The World Series is about to get underway and, from a talent and stardom standpoint, it’s hard to have asked for a better matchup. However, as the 2024 season reaches its final stage, I know many of us will have one eye on the future and expectations for what 2025 will bring. With that in mind, I’m releasing my early 2025 starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball.
These are preliminary rankings based on my pitching analysis done this season and my expectations for growth or regression next year. I’ve not yet done any additional deep dives on these pitchers or commenced the days/weeks of research that will preempt my spring training rankings. Still, I thought it might be nice to have a rough sense of what the pitching landscape looks like in 2025.
As always, the pitchers are split into tiers, which I’ve named so you can get a sense of why the pitchers are ranked where they are. The tiers themselves are more important than the rankings inside the tiers, so I wouldn’t split hairs over a few spots in the rankings. I’ve also ranked as if I’m doing a 12-team league, so safe but boring low-end starters take a hit in value, etc.
So let’s dive in.
Yes, I believe there is a legit argument for any of these pitchers to end up as an ace on your fantasy team in 2025. While there may be a more compelling case for the guys at the top, I think any of these guys could carry your squad and so my early strategy is going to be to fade starting pitching in the first few rounds and try to double-tap and pick two of these guys if I can to lead my staff.
All of these pitchers in this tier as rock-solid SP2s for your squad. They could push for SP1 upside but I don’t think they have the consistency or the ceiling of the guys in tier one….