X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Starting Pitcher Deep Sleepers for AL-Only Leagues

Finding deep sleepers is one of the most fun and important things to do when it comes to draft prep. As you come towards the end of a draft you want to take players who have upside or potential to provide a lot of draft day value.

That is what a draft is all about, finding the value that other owners don’t see and turning that into an advantage for yourself. Below are a couple of starting pitcher targets for AL-only or deep mixed leagues 2020.

Note: all ADP is set in the date range of 3/1/20-4/15/20.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:

 

Spencer Turnbull, Detroit Tigers (ADP 372)

Looking from the outside in, Spencer Turnbull seemed to have a below-average 2019. He finished with a 3-17 record with a 4.61 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Underlying factors make him more appealing, he had a 2.47 K/BB, .258 expected batting average against, and a 3.99 FIP. Turnbull becomes even more interesting because of his lengthy arsenal and the movement of his pitches.

Four-Seam Fastball

Turnbull’s four-seam was his go-to pitch when he was in need of a strike. While he utilized it very well and it even caused above-average swinging strikes he does need to work on his command. He does tend to leave this pitch in the heart of the zone and he really needs to paint the edges more. If Turnbull could do that with his breaking stuff we could see him reach a whole other level.

Slider

Turnbull actually had a great slider last year as it provided a 35.9 O-Swing%, 15.3 SwStr%, and .221 batting average against (BAA). He also was learning to utilize it better as left-handed hitters were this pitches weakness. He lowered the usage and started throwing it more versus right-handed hitters, which show he knows how to make adjustments.

Sinker

Turnbull’s sinker can become one of the better pitches in the league. It is a power sinker that he throws as fast as 97.9 MPH and has really great vertical and horizontal movement. The sinker comes with gruesome-looking stats though, as it produced a -11.1 pVAL, 175 wRC+, and .346 BAA. That BAA should drop as it came with a .386 BABIP but clearly Turnbull needs to learn to utilize the pitch better and when he should be throwing it. On the plus side, his sinker did provide a lot of weak contact with a 65.6 GB% and 5.4 Barrel%. This pitch could be and should be much better in 2020.

Curveball

Turnbull’s curveball presents great horizontal movement with a -8.3 drop on the pitch. It was also very unlucky last year as its underlying stats in terms of xBA, xSLG, and xwOBAcon all show positive regression. He possesses solid command and creates a lot of weak contact, making his curveball a likely bright spot for the upcoming season.

With some bad luck last year and a rather impressive arsenal, Spencer Turnbull seems poised to surprise a lot of people in 2020. His ADP of 372 makes him essentially free and a great spot to take some risk for the back end of your rotation.

 

Trent Thornton, Toronto Blue Jays (ADP 573)

Trent Thornton had a very lackluster 2019 as he produced a 4.84 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 13.0 K-BB%, and 1.41 WHIP. None of those are great numbers, in fact, all of them are below average. So why the love?

Trent Thornton certainly has strikeout upside. For instance, look at his last start of the year against the Tampa Bay Rays. He finished with a stat line of five innings pitched with eight strikeouts. In fact, he had eight starts where he had seven strikeouts or more. We are going to look at Thornton a little differently than Turnbull because he seems to be working on some new pitches.

In 2019, Thornton mainly threw a four-seam, cutter, slider, curveball, and splitter. The four-seam fastball isn’t bad as it is his go-to strike pitch. The cutter is pretty filthy in terms of swing and miss stuff but it does give off some pretty hard contact. Hitters had trouble with his slider and it should improve in 2020. The curveball has decent movement but not true swing and miss stuff. The splitter was rather lethal as it provided a .122 batting average against with a 1 wRC+ against.

The reason for the short summary of his pitches is because Thornton looks to be overhauling his arsenal. If you are a subscriber to the Athletic, make sure to read this piece written by Eno Sarris. In the article, Eno goes through all of the Blue Jays pitchers and his conversations with them. Thornton was definitely intriguing. Notably, Thornton’s curveball was much better in the last month of 2019, the reason being that he went to two different curveball grips. At times the RPMs on his curveball were at the top of the league.

Another pitch Eno talks about is Trent Thornton’s new one-seam fastball. This pitch has an insane movement where it has tremendous vertical and horizontal movement, as you can see by the video in the article.

To recap, with new grips on his curveball that showed great results and a new fastball we can see Thornton break out in 2020. Thornton was close in 2019 in terms of stuff and really shined at times but adjustments had to be made. It certainly looks like he is heading in the right direction.

