These 8 pitchers have the profile and potential to help fantasy managers lower ERA in 5x5 rotisserie-scoring leagues during the 2025 season.

It’s never too early to prepare for your draft, and some of us draft fiends are already setting our draft dates for 2025 or even drafting now.

For nearly a decade, I contributed of series of offseason features at Rotoworld breaking down category sleepers at each of the 5x5 roto categories. Over 10 weeks, I will be providing a list of sleepers for each 5x5 roto category (BA, HR, RBI, R, SB, W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV). Since the hot stove hasn’t heated up much yet, for the next few weeks we will focus on players in categories that are less based on opportunity and more based on skill. Other roto categories that are more dependent on opportunity, supporting cast, and batting order spot (R, RBI, SB) or team and manager (W, SV) will be discussed in the latter half of the 10-week series.

Before reading any further, it’s important to note the definition of a sleeper. In this case, it’s a player who will exceed draft day ADP AND projections in a particular category. The players are broken down by mixed league sleepers and single league sleepers.

Mixed League Players

Taj Bradley, SP, Rays

Like the rest of the Rays' starting rotation, Bradley is loaded with talent. The former fifth-round draft pick took a significant step forward in his second MLB season, posting a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 154 strikeouts in 138 innings. However, there’s more upside to be unlocked. Bradley missed the start of the season due to a pectoral injury and struggled through an August slump, which saw his ERA rise from 2.71 to 4.35.

Bradley has all the tools you'd want in a pitcher: an elite 96 mph fastball, a developing cutter, and a splitter with potential. He posted an impressive 10.5 K/9 across two seasons and improved his home run rate last year (1.4 HR/9). Still, his 40% flyball rate and long-ball issues remain a concern, especially given that the Rays will play their 2025 home games in a minor league park with a short porch in right field. On the plus side, his 3.28 K/BB ratio is outstanding, and his ERA metrics (4.09 FIP, 3.69 SIERA) suggest he’s capable of better results moving forward.

Alex Cobb, SP, Tigers

This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned Cobb as an ERA sleeper over the years, and that will likely continue until he retires. The 37-year-old recently signed in Detroit, with the hope of a bounceback season after he struggled to get back from hip and arm injuries last year. There’s no mystery in Cobb’s game as he heads into his 14th MLB season, throwing a mid-90’s sinking fastball that’s helped him produce a groundball rate near 60% over the last three seasons, splitter known as “The Thing” that he throws almost equally, as well as a knuckle curve as a show pitch.

Cobb has never been a big strikeout pitcher, with a career 7.5 K/9, but he keeps the ball on the ground and generates weak contact. Since adding velocity with the Giants in 2022, Cobb has posted a 3.74 ERA and 3.40 FIP. The big question remains his durability, as injuries have been a concern throughout his career. Nevertheless, the Tigers took a $15 million chance on him, and his ADP is rising. With an ADP around 650, Cobb is a true end-game bargain with minimal downside.

Clay Holmes, SP, Mets

This could be interesting. Holmes, who has been the Yankees' closer for parts of the last three years, signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets to start games. Holmes has started just four games in his seven MLB seasons, and there’s skepticism about his transition to starting as a two-pitch pitcher.

The reason for optimism is Holmes' extreme groundball rate. His mid-90s sinker has helped him post a remarkable 65%+ groundball rate for the last four seasons. Moving to a starting role may reduce his velocity and groundball rate, but he’s still likely to be one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in the league. This should help mitigate the risk of occasional control issues and keep his ERA in check. Recent successful transitions from bullpen to rotation by pitchers like Zack Littell, Jordan Hicks, Seth Lugo, and Jeffrey Springs suggest Holmes could thrive. A solid comparison might be former Red Sox closer turned starter Derek Lowe, who posted a 2.58 ERA in his first season as a starter in 2002. With an ADP near 400, Holmes offers a low-risk, high-reward option.

Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Diamondbacks

While they don’t have the same stuff, Pfaadt has a similar statistical profile to Bradley. Both pitchers completed their second MLB season with excellent K/BB ratios but ERAs well over their metrics due in large part to home runs. Pfaadt is an even more extreme case than Bradley, posting a 4.71 ERA last season despite a 3.61 FIP and 3.65 SIERA.

