2026 Fantasy Baseball Must-Have Breakout Pitcher of the Year

Why this player is emerging as the 2026 Fantasy Baseball breakout pitcher of the year, combining elite velocity, strikeout upside, and rising draft value.

a base displays the Jackie Robinson day logo before the start of a game between the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For fantasy teams looking to cheat the starting pitcher position, a value ace can be a great equalizer. Last year, I hit on my breakout pitcher of the year with Hunter Brown, but I ended up drafting him only three times due to timing issues in drafts and having him ranked behind Hunter Greene in my target starting pitcher list. Cristopher Sanchez ended up being a better value (drafted a couple of rounds later). This draft season in the high-stakes market, both pitchers rank as top 10 arms.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Pitcher Candidates

I’m looking for a pitcher who brings pedigree and has had some success in the majors. Several starters could outperform their ADPs by a wide margin in 2026, and I have them listed as potential breakout arms on my cheat sheet.

• Eury Perez, Miami Marlins
• Nolan McClean, New York Mets
• Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds
• Cam Schittler, New York Yankees
• Jacob Misiorwski, Milwaukee Brewers
• Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays
• Cade Horton, Chicago Cubs

Andrew Painter falls more into the deeper sleeper breakout pitcher of the year, with Robby Snelling and Rhett Lowder being dark horses.

I wanted to use Chase Burns as my breakout pitcher of the year, but his recent injury concern has delayed my releasing of this article. I consider Cade Horton, who brings 2025 success (11-4 with a 2.67 ERA, 1.085, and 97 strikeouts over 118.0 innings), along with a tease 10 strikeout game this week in spring training.

Chase Burns is NOT projected to make the Reds Opening Day roster, per C. Trent Rosecrans.

The Reds “didn’t like how Burns’ arm was moving” and plan to proceed cautiously. Brandon Williamson is projected as the #5 starter, with his strong spring a factor in slow-playing Burns. pic.twitter.com/aBv7KaKBCd

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) March 16, 2026

Nolan McLean is the sexy ADP riser, putting him on the radar for many drafters. My rub with him is his recent jump in innings pitched over the past two years. In my starting pitcher research, I liked the ceiling of Trey Yesavage over Cam Schittler and Jacob Misiorwski for different reasons.

Eury Perez: The 2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Pitcher of the Year

In the end, I’m featuring Eury Perez as my breakout pitcher of the year. His mid-March ADP in the high-stakes market sits at 65, making him a fifth-round pick in most drafts. He is the 19th starter pitcher off the board. I would draft him over Cole Ragans, Max Fried, Logan Webb, Freddy Peralta, Jesus Luzardo, and Dylan Cease, currently ranked ahead of him by ADP.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez (39) throws the ball during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Last year, Perez made his first start for Miami on June 9th, but he wasn’t sharp over his first four starts (11 runs, 14 hits, 10 walks, and 14 strikeouts over 16.0 innings) while building arm strength and pitch count. He gave the fantasy market six winning games (4-1 with a 1.06 ERA, 0.676 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts over 34.0 innings) before turning into a losing investment (5.96 ERA, 1.169 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts over 45.1 innings) due to serving up too many home runs (10).

His average fastball (97.8 mph) was one of the best in the game in terms of velocity. Batters struggled to hit his four-seamer (.201 BAA), slider (.167 BAA), and changeup (.067 BAA). His low-volume curveball (.290 BAA) was a liability. Perez has been a flyball pitcher (53.1%) so far in his major league career, who allowed too many hard-hits (46.5%) in 2025.

Perez comes into 2026 with 39 starts of experience in the majors at age 22 (turns 23 on April 15th). He has a 12-12 record with a 3.71 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, and 213 strikeouts over 186.2 innings. His spring training has been a negative (6.52 ERA, 1.552 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts over 9.2 innings), but his fastball (98.5 mph) has been elite. Perez has been working on upping the usage of his changeup in March.

For him to fall into the top breakout category in 2026, Perez must finish as a top 7 or 8 starting pitcher for the year. He only averaged 4.8 innings per appearance last season. If Miami pushes him to 5.5 innings per game, Perez would need to pitch about 165 innings over 30 starts. I have him projected to go 10-6 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.056 WHIP, and 191 strikeouts over 162.0 innings. Perez is an ace upside talent that should arrive in 2026.