Intricacies

When you are finding those deep sleepers you need to look for intricacies within players. For instance, with Turnbull, it is the deep arsenal with room to improve and with Thornton, it’s him working on new pitches for his arsenal. Small things like these could mean everything when it comes to a potential breakout. Thank you for reading and please let us know if you have any questions!

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tari Eason18 mins ago

Listed As Questionable With Illness On Wednesday
Dillon Brooks25 mins ago

Questionable Wednesday With Illness
Tee Higgins28 mins ago

Doubtful For Thursday Night Versus Ravens
Bryce Young33 mins ago

Will Start In Week 10
John Konchar34 mins ago

Doubtful For Wednesday Night, Will Miss Fourth Straight Game
Luke Kennard42 mins ago

Listed Questionable For Wednesday Night
Jordan Hawkins51 mins ago

Questionable For Wednesday Night Against Cleveland
Dean Wade56 mins ago

Still Out Wednesday Night With Illness
Jonathon Brooks1 hour ago

To Be Activated, Week 10 Status Still Unclear
Cody Martin1 hour ago

Probable For Wednesday Night
Dallas Goedert1 hour ago

Returns To Practice Ahead Of Cowboys Matchup
A.J. Brown1 hour ago

On The Practice Field To Begin Week 10 Prep
CeeDee Lamb2 hours ago

Expected To Be Limited On Wednesday
Nico Collins2 hours ago

Not Practicing On Wednesday, Could Return In Week 10
Royce Lewis3 hours ago

Might See More Time At Second Base
3 hours ago

Alex Bregman Has Bone Chip Removed From Elbow
3 hours ago

Angels Sign Kyle Hendricks
Max Greyserman3 hours ago

Earns Highest DraftKings Salary For WWT Championship
Harry Hall3 hours ago

In Solid Form Heading To Cabo
PGA3 hours ago

Matti Schmid On Fire Ahead Of WWT Championship
Jhonattan Vegas3 hours ago

A Safe Play At WWT Championship
Taylor Moore3 hours ago

Looks To Contend At WWT Championship
Patrick Fishburn3 hours ago

A Volatile Option At El Cardonal
Michael Kim3 hours ago

Aims For Back-To-Back Top-10 Finishes At WWT Championship
Charley Hoffman3 hours ago

Tough To Trust At WWT Championship
Deshaun Watson3 hours ago

Browns Not Ruling Out A Future With Deshaun Watson
Mike Evans4 hours ago

Working Off To The Side With Trainer
Keon Coleman4 hours ago

Won't Practice On Wednesday
Amari Cooper4 hours ago

To Practice On Wednesday
Drake London4 hours ago

Still Day-To-Day
Trevor Lawrence4 hours ago

To Be Limited With Sore Shoulder
Adam Svensson5 hours ago

A Risky Play In Mexico
Daniel Berger6 hours ago

Looks To Keep Cuts-Made Streak Alive In Mexico
Tom Hoge7 hours ago

Hopes To Steady The Ship At World Wide Technology Championship
De'Andre Hunter7 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Cameron Payne7 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Brandin Podziemski7 hours ago

Good To Go Wednesday
De'Anthony Melton8 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Andrew Nembhard8 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday
Bradley Beal8 hours ago

Likely To Play On Wednesday
Travis Konecny8 hours ago

Tallies Four Points In Losing Effort
Nathan MacKinnon8 hours ago

Matches Franchise Record With Five Assists
Andrew Peeke8 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury Tuesday
Anthony Mantha8 hours ago

Suffers A Lower-Body Injury
Cale Makar9 hours ago

Exits With Injury Versus Seattle
Dylan Holloway9 hours ago

Taken To Hospital After Being Hit By A Puck
D'Angelo Russell18 hours ago

Likely Good To Go On Wednesday
Austin Reaves18 hours ago

Probable Versus Memphis
Anthony Davis19 hours ago

Questionable Versus Memphis
Caris LeVert19 hours ago

Picks Up A Questionable Tag For Wednesday
Trae Young19 hours ago

Expected To Play Versus The Knicks
Immanuel Quickley19 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Wednesday
Jamal Murray20 hours ago

Won’t Play Against OKC
P.J. Washington20 hours ago

Won’t Go Against Chicago
San Diego Padres20 hours ago

Padres Nearing Contract Extension With Manager Mike Shildt
Jazz Chisholm Jr.20 hours ago

