Diamondbacks' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Paul Sewald, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and More
Discussing the top fantasy pitchers from the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.
Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays (hitters and pitchers), Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants
Now, we’ll take a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks. We'll cover the team’s pitchers in this article after already looking at the hitters.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Pitchers
The first Arizona pitcher off fantasy baseball draft boards is Zac Gallen. He ranks 24th overall with a mark of 26.02 on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list.
Gallen had his best season as a big leaguer in 2023, going 17-9 with a 3.47 earned run average across 34 stats. He struck out 220 batters over 210 innings. Gallen set new career highs in wins, starts, innings and strikeouts along the way.
Gallen will be the team’s No. 1 starter in 2024 after the big season. He’s just 28 years old, so there’s no reason to believe he can’t put up similar numbers for at least a couple more seasons.
The D-Backs ace is the seventh starting pitcher off draft boards right now, so he’s likely either your first or second option. He finished fifth at the position in points leagues in 2023, so you’re getting pretty good value back if he can stay healthy all season.
Merrill Kelly is next up, ranking 99th with a mark of 104.6.
Kelly was also great for Arizona last season, going 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA across 30 starts. He struck out 187 batters over 177 2/3 innings.
Kelly is 35 years old, otherwise his ADP would probably be quite a bit higher. He’s made at least 27 starts in three straight seasons, and if he can hit that mark again, there’s a good chance he’ll outperform that ADP mark. He’s a good third or fourth SP fantasy option and will probably finish above the 32nd-highest scoring fantasy SP option, which is where he’s going at the position right now.
Paul Sewald is next up, ranking 124th with a mark of 130.8. He’s set to be the team’s primary closer in 2024.
Sewald pitched for the Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners a season ago, pitching in 65 games. He went 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 34 saves, while striking out 80 batters over 60 2/3 innings.
Being in Arizona all season should boost Sewald’s fantasy potential - he had 13 saves in just 20 games with the team last season. He’s the 12th fantasy reliever off draft boards and has a pretty good chance to finish inside the top-10 scorers by the end of the season if he can remain healthy.
Starter Eduardo Rodriguez is next up, ranking 153rd with a mark of 147.33.
Rodriguez joins Arizona after spending the past two seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He had a 3.30 ERA and 13-9 record across 26 starts in 2023. Rodriguez struck out 143 batters over 152 2/3 innings.
Pitching for Arizona instead of Detroit should boost Rodriguez’s fantasy value. His win-loss record should improve, and his other statistics could jump up a good bit with a full season of starts. He’s a guy taken to fill out the back end of your starting rotation, and has the chance to outperform a bunch of the SP taken ahead of him. He had averaged a strikeout (or better) per inning in most seasons in his career, and if that returns in 2024, Rodriguez is likely going to be a pretty big draft steal.
Brandon Pfaadt is up next, ranking 254th with a mark of 213. He’s expected to be the team’s No. 4 starter, after the three starters we’ve already discussed.
Pfaadt made his MLB debut in 2024, making 19 appearances (18 starts). He went 3-9 with a 5.72 ERA, striking out 94 batters over 96 innings.
It wasn’t a great debut season for Pfaadt, but he was a top-100 prospect going into 2023 and is just 25 years old, so it’s far too early to give up on him. This late in a fantasy draft, the risk with drafting him is pretty low. Any pitcher on this team has a great offense to back them up, and I think there’s a good chance the youngster’s numbers improve quite a bit in his second MLB season. He’s a depth SP option, with about as good of upside as you can ask for this late in a draft. I’m all for taking Pfaadt if you are confident in the top end of your rotation, but would probably avoid him if you are a bit unsure about your collection of SP.
Logan Allen is the last D-Back pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 363rd with a mark of 311. Allen is in contention for the team’s No. 5 starter spot, although many sites are projecting him to open the year in the minor leagues.
His first MLB season was last year with the Cleveland Guardians. He made 24 starts and went 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA. Allen struck out 119 batters over 125 1/3 innings.
Those are pretty solid numbers, but Arizona has a number of SP options, so Allen will have to earn that spot and then pitch well to keep it. I’d prefer to avoid drafting Allen (or anyone that might not open the year in the rotation, for that matter), but you might not have that luxury if your fantasy draft is coming up. At the very least, Allen needs to be watched closely on the waiver wire.
Ryne Nelson is the projected No. 5 starter for a lot of sites out there. There’s a number of other options that could also be the No. 5 starter, or fill in for another injured arm in the rotation.
Yu-Min Lin, Cristian Mena, Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston and Bryce Jarvis are some other prospects that could factor in at some point this season (or be traded to a rebuilding team near the trade deadline), so keep tabs on them as well.
If Sewald is ever out for an extended period or simply needs some rest, Kevin Ginkel looks like the top option. Miguel Castro could be another option.
While Arizona has some top-end fantasy starters and relievers, there’s also some rotation spots open for the taking. It could be covered by a committee, but with the team’s contending status, having just one guy at each position would be most beneficial to the team.
With the lineup the D-Backs have, any starter is at least a decent streaming option. The FantasySP team will help identify the best matchups and waiver wire guys throughout the season, so be sure to check in early and often!
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