Colton Gordon's Fantasy Baseball Outlook as he Readies for MLB Debut

We checked out some fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters and pitchers already, but I have another option to add off waivers.

Houston's Colton Gordon will make his MLB debut on Wednesday, starting against the Royals. Gordon was in the streaming article for the day, but I want to cover the prospect a bit more in depth, like I have with others.

We covered Moises Ballesteros getting called up by the Cubs and Jordan Lawlar getting the call from the Diamondbacks earlier this week. Now let's do the same for Gordon.

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Gordon's Grades and Minor League Stats

Gordon is the team's No. 14 prospect. He's 26 years old, so he's not the typical prospect. The left-handed pitcher is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, so he's a pretty imposing figure out there.

Gordon was drafted in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and he's regarded highly enough to still be a top-30 prospect, so he's worth discussing at length.

He has a 55-grade slider, and 50 marks for his fastball and curveball. Gordon has a 40 mark for his changeup. His control is graded at a 55, while he's a 45 overall.

In parts of four minor league seasons, Gordon has made 67 starts over 77 appearances. He's 21-10 and has a 3.60 earned run average. Gordon has covered 347 2/3 innings, striking out 396 batters, walking 113 and having a .232 average against him. His minor league WHIP figure is a solid 1.20.

He spent all of 2024 in Triple-A, going 8-2 with a 3.94 ERA across 123 1/3 innings. Gordon had a 1.22 WHIP that season. Gordon has logged 42 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season - he has a 4-0 record, a 2.55 ERA  and a 1.20 WHIP along the way.

Gordon has pitched at least five innings in all but one start this season. He's struck out 22 batters over his past 18 innings.

Gordon's Fantasy Outlook

Gordon is being brought up to start, but there's a chance he sticks in the big leagues for a bit.

Houston is down Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski in its rotation, and are likely going to use a six-man rotation for the next couple weeks. That could mean Gordon hangs around for a couple starts, even if his numbers aren't immediately great.

The matchup against the Royals is a solid one, and given Gordon's minor league numbers, there's a chance he could post a solid fantasy total on Wednesday. 

Who Should Add Gordon?

Gordon had some dynasty/redraft value, and now is going to get some looks in redraft leagues while he's making MLB starts.

He has solid enough numbers in the minor leagues to have decent fantasy expectations for him. Gordon isn't a super highly-regarded prospect, but the minor league numbers speak for themselves.

In his MLB debut against the Royals on Wednesday, I'd be willing to stream Gordon in some deeper fantasy setups. His fantasy ceiling is probably capped a bit as he isn't likely to go more than five or six innings. He's got a decent floor, especially if he can rack up several strikeouts.

You just never know how a pitching prospect is going to fare in their first MLB action though. Some falter under the spotlight, while others shine.

What I do know is that if Gordon excels on Wednesday, his own percentage is going to shoot way up before his next big league start. For reference, Gordon is rostered in 3% of fantasy leagues synced here at FantasySP. I'd expect that number to grow a little bit before he throws his first pitch tonight.

Based on how he looks tonight, Gordon could have more or less fantasy attention going into his next start. He could start against the Rays next, which would be another pretty favorable matchup for him. Gordon might face the Athletics or Rays (again) after that, so this could be a nice little stretch to stream Gordon in.

That makes me more inclined to add and utilize Gordon in some deeper redraft leagues. If you don't feel like starting him today, you could just stash him and then utilize him for his next start if he looks good today.

Everyone really should be keeping an eye on Gordon though. There's a chance he sticks in the Astros' rotation for a while, and he could be there all year if he really takes off.