Underappreciated Fantasy Baseball Players: Pitcher Edition | Erick Fedde, MacKenzie Gore, Kyle Gibson, Kirby Yates, Trevor Megill and More
Discussing MLB pitchers who are underappreciated in fantasy baseball leagues this season.
A few days ago, I started a series on underappreciated fantasy baseball players.
We started with fantasy infielders and then covered outfielders. Today, we’ll wrap up this series by looking at underappreciated pitchers.
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Underappreciated Starting Pitchers
There’s a bunch of starting pitchers I could list here, but I’m limiting myself to six.
Let’s start with the Chicago White Sox’s Erick Fedde. He pitched in Korea in 2023 but has found plenty of success in his return to the MLB in 2024.
Fedde has a 5-2 record and 3.05 earned run average over 16 starts this season. Those are both solid marks, as are his 86 strikeouts over 94 1/3 innings pitched - it could be better, but it’s also not too bad. Fedde has a 1.15 WHIP mark, which is also pretty solid.
Fedde has worked at least 4 1/3 innings in every start, and has gone six or more innings in nine outings. He’s allowed more than three earned runs just four times. Fedde has four scoreless starts and three games with one run allowed.
He’s got at least two strikeouts in every start, and a season high of 11. Fedde has five or more Ks in nine outings.
Fedde has an own percentage of 73 right now, so he’s essentially an above-average streaming option in fantasy owner’s minds. Looking at his season numbers, I think Fedde should be owned in more like 85-90% of leagues. He’s scoring better than a lot of SP who are owned in more leagues.
Washington Nationals’ Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore both make this list for me. Irvin is owned in 69% of leagues, while Gore is at 75%.
Irvin has improved greatly in his second MLB season. He’s got a 5-6 record and 3.13 ERA across 16 starts this season. Irvin has 81 strikeouts over 92 innings.
Irvin has gone at least 4 2/3 innings in every start, and six or more frames in all but five contests. He’s allowed more than three runs five times, but also has six games at zero or one run allowed. Irvin has at least two strikeouts in every game, a season-high 10 Ks in two games, and five or more punchouts in nine games.
Gore is 6-6 with a 3.49 ERA this season. He’s struck out 98 batters across 80 innings.
Gore has failed to reach five innings in three starts, while going six or more frames in five games. He’s allowed over three runs in just three starts, and has given up zero or one run in four games. Gore has at least 2 Ks in every game, reached double digits three times and had six or more punchouts in all but five contests.
Their own percentages suggest they are above-average streaming options, but again, they are among the better-scoring fantasy pitchers this season. I’d say they should be owned in just about every league, just like Fedde.
Boston Red Sox’s Kutter Crawford is also pretty underappreciated in my eyes. He’s owned in 80% of leagues.
Crawford has just a 3-7 record, but a strong 3.59 ERA across 16 starts. He’s got 95 strikeouts over 92 2/3 innings.
Crawford has gone 4 1/3 innings or more in every start, while reaching at least six innings in all but five starts. He’s allowed over three runs in seven starts, but has allowed a run or less in six outings. Crawford has at least four Ks in every start, with a season high of nine - he’s hit at least six Ks in all but six outings.
Crawford is another above-average streaming option looking at his own percentage. He’s also on that top-scoring fantasy SP list from ESPN, and I’m not sure why he’s being treated as a streaming option. He’s had some blowup starts of late, but is striking out enough guys to be an average fantasy option still.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Kyle Gibson is also underappreciated in my eyes. He hasn’t pitched since June 14, but doesn’t appear to be headed to the injured list at this point. Him not pitching in a couple weeks has lowered his own percentage to 44 though.
In 14 starts, Gibson has a 5-2 record and 3.44 ERA. He’s struck out 73 over 82 2/3 innings.
He’s reached at least four innings in every start, while going six or more frames in all but three outings. He’s allowed more than three runs on three occasions, while allowing a run or less in five games. Gibson has at least two strikeouts in every game, a season high of nine Ks and six or more punchouts in seven starts.
His injury issues are hurting his own percentage, but it’s opening a chance for fantasy owners to grab a really solid fantasy option for free. He’s scheduled to start Tuesday, so I’d suggest adding him now before he’s picked up as a streaming option.
Let’s talk about Cincinnati Reds’ Andrew Abbott last. He’s owned in 48% of leagues.
In 15 starts this season, Abbott has a 6-6 record and 3.40 ERA. He’s struck out 70 batters in 84 2/3 innings.
Abbott has worked at least 4 1/3 innings in every start, while going a season-high seven innings three times. He’s allowed more than three runs just twice, while holding opponents to one run or less in five games. Abbott has at least two punchouts in every game, a season high of 10 Ks and has reached six strikeouts or more on five occasions.
He’s not as good as the other names I’ve mentioned, but I also think he's not the level of streaming option his own percentage is suggesting. Abbott at least needs to be owned in deep leagues and dynasties, while being streamed in a lot of standard leagues every start, regardless of opponent.
Underappreciated Relief Pitchers
There’s also a bunch of fantasy relievers I could mention, but I’m going to stick with three guys currently serving as their team’s current closer.
Kirby Yates is the Texas Rangers’ closer. He’s owned in 75% of leagues right now.
In 27 games and 27 1/3 innings pitched, Yates is 3-1 with a 0.99 earned run average. He has 11 saves and 36 strikeouts this season.
Yates has only allowed a run in three outings this season and has yet to blow a save. He should be owned in more leagues, even though his save numbers aren’t that high. Yates’ low ERA and good strikeout numbers are enough reasons to roster him.
Jose Alvarado is the Philadelphia Phillies primary closer. He’s owned in 75% of fantasy leagues right now.
In 34 games and 32 innings, Alvarado has a 1-3 record, 3.09 ERA and 12 saves. He’s struck out 35 batters along the way.
Alvarado has allowed runs in six appearances, with a five-run outing being the biggest reason behind his ERA being over three.
Alvarado has not picked up a save in three straight appearances, which is a bit of a cause for concern, but he’s also not allowed a run over that span. He’s only got two blown saves on the season, so I don’t think he’s lost the job. Maybe he doesn’t need to be added this second, but his own percentage will jump the next time he earns a save, so keep a very close eye on him.
Trevor Megill is the Milwaukee Brewers’ closer right now. He’s rostered in 64% of leagues.
In 25 games and 23 1/3 innings this season, Megill has an 0-1 record and 1.93 ERA. He’s struck out 28 batters and earned 15 saves, while blowing just one.
Megill’s run as Milwaukee’s closer might end when Devin Williams returns from injury, but right now, Megill is pitching well and earning saves often - he had a streak of seven straight games pitched with a save snapped on Sunday.
He needs to be owned in more leagues, even if it’s only for a few more weeks.
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