It’s Valentine’s Day, which means along with the love that is in the air there’s plenty of excitement for fantasy baseball season, which is just around the corner. Spring Training is underway in both Arizona and Florida, and it’s time to start working on your 2025 fantasy baseball strategy. Whether you prefer season-long leagues, DFS contests, or DraftKings Best Ball, DK Network will have you covered all season long. In any format, starting pitchers are one of the keys to success, and every year, new starting pitchers emerge to help carry you to victory. Let’s take a look at some of the potential NL SP Breakouts to watch in Spring Training.
If you’re looking for American league starting pitchers to watch, check out my AL SP Breakouts.
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies lost in the NLCS to the Dodgers in 2023 and in the NLDS to the Mets in 2024, but they’ll again look to be one of the top challengers to the Dodgers’ assumed NL supremacy this season. One of the driving forces of the Phillies’ recent success has been their strong starting rotation. Last year, lefty Cristopher Sanchez went from a borderline No. 5 starter to an All-Star appearance, a huge four-year contract extension and even getting some votes in the NL Cy Young race
In many ways, Sanchez had his breakout last season, but since it came a little out of nowhere, he is being under-ranked in many fantasy formats. There sasn’t much flukey about Sanchez’s success last season. He used above-average control and ground-ball rate to finish in the top five of qualified NL pitchers in FIP, xFIP, xERA and FanGraphs WAR. He went 11-9 in 31 starts with a 3.32 ERA and 3.00 FIP overall.
The one area that Sanchez wasn’t elite last season was with his strikeout rate. He had a solid 7.6 K/9 last season, finishing with 153 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings. While he may not become a strikeout fiend overnight, his strikeout percentages did trend up for each of the final three months of the season.
Since some projections take into account multiple past seasons, they are undervaluing Sanchez after his breakout last season. His new cutter which he debuted in 2024 really helped him reach the next level, and he should be able to sustain that success in 2025 while pitching with one of the best NL offenses behind him. He’s a great way to get elite upside without paying a premium price. In 2025, I expect him to continue to be a one of the top SP breakouts.
DJ Herz, Washington Nationals
Another lefty from the NL East that comes loaded with upside this season is Nats’ 24-year-old prospect DJ Herz. Herz made his MLB debut last year and went just 4-9 in 19 starts, posting a 4.16 ERA and 3.71 FIP. If you look deeper than the nine losses and ERA over 4.00, though, there are lots of things to like about the youngster’s upside.
Herz was acquired by the Nats in the trade that sent Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs at the 2023 Trade Deadline. He has always had elite strikeout stuff and averaged over 10 K/9 at every level over the last five seasons. In his 88 2/3 innings in the majors last season, Herz piled up 106 punch outs for a 10.8 K/9. He also had a 3.26 xERA, which indicates he got a little unlucky since that’s much lower than his 4.16 ERA.
In his first year in the majors, Herz sparkled at times but also had some outings where he was crushed. In just his third MLB start, he struck out 13 in six one-hit innings against the Marlins to earn his first Major League victory. He hit double-digit strikeouts in one other outing and finished the year off with at least five strikeouts in seven of his last eight starts. He allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his last four outings as well.
Herz is a very volatile pick until he shows more consistency, but I’m fascinated by his upside coming into the new year. If he can cut down on his walks and disastrous outings, Herz truly has ace potential for a Nationals team loaded with exciting young position-player talent. While he’s not a sure thing, he’s a one of the SP breakouts I can’t wait to see in Spring Training to see if he’s ready to take his game to the next level.
Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates
If you’re looking for this year’s version of Paul Skenes, you may not even have to look beyond his own clubhouse. To be fair, Skenes is a generational talent, so there probably isn’t anyone who will take fantasy baseball quite by storm as last year’s Rookie of the Year. Chandler has a great arsenal, though, and he could be one of this year’s SP breakouts, giving the Pirates an elite 1-2 combo for many years to come.
Chandler was recently ranked as the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America and the No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He began last season in Double-A but was even better after moving to Triple-A and starring for the Indianapolis Indians. Chandler did even better once he reached Triple-A. He went 4-0 in his seven starts for the Indians, posting a 1.83 ERA, 2.78 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP in 39 1/3 innings. Impressively, he had 54 strikeouts in under 40 innings with a 34% K%. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he totaled 148 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings.
While he isn’t on the Pirates’ MLB roster yet, he is with the team in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He’s definitely one of the SP breakouts to monitor to see if he can pitch his way into a rotation spot this Spring. He has limitless upside and could be one of the steals of your fantasy baseball draft if you snag him late. It will definitely be worth watching where he slots into the Pirates’ plans, though, because he’s not a lock for a rotation spot just yet.
