Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Reese Olson Headlines Late-Round Starting Pitchers
In fantasy baseball, securing reliable late-round starting pitchers can be the key to building a championship-winning roster. While early-round aces provide stability, finding hidden gems in the later rounds allows you to maximize value, strengthen your rotation, and gain an edge over your competition.
These under-the-radar arms often outperform expectations, delivering quality starts, strikeouts, and wins without the hefty draft capital. Identifying breakout candidates or undervalued veterans can make the difference between a middling team and a title contender, making late-round pitching strategy a crucial aspect of a successful draft. Time to dive into the next tier of pitchers:
76 – Reese Olson, DET (ADP – 266.7)
Olson was a pitcher of interest to me in 2024. He pitched up to my expectations while missing 10 starts and struggling to win enough games to help in the fantasy market. A right shoulder issue placed him on the sidelines from July 21st through September 15th.
Ten starts into 2024, Olson went 1-5 despite a 1.92 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, .197 BAA, and 47 strikeouts over 56.1 innings. He allowed one run or fewer in eight games, with one disaster showing (six runs and 12 baserunners over 4.1 innings with three strikeouts). His right arm went awry over his first three matchups in June (17 runs, 32 baserunners, and three home runs over 14.2 innings with 14 strikeouts), which may have been a hint of his future shoulder issue.
Olson regained his form over his following six appearances (2.25 ERA, 0.969 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 32.0 innings), leading to three wins and no losses. The Tigers gave him three short starts in September with negative results (seven runs, 11 baserunners, and one home run over 9.1 innings with nine strikeouts).
His average fastball (94.3) was down from his rookie campaign (95.1). Olson gained his edge with two plus pitches – slider (.149 BAA) and changeup (.198 BAA). Batters had success vs. his two fastballs (4S – .283 and SI – .274) and his low-volume curveball (.280 BAA). He featured a sinker against right-handed batters (.274 BAA) and a four-seamer vs. lefties (.264 BAA).
Fantasy Outlook: Olson kept the ball down last season (groundball rate – 50.6), lowering his damage in home runs (seven over 112.1 innings). After two appearances in spring training, he allowed two runs, three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts over five innings. The depth of his arsenal created his intrigue last season.
His fastball has been over 95.0 mph in spring training, giving the fantasy market hope that Olson will have further growth in 2025. I expect him to beat the league average in ERA and WHIP with more help in wins and strikeouts. Hopefully, his previous shoulder woes won’t creep back into his equation this year. He falls into the breakout upside starting pitcher category.
77 – Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers (ADP – 279.8)
The Tigers selected Jobe with the third overall pick in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft out of high school. In his first season in the minors, he battled home runs (1.6 per nine) and his command (3.5 per nine), leading to a 3.84 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 77.1 innings between A and High-A.
In 2023, Jobe battled a back injury before the start of the minor league season. Detroit used him over short innings over his first seven appearances (four runs and 17 baserunners over 18.0 innings with 20 strikeouts). After a promotion to High A, Jobe pitched five innings or more in eight of his nine starts (3.13 ERA, three walks, and 60 strikeouts over 46.0 innings).
Jobe’s development last season was also tied to using him over shorter innings stints. He averaged 4.4 innings over his 21 appearances over three levels of minor league baseball. Walks (4.6 per nine innings) were an issue at AA despite success in ERA (1.95) over 73.2 innings. Jobe made up for his command shortfall by holding batters to a .174 batting average for the season. AAA hitters had their way with him over two starts (six runs, 17 baserunners, two home runs, five walks, and seven strikeouts over nine innings).
In his tracked games in 2024, his average fastball was 97.1 mph (98.3 over his 79 pitches this spring). Jobe has been working off a changeup, curveball, and cutter in March.
Fantasy Outlook: Jobe is an impact-ceiling arm, but he doesn’t have a high enough innings profile to be a difference-maker in fantasy leagues in 2024. His next stop should be about 130 innings, with some coming at AAA. He must regain his lost command and add more length to his starts.
Jobe has never thrown more than 75 pitches in a game in the minors while recording an out in the seventh inning once in his career. Future breakout stud who looks a year away from helping the Detroit Tigers.
78 – Ranger Suarez, PHI (ADP – 263.2)
Saurez gave fantasy teams an impactful boost after a sensational first 10 starts (9-1 with a 1.36 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts over 66.0 innings). Unfortunately, he gave back much of his gains over his final 17 starts (only three wins with a 5.10 ERA and 1.524 WHIP) while missing a month after the All-Star break with a back issue.
