To prepare my Top 400 Starting Pitchers for 2025 article, I thoroughly review every team’s rotation and write the blurbs you see in February. I usually don’t share these publicly until then, but I wanted to give another benefit to those who support us with PL Pro. Y’all are the ones who keep the lights on for us. Y’all rock.
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Huge thanks to Josh Mockensturm and community member Hanzo for creating these tables for all these players.
Expected Starters
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD, RHP)
I’m not smitten with Yamamoto entering 2025. With the Dodgers likely returning to a six-man rotation and trying again to keep all their pitchers healthy for the playoffs, you should not expect more than 150 frames from Yamamoto in the year ahead – and that’s without a trip to the IL. The Dodgers will push back starts, limit his innings here and there, all the stuff that makes his roster spot less valuable than his teammate Tyler Glasnow who we all expect to hit the IL, but will have better quality during his innings and opens up his roster spot for an SP off the waiver wire when he’s not pitching. That’s massive difference and I want to emphasize that greatly as a fantasy manager.
I also don’t love his skills as much as I thought I would. Yamamoto allowed 40% ICR on all three pitches against RHB last year, utilizing his four-seamer as a low called strike pitch and failing to take advantage of its flat attack angle. Yes, throwing low makes it easier to hit and despite my ideals of Yamamoto making a shift this year to focus the heater upstairs, I have my doubts.
The splitter is fantastic against RHB and a touch worse against LHB (weird, right?), but is reserved more than half the time for two-strike counts, turning Yamamoto into a four-seamer/curve for the majority of at-bats, and I wish I liked that curveball more. Its big drop is lovely eye candy and a 70% strike rate is fantastic, though it gets hit often and doesn’t have the dominance you want from a #2 pitch with low whiff rates. I like the offering a lot, I simply wish his cutter would take over as the predominant weapon, allowing the curve as more of a mix-up than the necessary pitch.
This sounds very negative. Yikes. Yamamoto isn’t a bad pitcher by any means and is sure to help all your fantasy teams. The question I’m trying to answer is How Much? and it’s not enough for me to draft him inside the Top 20 arms. He’ll certainly have days where his fastball and curve do enough to set up a splitter in its final form, though he’ll have limited volume and not pitch at the level of a Glasnow, deGrom, or any of the Top tier starters when he does.
Quick Take: Yamamoto will likely be limited as a Dodger with good ratios and strikeouts for a winning club, though I’m concerned with his overall volume and how large of an impact he’ll make. Once all the trusted volume arms who product across the board are gone, then consider Yamamoto, but be careful reaching too far.
Blake Snell (LAD, LHP)
I don’t know what to do with you and I hate it. Snell was terrible across his first five starts of the year, then went on one of his patented runs for a 1.23 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 38% strikeout rate across fourteen games and 80 IP. But he only totaled 145 strikeouts on the season. That’s a great point. Snell hit 180 IP twice in his Cy Young seasons and hasn’t hit 130 IP in any other year. His style of pitching also walks a tightrope that requires something new to be tweaked for his success – first his changeup renaissance, then his fastball locations, then his curveball turning into a 65% strike pitch out of nowhere last year. It’s maddening and as a fantasy manager, I simply don’t want to deal with it again.
But Nick! This is the year! He was SO GOOD last season and the Dodgers will use him perfectly to get the most out of him! Uhhhh, are we sure? This is a feel thing and his health is his health. Snell’s command was as incredible as I’ve ever seen it last year during his wondrous stretch (still with a ~50% strike rate on his slider to LHB, to be fair) and I really dislike chasing that feel to extend for a full year. He’s never done that, relying on his second-half blitz of dominance to even out the struggles early. But yes, the four-seamer is stupid good when it works with precision upstairs and curves low against LHB (BSB, of course), with the changeup entering the mix against RHB with absurd SwStr marks as well. I just wish we knew we’d get that all the time and without any health fears.
Quick Take: You don’t need Snell to win your league. His unreliability of both health and rhythm makes him a starter I’d prefer to avoid in drafts, favoring more reliable arms who can realistically flirt with 180 frames and help your team every week. That said, if you need a home run play, Snell’s potential ceiling if he’s healthy all season is among the best in fantasy.
