent six innings of a Mets exhibition game talking baseball with me — yes, just the two of us — in the stands of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. He wasn’t working that night but was certainly willing to share his opinions about baseball. I remain forever grateful.
I am also grateful to Greg Maddux for signing the cover of Legends Sports Memorabilia that had three full-color renditions of the pitcher’s motion.
I showed it first to Jim Schultz, then Atlanta’s main media man, who liked it so much that he escorted me straight into the Braves clubhouse. Maddux, standing in front of his cubicle, took one look at it and asked me if I wanted him to sign it.
Although media credentials expressly forbid autograph collecting, I was there at the invitation of the team’s media guy. So I wasn’t going to refuse.
Known for owning the most illegible signature in the major leagues, Maddux took a black sharpie and wrote his name so legibly that people don’t believe that autograph is genuine. But hey, I was there.
I was also there to see Jane Fonda walking her dog behind the Braves’ press trailer, to hitch a golf cart ride with Bobby Cox, and to trade stories the same way kids trade cards.
For me, spring training is the best time on the baseball calendar and I’m sorry to see it end.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers baseball for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and other outlets. His e.mail is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: WBC Rules Too Complex To Follow
The World Baseball Classic was supposed to be played under the Official Rules of Major League Baseball — but not exactly:
Pitchers were limited to 65 pitches per game in Round 1, 80 pitches per game in the Quarter-final Round, and 95 pitches per game in the Championship Round . . .
Those who threw 30 or more pitches in any game could not pitch again until a minimum of four days had passed — and pitchers who threw at least 30 could not work again until a minimum of one day had elapsed . . .
Nor were pitchers allowed to pitch three days in a row . . .
And how about “the mercy rule,” giving umpires the authority to call a regulation game whenever one team was ahead by at least 10 runs after any complete inning (starting with the seventh inning) or if a team was ahead by 15 or more runs after any complete inning (beginning with the completion of the fifth inning) . . .
Rules regarding base sizes, restrictions on defensive positioning, and the pitch timer — all effective with the 2023 season — were retained but so was the hideous Manfred Man, allowing a free runner at second base to start every extra inning . . .
While the ABS Challenge System was allowed in major-league exhibition games this spring, it was not used in the WBC for reasons unknown.
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [biggentleben@hotmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
I remember that golf cart ride with Bobby Cox, Dan! We became fast friends later on. It's the way you go about your life's work. I can't imagine a sportswriter having more longtime friends in baseball.Thanks for the memories - current and past!
Harmon Killebrew also had a beautifully legible signature. I treasure the one he signed for me.
He was known to chastise teammates whose autographs were sloppy.