Sunday’s fantasy baseball headlines weren’t solely dominated by the unexpected trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
The Atlanta Braves, regardless of shedding in embarrassing trend, 10-1, to the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park, bought the perfect single-pitcher strikeout complete (15) of the week. Proper-hander Grant Holmes scored 24 fantasy factors in a powerful, 6 1/3 inning effort, marking the fourth time within the workforce’s six video games through the previous week that they bought not less than that many out of one in all their beginning pitchers.
The efficiency gave Holmes a shocking 43.0% strikeout fee in his previous 4 begins, throughout which period he has a 49% miss fee on his slider (39% utilization of the pitch) and a 48% miss fee on his curveball (13% utilization). These give him a dominating one-two punch for placing away each right- and left-handed hitters, they usually make him effectively value a pickup within the 72.4% of ESPN leagues during which he stays accessible.
Holmes now has a 4.02 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and a 27.9% Okay fee in his 21 begins for the Braves since starting to work out of their rotation final July. He has additionally averaged 11.1 fantasy factors per begin this season, tied for thirty fourth amongst certified starters and forward of extra distinguished names like Dylan Cease (10.5), Luis Castillo (10.4) and Tanner Bibee (9.8).
Moreover, take into account that Holmes has exceeded 90 pitches (successfully a full-time starter’s workload) in 10 of his final 13 begins, averaging 91.2 throughout his final six turns. The Braves additionally pushed Bryce Elder again of their upcoming rotation, a sign that Holmes is now locked in because the workforce’s No. 4 starter with each Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver out.
Holmes is not the one high-upside pickup so as to add to your roster for fantasy’s Week 13. Listed here are some extra gamers value contemplating:
Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers (accessible in 88.6% of ESPN leagues): Due to his residence runs (final Tuesday and Thursday) and stolen bases (final Wednesday and Thursday), in addition to the return of his contact-oriented swing, Carter amassed 34 fantasy factors throughout fantasy’s Week 12, tied for the fourth-most by any hitter. He is shaping up because the workforce’s on a regular basis heart fielder with Leody Taveras now gone, and has moved as much as the No. 5 spot within the lineup over his final three begins.
Carter is getting extra raise on the ball than he has beforehand, his 16.7 diploma Statcast launch angle his profession greatest and 35.2% ground-ball fee a profession low. Plus, he is within the 96th percentile when it comes to dash velocity. He is as interesting a points-based participant as he’s a rotisserie pickup with these modifications, and keep in mind that he was Kiley McDaniel’s No. 6 general prospect in baseball as early because the 2024 preseason.
Two-start pitchers so as to add
Clarke Schmidt (65.9% accessible) and Will Warren, SPs, New York Yankees (84.5% accessible): Yankee Stadium’s HR-friendly confines would possibly scare some folks off their lesser rotation members, however each of those right-handers have pitched successfully there up to now in 2025. Schmidt has a 3.49 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in his 5 begins at residence, whereas Warren has 3.86/1.25 numbers in his 5 begins at Yankee Stadium. Warren’s numbers additionally distinction dramatically along with his highway charges (5.54/1.45 in 9 begins).
Sure, the opposing Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles have been better-hitting offenses of late than they have been within the season’s opening weeks, however the Forecaster nonetheless grades each average-to-above matchups for right-handed pitchers. In Warren’s case, keep in mind that his 11.3 general Okay/9 ratio ranks fifth amongst pitchers with not less than as many as his 14 begins, and the Forecaster grades each the Angels and Orioles as top-10 strikeout matchups for righties.
Deeper-league pickups
Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds (96.5% accessible): The No. 2 general choose from the 2024 beginner draft and McDaniel’s No. 2 pitching and No. 12 general prospect in his June prospect rankings update, Burns is surging in the direction of his MLB debut. Promoted to Triple-A Louisville through the previous week, the right-hander managed seven strikeouts whereas permitting two runs over 5 1/3 innings in his debut for the Bats, after having posted a 1.29 ERA, an 0.71 WHIP and a 36.4% strikeout fee in eight begins for Double-A Chattanooga.
Contemplating the Reds are nonetheless very a lot within the National League playoff race — they’re two video games over .500, seven video games again within the NL Central and simply three again of the ultimate wild card — Burns’ electrical stuff is perhaps simply what the workforce must make a push in the direction of October. He has the ace-caliber expertise that fantasy managers with bench area want be speculating upon proper now.
Reid Detmers, SP/RP, Los Angeles Angels (96.3% accessible): After lacking out on the Opening Day rotation, Detmers formed up as extra of a protracted reliever to start the season, throwing 30-plus pitches in 5 of his first 15 video games. Nonetheless, he has since established himself as a “go-to man” within the late frames for the Angels. The lefty has an energetic streak of 11 scoreless appearances, throughout which period opponents are batting simply .162 in opposition to him whereas putting out 43.9% of the time.
Detmers has a pair of saves, one reduction win and 6 holds throughout that stretch, which warrants consideration when the workforce’s regular nearer, Kenley Jansen, has a 4.94 ERA and .798 OPS allowed, each of these being his worst numbers in any single 12 months. Detmers could be a useful center reliever in deeper leagues and even as a filler in factors leagues while you in any other case lack a starter. His dual-eligibility could be a boon in leagues that splits pitching positions.
Emmet Sheehan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (98.5% accessible): The different Dodger making his 2025 rotational debut, Sheehan ought to make his first begin both Tuesday or Wednesday, relying upon the extent of relaxation (4 or 5 days) the workforce needs him to have. His workload is prone to be intently monitored all season lengthy after he missed the whole lot of 2024 because of Tommy John surgical procedure.
That is particularly the case since he is solely 25, having totaled 92 2/3, 88 1/3 and 123 1/3 innings throughout the 2021-23 campaigns (encompassing time on the school, minor and MLB ranges, in addition to Arizona Fall League work). Sheehan brings immense strikeout potential, as he has a 40.9% profession minor league Okay fee (25.8% within the majors). He additionally struck out 21-of-47 (44.7%) of the hitters he confronted in his four-start minor league rehab stint. That makes him effectively value stashing.