Tyler Glasnow (LAD, RHP)
Here’s a rank that is sure to be different by the end of draft season. If Glasnow is pitching in the spring without a setback, I’ll have him…higher. Not sure exactly where yet, but it’ll be higher and likely flirting with the top tier. Glasnow’s production per start is as good as it gets and I’m more in favor of taking an IL volume arm than a nebulous “we’re going to watch his innings” volume arm, aka Yamamoto, McClanahan, Alcantara, etc. Why? Because the replacement SP you’ll get when Glasnow is on the IL is value you don’t get when the Rays are skipping McClanahan’s starts or limiting how deep he can go into games. That’s a huge difference.
If Glasnow is delayed out of camp, it will be due to the elbow sprain that ended his 2024 season and I’d be worried because A) His timeline will continue to get pushed back and B) He’ll hit the IL again after return. Unfortunately, the bump I give Strider for being on the IL in April (another roster spot to add players at the most important time!) doesn’t apply the same way given the higher risk of re-injury with Glasnow, and I’d have Glasnow under Strider at that point.
ANYWAY, the skills are simple. Glasnow has 7.5 feet of extension (99th percentile) that grants him absurd success on his four-seamer/slider/curve combo with a heater that sits 96+. It’s incredible and demands all the strikeouts with few hits, even if the heater doesn’t get the whiffs you’d expect (but the slider makes up for it). It all comes down to spring health and planning for the in-season IL trip.
Quick Take: Glasnow is a polarizing draft pick who I’m more inclined to draft with the understanding that “Quality is Quality”. However, if Glasnow is delayed in the spring, expect this ranking to fall below Strider’s, and if you’re drafting before then, bake in a decent amount of probability of that happening. Good luck guessing this one.
Roki Sasaki (LAD, RHP)
Sasaki’s ranking is likely shifting once we get more information during spring training and it doesn’t feel right pinning him down in early February BUT HERE WE ARE. I’m still hazy on the quality of innings Sasaki brings to the table + the plan for the season ahead. The Dodgers’ goal is to ensure he’s healthy for the postseason, which would suggest they would want to keep him around 140 innings or so, but how would they do that? Eric Samulski made a great point – he has minor league options. We could see Sasaki start the season in the minors as an “extended spring training”, forcing those who drafted Sasaki to waste a roster spot for the entirety of April. Or the Dodgers could feel that their six-man rotation is enough rest to allow him throw for the full year.
Those worried about the story of Sasaki getting recommended for TJS in previous years and electing not to get it, I would put those fears aside. If Sasaki needed it, he would have gotten it, waited two years, and signed with the Dodgers post-surgery for a whole lot more money. We should assume he’s healthy and feeling great.
The skill set is electric. I wonder if the recent reports of his extension increasing to seven feet are correct, which would nullify most of the effects of the lower velocity, and I can’t wait to see if he’s the 30% strikeout arm he’s been made out to be. My current expectation is for Sasaki to be somewhat limited early in the year and carry an explosive strikeout rate with common signs of a young Japanese starter getting acclimated to the new home.
I’ve slotted Sasaki next to Woo for this reason – I’d love both if I believed they would toss over 170 innings this season. Woo’s innings are clearer and will come with an IL stint if he’s injured, but Sasaki’s performance ceiling is higher, giving him the slight nod in these early ranks. I can’t wait until he performs in the spring.
Quick Take: We’re still in the dark about the Dodgers’ plan with Sasaki for the year, making me hesitant to chase him in drafts until knowing more. We should expect elite strikeout ability, but I’m favoring the known over the shiny new toy until we get an eye on him in the spring with some proper data.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD, RHP)
I’m having so much trouble ranking Ohtani as an SP. Here’s the issue: If he’s a two-way player in your league, this doesn’t matter. He should go 1-1 in your drafts. If he’s two separate players, then Ohtani will be missing over a month and might sit on your bench without an IL designation, depending on your league. That turns Ohtani into the equivalent of a stud SP prospect stash, which is lovely…when you draft them late. In addition, when Ohtani shows up, he’s sure to be limited heavily during his starts. Hopefully it’s early in the year and then ramps up in the second half, but you may not be getting prime quality per start until the summer. That’s rough.