Could Be Moved Back To Second Base
20 hours ago

Astros Have Had "Productive" Talks With Alex Bregman
21 hours ago

Rangers Decline 2025 Option On Andrew Chafin
Camilo Doval21 hours ago

Generating Interest
Shohei Ohtani22 hours ago

Undergoes Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
Ronald Acuña Jr.22 hours ago

Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider Not Expected To Be Ready By Opening Day
Bo Bichette22 hours ago

Not On The Trade Block
Tee Higgins22 hours ago

Picks Up Another DNP On Tuesday
Ryan Poehling22 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexander Romanov22 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Tuesday
Artem Zub22 hours ago

Remains Out On Tuesday
Ty Dellandrea22 hours ago

Ready To Rejoin Action On Tuesday
Jake Walman23 hours ago

Sits As Healthy Scratch On Tuesday
Brayden Point23 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Auston Matthews23 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Chandler Phillips23 hours ago

Attempts To Keep Final-Round Form This Week
Brent Rooker23 hours ago

A's Planning To Keep Brent Rooker
Neal Shipley23 hours ago

Past Five Tournaments Make Him An Interesting DFS Option
Austin Eckroat23 hours ago

Wants To Shake Off Some More Rust In Mexico
Rico Hoey23 hours ago

Needs The Putter To Work In Mexico
J.J. Spaun24 hours ago

Tries To Keep Second Half Rolling In Mexico
Sam Stevens24 hours ago

Hopes To Continue Riding A Hot Putter In Mexico
Erik Van Rooyen24 hours ago

Erik van Rooyen Tries To Defend WWT Title
24 hours ago

Braves Interested In Nathan Eovaldi
Lucas Glover24 hours ago

Well-Rested Heading Into WWT Championship
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Hopes To Continue Good Form In Mexico
Lamar Jackson1 day ago

Will Play On Thursday Night
Keith Mitchell1 day ago

An Unappealing Play At World Wide Technology Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers1 day ago

Dodgers Expected To Be Favorites To Land Roki Sasaki
Mike Williams1 day ago

Steelers Trading For Mike Williams
1 day ago

Cardinals Don't Extend Qualifying Offer To Paul Goldschmidt
Washington Commanders1 day ago

Marshon Lattimore Traded To Washington
1 day ago

Reds Give Nick Martinez A Qualifying Offer
1 day ago

Christian Walker Receives Qualifying Offer From D-Backs
DK Metcalf1 day ago

Seahawks Won't Be Trading DK Metcalf
Detroit Lions1 day ago

Lions Acquire Za'Darius Smith From Browns
Dak Prescott1 day ago

Likely To Go On Injured Reserve
1 day ago

Dodgers Extend Qualifying Offer To Teoscar Hernandez
1 day ago

Willy Adames Receives Qualifying Offer From Brewers
1 day ago

Braves Give Max Fried A Qualifying Offer
1 day ago

Anthony Santander Receives Qualifying Offer
Jonathan Mingo1 day ago

Heading To Dallas
Artturi Lehkonen1 day ago

Will Make His Season Debut On Tuesday
Ilya Sorokin1 day ago

Takes On Penguins Tuesday
Jake Allen1 day ago

Posts Second Shutout Of The Season
Jesper Bratt1 day ago

Collects Two Points In Monday's Win
Adrian Kempe1 day ago

Enjoys Another Multi-Point Outing
Darcy Kuemper1 day ago

Continues Point Streak With A Shutout
Ryan Blaney2 days ago

Wins At Martinsville And Has Chance To Earn Second Straight Championship
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Penalized At Martinsville, Removed From Championship Four
Jake Allen2 days ago

Faces Oilers On Monday
BOS2 days ago

Tyler Johnson Signs One-Year Deal With Bruins
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas2 days ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus2 days ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault2 days ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles2 days ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Mike Malott2 days ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
NASCAR3 days ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen3 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA3 days ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius3 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro3 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi3 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Daniel Suarez3 days ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith3 days ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano3 days ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar3 days ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric3 days ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher3 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman3 days ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield5 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault5 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott5 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro6 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado6 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz6 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 10

