Rays' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Preview | Shane McClanahan, Pete Fairbanks, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen and More

Let's continue our rundown on the Tampa Bay Rays by looking at the team's pitchers. We looked at hitters in a separate story.

We've already covered the Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers) and Chicago White Sox (hitters and pitchers).

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

Top Fantasy Pitchers

There's a few Tampa Bay pitchers appearing on the Average Draft Position list so far.

Shane McClanahan and Pete Fairbanks lead the way, going around picks 148-150 so far.

Taj Bradley is going around pick 162, while Shane Baz is around pick 175. Drew Rasmussen is also on the ADP list, as one of the final players listed.

McClanahan is projected to lead the Rays' rotation this season. He's been great in his three-year MLB career, but also has some durability concerns and hasn't pitched in a while.

In 21 starts in 2023, McClanahan had a 3.29 earned run average. He went 11-2 and struck out 121 batters in 115 innings. He's got a career 3.02 ERA and 33-16 record and averages 10.1 strikeouts per inning.

He's one of my favorite late-round fantasy picks so far this season. I'm surprised he's going as late as he is, but the durability concerns explain why he's not going earlier. I'd be thrilled to land McClanahan around his current ADP, because he's got a great chance of outperforming that.

Fairbanks is the team's closer. He's yet to pitch in more than 49 games in a season, but has been pretty good when on the hill. Over the past two seasons, Fairbanks has a 5-7 record and 48 saves. He also has a 3.08 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 90 2/3 innings.

I like Fairbanks going into the season as well, and think he could break out and be a top-10 fantasy closer in the game. His durability concerns make him available later in drafts, and I'd love to take a chance on him, especially if I missed out on some of the game's top-end fantasy closers.

Bradley is projected to be the team's No. 2 starter this season. Bradley improved his numbers in his second big league season, and I'd expect that trend to continue this season.

In 25 starts last season, Bradley had a 4.11 ERA. He went 8-11 and struck out 154 batters in 138 innings. He's got draft steal written all over him if he can turn in close to 30 starts, even if his ERA remains the same as last year.

Baz and Rasmussen are two more starting pitcher options. They are projected to fill out a six-man rotation.

Baz looked good in 14 starts a season ago - after coming back from a year-plus absence. He went 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 79 1/3 innings. 

He's barely over 100 innings in his MLB career, which began in 2021. Baz has some good upside, but durability issues and a lack of a track record keeps him from being a high draft pick. Baz should at least be rostered in deeper leagues, and I think he's good enough to stream in standard leagues, at least to begin the season - he could become a keeper in all leagues with more good results.

Rasmussen only appeared in 16 games last season, and four of those were starts. He struck out 35 batters over 28 2/3 innings, went 0-2 and had a 2.83 ERA.

He has a 2.95 ERA and nearly a strikeout an inning over his five-year career. Rasmussen is another high-upside pitcher, but with durability concerns now, he's not a highly-regarded fantasy player. I'm fine using a late draft pick in a standard league on him, but at least think he should be rostered in deeper leagues.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Ryan Pepiot and Zack Littell are the final two members of the team's six-man rotation. Littell was the team's No. 1 fantasy pitcher in points leagues last season, while Pepiot was second. 

It was a breakout season of sorts for Littell, who went 8-10, but with a 3.63 ERA across 29 starts. He struck out 141 batters over 156 1/3 innings.

He might not have the upside of a Baz or Rasmussen, but I think he's a deep-league keeper to start the season and someone you can utilize as a streamer in standard leagues.

Pepiot made 26 starts last season, going 8-8 with a 3.60 ERA. He struck out 142 batters over 130 innings.

I think he's another pitcher to keep tabs on in the early season, utilizing him in favorable matchups. I don't know how the team's rotation will shake out, or if it will stick with six starters, but Pepiot should probably still be held in deeper leagues and is another streaming option in standard leagues.

Setting up Fairbanks in the pen should be Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta. Manuel Rodriguez, Mason Montgomery, Alex Faedo and Mike Vasil are the other pitchers projected to start the season in the bullpen.

Cleavinger and Uceta are names to keep an eye on if Fairbanks ever goes down with an injury. 

Vasil could slip into the rotation, but that might require an injury or two.

Top Prospects

There's no Tampa Bay pitchers inside the top-100 prospects, but that's not a bad thing considering there's six starting pitchers (and good ones at that) to begin the season.

Among the team's top-30 prospects at the end of the 2024 season, three pitchers were either in Triple-A or on the big league roster. Yoniel Curet, Ian Seymour and Joe Rock are those hurlers.

Curet is a player to keep tabs on. He's got a 2.96 ERA across parts of four minor league seasons. He has 424 strikeouts over 316 innings and opponents are hitting just .179 against him.

He also walks a lot of hitters, which could be a problem at the MLB level. Tampa Bay will likely give him a chance to start in the big leagues before converting him into a reliever. Either way, his big strikeout numbers should get him called up at some point. Definitely keep tabs on Curet, especially in dynasty leagues.

Seymour has a career 2.50 ERA across parts of four minor league seasons. He got in 54 innings at Triple-A last season, so he might not need much more minor league seasoning before he's ready for the big leagues. Seymour has 318 strikeouts over 259 1/3 innings.

Seymour is already 26 years old, so he's not exactly a prospect anymore. He could be a late bloomer because of injury/durability issues in his minor league career. 

Rock has a less impressive 4.60 ERA in four minor league seasons, but after 139 2/3 innings at Triple-A last season, he's ready for the big leagues whenever an opportunity presents itself.

He could maybe be the first call up if the team's rotation takes a hit or two. His minor league numbers suggest that Rock might never be a good fantasy asset, but you just never know what might happen when someone reaches the big leagues.

There's a few other members of the team's top-30 prospects at spring training with the big league team, and one of them could surprise and earn a big league spot (most likely in the bullpen). With six viable options for the starting rotation though, it's going to be difficult for anyone else to factor in as a starting pitcher (unless there's injuries).

A midseason trade could open opportunities though. Be sure to stick with FantasySP all season, as we'll cover any major news to the team.