Top 40 Starters for 2025 Fantasy Baseball, A Recap

We’ve gone over the final 2025 fantasy baseball rankings for hitters and the top 20 starters. This is different than Final Fantasy rankings where you rank Final Fantasy 1 thru Final Fantasy 15. That’s hardcore nerd shizz! This is simply fantasy baseball — we’re softcore nerds like Emmanuelle is to porn. So, there’s no more of these godforsaken recap posts left. You’re welcome. I, my over-the-internet friend, will be talking next about 2026 rookies. Let’s boogie to the next year, you Bougie boogiers! Anyway, here’s the top 40 starters for 2025 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

21. Merrill Kelly – How am I going to make Kelly’s preseason rank of 98 not seem crazy wrong? I got you, homey! It is wrong. His ADP was 300, so everyone was wrong. That’s my whole point that I make again and again! Pitchers are unpredictable. Embrace that. The kinda wild thing is Kelly’s had valuable seasons in three of the past four seasons. It’s the trouble with expecting players after the age of 35 to just continue to decline in a linear, uh, line. Preseason Rank #98, 2025 Projections: 8-9/4.14/1.21/127 in 142 IP, Final Numbers: 12-9/3.52/1.11/167 in 184 IP

22. Drew Rasmussen – I should have a way to say I told you to draft a guy without saying this every time, like the player’s name is highlighted in green or something. Well, Rasmussen was in green. He’ll almost definitely now be in the red. He went from 28 2/3 IP to 150 IP. “Oh god! Murder!” That’s his elbow tendons reading this. What’s kinda interesting: No matter if he throws 25-inning seasons or 150 innings or 10+ K/9 or 7+, he has a career 2.89 ERA and his ERA hasn’t been above 3 since 2020, his rookie year when he had 15 1/3 IP. Preseason Rank #82, 2025 Projections: 8-7/3.46/1.07/122 in 120 IP, Final Numbers: 10-5/2.76/1.02/127 in 150 IP

23. Chris Sale – Sorry, need a small victory lap here. He was being drafted in the top 30 overall and I told you to avoid and put out projected innings that had people scratching their heads in January of last year, but were bang-on. Preseason Rank #17, 2025 Projections: 12-6/3.03/1.06/152 in 123 IP, Final Numbers: 7-5/2.58/1.07/165 in 125 2/3 IP

24. Gavin Williams – Told you to draft him and drafted him myself so take what I’m about to say as someone who felt every one of his starts: Gavin did not feel that great to roster when we were going start to start. I barely wanted to start him some weeks! And it wasn’t from having many other great options. I’d pick up random streamer to start over Gavin. Yet, he did break out this year. Preseason Rank #78, 2025 Projections: 9-8/4.09/1.35/124 in 120 IP, Final Numbers: 12-5/3.06/1.00/173 in 167 2/3 IP

25. Framber Valdez – Similar to Gavin, loved Framber, drafted him and if you would’ve just asked me to rank Framber for how it felt rostering him? I would’ve said he felt like a top 50 starter, maybe. Oddly enough, it felt better rostering the next guy than Framber. Guess it goes back to expectations. Great, Dickens! Preseason Rank #7, 2025 Projections: 14-9/3.39/1.12/191 in 194 IP, Final Numbers:13-11/3.66/1.24/187 in 192 IP

26. Andrew Abbott – I don’t know how Abbott avoided the Regression Fairies all year — very musky cologne? — but he pulled it off with improved command and some nice luck on homers allowed. Preseason Rank #120, 2025 Projections: 8-12/4.17/1.31/136 in 141 IP, Final Numbers: 10-7/2.87/1.10/149 in 166 1/3 IP

27. Sonny Gray – Trying to separate my love for Gray and just his name. Calling him Sonny Gollum just to see if I still like him. [takes a moment to sit with Sonny Gollum] I still like him! His peripherals–Well, did Sonny Gray switch skin suits with Nick Pivetta? He had a 3.07 xFIP, 10 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and these are ace numbers. His ratios are not ace numbers. Preseason Rank #26, 2025 Projections: 12-10/3.56/1.13/186 in 164 IP, Final Numbers: 14-8/4.28/1.23/201 in 180 2/3 IP

