Yankees' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Preview | Devin Williams, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Luke Weaver and More

Let's wrap up the fantasy baseball preview of the New York Yankees by talking about the team's pitching. We already looked at the team's hitters.

We've covered the Phillies (hitters and pitchers), Guardians (hitters and pitchers), Diamondbacks (hitters and pitchers), Angels (hitters and pitchers), Padres (hitters and pitchers), Tigers (hitters and pitchers), Marlins (hitters and pitchers), Blue Jays (hitters and pitchers), Brewers (hitters and pitchers), Astros (hitters and pitchers), Cubs (hitters and pitchers), Royals (hitters and pitchers), Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Rangers (hitters and pitchers) , Nationals (hitters and pitchers), Orioles (hitters and pitchers), Reds (hitters and pitchers), Red Sox (hitters and pitchers), Mets (hitters and pitchers), Twins (hitters and pitchers), Giants (hitters and pitchers), Athletics (hitters and pitchers), Pirates (hitters and pitchers), Mariners (hitters and pitchers), Rockies (hitters and pitchers), Rays (hitters and pitchers), Braves (hitters and pitchers) and White Sox (hitters and pitchers) already.

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Top Fantasy Pitchers

A few New York pitchers appear on the ADP list.

Gerrit Cole was first, but is out for the season now after Tommy John surgery. He should not be drafted in any redraft leagues, and if you already drafted, he can be dropped.

Closer Devin Williams is the next Yankee pitcher off draft boards, going at pick 44.23 on average. Max Fried is at pick 68.5.

Carlos Rodon (130.23) and Luis Gil (150.82) are a couple other standard league options.

Williams was traded to the Yankees from the Brewers this offseason. 

In an injury-shortened 2024 season, Williams posted a 1.25 earned run average across 22 appearances and 21 2/3 innings. He went 1-0 and earned 14 saves, while also striking out 38 batters.

He's the second fantasy reliever off draft boards, trailing only Emmanuel Clase. It's risky using an early pick on closers, but I like Williams' ADP more than Clase's. Ideally, you could land Williams at pick 50 or later, which is when I like to go after closers.

Fried looks like a massive acquisition after the injury to Cole - Gil is also dealing with an injury too.

In 29 starts with Atlanta in 2024, Fried went 11-10, but with a 3.25 ERA. He struck out 166 batters over 174 1/3 innings.

Fried will now lead the Yankees' rotation, and he offers some good fantasy value around his ADP. Getting him as a second or third starting pitcher option in fantasy is good for me, and he should be a reliable option every turn through the rotation.

Rodon is entering his third season with the Yankees and coming off a very good year in 2024.

In 32 starts, Rodon went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA. Across 175 innings, he struck out 195 batters.

Most of his marks last season line up with his career marks, so I'd expect more of the same in his age-32 season. It might be hard to replicate the 16 wins he had, but his ADP is more than fair. He should be rosterable all season in all leagues, and is another guy you can trust every start.

Gil has a strained lat, which is going to delay his first MLB appearance in 2025.

In 29 starts last season, Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 171 batters over 151 2/3 innings.

After the loss of Cole, Gil's absence is going to hurt the Yankees. He's expected back in June, so I don't think there's any reason to draft him in a standard league. If you have an IR spot to put him in, then I'd be OK using one of your last picks on him, but his ADP is too early as is. He'll be at least a streaming option when he's ready to go, so watch for his return timetable.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren are now the other projected starters for the beginning of the season. 

Stroman made 29 starts over 30 appearances in 2024. He went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA and 113 punchouts over 154 2/3 innings. Stroman is a deep-league option to kick off the season, and also has standard league streaming potential for as long as he's in the rotation and delivering at least somewhat good fantasy results.

Schmidt is coming off a 16-start 2024 season. He went 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA, along with 93 strikeouts over 85 1/3 innings. The lack of starts is holding him back from being a standard league draft pick this year, but he definitely has streaming value right from the start of the regular season. He could become a keeper in standard leagues if he stays healthy.

Warren is one of the team's better pitching prospects. In five starts and six games with the big league team in 2024, he went 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA. Across 367 2/3 minor league innings, Warren has a 4.31 ERA, .244 average against him, 410 punchouts and 140 walks.

Warren is a deep-league option, at least, for as long as he's making starts. With a couple good outings, he'll become a standard league streaming option. He'll have to pitch well to remain in the rotation all season.

JT Brubaker is another starting option, but isn't expected back until July. He'll have streaming value, like any Yankees' starter, when he's back on the mound.

Luke Weaver and Ian Hamilton are viewed as the top setup men for Williams. Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr. and Yoendrys Gomez are other projected bullpen arms, and Brent Headrick is a long reliever.

Jake Cousins, Scott Effross and Jonathan Loaisiga could be other bullpen options this season, but have injuries they are working through right now.

Weaver has some fantasy value despite not being a closer. In 62 games last season, he struck out 103 batters over 84 frames. He went 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA and picked up four saves. He needs to be rostered in some deeper leagues, and would be a must-add player if Williams ever missed time.

None of the other bullpen arms are huge fantasy assets, but a few could be deployable in deeper leagues.

Top Prospects

There's no Yankees' pitchers on the top-100 prospect list. Warren, Clayton Beeter, Eric Reyzelman and Gomez are all top-30 prospects of the team with 2025 ETAs.

Beeter made three MLB appearances in 2024, posting a 4.91 ERA across 3 2/3 innings. In 300 minor league frames, he has a 3.63 ERA, 428 punchouts, 164 walks and a .206 average against him.

Reyzelman has 50 1/3 minor league innings under his belt. He's posted a 2.68 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 26 walks, while having just a .165 average against him.

Gomez has worked 13 1/3 MLB innings over the past two seasons. He has a 3.38 ERA in that short timeframe. In 358 1/3 minor league innings, Gomez has a 3.49 ERA, 385 punchouts, 162 strikeouts and a .216 average against him.

Chase Hampton, Cam Schlittler, Michael Arias and Cristian Hernandez are some other pitchers age 25 or below who are in camp with the team this season.

I'd be shocked if the Yankees don't add another starter who is a free agent, or in a trade, before the season kicks off. They need more pitching depth if they want to come out of the American League again. FantasySP will keep tabs on who steps up for the team over the course of the season, so keep checking back with us!