I do believe you will be getting quality at some point with his high velocity, fantastic sliders, and putaway splitter. It’s just a problem of enduring it as a manager and quantifying what it’s like as a fantasy manager in season. Let me put it this way: If Ohtani were in the rotation on Day 1 with the expectation of 140 IP (and no IL stint), I’d have him somewhere around the 20s (it’s a mix of higher volume but slightly lower quality guys + Shane McClanahan, who is in a similar situation). I have him roughly 15-20 picks lower than that as I placed him right at the point where I can say “you’re going to get solid locked in value with the higher ranked arms, and not as guaranteed with the arms below”. Take that as you will and monitor whatever news we get about him this spring.
Quick Take: He’s sure to be great when he starts, but enduring the first month or two of the season with Ohtani potentially on your bench (and not on the IL!) is frustrating, to say the least. Know yourself as a manager and draft accordingly. He’s a Top 10 SP stud on a per-start basis when let loose in full.
On The Fringe
Bobby Miller (LAD, RHP)
Bobby Hundo. After we hyped you so much last year, you are now an afterthought. There’s just one spot in this rotation before Ohtani returns, but even then the Dodgers are expected to expand to a six-man. I see this as Miller’s to lose. Let’s be honest, if Miller enters camp and is the dope guy we saw in 2023, how could the Dodgers possibly go with May or Gonsolin instead?
Miller is a phenomenal flier in 12-teamers. Is he in the rotation? No? Drop him before the season starts. He’s in the rotation? Congrats, you likely got a Top 30 SP well outside the Top 30 SP picks. Come on Nick, he wasn’t anywhere near Top 30 last year! Right, and if he pitches like that, he’s not making the rotation. Ohhhh.
Don’t forget, this is a guy with 100 mph potential that flirts with plus on everything. The refinement + overall health is what’s missing and a polished Miller is an absolute stud. Take the shot.
Quick Take: Forget about 2024. If Miller earns a spot in the rotation, it means he’s pitching better and healthier than last season, opening the door for the Top 30 SP stud we expected him to be last year. This is literally his third season, y’all. His career isn’t suddenly over.
Dustin May (LAD, RHP)
He’s back! FINALLY! And y’all better pay attention. If May gets the gig, I absolutely adore him for this year. He throws super hard sinkers with absurd horizontal break that completely wreck RHB. As they should, jutting inside viciously and returning stupid low ICR marks at 97+ mph. He’s made to go 6+ frames with ease based on that sinker alone, but he’s also flexed strikeout upside on the back of a 93 mph cutter and 86 mph curveball. As long as he’s actually healthy now post TJS and esophagus surgery (yep), this season should mark the beginning of him getting into rhythm to be a legit arm in the majors.
Sure, I do wish he had a little more whiffability and a changeup to go under the sinker for LHB, but give it time. The foundation is too good. I’m expecting the Dodgers to go with May or Miller out of camp and whoever it is, I want them on my teams.
Quick Take: If May gets the SP #5 job out of camp, I’m grabbing him everywhere I can. His 97+ mph sinker was a destroyer of bats and he was just beginning to achieve the potential whiffability in his 93 mph cutter and 86 mph curve. It’s all there, he just needs innings.
Tony Gonsolin (LAD, RHP)
Alright Gonsolin, we had a bit of thing way back when before you got TJS and I swear, if you take this rotation spot instead of May or Miller, THE FEUD WILL RETURN. I am curious if Gonsolin will showcase something new this time around or if it’ll still be a whole lot of splitters with a slider that can work super well at times. What about the four-seamer? It exists at 92/93 mph. I’m still concerned the splitter will fade and the four-seamer will look naked over the plate, but let’s see what he’s got in the spring. If it happens to be Gonsolin in the rotation, there’s value to be had. Wins are cool, y’all.
Quick Take: I expect May or Miller to get the fifth spot in the Dodgers rotation, but if Gonsolin finds a way to get regular starts, he could be a Toby simply for Wins. He’ll need to have his splitter of old or at least the best version of his slider if he hopes to survive, though. That fastball has never been good.
Names To Know
Landon Knack (LAD, RHP)
Knack is four-seamer/slider with the former as a good-not-great fastball and the latter as a great all-around slider that we wish had more whiffs against RHB. And nothing else. The Dodgers are stuffed with options this year and I don’t think they’ll turn to Knack much at all, but he could be a sneaky Win play as his one-two punch has been good enough to go 5+ innings previously. That’s all he is, though.