28. Nick Lodolo – He had his pre-breakout season this year. This season was great but he’s about to go on a multi-season run as a top 15 starter. I’m laying my claim like Columbus in the West Indies. I’m about to start calling him Nick Indiadolo. He had a 9 K/9 with a 1.8 BB/9 that alone should have you drooling for his 2026 stocks. Preseason Rank #71, 2025 Projections: 7-7/4.09/1.27/144 in 129 IP, Final Numbers: 9-8/3.33/1.08/156 in 156 2/3 IP

29. Ranger Suarez – If you would’ve asked me to rank the Phils’ big four before this, I would’ve said Sanchez, Wheeler, Suarez then Luzardo. That Suarez was 4th (the other three in the top 20) is a testament to how much wins matter and innings. Suarez needed three to four more starts, and he would’ve challenged the top 20 starters. If a pitcher had solid innings, they’d have to do some real work to not be somewhat valuable. Of the 26 pitchers with 175 or more innings not listed with their Player Rater rank (so two just missed): Littell (42), Bibee (46), Jake Irvin (209), Yusei Kikuchi (93), Pfaadt (83), and Mitch Keller (89). That’s it. Granted, there’s a bit “If a guy has 175+ IP, it’s because he was decent” to the explanation. Preseason Rank #46, 2025 Projections: 10-7/3.56/1.24/134 in 142 IP, Final Numbers: 12-8/3.20/1.22/151 in 157 1/3 IP

30. Robbie Ray – As he’s known in some circles of San Fran, Tighty-Whitey had a solid season back from surgery, but he is clearly not the starter he was before, or needs another season to get there. His 9.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 were kinda hideous compared to his previous marks. He seemed to become a number two to three starter peripherals-wise, but not really as far as his ERA was concerned. As the sign above the brothel says, therein lies the rub. Does his ERA stay decent or does he become a 4.20+ ERA pitcher as his peripherals suggest? Hard to say, but that’s where we are now with Robbie. Preseason Rank #47, 2025 Projections: 9-12/3.87/1.23/187 in 163 IP, Final Numbers: 11-8/3.65/1.21/186 in 182 1/3 IP

31. Hunter Greene – Here’s one where I ranked him relatively close to this, and said in the preseason he will get hurt at some point, and I don’t trust him, and, as correct as those two sentiments seem, I was pretty off on Greene. He looks like an ace, and, if you drafted him, started him when he was healthy, and just streamed when he was hurt, you did much better than the 31st best starter. Preseason Rank #38, 2025 Projections: 6-6/3.72/1.14/159 in 137 IP, Final Numbers: 7-4/2.76/0.94/132 in 107 2/3 IP

32. Luis Castillo – Much like Max Fried for the last few years (and Altuve and others), I should just say Castillo is solid, because I keep expecting him to fall off, and no fall off happens, year after year. If anything, I have pegged Castillo’s declining Ks, which I guess is something, but it hasn’t stopped him from being worthwhile for fantasy. Preseason Rank #36, 2025 Projections:  10-10/3.89/1.21/166 in 172 IP, Final Numbers: 11-8/3.54/1.18/162 in 180 2/3 IP

33. Cade Horton – Currently, writing up my rookie outlook posts which will be coming in the coming weeks, starting on Monday, and I’ll tell ya what I hear with Horton. It ain’t a Who, but it’s footsteps. Horton points out how you can do so much research, then you get a guy like Cade, who has big Ks numbers in the minors, but a 4.46 ERA for all of 2024, then he’s a top rookie this year with next to no Ks but great ratios. Fantasy baseball is a very humbling hobby. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 11-4/2.67/1.08/97 in 118 IP

