Hunter Greene Headlines 2026 Breakout Starting Pitchers to Draft in Fantasy Baseball

Finding breakout starting pitching is the fastest way to win fantasy baseball leagues, and the 2026 draft pool is loaded with high-strikeout arms ready to smash their ADP. From emerging aces to post-hype values and electric rookies, these starters have the skills, workload trends, and upside to become league-winning anchors.

SP11 – Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds (NFBC ADP – 47)

Greene has arrived as a foundation ace arm, except for his ability to be on the field for 30 starts. Over the past two years, he went 16-9 over 45 games, with a 2.76 ERA, 0.984 WHIP, and 301 strikeouts over 258.0 innings. Last season, his first-pitch strike rate (68.6%) reached elite status, leading to batters hitting .192 against him.

After a great start to 2025 (4-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 0.972 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts over 59.2 innings), Greene landed on the injured list for 70 days with a groin issue. He had similar success over his last eight games (3-1 with a 2.81 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts over 48.0 innings).

His average fastball (99.4 mph) was one of his best in the game, which he threw 53.6% of the time. Batters struggled to hit his four-seamer (.207 BAA) and slider (.171 BAA) while battling his split-finger pitch (.294 BAA).

Hunter Greene 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: This draft season, Greene has been treated as a backend SP1 despite never pitching over 150.1 innings in his career. Home runs (1.3 per nine) crept back into his equation last year while finishing with the best command of his career (2.2 walks per nine – 3.3 in his career). I thought Greene was a great deal last season, but he paid about 60 cents on the dollar. His reward should outweigh his risk in 2026, especially if he slides in drafts. Possible league winner skill set if he can make 30 starts.

SP23 – Eury Perez, Miami Marlins (NFBC ADP – 86)

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

Miami hooked a gem with the signing of Perez out of the Dominican Republic. His minor league career started at age 17 in 2021. Over 78.0 innings at A and High A, he posted a 1.96 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 78.0 innings.

The following season, a lat injury cost him about five weeks of development at AA. When on the mound, Perez pitched at a high level over his first 61.2 innings with a 2.92 ERA, 0.908 WHIP, .188 BAA, and 87 strikeouts. He tripped up over three appearances (13 runs, 27 baserunners, and three home runs over 11.0 innings with 15 strikeouts) before landing on the injured list. His season ended with four shutout innings with eight strikeouts.

Perez shined over his first six starts (2.32 ERA, 0.806 WHIP, .148 BAA, and 42 strikeouts) in 2023 at AA before getting his call-up to the majors. Other than a disastrous game on July 1st (six runs and seven baserunners over one-third of an inning), he handled himself well over 11 matchups in the majors (2.36 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, .208 BAA, and 61 strikeouts over 53.1 innings).

Miami shut him down around the All-Star break for three weeks to conserve innings. Unfortunately, Perez ran out of gas over his 10 appearances between AA and the majors (4.74 ERA, eight home runs, 59 strikeouts over 43.2 innings).

Before the 2024 season, Perez suffered a finger cut in his pitching hand in late February. A month later, the Marlins shut him down with a right elbow injury that ended up requiring TJ surgery in early April.

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 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.

Eury Perez 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: The Marlins pushed Perez to 118.0 innings last year after missing all of 2024. He averaged 4.8 innings in his 20 starts in the majors, almost matching his first season in Miami. His next step is adding more length to his games while correcting his late-season home run issue and throwing more first-pitch strikes. I expect him to pitch about 170.0 innings this year, leading to 190+ strikeouts with a winning ERA and WHIP.

Some drafters will dismiss Perez due to concerns about winning games. I view him as a steal as an SP3 in pitching-heavy team builds, but he comes off the board as mid-tier SP2 in mid-January in the high-stakes market.

SP31 – Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds (NFBC ADP – 116)

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the eighth inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Burns brings a talented right arm to the pitching pool in 2026. The Reds pushed him through three levels of minor league baseball last season after drafting him second overall in the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft.

After three short inning outings at High A (four runs, five hits, two home runs, five walks, and 20 home runs over 11.2 innings), he dominated over eight starts at AA (6-1 with a 1.29 ERA, 0.714 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts over 42.0 innings). Burns averaged 5.25 innings over this span. Cincinnati gave him two starts at AAA (1-0 with a 2.19 ERA, 0.892 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts over 12.1 innings) before calling him up.