Michael Grove (LAD, RHP)
Grove has had random moments as an opener or limited starter over the last few years and he’ll likely be used as a flex play for the Dodgers this year. Fle–Don’t you bring that other sport in here. Sadly for Grove, he breaks the Huascar Rule with a great slider and nothing else to support it. This is not the sneaky Dodger you should focus on.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD, LHP)
Yes, Kershaw hasn’t retired yet. No, I don’t think he’ll be all that great when he returns. It was tough to watch last year and there’s a chance at some point he returns and gives us one or two games of max juice just to call it quits after. I don’t know, he’s not the Kershaw of old without the same slider or heater and we shouldn’t trust it for fantasy. But unlimited IL? Sure, have a ball.
Emmet Sheehan (LAD, RHP)
I was jazzed for Sheehan this time last year and unfortunately he was delayed out of camp with an arm injury that turned into TJS in May. It does suggest a possible return to the rotation by the summer or later, though the Dodgers have set themselves up to have plenty of options by that time of year. You’d think Sheehan would head to the minors to be an option for 2026…right? I wouldn’t hold my breath here.
Kyle Hurt (LAD, RHP)
Don’t make the joke. Kyle underwent TJS in July and should miss the season. Don’t do it. I guess he’s…DON’T…not someone we should chase. Phew. Because he’s Hurt. COME ON NICK.
River Ryan (LAD, RHP)
I was PUMPED for Ryan when he first arrived (no, I didn’t realize he had a deadzone fastball, MY BAD) and he underwent TJS in August last year. I guess I’ll just go listen to my favorite Springsteen album now. Sigh.
Gavin Stone (LAD, RHP)
Stone underwent TJS in October and we hope he’ll return for opening day 2026. Dang, I thought he was just a stone’s throw away from being great. Nah, he was a Stone’s throw from getting hurt, clearly. Poor fella.
Relevant Prospects
Thanks to MLB.com and Eric Logenhagen’s work at FanGraphs for many insights into these prospects. I also used our PLV Minor League Player App for additional data I couldn’t find elsewhere.
Nick Frasso (LAD, RHP)
Frasso missed all of 2024 with shoulder and hip surgery and y’all shouldn’t expect him in 2025 with the Dodgers’ cornucopia of arms to make them as healthy as possible for their inevitable playoff run. He had solid extension and a lively 95+ mph heater with a legit changeup and breaker to get out RHB, which makes him an arm to note for 2026 – especially if he looks healthy across his Triple-A season of recovery.
Justin Wrobleski (LAD, LHP)
We saw Wrobleski and his 5.3 feet extension (two feet less than the elites ummmmmmmm) surprise with his four-seamer, holding both LHB and RHB to a stunning sub 30% ICR, though the rest of his arsenal was lacking. He did showcase a solid cutter 10% of the time to RHB, but this was mostly the low extension four-seamer game with somewhat deadzone movement and…I find that really hard to bank on. Is it because it was relatively flat and at 95 mph? But he had sub 50% hiLoc%…I don’t quite get it. Maybe we didn’t see his best slider with its two-plane movement and there’s more to unlock across additional opportunities in the future, but I’m not all too excited about it for now.
Ben Casparius (LAD, RHP)
Prince Casparius displayed a 95 mph fastball with cut-action that stuck to the top of the zone consistently against RHB and LHB alike and a solid slider underneath. I wonder if that fastball can live up there effectively with a poor attack angle and mediocre vert (and sub six feet extension, blegh), but its cut action does make me intrigued to stunt LHB. Maybe there’s a sinker to help against RHB in the future (or maybe the four-seamer is good enough with that velo?)
Justin Jarvis (LAD, RHP)
Jarvis is a Non Roster Invitee for the Dodgers after electing free agency following six years across multiple minor league systems. He has solid vert at 93 mph with a changeup and curve + a slider with multiple shapes. I’m skeptical it adds up to a proper fantasy starter, but we may see him in camp as he fights to take a role akin to Michael Grove on the squad.
Jackson Ferris (LAD, LHP)
He’s a southpaw at 94 mph who struggled once he made it to Double-A, but flexed a pair of double-digit strikeout games in Single-A earlier in 2024. The curve and slider are the big ticket items that could be major weapons, but it’s a wait and see how he develops in Double-A and Triple-A. I doubt we’ll see him this year and I wonder if he’ll bounce back effectively after his rough time post promotion.