His command was elite against left-handed batters (three walks over 112 at-bats with 28 strikeouts), but they hit .259 against him. Suarez was a complete liability over his final 10 games (32 runs, 79 baserunners, and seven home runs over 47.2 innings with 46 strikeouts).
He has less velocity on his fastball (92.1 mph). Saurez features a sinker (.250 BAA) as his top usage pitch, followed by a winning changeup (.223) and curveball (.191 BAA). His cutter (.274 BAA) was a liability in 2024.
Fantasy Outlook: Based on his walk (2.4) and strikeout (8.7) rates, Suarez was a much better pitcher than the previous two years. In addition, he has done an excellent job of minimizing the damage in home runs. I’m sure his back issue was a significant part of his demise last season, but there are just enough cracks in his profile to avoid him over the long haul.
Ride him if Suarez is pitching well, but kick him to the curb when the crooked stats come at a faster clip. His fastball (91.0 mph) is down after two spring training starts (69 total pitches thrown).
79 – Michael Wacha, KC (ADP – 271.4)
Over his 12 seasons in the majors, Wacha has underachieved his potential and expectations more times than not. Wins have picked up over the past three years (38-14) while pitching for three different MLB franchises (BOS, SD, and KC).
His ERA (3.30) and WHIP (1.160) finished in winning areas over this span, but Wacha did miss about 21% of his starting chances from 2022 to 2024. He landed on the IL over the first three weeks of June last season with a foot injury. Batters hit .235 against him over the past three years with a favorable walk rate (2.5) and weakness in his strikeout rate (7.8).
Wacha allowed two runs or fewer in 18 of his final 22 starts in 2024, leading to a 2.72 ERA, 1,116 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts over 129.0 innings. His arm played better at home (7-3 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.161 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts over 81.0 innings).
His average fastball (93.8) was his highest since 2021. Wacha throws a changeup (.164 BAA) as his top pitch (30.8% of the time). He mixes in a four-seamer (.295 BAA), sinker (.244 BAA), curveball (.333 BAA), and cutter (.329 BAA).
Fantasy Outlook: With only one true out-pitch, Wacha has outperformed his body of work over the past three seasons. He must get ahead in the count to take advantage of his changeup (81 of his 150 strikeouts). His off-speed pitches grade poorly, and I can’t see an uptick in velocity.
Wacha looks attractive based on his recent success, but regression is a great equalizer in fantasy baseball. For reference, he had an ERA of 4.62 over 138 games from 2016 to 2021, and batters hit .208 against his changeup. Wacha is a fade for me in 2025.
80 – Grant Holmes, ATL (ADP – 290.8)
The Dodgers drafted Holmes with the 22nd pick in the first round in 2014 out of high school. He struggled to find his way in the minors over his first eight seasons, leading to a 4.68 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 639 strikeouts over 633.1 innings. He missed time in 2018 and 2019 with a right shoulder injury (rotator cuff), followed by no minor league baseball in 2020.
Over the past two seasons, Holmes pitched well at AAA (3.18 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 125 strikeouts over 102.0 innings) for the Braves, but he only made three starts. Atlanta called him up in mid-June last year, leading to surprising results over his 26 games (seven starts). His arm performed better in the relief (3.12 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts over 34.2 innings). His struggles in Atlanta’s rotation came with home runs (six over 33.2 innings – 4.12 ERA).
His average fastball (94.9 – .259 BAA) was slightly higher than his limited innings in the minors in 2022 and 2023. Holmes added a curveball (.198 BAA) in 2024 while upping the usage of his losing cutter (.417 BAA). He continues to throw a slider (.208 BAA) as his best pitch. Left-handed batters hit .271 against him over 118 at-bats, with no home runs.
Fantasy Outlook: When setting the Braves starting rotation for my projections, I only gave Holmes 15 starts, which could be generous. His stuff was improved, but his arsenal won’t hold up deep in games. Last year, he threw more than 70 pitches in only three games (78, 98, and 95), a sign of a quick hook on many nights and minimal wins. Holmes is a player I’ll avoid this year, as I believe his risk outweighs his reward.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Top 5 Starting Pitchers | Starting Pitchers 6-10 | Starting Pitchers 11-15 | Starting Pitchers 16-20 | Starting Pitchers 21-25 | Starting Pitchers 26-30 | Starting Pitchers 31-35 | Starting Pitchers 36-40 | Starting Pitchers 41-45 | Starting Pitchers 46-50 | Starting Pitchers 51-55 | Starting Pitchers 56-60 | Starting Pitchers 61-65 | Starting Pitchers 66-70 | Starting Pitchers 71-75
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.