34. Brady Singer – His preseason ranking of 86 and how he ended up 34th with those near-identical projections? Hmm, well, uhh…Sure, he had six extra wins, but that doesn’t explain things completely. Singer’s ranking here goes back to: Decent Ks, decent innings equals decent end-of-year value. Preseason Rank #86, 2025 Projections: 8-10/4.18/1.29/162 in 171 IP, Final Numbers: 14-12/4.03/1.24/163 in 169 2/3 IP

35. Ryan Pepiot – Feelings are pretty similar to Singer, but at least my ranking was closer for Pepiot. Pepiot should be commended for pitching in Big Stein all year, and having a 1.4 HR/9 and only having a 3.86 ERA. Shizz could’ve been much worse. Ryan Pepiot could’ve ended up needing Lemon-n-Lime’in Pepcid. Nailed it! High five me! No? Okay. You’re right. Preseason Rank #50, 2025 Projections: 9-11/3.92/1.19/172 in 156 IP, Final Numbers: 11-12/3.86/1.16/167 in 167 2/3 IP

36. Logan Gilbert – As I’ve been saying for the top 20 starters and this post –> great pitchers are great, but prone to injuries, and you need innings to get full value out of them. Gilbert was excellent, but missed six weeks with an elbow flexor strain. Usually a massive worry, but he returned and looked fine. Better than fine. He looked F-I-N-E, like an R&B singer was describing him. 11.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 2.95 xFIP are basically top four starter stats. Which is me agreeing with my preseason ranking still. Preseason Rank #4, 2025 Projections: 13-12/2.89/0.96/217 in 204 IP, Final Numbers: 6-6/3.44/1.03/173 in 131 IP

37. Quinn Priester – Almost the exact flip side to the Cade Horton coin. Call him Coinn Priester, except with Priester you have to throw in: Brewers can turn anyone into an ace or lights-out closer. Red Sox sent them Priester after the Pirates sent them Priester and the consensus was: Sending us back $20 in cash in return for Priester is too generous. And, the thing is, Priester still doesn’t look that good: 7.6 K/9, 2.9BB/9, an emoji that is yawning. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 13-3/3.32/1.24/132 in 157 1/3 IP

38. Casey Mize – I think Manning, Turnbull and the Tigers’ version of Matthew Boyd scared me off Mize. If I had to guess why I didn’t rank him. Bit surprised I didn’t, tee bee aitch. Skubal, Mize (and Boyd maybe) show that the Tigers can develop pitching after roughly seven years of the pitcher in the system. Remember Skubal was barely a top 70 starter going into last year. If I had to guess Mize won’t be a top three starter next year, following Skubal’s lead, but he could be 3.70-ish ERA pitcher again. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 14-6/3.87/1.27/139 in 149 IP

39. Shota Imanaga – Quite possibly the most unlucky starter of the past year. He had a 0.99 WHIP and a 3.73 ERA. C’mon. He had a 1.6 BB/9 and a 1.9 HR/9. Stop it. He had a 3.15 ERA to start September, and ended with 3.73? Stop the madness. His drop in Ks is a concern, but even neutrally he should’ve been a 3.30 ERA pitcher. All those homers allowed killed him. Imanaga tried to waste-a his Shota. Preseason Rank #11, 2025 Projections: 13-6/3.17/1.05/177 in 175 IP, Final Numbers: 9-8/3.73/0.99/117 in 144 2/3 IP

40. Noah Cameron – Stopping people on the street and asking them to guess the 40th best starter and no one is right. Traveling to Kansas City to ask lollygaggers there. And still nothing! Asking people who answer “Yes” to the question: Are you related to Noah Cameron? And still nothing! Once again, another rookie that makes no sense. A 7.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 4.10 xFIP and lights-out in the minors, which he didn’t show at all in the majors. Perfect way to end the pitcher recap. As William Goldman said about Hollywood, but pertains here: No one knows anything. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 9-7/2.99/1.10/114 in 138 1/3 IP