Milwaukee Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski and New York Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler were easily the most valuable hurlers during the 2026 season for roto/categories-based leagues. The pair finishing second and third, respectively, on the overall Player Rater, behind only Chicago Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (and behind only Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP Shohei Ohtani in points formats).
While Misiorowski and Schlittler were not among the first pitchers chosen in ESPN ADP, they didn't slip too far, going in the 10th and 14th round. It may not feel so exciting to reward them as co-MVP pitchers for fantasy baseball, but it is obvious.
Beyond that, there were myriad starting pitchers who did not go in the first half of drafts -- or even in most drafts at all -- who supplied excellent value to fantasy managers. Let's take a look at some of them.
Other MVP pitcher candidates
Parker Messick, LHP, Cleveland Guardians: Messick deserves special acknowledgement, for he went undrafted in most leagues, yet finished as a top-10 starting pitcher for both roto/categories and points formats with a 2.56 ERA in his 32 starts. Messick made seven starts during his 2025 rookie season. He was arguably the best pitching bargain of 2026.
Drew Rasmussen, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays: After missing most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to injury, Rasmussen thrived in 2025. The Rays were not as cautious with his workload in 2026, as he won 16 games with a 2.67 ERA over 172 innings. He was a fantastic 13th-round pick.
Zack Wheeler, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies: Fantasy managers knew Wheeler, 36, would miss the beginning of the season recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, so he slipped to the eighth round in ADP. Once he arrived, he rarely slipped. Wheeler made 28 starts, with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He won 14 games and struck out 193 hitters. He was a terrific value.
Gavin Williams, RHP, Guardians: Williams was a good pitcher in 2025, posting a 3.06 ERA with a strikeout per inning. While his ERA rose to 3.76 this past season, he lowered his WHIP to 1.11 and led the AL in strikeouts with 248.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks: Rodriguez, 33, posted a 5.02 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP over his first two NL seasons. Little was expected from him in 2026, but then he won 16 games with a 2.89 ERA during his 32 starts. Fantastic turnaround!
Honorable mention: Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals; Nick Martinez, Rays; Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels; Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates; Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox; Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins.
Starting pitcher LVP
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox: Crochet was a first-rounder in ESPN ADP, the No. 3 pitcher after Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal -- and he scored 41 fantasy points all season. He hit the IL in late April as a result of shoulder problems, telling reporters he wouldn't miss much time. Then he missed the remaining five months of time. Injuries happen, but this one was a big one, hurting fantasy managers more than it seemed to hinder the playoff-bound Red Sox.
Dishonorable mention: Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals; Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants; George Kirby, Seattle Mariners; Framber Valdez, Detroit Tigers; Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres; Luis Castillo, Mariners/Chicago White Sox.
Relief pitcher MVP
Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays: Varland entered his fifth MLB season with nary a save to his record, but coming off a solid 2025 season in which he emerged as a valuable relief pitcher. He further emerged as one of the best relief pitchers this past season, quickly pushing Jeff Hoffman out of the closer role, as he posted a 1.27 ERA with 35 saves, striking out 97 hitters. Relief pitching is volatile, but every so often we get a monster season like this one. Varland finished third among relief pitchers on the Player Rater, behind the Guardians' Cade Smith and Padres' Mason Miller.
Honorable mention: Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly, Rays; Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers; Tanner Scott, Dodgers; Grant Taylor, White Sox; Mason Montgomery, Pirates; Brent Headrick, Yankees; Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves.
Relief pitcher LVP
Edwin Diaz, Dodgers: Diaz, coming off a standout 2025 season with the New York Mets in which he posted a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves, bolted for the Dodgers with a three-year contract offer. Fantasy managers went all-in, but Diaz struggled early on, then hit the IL for months. He ultimately saved seven games, but with a horrid 8.68 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in only 18 2/3 innings. Diaz was second only to Padres star Mason Miller among relief pitchers in ESPN ADP -- a sixth-round pick -- and he scored all of 46 fantasy points.
Dishonorable mention: Andres Munoz, Mariners; Devin Williams, Mets; Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros; Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays/Twins; Ryan Helsley, Baltimore Orioles; Daniel Palencia, Cubs; Carlos Estevez, Royals.