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2025 Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Pitcher Rankings, Draft Targets & Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Pitcher Rankings, Draft Targets & Sleepers

Published:

By: Zach Thompson

The arrival of March means Spring Training for Major League Baseball teams and fantasy baseball draft season for fantasy players! One great way to get the thrill of the draft without the commitment to season-long management is by playing Best Ball on DraftKings. Drafts are happening throughout the next several weeks leading up to Opening Day. To help you make the best choices, check out my Best Ball pitcher rankings with the top 100 pitcher picks. For help in the infield, check out my top 100 IF rankings.

In the Best Ball Lobby on DraftKings, there are both Tournaments and Sit & Go contests. In tournament formats, teams advance to different rounds of play based on the team they draft from the initial pool. Most of the big contests are in a 12-player format, but if you’re looking for smaller, more casual contests, check out the three-player or six-player Sit & Go’s available. For all the info on scoring and format for Best Ball on DraftKings, check out this helpful information sheet.

In my previous coverage, I highlighted George Kirby, Max Fried and Bowden Francis as some of my favorite P best ball targets from the American League and Corbin Burnes, Sandy Alcantara and Nick Pivetta as some of my top P targets from the National League.

After my top 100 Best Ball pitcher Rankings, I highlighted a few more players who I ranked significantly different than their ADP, which was taken from the DraftKings Best Ball lobby.


2025 Best Ball Targets: AL IF | NL IF | AL OF | NL OF | AL P | NL P

Best Ball Rankings: P | IF | OF


2025 Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Pitcher Rankings

P RANKPLAYER NAMEADPTEAM
1Tarik Skubal8.4586DET
2Paul Skenes6.7519PIT
3Zack Wheeler13.2782PHI
4Corbin Burnes29.827082ARI
5Garrett Crochet29.353397BOS
6Cole Ragans20.7669KC
7Gerrit Cole27.320648NYY
8Chris Sale19.5789ATL
9Logan Gilbert34.09848SEA
10Max Fried56.3068NYY
11Jacob deGrom54.980976TEX
12Blake Snell32.27067LAD
13Dylan Cease33.4308SD
14George Kirby60.5195SEA
15Yoshinobu Yamamoto44.738426LAD
16Tyler Glasnow50.238094LAD
17Michael King42.523407SD
18Aaron Nola51.429718PHI
19Roki Sasaki65.5349LAD
20Spencer Strider56.4457ATL
21Tanner Bibee98.1923CLE
22Shota Imanaga40.46565CHC
23Framber Valdez48.008007HOU
24Shane McClanahan76.5556TB
25Joe Ryan99.5217MIN
26Grayson Rodriguez70.8158BAL
27Pablo Lopez53.9114MIN
28Logan Webb72.0889SF
29Hunter Brown88.5172HOU
30Zac Gallen101.375ARI
31Bryce Miller104.9565SEA
32Bailey Ober100.68MIN
33Spencer Schwellenbach67.3077ATL
34Hunter Greene62CIN
35Freddy Peralta66.30002MIL
36Sandy Alcantara92.8214MIA
37Sonny Gray80.0667STL
38Seth Lugo86.5714KC
39Luis Castillo90.7586SEA
40Carlos Rodon113.8235NYY
41Jack Flaherty107DET
42Justin Steele106.3CHC
43Jared Jones123.1818PIT
44Bryan Woo118.4286SEA
45Luis Gil139.1NYY
46Kodai SengaNYM
47MacKenzie GoreWSH
48Yusei Kikuchi126.9231LAA
49Taj BradleyTB
50Reynaldo Lopez104.1111ATL
51Mitch KellerPIT
52Kevin Gausman117.2105TOR
53Tanner HouckBOS
54Nick PivettaSD
55Cristopher SanchezPHI
56Jose Berrios136.2TOR
57Robbie RaySF
58Gavin WilliamsCLE
59Shane BazTB
60Walker BuehlerBOS
61Nathan EovaldiTEX
62Sean ManaeaNYM
63Zach EflinBAL
64Spencer ArrighettiHOU
65Luis SeverinoATH
66Jackson JobeDET
67Kyle HarrisonSF
68Max ScherzerTOR
69Yu DarvishSD
70Justin VerlanderSF
71Grant HolmesATL
72Ryan PepiotTB
73Nick LodoloCIN
74Jesus LuzardoPHI
75Clay HolmesNYM
76Ranger SuarezPHI
77Brandon PfaadtARI
78Brandon WoodruffMIL
79Michael WachaKC
80Bowden FrancisTOR
81DJ HerzWSH
82Ronel BlancoHOU
83Charlie MortonBAL
84Brady SingerCIN
85Merrill KellyARI
86Drew RasmussenTB
87Nestor CortesMIL
88Bubba ChandlerPIT
89Erick FeddeSTL
90Brayan BelloBOS
91Chris BassittTOR
92Luis OrtizCLE
93Lucas GiolitoBOS
94Reese OlsonDET
95Reid DetmersLAA
96Jeffrey SpringsATH
97Cody BradfordTEX
98Zebby MatthewsMIN
99Andrew PainterPHI
100Hayden WesneskiHOU

22. Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

According to his ADP, Bibee is going amazingly low in Best Ball drafts. He struggled a little out of the gate last season with a 4.91 ERA and 4.03 FIP in his first eight starts. He really hit his stride after that, though, and had a 3.04 ERA, 3.41 FIP and a 9.7 K/9 in his last 23 outings. Bibee allowed just a .216 batting average against in those starts. Bibee told reporters this spring that he was battling a shoulder injury for most of last season and his better starts were when he adjusted his mechanics to compensate for the injury. He is healthy and feeling good coming into his third MLB season and has added a new pitch with a sinker in his arsenal for this year. The Guardians continue to develop outstanding ace-level pitchers, and while Gavin Williams could be this year’s breakout, don’t overlook Bibee’s continuing growth as a top-25 starting pitcher this season.

49. Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays

Bradley’s ADP has him much lower than this, but I see him as bringing top-20 upside, so I’m loving getting him around 50. He was absolutely unhittable in the summer last season, going 5-1 in a nine-start stretch with a 0.82 ERA and 2.49 FIP, allowing just a 32.0% HardHit% per Statcast and giving up only a .161 batting average. Bradley totaled 65 strikeouts in 55 innings and had two 11-strikeout performances in that dominant run. He tailed off at the end of the season, but his ceiling is extremely high. Since we’re talking about the Rays, there’s no question they know how to develop him into an ace. Last year, he struggled with disaster starts, but in Best Ball, he just moves to the bench on those weeks. If you can get him as a bench piece in 12-player leagues, he could be a breakout gem this season.

100. Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros

Wesneski is going well outside the top 100, but if you’re looking for an end-of-the-draft flier, the 27-year-old is a very interesting sleeper as he starts his first season in Houston. He was acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker deal and will be in the rotation after bouncing between starting and relieving the last few years. Last year, he posted a 3.86 ERA and 4.51 FIP while racking up 67 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings across 28 games (seven starts). He has an exceptional sweeper but needs to develop the rest of his repertoire. He seems to have the inside track on the fifth spot in the Houston rotation, though, which gives him enough upside to be a last-slot flier with his strikeout upside as well.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.