Major league batters banged him around over his first two starts (10 runs, 13 baserunners, and two home runs over 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts). Burns flashed elite ace upside over his next six games (3.72 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts over 29.0 innings), highlighted by four 10-strikeout games. Unfortunately, a right elbow injury pushed him to the injured list for 35 days. The Reds limited him to nine innings over his last five appearances in September (two runs, 11 baserunners, and one home run over nine innings with 10 strikeouts).

His average fastball (98.5 mph) was elite in velocity. Burns featured a four-seamer (.239 BAA with 31 strikeouts) and slider (.181 BAA with 31 strikeouts) as his top two pitches while mixing in two minimal pitches (curveball – .500 BAA and changeup – .182 BAA). His command and success need work against left-handed batters (12 of his 16 walks over 85 at-bats with a .259 batting average and four home runs).

Over his 26 appearances last season, Burns threw more than 80 pitches in 11 games. He pitched at least six innings five times.

Chase Burns 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: Burns brings stud ace upside, but the Reds will limit his innings again this year. His elbow issue in 2025 is a concern, especially considering the relatively low mileage on his arm over four seasons in college and pro ball. Home runs allowed have been a slight negative in his career.

This season, I expect the Reds to push him to a ceiling of 150.0 innings, but Burns must prove he can handle a larger workload. The fantasy market should view him as the 2026 version of Drew Rasmussen (2.76 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 150.0 innings with 127 strikeouts) while offering more strikeout ability. Wins could be an issue, as I don’t expect him to pitch more than six innings in many games. The development of a third off-speed pitch would push his ceiling even higher.

SP38 – Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays (NFBC ADP – 138)

The Blue Jays drafted Yesavage 20th overall in the 2024 MLB June Draft after going 18-2 over his final season at East Carolina, with a 2.29 ERA, 0.962 WHIP, and 250 strikeouts over 169.1 innings. He walked 2.9 batters per nine innings over this span with an elite strikeout rate (13.3).

In his first year in the minor leagues, Yesavage pushed his way through four levels of the minors (5-1 with a 3.12 ERA, 0.969 WHIP, and 160 strikeouts over 98.0 innings). He averaged only 3.9 innings per appearance, with a high floor in his strikeout rate (14.7) despite issuing a few more walks (3.8).

The Blue Jays decided to call him up in mid-September, resulting in success over three starts (1-0 with 3.21 ERA, 1.429 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts over 14.0 innings). His arm held up in the biggest moments of the postseason (3-1 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.048 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts). For the year, Yesavage pitched 139.2 innings. His best start in the playoffs came against the Yankees (five no-hit shutout innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts). He also had 12 whiffs vs. the Dodgers in the World Series.

His average fastball (94.2 mph) was above the league average. He relied on three pitches with the Blue Jays (four-seamer – .256 BAA, slider – .255 BAA, and split-finger fastball – .113 BAA with 32 strikeouts over 53 at-bats). His four-seamer had more value against righties (.211 BAA), but he threw his slider (.302 BAA) as his top pitch against them. Yesavage had the reverse success vs. lefties (four-seamer – .292 BAA and slider (.083 BAA).

Trey Yesavage 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: In the majors, Yesavage turned into a high-volume groundball pitcher (53.8%). Toronto found themselves an impact arm, who looks poised to pitch close to 170.0 innings in 2026. His swing-and-miss arsenal will have an even higher ceiling with more experience and better command.

Very tempting player to fight for in drafts. I like his body of work and the length of his innings pitched more than Nolan McLean, who gets drafted about 12 pitchers in front of him in late January. The Blue Jays allowed him to throw over 80 pitches in only seven games in 2025. I expect double-digit wins with a run at 200 strikeouts. His WHIP has more risk than his ERA early in his career. The bottom line for Yesavage is: can he handle a heavier workload? I believe he can.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Starting Pitchers Final Thoughts

If you’re building a championship-caliber rotation in 2026, targeting upside arms like Hunter Greene, Eury Pérez, Chase Burns, and Trey Yesavage at the right price can tilt your league. Each brings strikeout dominance and SP1 potential if the innings jump comes, making them priority targets in competitive fantasy drafts.