Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch: A trifecta of arms are on the verge of helping major league teams
Over the next three weeks, the fantasy market will get an flux of talented minor league arms arriving to the big leagues. Now, the challenge is deciding which arm will help fantasy teams the most.
Gunnar Hoglund, Athletics
Over 40 starts in 2022 and 2023, Hoglund underachieved in ERA (4.27) compared to his success in WHIP (1.14) over 191.1 innings with 165 strikeouts. His second ride at AAA this year led to an uptick in success (2.43 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts over 29.2 innings). In his major league debut on Friday night, he allowed a run over six innings with six hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts.
His fastball is about league average while relying on a slider, changeup, and sinker as his secondary pitches. The Blue Jays drafted Hoglund 19th overall in the 2021 June Amateur Draft. Improving arm with winning command, but Hoglund isn’t a slam dunk to be an edge for fantasy teams.
Cade Horton, Chicago Cubs
Cade Horton's hot start continues as he strikes out five across a season-high six frames 😤
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 30, 2025
MLB's No. 48 prospect (@Cubs) has yet to give up more than 3 hits and 1 run in any of his five starts for the Triple-A @IowaCubs in 2025: pic.twitter.com/oL418KfAhg
After some command issues (10 walks) over his first 12.1 innings, Horton started to find his rhythm over his last two starts at AAA (one run, seven baserunners, two walks, and 10 strikeouts over 10.2 innings). He has a 1.17 ERA over 23.0 innings with 12 walks and 28 strikeouts. The Cubs selected him with the seventh overall pick in 2022.
His fastball (95.9 mph) has had more life this year after battling injuries last season. On the downside, Horton lacks depth in his arsenal while relying on a high volume slider as his second highest usage pitch. He should be the next arm up for Chicago when they need another starter.
Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds
The Reds moved Burns to AA last week after success over his first three appearances at High A (3.09 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 11.2 innings). He allowed one run, five hits, and one walk over four innings with five strikeouts after his promotion. Cincinnati drafted Burns second overall in last year’s draft. In his final season in college, he recorded 191 strikeouts over 100.0 innings with a 2.70 ERA and 0.920 WHIP.
Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies
MLB's No. 7 prospect Andrew Painter dials his fastball up to 98.3 mph in his fourth rehab start of the season for the Single-A @Threshers ⛽️ @Phillies | @PhilsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/eVf9BsvzWV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 1, 2025
In his four start at A ball, Painter allowed three runs, three hits, and two home runs over four innings with two strikeouts. He’s issued one walk over his first 11.1 innings with a dozen strikeouts. The Phillies will move him to AAA in his game, putting him on the door stop of the majors. Painter threw 42 pitches in his last outing.
Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Bubba Chandler call up is closer than most think!
— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) May 2, 2025
71 pitches
5 IP 3 H 1 R 1 BB 9 K
15 whiffs (12 on his fastball)
44 CSW%🔥
He has the potential to be one of the best number 2 starters in the MLB!
pic.twitter.com/jp5l4n2Bji
The go sign is shining brightly for Chandler to pitch in the majors. In his six appearances at AAA, he has been dominate (four runs, 10 hits, seven walks, and 36 strikeouts over 25.1 innings). The Pirates should call him up soon after upping his pitch count (71) in last outing. It’s buying time in all formats.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.