Also like Bradley, Pfaadt struggled down the stretch last season. His ERA was 3.92 as July concluded, but Pfaadt had a 6.51 ERA over the last two months after two particularly poor outings. It will be interesting to see how Pfaadt adjusts after the Diamondbacks moved on from acclaimed pitching coach Brent Strom, but more rest between starts and a quicker hook could be in order for Pfaadt to pitch better late in the year and reach his potential.

Single League Players

Slade Cecconi, P, Guardians

The primary trade return last week from Arizona for Josh Naylor, Cecconi joins an organization with an outstanding track record for pitcher development. Fortunately, Cecconi doesn’t have a long way to go in spite of last year’s 6.66 ERA in 77 innings. The former first-round pick was never an elite prospect, but there’s a lot to like with a mid-90’s fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup that’s helped him show off elite control with a 1.7 BB/9 over two seasons. His results in the upper minors are somewhat mixed due in large part to home run issues, though Cecconi has an impressive 3.55 K/BB ratio that backs up his MLB results.

Moving from Arizona to Cleveland could go a long way in helping Cecconi keep the ball in the park. He’s been victimized by small home ballparks through Triple-A and into the majors, which don’t fit his extreme flyball profile. A rotation spot to begin 2025 in Cleveland could be tough to come by, but he has a chance to at least make the team as a swingman due to his elite control. The combination of great command and improved team context makes Cecconi interesting for ERA and WHIP in AL-only leagues.

Sean Hjelle, P, Giants

Hjelle took a giant step forward last season as the Giants long man, improving his ERA by almost three runs to 3.90 with an elite 5.36 K/BB ratio and 1.22 WHIP. The 6-foot-11 right-hander has an accomplished minor league track record, and the profile is very conducive to strong ERA metrics with a 59% groundball rate and 1.6 BB/9 last season. The result was a 3.62 FIP and 2.81 SIERA in 80.2 innings.

There haven’t been any indications that Hjelle’s role will change next season, but it’s certainly possible. The Giants have been quiet in terms of adding pitching, and are currently relying on a long list of question marks after Logan Webb. After serving almost solely as a starter in the minors, Hjelle could get a look in Spring Training and threw enough innings last year that he’s even valuable for NL-only leagues in relief.

Andre Pallante, SP, Cardinals

The youth movement is in full swing in St. Louis, as the team allowed Paul Goldschmidt to walk in free agency, and starters Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are close behind. That opens up opportunities and longer leashes for young players like Pallante. The 26-year-old is deserving in any case after a breakout season, posting a 3.78 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 121.1 innings that included 20 starts last season.

Pallante’s bread and butter is a mid-90’s sinking fastball that helped him produce an elite 62% groundball rate last season. The development of a knuckle curve as a difference making pitch for Pallante last season, even as he threw it only about 13% of the time. It provoked a 34.5% whiff rate as a weapon against lefties that helped him truly dominate southpaws. The control remains a work in progress for him (3.6 BB/9), but a regular starting opportunity an ERA metrics hovering near 4.00 show a potential asset in NL-only leagues.

Quinn Priester, SP, Red Sox

The Pirates and Red Sox struck an under-the-radar deal late last season that could have major implications going forward, as Priester went to Boston for infielder Nick Yorke. Yorke has a chance to carve out a major role in Pittsburgh, while Priester gets a change of scenery to help him develop into the top prospect he was in the low minors. The Red Sox already saw the former first-round pick make strides last season before the trade.

Priester has long produced a groundball rate better than 50% due to his sinker, but his secondary stuff and control is making clear progress. While he hasn’t missed bats in the majors yet, Priester’s 9.4 K/9 in the minors shows upside as he continues to refine his secondary stuff. More significant last season was his control improvement, with a 2.4 BB/9 that carried over in his brief MLB time. The big issue for Priester this season could be finding an opportunity after the Red Sox added Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler on top of Lucas Giolito’s return from injury. The combo of an extreme groundball rate and plus control does make Priester an interesting AL-only add whenever he gets a chance.

--Seth Trachtman