Week 9 of the 2024 season is in the books. That means another week of cold, hard data to analyze. We’ll try not to overreact, but instead, use logic and reasoning as the foundation for our decision-making in the weeks ahead. Each week, we’ll take a look back at the previous week to see if […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 10 Include Jared Goff, Brian Thomas, Tony Pollard, Tank Dell, Tyrone Tracy, more

After the fireworks that occurred in Week 8, many quarterbacks came back down to earth in Week 9. However, our beloved studs still performed at a high level and provided excellent fantasy fun throughout the league. The Bengals and Ravens both put on a show. The Eagles took flight. Heck, even the Panthers had players […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Who Should I Start? TNF Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions for Week 10 (2024) - Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki, Quentin Johnston, Josh Downs, Khalil Shakir, Jauan Jennings, Courtland Sutton, Darnell Mooney

It's time to prepare for Thursday Night Football. Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Thursday Night Football and Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, […]


Mark Andrews - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections: Tight Ends (Half-PPR) - George Kittle, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Mark Andrews, Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, more

Whether you're at the top or bottom of your league's standing, there is still time for things to change before the fantasy football playoffs. And having the right tight end can be a difference maker week-to-week. Use our Week 10 fantasy football tight end projections for the 2024 NFL season to set winning lineups and […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections Wide Receivers (Half-PPR) - DeAndre Hopkins, Puka Nacua, Tank Dell, A.J. Brown, DJ Moore, Tee Higgins

It's Week 10. Wide receivers are still emerging, some are returning from injuries, and others are still questionable heading into the weekend. Who will suit up, and who will make an impactful return? Our Week 10 fantasy football wide receiver projections for the 2024 NFL season are here to help fantasy managers set winning lineups. […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections: Running Backs (Half-PPR) - Christian McCaffrey, Jonathon Brooks, Chase Brown, Tyrone Tracy Jr., J.K. Dobbins

We're past the half-way point of the season, and lineup decisions will be more critical than ever. Our initial Week 10 fantasy football running back projections for the 2024 NFL season will help you understand where our weekly rankings come from. Use these Week 10 projections to set winning lineups. How do we project Christian […]


Daniel Jones - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections Quarterbacks: Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, Bo Nix

Grinding rankings articles to decide "who to start" is the staple of fantasy football preparation for each slate, but you can also visualize how rankings are determined with our Week 10 fantasy football quarterback projections for the 2024 NFL season. Are top fantasy QBs like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow projected to smash in a […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football WR: Smash Spots for Week 10 include Malik Nabers, Nico Collins, Parker Washington, Tee Higgins, Mike Gesicki

Welcome back to this week's top WR smash starts. This year, we have plenty of WR movement due to in-season trades and devastating injuries. Last week, we had some up-and-down picks that were highlighted by big weeks from Rome Odunze (five receptions, 104 yards) and Courtland Sutton (seven receptions, 122 yards, and a passing TD). Unfortunately, Josh Downs and […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Bengals vs. Ravens TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Diontae Johnson, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Tee Higgins, more

Week 10 for Thursday Night Football brings us the first rematch between two opponents for this prime-time spot in 2024. If you recall, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens competed in an offensive explosion in Week 5 that eventually saw the Ravens eke out a 41-38 win. Joe Burrow threw five touchdowns in that game. […]


Tony Pollard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Trade Targets - Buy/Sell For Week 10 Including James Conner, George Pickens, Tony Pollard, Cedric Tillman

The NFL trade deadline has officially passed, meaning there are only a few weeks left to trade in most fantasy football leagues. Player injuries have run rampant this season, so in all likelihood, a few areas of your team could use reinforcements or improvements before the fantasy playoffs begin. Ahead of Week 9, I recommended […]


Jonathan Taylor - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Matchups to Target, Avoid (Week 10): Offensive Line Champs, Chumps for James Cook, Joe Flacco, Kirk Cousins, Joe Mixon, CeeDee Lamb

The 2024 season continues to be a struggle for offensive football. We did get some good performances in Week 9, but once again quarterback play was down. A lot of those issues start in the trenches. Plenty of teams are navigating an array of offensive line injuries halfway through the 2024 season. Nineteen of the […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

High-Value Touches and Opportunities - Fantasy Football Underperformers, Overperformers (Week 10)

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to my weekly series, "High-Value Touches and Opportunities," for Week 10 of the 2024 fantasy football season. We're over halfway through the fantasy football season, depending on if leagues go through Week 17 or 18. It's crunch time, and we'll want to pay attention to the news, noise, and trends, especially in […]