Fantasy Sports

Top 10 Starting Pitchers With Strikeout Upside

Paul Skenes is the obvious top starting pitcher in the strikeout category but who else rounds out the top 10?
Matt Brandon, Shawn Childs|
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh PiratesSeattle MarinersDetroit TigersTexas RangersKansas City RoyalsBoston Red SoxLos Angeles DodgersSan Diego PadresAtlanta BravesHouston Astros
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9. SP Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Chris Sal
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins during spring training at CoolToday Park. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

222 Strikeouts

Chris Sale Fantasy Baseball Player Outlook

Based on his command stats, Sale was the same pitcher in 2024 as in his prime. The only difference was his downgrade in innings pitched per start (2024 – 6.1 ~ 6.9 from 2013 to 2017). Atlanta unlocked the life of his pitches in the strike zone last season, and he avoided any major injuries. From 2020 to 2023, Sale was only on the field for 31 starts (11-7 with a 3.93 ERA and 182 strikeouts over 151.0 innings). He is a tempting arm based on his career body of work and rebound season, especially playing in a high-scoring offense. With 32 starts, his overall stats still show room for improvement. Sale is the third pitcher in the top six ranked arm to have a significant jump in innings (68.2).

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Matt Brandon
MATT BRANDON

Matt Brandon has spent more than a decade in the fantasy sports and sports media world, with stops at Scout Media, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, DrRoto.com, Fantasy SP, FullTime Fantasy, and several other industry staples. A three-time Top-10 finisher in FantasyPros’ national rankings competition, Brandon has also captured multiple major DFS tournament wins on FanDuel and DraftKings. His true expertise lies in season-long fantasy football and fantasy basketball, along with sports betting analysis. A lifelong New Yorker, he proudly bleeds blue for his Giants, Knicks, Rangers, and Mets. Brandon also covers Major League Baseball, with a particular focus on the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies

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Shawn Childs
SHAWN CHILDS

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.

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